Naturally, union forces are dead set against right to work. It essentially kills the cash cow they milk for their existence. Lacking the ability to force workers to pay union dues, union coffers would soon resemble the state treasury in Michigan. Because of this, the Teamsters, the UAW, the AFL-CIO and other powerful national unions will come to our state and spend outrageous sums to defeat the measure. A victory for right to work here would spell disaster for unions everywhere, since Michigan is an iconic union stronghold, mostly due to the former strength of the auto industry and its attendant unions. We also have the dubious honor of being the birthplace of the National Education Association, the country's largest union.

This situation is strikingly similar to another where a small minority dictates to the larger population what to think and how to act. I am referring to the mood established by the gay rights lobby. One of the papers I just finished grading advocated the normalization of same-sex marriages. The young lady who wrote the paper was convinced by her research that the prohibition of homosexual marriage was equivalent to the historical discrimination against African Americans. Her thesis promoted the idea that the Declaration of Independence assertion that all men are created equal applies to same-sex marriage. She cited a Washington Post/ABC poll done recently which found support for same-sex marriage trending upward since 2003, with the balance shifting in favor of gay marriage in the most recent poll.

This should not be surprising. First, it is a liberal media poll, which would likely have a left leaning bias among those who chose to respond. As a balance point, a Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll showed no such lead for proponents of gay marriage. A CNN poll has the number at 54% opposed, 44% in favor, while CBS reported recently 53% opposed, 42% in favor. More to the point, the GLBT activists have been drumming their "equal rights" mantra into the heads of anyone who will listen for years. As my young researcher testifies, the argument is taking hold.

Bill Cooper, a candidate for Pete Hoekstra's House seat, was adamant in his support of right to work. As a successful Michigan businessman, he has seen firsthand how the climate in Michigan has gradually stifled any real economic growth. If (when, according to his optimistic outlook) he makes it to Washington, he pledges to work for national right to work law. He is also in favor of laws supporting traditional marriage. What bothered Cooper most, and the rest of us as well, was the prognosis for passage of right to work legislation in Michigan any time soon. Glenn believes the legislature must first pass something which can then be taken to the voters (forced their by the unions.) This will be a years-long process, Glenn claims.