FLASHREPORT

I always say that public employee unions exist really to accomplish two goals, and that anything else that they do is ancillary to these goals.  First and foremost to increase salary and benefits for their union members, and second to pursue any state policies that would increase the number of members of their union.

Pretty simple, right?  This is why public employee unions are so insidious.  

Well, apparently there is an exception to my theory.  Apparently yesterday the California Teachers Association donated a staggering $1,000,000.00 (a cool million bucks) to the No on 8 Campaign.  Proposition 8 is the Protect Marriage Act.

So you have to start scratching your head, and wonder why the state union that looks out for the salary and benefits of teachers is spending its member-dollars on a ballot measure that is about defining marriage in California?

One has to conclude that the decision making body of the CTA PAC is not only filled with union-hacks (as you would expect) but with left-wing activists.

The irony is that there is a discussion that takes place every few years surrounding a policy of the California Republican Party, where the CTA has been declared an "unwelcome organization" (a technical designation within the Bylaws).  Advocates of this statewide public employee union, usually headed up by former State GOP Chairman Bob Naylor, as that this status be rescinded as something like 40% of teachers are Republicans.

The answer that we always give is pretty straight forward - well, when around 40% of the CTA's political giving is to GOP candidates and causes, then we'll reconsider the CTA status.  This massive donation to defeat Proposition 8 clearly undercuts the efforts of Naylor and others.

The real question now is, if it is true that around 40% of the CTA's membership is on the conservative side - why are they weighing into this "social" issue?  Is it, in fact, a case of left-wing ideologues "taking over" or "dominating" the CTA PAC - well, I guess I would be upset if I were them.

I guess the good news is that money that the CTA spends now on issues that are not-related to their primary mission of increasing salaries and benefits leaves them with less money to elect, say, a liberal Governor in 2010!