Chicken Little: 'The Sky is Falling!'

A panel of Chicken Little unionists trotted out the predictable “sky is falling” predictions Thursday night about what would happen if we voters aren’t smart enough to approve  Jerry Brown’s tax increase on the November ballot.

Criminals will take over Redlands! Kids will go stupid! Panic in the streets! People won’t know what to do! The only prediction the big-government types didn’t parade out is closing the Department of Motor Vehicles.

It was clear Thursday night at Citrus Valley High School that the Redlands Unified School District and the city's public-employee unions have once again joined forces to hose taxpayers so they can keep their high-paying jobs and benefits while the rest of the state struggles with a sour economy.

There were so many lies that I just gave up counting.

The most laughable moment went to Paul Scott of the California Teachers Association who, with a straight face, claimed that union contributions go to politicians as part of an open and democratic process.

Prop 32, a ballot measure the panelists are opposing, would prohibit the mandatory contributions of union dues for political causes. Workers have the option to opt into political causes instead of having to opt out of the process. Overall, about 40 percent of union workers vote Republican, yet more than 90 percent of union money goes to liberal politicians.  In states where similar measures have passed, union member dues have plummeted to the low teens or single digits.

The panelists also supported Prop 30 that, if passed, would make California the No. 1 state in income taxes. We are already No 1 in sales and gas taxes, yet No. 2 in income taxes just isn’t enough for some people.

According to the US Census Bureau, California’s state and local employees are already the highest paid in the nation.

I included those inconvenient truths in questions I wrote cards that were handed to the moderator. My questions focused on why does government always try to get more money from taxpayers instead of cutting back – as the private sector has done. As predicted, my questions were never aired.

(And, by the way, according to the Wall Street Journal, California’s public school teachers are already paid 35 percent over the national average – so I didn’t buy the predictable “poor me” cries that flowed from the stage.)

The forum was billed as an informational evening, yet none of the panelists or materials in the entry way advocated positions against Prop 30 and for Prop 32. They just droned and moaned about how stupid we all are if we don’t for Prop 30 and against Prop 32.

By coincidence, the Redlands Tea Party Patriots, of which I am a proud member, published our voters guides for the fall election on Thursday. We are recommending a “yes” vote on Prop 32 and a “no” vote on the other 10 measures.

And, just to be a brat, I left some on the back table as I left the high school.