Blessings in disguise When you're taking on the largest political organization in the world, Service Employees International (SEIU), you have to be able to take a hit. The battle to free workers from the clutches of government unions is analogous to the end of “Rocky,” when Apollo Creed (SEIU) makes a dramatic entrance filled with confidence, only to be knocked down in the first round by a motivated challenger named Rocky (aka, the Freedom Foundation). Humiliated, SEIU has been forced to take us more seriously. Make no mistake, this fight is going to go the distance, and both organizations will sustain numerous blows to the ego and checkbook. As the battle unfolds, SEIU’s seemly unlimited bankroll is being countered by the Freedom Foundation's wit and tenacity. We are also thankful for the blessings in disguise. Every SEIU hit job seems to blow up in their face. When the union put Freedom Foundation CEO Tom McCabe in its sights, we turned ...

By Matthew Hayward In WA. State legislators are seriously considering rasing the minimum age for tobacco purchases to 21 years old. The bill in question just passed, "The House Health Care & Wellness Committee," if you ask, that sounds like a committee that should not exist. ( Link )  " A poll found that 65 percent of voters are for of raising the smoking and vaping age from 18 to 21." Do any of these people polled think kids wait until they are 18 to start smoking? This poll proves two things; People are stupid. Society believes responsibility is not a personal matter but a public one.  This kind of protectionism is the opposite of a free society. I have a better solution. End age limits and regulation of controlled substances and let people be free to make bad decisions, and when they do, let's let them suffer the consequences of those decisions. It's time to depend on parenting and common sense. And not to worry, if a child doesn'...

One great thing about the Freedom Foundation is that nearly everything we do is successful. Even when we appear to lose a battle, by the simple act of climbing into the ring and fighting, we’re always advancing in the overall war to defund and distract the political influence of government unions. A great example of our win-win policy is our door-to-door opt-out today program . The hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost dues to the S ervice Employees International Union ( SEIU) annually because of members opting out is a win. Still, we’re also winning because of the time and money SEIU is forced to devote to countering it. In response to our efforts, SEIU has recruited a small army of thugs to spread lies to prevent people from learning and exercising their rights. SEIU 775 is currently running ads offering to pay hired goons upwards of $50,000 a year to “encourage” individual providers to sign the membership cards, which entitles the union to skim money from workers...

Our Maternal Government When will the insanity of the nanny state end? From the prevention of alcohol sales between 2 am and 6 am to banning alcoholic energy drinks, there appears to be no end to the protectionist policies of the Washington State legislature? With the Senate passing the Distracted Driving Bill (5656) and the House passing Liz Pike’s “Student Driver” Bill 1159, the 2015 Washington State Legislative session is no exception. Will the day ever come when our elected officials fail to find and pass unnecessary legislation? Next year, we should expect to see bills ranging from the requirement of senior citizens to be forced to display decal warnings on their automobiles to a distracted driver law regarding the application of makeup or other personal hygiene while driving.

Typically my focus on organized labor has to do with public-sector unions , their lack of transparency , and forced dues as a condition of employment. Private-sector unions rarely appear on my radar, but I take exception to the latest outrage in my hometown. Joint Base Lewis McCord’s 555th Engineer Brigade worked with the city of Olympia to find a building to demolish for training purposes. There are plenty of old eyesores in Olympia, so a suitable candidate for demolition wasn’t a problem. A building on the contentious Isthmus, a skinny stretch of land separating Capital Lake and the base of Puget Sound, was chosen. JBLM was excited to work with the city of Olympia to get on-the-ground training for overseas missions. Meanwhile, the city, which struggles to keep revenue above spending , was happy to have JBML donate its services. The money isn’t there to clean up Olympia, and bringing down all the buildings is expensive, so any help we can get is welcomed and needed. To the ...

By Matthew Hayward Under current law, Washington’s governor can engage in secret, closed-door contract negotiations with more than 25 unions whose impact on taxpayers equals hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer expenses. The problem is these same unions contributed to the governor’s campaign to $5.8 million dollars. There is clearly a conflict of interest in allowing elected officials to negotiate how to spend tax dollars with their campaign contributors, especially during secret meetings. Notwithstanding the fact our current governor promised salary increases even before negotiations ever started, what kind of negotiating is that? In 2002 , a law passed under Gov. Gary Locke that exempts state negotiating sessions from the Open Public Meetings Act. This means state-level collective bargaining is not required to be done in public. On the other hand, nothing is saying they couldn't be. It’s time to turn on the cameras and microphones and hold our representative...

By Matthew Hayward Happy Bill of Rights Day! Opening the paper this morning to read retiring liquor control board chair Sharon Foster's passionate comments against the free market was wonderful. While the privatization of liquor sales was voter-approved, Sharon says it was "the dumbest thing we ever did in our state." She then went on to point out that privatization has "led to higher prices and increased shoplifting of alcohol, especially by minors. We've heard stories there may be alcohol brokers in every high school,”  Let’s start with higher prices; the State is punishing the people with sin taxes and making more money than ever. Next shoplifting; yes, there will be an increase in shoplifting of a product when you now have the product. Sharon fails to mention adjustments made in security measures without State regulations. When liquor was first opened up for sale in the general marketplace, many store owners foolishly placed their products insecurely in open...