CA 's Special Election: Corporate interests want more power in Sacramento

I'm a parent. I don't belong to a union. I'm not part of union efforts in this special election. And I'm not buying much of the anti-union crap being flung like fresh manure, especially by the backers of the blatantly antiunion propositions, especially Prop 74 and 75.

For me, this passage below explains why I'm angry about this special election and why I'm supporting the side worthy of my support, the unions representing public workers.

Excerpt found in Bill Moyers' latest essay:

Theodore Roosevelt warned a century ago of the subversive influence of money in politics. He said the central fact in his time was that big business had become so dominant it would chew up democracy and spit it out. The power of corporations, he said, had to be balanced with the interest of the general public. That warning was echoed by his cousin Franklin, who said a "government by organized money is as much to be feared as a government by organized mob." Both Roosevelts rose to that challenge in their day. But a hundred years later mighty corporations are once again the undisputed overlords of government. Follow the money and you are inside the inner sanctum of the Business Roundtable, the National Association of Manufacturers, and the American Petroleum Institute. Here is the super board of directors for Bush, Incorporated.

Not surprisingly, a whole set of corporate interests are behind the curtain, funding many of the initiatives on our very special election for corporate interests.

The CA Business Roundtable, part of the huge huge huge force behind NCLB btw, co-authored Prop. 76, the one which seems to target education funds more than anything while not doing much to help any budget deficit, the supposed reason why it's on the ballot.

This special election is all about strengthening the power of corporate interests in California by destroying their competitors for power, CA's working class. The corporate interests are doing this by calling the working class faction "special interests" all the while blowing smoke over their own role as a supreme special interest.

This special election is really a fight for power in Sacramento: it's the corporate interests versus the regular people, the public interest, the general interest. And, believe me, I know this election will have horrible consequences for me, with a child in public school, if many of these initiatives pass, especially Prop. 75.

I support the unions. They have been doing heroic work for the rest of California. I can't say that about the corporate interests. They surely don't deserve more power. They don't speak for me.

Please vote on November 8th. And please help get out the vote to all in California.

Be sure to support the Alliance .

Updated: title updated. Added links at the behest of Julie Rosen of the Alliance blog, which has become a great example of netpower.

Prop. 74
Prop. 75
Prop. 76
Prop. 77
Prop. 78