From Newsgroup: alt.law-enforcement

from letters to editor Seattle Times
rCyInordinate fundingrCO

Let me see if I have this straight: We are required to pay taxes to the
state of Washington, which uses a significant portion of that money to
pay government workers who pay dues to unions that then spend more than
anyone else to push legislation and elect politicians who will negotiate favorable pay and working conditions for those unions in a negotiation
that takes place off the record.

This arrangement is detrimental to both the fiscal and civic health of government. It results in jobs that pay more than most in Washington,
and offer insurance and pension benefits far beyond those in the private sector. As important, union contracts that prescribe hiring, firing, discipline, staffing, compensation and other management decisions in
great detail potentially represent an unconstitutional delegation of
authority by elected officials. It seems likely that we will see this
tested in court before too long.

The government is elected to serve the people, not to provide jobs to residents. It has an obligation to provide services at the lowest
possible cost. Public employee unionsrCO inordinate funding of state and
local politicians is even worse than billionairesrCO funding of federal politicians because it is done with taxpayer dollars.

Ross Elkin, Seattle
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