LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Taxpayers unwittingly do union bidding

OPINION:

Here is a question for conservative and independent voters. (The answer to the question from liberals is known.) Do you approve of your federal, state and local taxes going to the Democratic National Committee and to local DNC chapters?

That’s right; our taxes are going to the DNC through public-sector unions. We pay our taxes to the federal, state and local governments. They, in turn, pay their government employees. Union members from among those government employees pay dues to their public-sector unions, and those public-sector unions donate millions of dollars to elected liberal politicians and support liberal causes. What is this if not legalized money laundering?

But that’s only half the story. In the private sector, the employer is on one side of the bargaining table and the union representatives are on the other side. Because unions contribute millions of dollars to elect liberal politicians, unions are on both sides of the bargaining table during collective bargaining. In public-sector union bargaining, the employer - the taxpayer - is not represented. The union-elected politicians reward the public-sector unions with generous pay and benefits.

The employer of government employees - the taxpayer - earns on average 50 percent to 65 percent in pay and benefits of what a government employee gets. Other benefits, such as paid holidays and workday hours, are much better for public-sector employees. Is this fair?

HARRY PADDON

Lady Lake, Fla.