While Congress Debates, Citizens Legislate Campaign Finance Reform by David Almasi Grassroots activists are proving more successful than Congress in bringing about campaign finance reform. While the Senate is deadlocked amid squabbling over the spending caps and donor restrictions of the McCain-Feingold bill, crusaders outside the Beltway have already enacted measures giving people an improved ability to make their own choices in supporting political candidates and causes. A significant number of Americans are currently being forced to fund political campaigns which they may know nothing about and which they may not even support. People work hard for their money, and they want to decide how to spend it. Giving these people the power to make their own political decisions has garnered very strong support in numerous polls, but has yet to be taken seriously in the debate on Capitol Hill.
Labor unions flex their political muscle with money collected from mandatory members' dues.
Those unlucky people went to the ballot box to vote for one party while backing the other with their pocketbook. Not only is taking payroll deductions for political purposes without giving workers any input a denial of political choice, it is also against the law. In 1988, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that union members can request and receive a refund for any portion of their dues not spent on workplace-related activities like collective bargaining. Union leaders are loathe to inform their members of it or make such reimbursements, so the collection of dues usually continues unabated. Americans want to see this unfair practice stopped.