Mount Virtus

Just in case you want to hear another recap of Colorado’s recent ballot battles - specifically, Big Labor’s well-heeled campaign to sink Amendments 47, 49, and 54 - I was the guest on an Evergreen Freedom Foundation podcast with Scott Dilley to explain just that very thing to the primarily out-of-state audience:

I know, it’s not exactly “DeGrow Gone Wild” on the podcast. But what did you expect? Anyway, moving on now….

The day before Colorado voters go to the polls (or at least the few that haven’t cast ballots already) to decide Amendment 49 - the Ethical Standards initiative concerning the use of government payroll systems - the U.S. Supreme Court today heard oral arguments (PDF) in Ysursa v. Pocatello Education Association (H/T Liberty Live).

What’s the connection? The Ysursa case is reviewing a law known as the Idaho Voluntary Contributions Act. As I pointed out many weeks ago, Amendment 49 is a better version of this clean government payroll law.

I previously discussed this issue with Mike Reitz of the Evergreen Freedom Foundation on an iVoices podcast:

It likely will be several months before our nation’s highest court renders a verdict on whether states like Idaho can pass laws restricting local governments from collecting PAC moneys through their payroll systems. But tomorrow we will most likely find out whether Amendment 49 somehow withstands the multi-million dollar deceptive (and in some cases illegal) onslaught of the Big Labor lobbyists’ campaign.

Update: Link added below

First, there was the real-life absurd “Godzilla” flyer created by Protect Colorado’s Future. Then the Denver Metro Young Republicans fired back with the “Kittens for Amendments 47, 49, and 54″ ad - famously featured in the sidebar of today’s Rocky Mountain News print edition Rocky Mountain News Stump blog.

To keep the spirit alive, here’s my own contribution to the cause:

*WARNING* Satire *WARNING* Satire *WARNING*

Face The State reports on the poster child for Amendment 47:

Ernest Duran, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7, paid himself and two of his children combined salaries of over $430,000 in 2007.

Duran collected a salary of $162,368 for 2007, according to records with the U.S. Department of Labor. Two of Duran’s children also work for the UFCW Local 7. His daughter Crisanta Duran, an associate counsel, pulled in $133,410 in 2007. His son, Ernie Duran, III, earned $134,378 in 2007 as an executive staffer. According to Salary.com, a Denver-area grocery cashier can earn about $24,377 annually, an assistant manager at the same store earns approximately $48,950, and a store manager earns about $66,800 a year.

The Durans’ salaries are funded by dues from the union’s 20,000 members. [Ben's note: And agency fee payers who never chose to join.] Members include Dominic Brazzale, 18, who graduated high school earlier this year and got a summer job working at the Safeway at 80th and Wadsworth. He worked there for about just over four months before quitting. Two months into the job, Brazzale’s boss approached him with a union contract and told him he had to sign. “My boss told me they take money from him, too and it sucks, but you have to sign it.”

Too bad Amendment 47, also known as Right-to-Work, looks to be doomed in the polls. It is, however, instructive to note that the Durans’ UFCW has pumped nearly $6 million into the anti-47 campaign - which has even used the money illegally to attack other ballot amendments, as well.
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The Rocky Mountain News reports on a complaint filed yesterday by Amendment 49 supporters:

Backers of Amendment 49, which would prohibit union dues from being deducted from public payrolls, have filed a complaint with the Colorado secretary of state alleging that an opposing group failed to disclose its intention to campaign against them.

Instead, Coloradans For Middle Class Relief states in its registration with the secretary of state that it would campaign against Amendment 47, according to the complaint by Jon Caldara, president of the Independence Institute and author of Amendment 49. But Caldara said Coloradans For Middle Class Relief has sent out fliers on other ballot measures as well, including Amendments 49 and 54.

The Denver Post has a similar story. Both merit a “no comment” from the group caught in violation of campaign finance laws.

Pictures of the Coloradans for Middle Class Relief flyers that illegally attack 49 and 54 can be seen here and here (back and front). In fact, you probably received one or both at your home.

The union lobbyist-funded committees have more money than they know what to do with. Between Protect Colorado’s Future and Coloradans for Middle Class Relief, more than $20 million has been raised to attack Amendment 49 (Ethical Standards) and two other initiatives.

With that kind of money, it’s quite easy for union lobbyists to flout the law and ask forgiveness later. They can’t afford to have Amendment 49 pass, which would mean giving up their free government collection service and put them on a level playing field with every other special interest group. Political power indeed corrupts.

In this case, the flagrant breaking of campaign laws simply points out the need for Ethical Standards. But by the time the truth can have a fair hearing, it may be too late.

