Mystery bucks

Letter to the editor by Eric Feaver
Helena Independent Record - September 3, 2006

I agree with the IR’s editorial “Enough state-worker bashing.” But the ad campaign by the so-called Center for Union Facts doesn’t just bash state employees. It also bashes public school employees, especially teachers.

And the even more obvious fact is the primary purpose of the ads is to bash public sector unions — the largest two being MEA-MFT and the Montana Public Employees Association. Many other unions — for example AFSCME, Teamsters, Laborers, Operators — also represent public employees living and working all over Montana.

Fortunately, I believe most folks who have thought even a little bit about these things can see, as the IR editorial sees, that the ads bash unions in order to help pass CI-97 — the outrageous proposed amendment to our constitution that would arbitrarily and capriciously cap state expenditures.

The Center for Union Facts — funded by out-of-state mystery megabucks — has correctly identified unions as a significant obstacle to the passage of CI-97.

And like the Center for Union Facts, CI-97 is funded almost if not entirely by out-of-state mystery megabucks.

Out-of-state mystery megabucks see Montana as ripe for the picking. They are wrong, but they will try hard to do so.

Eric Feaver - President - MEA-MFT - Helena