Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Washington
Opinion-Editorial, March 11^th, 1998

Settlement a farce

Chalk it up to the cost of doing business. Four days after it agreed to pay the largest penalty in state history for violating campaign finance laws, the Washington Education Association flexed its muscles and helped kill another school reform proposal.

Penalty? What penalty? Armed with dues teachers must pay whether they agree with the union's agenda or not, WEA now enjoys a degree of power that's as audacious as it is unmatched...

On February 26, a settlement stopped the case short of court, where the whole tale might have told (concerning WEA's campaign finance violations)...

The settlement also provides that in the future, WEA can send teachers' dues to candidates and political organizations straight from the general treasury. For a concession like that, WEA might deem the penalties a worthwhile investment...

Evergreen Freedom Foundation P.O. Box 552, Olympia, WA 98507 Phone: (360) 956-3482, Fax: (360) 352-1874 Email: effwa@effwa.org

Quotables:

"To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves, is sinful and tyrannical." - Thomas Jefferson

"If all mankind minus one were of one opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind." - John Stuart Mill