Seven at One Blow -- Colorado 2008 Amendments 47, 49, 53, 54, 55, 56, and 57
I can't believe my good fortune today. Business and labor leaders, who were publicly feuding via the ballot box, have reached an agreement which means that I don't have to read seven Colorado ballot initiatives!
It all started when business leaders put one, two, then three measures on the ballot this year. Amendment 47 would have prevented unions from collecting mandatory dues. Amendment 49 would have prevented public employers from using payroll deductions to fund private organizations. And Amendment 54 would have banned some unions from making campaign contributions.
In retaliation, labor leaders came up with no less than four measures to use as leverage against the business measures. Amendment 53 would have allowed corporate executives to be prosecuted for corporate crimes. Amendment 55 would have required companies to show cause when firing employees. Amendment 56 would have required most employers to provide health insurance. Amendment 57 would have allowed employees to sue their employers in workers comp cases.
I say "would have", because now all of these measures are irrelevant. Business and labor were using the ballot as part of their negotiations, playing a big game of chicken, using all of us as pawns in that game. And now the two sides have reached an agreement and we are once more irrelevant.
At the eleventh hour, literally hours before the state deadline, the two sides blinked. Neither side was willing to risk the chance that the opposition's measures would pass. So, in exchange for labor withdrawing all four of its measures, business has agreed to campaign against its own measures.
Kind of makes you sick, doesn't it?
So, the four labor measures will be pulled from the ballot. Since ballots are already printed, they will still appear, but the results won't be counted. And business leaders have committed to spending $3 million to the campaign against their own measures.
If there ever was a tiny chance that I would vote for any of these, it is surely gone now. If you resent being played with this way as much as I do:
Vote NO on Amendment 47
Vote NO on Amendment 49
Vote NO on Amendment 53
Vote NO on Amendment 54
Vote NO on Amendment 55
Vote NO on Amendment 56
Vote NO on Amendment 57
It all started when business leaders put one, two, then three measures on the ballot this year. Amendment 47 would have prevented unions from collecting mandatory dues. Amendment 49 would have prevented public employers from using payroll deductions to fund private organizations. And Amendment 54 would have banned some unions from making campaign contributions.
In retaliation, labor leaders came up with no less than four measures to use as leverage against the business measures. Amendment 53 would have allowed corporate executives to be prosecuted for corporate crimes. Amendment 55 would have required companies to show cause when firing employees. Amendment 56 would have required most employers to provide health insurance. Amendment 57 would have allowed employees to sue their employers in workers comp cases.
I say "would have", because now all of these measures are irrelevant. Business and labor were using the ballot as part of their negotiations, playing a big game of chicken, using all of us as pawns in that game. And now the two sides have reached an agreement and we are once more irrelevant.
At the eleventh hour, literally hours before the state deadline, the two sides blinked. Neither side was willing to risk the chance that the opposition's measures would pass. So, in exchange for labor withdrawing all four of its measures, business has agreed to campaign against its own measures.
Kind of makes you sick, doesn't it?
So, the four labor measures will be pulled from the ballot. Since ballots are already printed, they will still appear, but the results won't be counted. And business leaders have committed to spending $3 million to the campaign against their own measures.
If there ever was a tiny chance that I would vote for any of these, it is surely gone now. If you resent being played with this way as much as I do:
Vote NO on Amendment 47
Vote NO on Amendment 49
Vote NO on Amendment 53
Vote NO on Amendment 54
Vote NO on Amendment 55
Vote NO on Amendment 56
Vote NO on Amendment 57
Labels: business, Colorado, election 2008, labor, politics
posted by insomniac | 9:21 PM
1 Comments:
For those intendng to vote no, here are a couple of websites supporting that view:
About Amendment 47:
http://www.voteno47.com
And, a site with info about Amendments 47, 49, and 54:
http://www.protectcoloradosfuture.org/
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