Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/81027
Top: News media interivew CTA Board member Mary Rose Ortega about why she's voting NO on Prop 32 during the CTA Presidents Conference. THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE SAID ANALYSTS FOUND THAT PROP. 32 LOOPHOLES WILL "ALLOW CORPORATE INTERESTS TO CONTINUE DOLING OUT CAMPAIGN DONATIONS" WHILE UNIONS ARE SILENCED. workers funded by corporate special inter- ests and billionaires," says CLF Executive Secretary-Treasurer Art Pulaski. "This measure won't solve Sacra- Below: Barbara Hirst, Pacific Grove Teachers Association, joined other teachers in wearing tape across their mouths to dramatize how Prop. 32 would silence the political voices of educators and the middle class. mento's problems. By rigging the system to benefit the very wealthy and corporate CEOs, Prop. 32 would actually weaken our democracy and threaten middle-class pri- orities. Once voters learn the truth, they'll reject this cynical attempt to give more power to the already powerful. " How much more influence does Prop. 32 give billionaires? Unlimited. It amounts to a "bill of rights for billion- aires," warned John Logan, a professor and director of Labor and Employment Relations at San Francisco State University. Prop. 32 would be a "devastating hit on labor," said Jaime Regalado, a professor emeritus of political science at California State University-Los Angeles, in a July San Francisco Chronicle report on its investigation of Prop. 32. The paper said analysts found that Prop. 32 loopholes will "allow corporate interests to continue doling out campaign donations" while unions are silenced. This unbalanced measure is highly deceptive because it bans unions and corporations from using payroll-deducted contributions for politics, when research shows few companies do so now — they just use profits, without asking anybody for permission. Exemptions for real estate trusts, hedge funds, limited partnerships and many kinds of companies mean the millionaires and billionaires behind Prop. 32 would still have extraordinary lobbying clout, and could still give unlimited money to the super PACs that fund candidates and undermine our democracy. Unions would be banned from giving money to candidates, even for local school board races. CORPORATIONS DON'T USE PAYROLL DEDUCTIONS FOR POLITICAL PURPOSES. THAT'S LIKE SAYING, "WE'RE GOING TO CRACK DOWN ON COUNTERFEITING BY COLLECTING ALL THE $3 BILLS PRINTED." SOUNDS GOOD — HOWEVER, COUNTERFEITERS DON'T PRINT $3 BILLS. BLOG POST REACTING TO PROP. 32 September 2012 www.cta.org 31