Texas State Rep Targets Union Payroll Deductions

March 25, 2008 | Filed Under Business, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, GOP, Media Bias, News, Publius Contributor, Society/Culture, Unions, Warner Todd Huston |

-By Warner Todd Huston

State Rep. Leo Berman, chairman of the House Election Committee and Tyler, Texas Republican, has asked the state attny general on whether it’s lawful for teachers unions to use dues money for political campaigns.

This is a fight increasingly seen about the states and it is one we here encourage. It is such a slight against free will, free association and democracy to have dues money forcibly removed from members’ paychecks by a union to fund its far left political goals.

In Texas, the contributions for political use is voluntary, but as the state still has to monitor that the voluntary nature stays upheld. So, as far as Berman is concerned, the union is still using state money to fund their union’s political aims and he wants that ended.

The Tyler Republican and chairman of the House Elections Committee says it’s a direct challenge to the Texas State Teachers Association Political Action Committee, which tends to contribute to far more Democrats than Republicans.

The payroll deductions are voluntary, but Berman says it takes state time and resources to administer the deduction system — and that’s what he is against.

“The Democrats have raised a lot of their money through the teachers’ unions,” Berman says. “So through using the payroll deduction process, they’re using state funds, state equipment and state time to raise political money. That doesn’t fit with Texas state law.”

In the request for an opinion, Berman asks, “Is it permissible for government resources to be utilized to process government paycheck deductions for political campaign donations?”

These are excellent questions. Let’s hope that Berman succeeds in his quest to limit the unions usage of public funds for their nefarious endeavors to push a far left agenda using public monies! If Berman is successful this is a great precedent that can be repeated in other parts of the country.

If you want to read more of this story go on over to the Tyler Morning Telegraph.

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Warner Todd Huston is a Chicago based freelance writer, has been writing opinion editorials and social criticism since early 2001 and is featured on many websites such as newsbusters.org, townhall.com, New Media Journal, Men’s News Daily and the New Media Alliance among many, many others. Additionally, he has been a frequent guest on talk-radio programs to discuss his opinion editorials and current events. He has also written for several history magazines and appears in the new book “Americans on Politics, Policy and Pop Culture” which can be purchased on amazon.com. He is also the owner and operator of publiusforum.com. Feel free to contact him with any comments or questions : EMAIL Warner Todd Huston