Friday, April 08, 2005
Citizens for Paycheck Protection (hah!)
April 8, 2005
Senator Dick Ackerman
Senator Dennis Hollingsworth
Senator John Campbell
State Capitol
Sacramento, CA 95814
Dear Senators:
I am in receipt of your packet and letter dated March 25, 2005 regarding Citizens for Paycheck Protection. I agree with the statement found on the cover that states, "It's wrong for unions to take money from public employees without their permission, then use it for political purposes." I also agree with a similar statement made in the first part of the letter, "...without their approval." However, upon closer inspection of the actual text of the initiative, coupled with one sentence in the letter, it is obvious that you are not interested in protecting freedom of speech since the deductions would be prohibited "whether the deduction is voluntary or not."
The letter and the envelope are very misleading. One of the reasons why I adhere to my membership in the Republican Party is that we generally do not stoop to such misleading language and tactics. Your initiative, sponsored by corporate lobbyists, will have a chilling effect on free speech and is offensive on its face.
Should you decide to sponsor an initiative that allows for public employees to opt out of contributions from their paychecks that would otherwise be used for political purposes, I will gladly sign and circulate such a petition.
Cordially,
Matthew J. McKinley
Social Studies Department Chair
Northview High School
Covina, CA
Senator Dick Ackerman
Senator Dennis Hollingsworth
Senator John Campbell
State Capitol
Sacramento, CA 95814
Dear Senators:
I am in receipt of your packet and letter dated March 25, 2005 regarding Citizens for Paycheck Protection. I agree with the statement found on the cover that states, "It's wrong for unions to take money from public employees without their permission, then use it for political purposes." I also agree with a similar statement made in the first part of the letter, "...without their approval." However, upon closer inspection of the actual text of the initiative, coupled with one sentence in the letter, it is obvious that you are not interested in protecting freedom of speech since the deductions would be prohibited "whether the deduction is voluntary or not."
The letter and the envelope are very misleading. One of the reasons why I adhere to my membership in the Republican Party is that we generally do not stoop to such misleading language and tactics. Your initiative, sponsored by corporate lobbyists, will have a chilling effect on free speech and is offensive on its face.
Should you decide to sponsor an initiative that allows for public employees to opt out of contributions from their paychecks that would otherwise be used for political purposes, I will gladly sign and circulate such a petition.
Cordially,
Matthew J. McKinley
Social Studies Department Chair
Northview High School
Covina, CA
