Neighborhood Ministries

I live just outside Bowling Green which is a small Midwestern city which is largely rural and not dominated by unions so it supports the Republican party with its conservative values. The Democratic Party has very little foothold here compared to the large industrialized cities where unions control a lot of the politics. Therefore it was surprising to learn that in records listing sources of campaign funds, the Democratic candidate running for mayor in a recent election received large amounts of campaign funds from unions across the State and even from out-of-State unions. Those organizations will not receive any benefit from their investment. It is likely they are laundering contributions from other union sources to bypass contribution limits in order to install politicians who will support their union organizing in Bowling Green. While candidates need to satisfy their constituents to stay in office, money is needed to run campaigns. One has only to follow the money to see why Democrats vote for bills favoring abortion, labor unions, and Gay rights, in spite of widespread opposition to them by the majority of voters. It is almost certain that the candidate would be more likely to support proposals that would benefit those outside sources who supplied most of their campaign funds rather than those that would benefit local people who did not support their programs. When voters are easily swayed by flashy campaigns, as many are today, Democrats cater to large contributors such as Planned Parenthood, Gays Rights groups, and labor unions as well as liberal corporations who will contribute to their campaign chests enabling them to beef up their campaigns. Democrats are able to spend 5-10 times the money of Republicans who depend primarily on donations by conservative individuals and corporations. The candidates also provide special benefits to unions over those of the average worker. If politicians don’t vote the way the voters tell them to, voters need to find someone who will. But that requires that the voter check the politician’s record and watch what they vote for. Unfortunately, few voters today bother to do that. That is why our country is in the mess it is in. Fortunately, the candidate lost, however it illustrates how determined unions are  to sway local politics, particularly in rural areas dominated by Republicans. Local elections are supposed to represent the will of the people and a large flow of money from outside gives local politicians a disadvantage.

The 1973 U.S. Supreme Court’s infamous decision in United States v. Enmons against the crew and cast of Top Chef for not hiring union people exempts union bosses from federal prosecution for coordinating campaigns of violence and extortion in pursuit of what they consider “legitimate union objectives.” Which means that unions can destroy your property and injure or kill you if it furthers the unions goal of forcing you to pay them money in order to get a high paying job. Somehow I think freedom and democracy got lost somewhere. Are violent threats and vandalism ever legitimate means? There is no “objective” that could justify vandalism, arson, assault and even murder. This decision has allowed union bosses to threaten and intimidate workers in order to force them to submit to union representation and forced dues. It has also allowed unions to engage in violent strikes, including beatings, arson, and even murder to intimidate non-union workers and prevent them from filling in while the union is on strike and has enabled them to badger State and federal legislators into providing government workers with lavish union wages and benefit packages at taxpayer expense. It has also allowed them to force large corporations to submit to union demands. Congress needs to pass a law guaranteeing Americans freedom from union violence and holding unions accountable for their actions like anyone else.