Right to Work and Taxes

If the majority of voters favor a tax, we all have to pay it whether we agree with it or not. We have no choice.

But politicians want different rules for the private sector. They want union dues to be voluntary. In other words, politicians want one set of rules when it comes to their paycheck and another when it comes to how unions operate.

Maybe they are on to something. Maybe taxes should be voluntary too. Then we could get the size of government we want. If people favored what government was doing, they would pay their taxes. If not, taxes would go unpaid, and government would shrink to a more desirable size. And as a bonus, with politicians' salaries dependent on voluntary funding, there would be fewer politicians.

Wait a minute! You say government couldn't operate that way. Exactly! That's why the politicians want to make unions operate that way. To weaken them. Politicians are trying to undermine the workers' collective bargaining rights, thus giving management the upper hand. That will only widen the gap between the haves and the have-nots. Some politicians claim that "right to work" will increase employment, yet there isn't clear evidence of that in states that have it.

Unions must be approved by a majority vote, and union leaders are elected, kind of like politicians. Let's leave them alone and let democracy work for them as it works for government.

Gary L. Gaines, Cape Girardeau