My Leadership Program of the Rockies (LPR) classmate, sometimes Backbone America radio co-host, and Independence Institute senior fellow Krista Kafer debuted a weekly Face The State column today.

Here’s the timely conclusion of this first installment:

Special interests that have much to gain from the demise of Amendments 47 and 49 are funneling millions of dollars into the election. Slick campaigns from candidates and groups lure voters with the promise to “Protect Colorado’s Future.” The advocacy groups, leftist candidates, and sadly, even the media, are banking on the public’s fears for the economy to turn the election in their favor. Unfortunately, conservatives and libertarians have had trouble articulating what’s at stake. Free stuff is, after all, an easier sell than freedom. If the electorate opts for the former over the latter, dark days are ahead.

Ben Franklin once warned, “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” Such a warning has never been more relevant.

Krista’s column will be a regular read for me. Almost every time I have ever conversed with her, she has said something insightful that puts the situation into a principled perspective. I appreciate that in her, something you see in her writing, too. I hope you take time to check out Krista’s column regularly.

Read and hear more about what the sheriffs had to say here.

The Rocky Mountain News today provides the most systematic deconstruction of the grossly misleading, multi-million dollar Protect Colorado’s Future campaign against 49:

There’s no obligation for political campaigns to be fair, let alone balanced, but there are times when messages go beyond the pale.

Case in point: the advertising, largely bankrolled by labor unions, to defeat Amendment 49, the “ethical standards” initiative.

• Muzzle workers and endanger public safety? “In what way? The amendment doesn’t say unions can’t collect dues. It just says government can’t collect dues for them.”
• Threaten public employees’ paychecks? “Nonsense.”
• Silence small business? “Bizarre.”
• Backed by multinational corporations? “What a joke.”

Or as Mike Rosen says about Protect Colorado’s Future, after listening to one of their over-the-top, ridiculous ads on his 850 KOA radio talk show: “They think you’re stupid. Don’t be stupid.”

Readers of this blog are now well familiar with the orchestrated deception by a group called Protect Colorado’s Future (PCF) against Amendment 49, the Ethical Standards initiative. In addition to numerous Colorado newspaper editorial boards, respected public figures like former U.S. Senator Hank Brown and former state treasurer Mark Hillman have refuted the lies.

Many of PCF’s false claims center around purported negative effects on the ability of law enforcement and public safety workers to do their jobs. Who better to refute the lies than respected law enforcement officials whose jurisdictions already have an Ethical Standards policy in place?

In today’s Denver Post, three Colorado county sheriffs took their turn at batting down the dishonest, multi-million dollar ad campaign:

The sheriffs disputed claims that the measure would hinder their ability to do their jobs. One print ad financed by opponents shows Denver sheriff’s deputy Jeff Shaw of Commerce City stating that Amendment 49 and two other measures would hurt his ability to secure “better body armor and modern equipment.”

“It’s ludicrous and insulting,” Weld County Sheriff John Cooke said….

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Sleazy ads by the Democrats’ 527 group Accountability for Colorado? Say it ain’t so (from the Rocky Mountain News editorial page):

The sleaziest flier this season? Probably the one targeting Republican Kevin Priola, who’s running for the District 30 state House seat in Adams County. It claims a judge “issued a restraining order against Priola out of fears that he posed a threat and imminent danger to the victim.”

Come to think of it, a second anti-Priola flier may be worse. It says that the “judge found [my emphasis] that Priola posed a threat and imminent danger to the victim.”

In fact, requests for temporary restraining orders are routinely granted just to be on the safe side until a hearing can be held. In this case, the person requesting the order against Priola (as well as his father and their firm) was a delinquent tenant trying to thwart an eviction. And the stunt didn’t work - the order was soon dismissed by the court.

There was no “victim” and no one in “danger.” A judge “found” nothing of the kind.

Notice that these fliers never mention the gender of the person requesting the order - a male - no doubt in order to leave the impression that a woman had been harassed or stalked. For that matter, both fliers suggest that Priola would be interested as a lawmaker in making it harder for judges to issue restraining orders - a flat-out invention.

So who’s responsible for these travesties? A group called Accountability for Colorado, which is partly funded by wealthy activists Tim Gill and Pat Stryker. These two fat cats, respected members of the state’s establishment, apparently have no qualms joining with those who trash the reputations of the innocent. [emphasis added]

The “sleaziest” ad of Colorado’s political season is not only funded by Left-wing billionaires Tim Gill and Pat Stryker (leaders of the Colorado Democracy Alliance). The Colorado Education Association (CEA) also has given tens of thousands of dollars of automatically deducted member dues and contributions to Accountability for Colorado. Do you think they took a straw poll of members first? Do you think they will disclose to members how their money was spent - at least in time for them to get a refund (if they even know about the refund)?

