Controversial Prop. 226

Anyone want a good reason to vote yes on Prop. 226? Examine the unions’ contributions to defeat this measure. Twenty million dollars of union dues have been spent by the unions to defeat this measure. Half of that $20 million was paid by union members who support Prop. 226, but their voice does not count. Only the union bosses’ votes count.

FRANCIS JANSEN, Northridge

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I’m neither pro-business nor pro-union. They are both modestly corrupt. I just want that corruptive power spread as evenly as possible. Prop. 226 is designed to do just the opposite. It would concentrate a great deal of political power in a very few hands. And total power corrupts absolutely. Prop. 226 is a sneaky, stealthy power grab.

Every average Joe will be hurt by this, not just union members. One could imagine what it would be like if big business had unrestricted, uncontested access to the laws and lawmakers. Do you trust big business that much? I don’t.

KIRK ROSKAM, Long Beach

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Gov. Pete Wilson and wealthy, out-of-state individuals who would benefit by Prop. 226’s passage refer to elected union representatives as “union bosses,” conveniently forgetting that members choose peers to represent them (it is called representation, a.k.a. democracy). They also conveniently forget that unions are what give working women and men voices. Voices that were not heard before the National Labor Relations Act in 1935 and will not be heard again if this anti-worker initiative passes.

DIANA ORCHARD, Riverside