If Amendment 49 (Ethical Standards) were passed, and groups like CEA had to collect money directly from members, do you think they’d be as likely to brazenly spend their money on groups with such a record of sleazy deception?

And if this story makes you mad, I recommend you find a way to support Kevin Priola.

As reported in the Denver Post, this is the kind of story that Big Labor would rather sweep under the rug. A union attorney exposed for his racist, vulgar email messages sent to Ryan Frazier, a leading supporter of Amendment 47, and also (apparently) for practicing law in Colorado without a license. It wasn’t like the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) had much choice but to get rid of DeAngelo Starnes - otherwise a natural ideological fit.

It is not insignificant to note that UFCW has spent nearly $5 million on state issue campaigns this year - mostly to fight Amendment 47 (Right-to-Work) but also to spread lies about Amendment 49 (Ethical Standards) and Amendment 54 (Government Contracting Reform). Only the National Education Association has spent nearly as much money fighting these pro-worker and good government initiatives.

For snide commentary on Mr. Starnes’ ignominious showing in today’s Post, read the Drunkablog.

Another prominent, respected Colorado voice joins the chorus of those denouncing the nonsensical attacks against Amendments 47, 49, and 54. Former state treasurer Mark Hillman makes a couple of terrific points in his piece:

Amendment 49 (”ethical standards”) prohibits state and local governments from intercepting a worker’s paycheck to collect dues or contributions for unions, lobbyists or any other special interest. It simply requires all interest groups to ask supporters directly for their contribution, rather than use government payroll systems as their collection agency.

Groups from the National Rifle Association to the Sierra Club rely on voluntary contributions, so why can’t labor unions and other special interests?

And:

Then there’s the whopper by the “Coloradans for Middle Class Relief” that claims “a few rich owners” – “Big Bad Wolf” was already taken — want to pass these amendments so they can “cut wages and reduce health care for their employees.”

What stops those greedy owners from treating their employees like indentured servants today? The good old profit motive, of course. It’s tough to sell goods and services without productive, properly compensated employees.

The Denver Post called the union attacks dishonest, noting that Amendment 47 “does not in any way prevent unions from organizing and collecting dues from willing employees.” The Post also pointed out that the firefighter in the commercial works in a department where union membership is voluntary.

It’s nice to be able to cut through the white noise and lies of Protect Colorado Future’s outrageous political spin. Only eight more days. We can only hope for Ethical Standards (Amendment 49) and these other good ideas to prevail over the deception.

(Disclosure: I also happen to work for the Independence Institute, which is a chief supporter of Amendment 49.)

While early and mail-in voting continues, I once again have made a couple small updates to Ben’s Colorado Ballot Guide 2008 - including a new link. Check it out, and share the word with any voters still uninformed or undecided about the 14 issues on the statewide ballot.

Joanne Kelley reports on the Rocky Mountain News Stump blog:

Supporters of Amendment 49 filed a campaign finance complaint over $2,800 of “in-kind” contributions a teachers union committee made to a group fighting the ballot measure.

The complaint alleges the Colorado Springs Education Association’s issue committee made contributions to a group created to address statewide ballot issues when the teachers’ committee was created to promote issues in its own district.

“I find it disturbing to see the teachers union funnel resources earmarked for local education issues into a fight against statewide political issues they don’t happen to like,” said Colorado Springs resident and former school board candidate Reginald Perry, who was named on the complaint filed with the Secretary of State’s office.

But a spokeswoman for the Colorado Education Association said the law allows the teachers union committee to support or oppose both state and local ballot issues.

“The (teachers) committee has the same purpose as Protect Colorado’s Future,” said Deborah Fallin of the Colorado Education Association.

The same purpose. Really? The purpose of the teachers union committee? “Promote ballot issues in School District 11.”

The purpose of Protect Colorado’s Culture of Corruption Future? “Support initiatives #57; #62; #73; #74; #75 and #76. Oppose Amendments 47, 49 and 54.”

They sound different to me. It’s sad that words cease to have plain meaning to the likes of the Colorado Education Association. And it’s sad (but not surprising) that the group fighting Ethical Standards would break campaign finance laws to get out its deceptive messages.

There’s something you ought to know about my boss Jon Caldara: He is perfectly comfortable with shameless attention-grabbing. Did you see the “Amendment 49 - Ivory Tower Explanation” sock puppet video? Well, now the sock puppets make an encore appearance:

A bid for the used socks (ew!) on Ebay goes to fund the Amendment 49 campaign. You all can do better than $14.08 (the current bid).

For the sakes of the poor sock puppets, please….