Captive Audience Bill: Exhibit A for not electing ‘business’ Democrats February 26, 2008
Kapow!
So goes the myth that all we need are more “conservative” and “business” Democrats and the business world of West Virginia will be a better place.
Actually, the “business” Democrats in the House of Delegates just gave the business community in this state a collective kick in the teeth.
What is the Captive Audience bill?
This is a bill that will disallow the discussion of politics and religion from employers to their employees.
At first blush, sounds great, right? After all business owners probably shouldn’t discuss religion and politics with their employees, right?
Now, peel the onion and what you find out is this bill has a singular purpose. To disallow business owners from talking to their employees during union drives.
So, the business community pulls out all the stops with all their buddies in the House. You know who they are… the “business” Democrats. The ones so lauded because of their progressive stances for business in our state. Weren’t these the same jokers Don Blankenship tried to defeat?
They go around attending all the little Chamber events, business leaders throw rose petals at their feet as they enter the Capitol.
When the vote comes down between unions and business leaders, whom do they choose? You guessed it, by an OVERWHELMING margin, the business Democrats joined with their liberal leadership to pass the bill over the vehement objections of business.
And, the House of Delegates acts like it always does.
House Democrats have always voted with their leadership when told to do so. In fact, in 14 years in the Legislature, I can probably count on one hand the number of times House Democrats ever broke away from the leadership.
Leadership, first. Unions, second. God, third. Business community, oh… around 10th.
Had the supposed business Democrats voted against the Captive Audience bill? Well, it would have been defeated because of their numbers and what was a united Republican caucus.
What did they do? They ran for cover. Why?
Why?
Because of the same reasons I’ve been espousing on this blog for so long. The absolute worst Delegates and Senators to elect are supposed “business Democrats.” Because in the end, they will give the business community lip service, but when push comes to shove, they will go with the unions out of fear of being defeated in the primary.
Kapow! In this case, they gave the business community a good, swift, kick in the behind.
In what is now a yearly ritual, the Senate will be called to rescue the business community from a bill that is so absurd, beyond its obvious unconstitutionality, that the unions are clinging to it as the be all end all.
(Don’t the Senate Democrats ever get tired of being the “bad guy?” Holy smokes. Time after time after time, they act as the big brother to the House’s out-of-control younger sibling. First, the House send over an impossibly expensive teacher private 401K bailout. The Senate has to be responsible and be the bad guy. Now, they send a Captive Audience bill. Again, the Senate has to be the reasonable ones and shoot it down and again be the bad guy. And, over. And, over.)
Let’s face it, folks, the union movement, outside of the government sector, is ravaged. They now account for less than 10% of the private work force, their numbers continue to dwindle, their union drives get defeated time after time. (can anyone remember a major union drive victory in the last 5 years?)
What is the one arena where they actually still have sway? You guessed it, the Democrats who continue to kowtow to them despite their drastic decline.
And, what’s worse is that the business Democrats - you know who I mean, those ones touted as heros when they go to their local chambers of commerce. Well, these fellas implode like a house of cards the minute they are actually pushed by the unions. You can almost hear their knees knocking when the union leaders show up on their door.
Look, I respect the union supporters in the House. They have true conviction. They know their only hope of keeping some toehold in the workforce, because they simply can’t win union drives, is to stack the deck against the employers via the Legislature. It’s the business Democrats, the ones who KNOW better, but simply don’t have the backbone to stand up to the union leaders that drive me batty.
This new bill is hysterical in that the union leaders who are trying to organize can talk to the employees all they want. And, now, if the House bill would become law, the employers would NOT be allowed. You have to love the use of the Legislature to try to stack the decks your way.
And, the sad part is that this type of bill should be expected from the union leaning Delegates, what shouldn’t be expected is that these so-called business Democrats, who to a person must realize the absurdity of this bill, votes down the line with the unions.
You have to love the Democratic party that controls our state.
Republicans bang their head against the wall trying to help the business community.
That community in turn actually FIGHTS them when they try to make the more sweeping changes than the scraps the leadership Democrats throws under the table for them, then that community goes out and supports business Democrats… and then those same Democrats turn around and stick a knife in their back to support their union brothers.
It’s maddening.
And, sad and pathetic.
And, you know what will happen this election? Those same business Democrats will be supported by the same business community who they just kicked in the teeth.
And, on it goes all over again.
It makes you want to pull your hair out.
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20 Responses to “Captive Audience Bill: Exhibit A for not electing ‘business’ Democrats”
Squelch freedom of Speech! What’s wrong with politics and religion? It’s been around as long as man has been on earth. So, buisiness owners make the world go round too. Err on freedom, and freedom of speech!!!!!
More reason for the constitution party. Even CBS is now talking about them. They are saying that many ‘real’ conservative republicans are considering the move as well as evangelicals.
Check the link out for the news story.
{http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/02/14/politics/main3829928.shtml}
We weren’t listened too by the party, ingored for far too long under Bush…I’m afraid the dems have us beat this novemeber. But there is hope in this new party. A fresh start for America and the constitution. Not empty words like the Republicans gaves us since 2000. But a real party that will stand on these principals no matter what.
I suppose that a right to work bill is out of the question now.
Vic, Why not go ahead and publish the names of the legislators and how they vote? Some of us do not have the time or the expertise to find them through the state website. Thanks for all the information you purvey.
I agree with Doug McKinney that the vote should be published. In Cabell County, Democrat Delegates Doug Reynolds, Jim Morgan and Dale Stephens voted to pass the bill. Joining Republican Delegates Kelli Sobonya and Carol Miller in voting against the bill was Democratic Delegate Kevin Craig.
Didn’t UPS Freight just sign up with the Teamster in a Union Drive?
The following link is the list of all yea/nay/not voting for HB 4132 Captive Audience
** http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bulletin_Board/2008/R
S/House/Votes/00106.pdf ** Click between the asteriks for the link
Hey Steve,
UPS Freight is the big victory you are claiming now. Your weak little unions haven’t organized a coal mine in about two decades. Who in their right mind would want to have lower pay, a deeply in-debt pension fund, and medical benefits that are only good because they are backed by the federal government? Byrd and Rockefeller will not be around forever and then it will all end. Hopefully, America will not have already done itself in by electing one of those socialist Democrats before then.
Vic,
I am in agreement with Dr. McKinney.Let’s find out who those legislators are and get a grassroots movement going this year that will be in opposition to this legislation and get these folks out of office. The PEOPLE need to know and to have their voices heard.
Vic
You are misleading your readers. This bill does not prohibit business from speaking to their employees about religion or politics or unions. The business owners will still have their freedom to speak as they wish. This bill simply prohibits them from requiring their employees to attend any mandatory meeting where someone may be speaking from one side or the other. For example, this bill would not allow an employer to tell an employee that he must attend a “Support Vic Sprouse for Governor” meeting or else. Let the workers work and do their jobs. I can understand employers wanting to keep out a union…and I can also understand a worker wanting the choice to belong to one.
You know, I’m just not one bit surprised. More of the same. Print the names of the legislators who voted for this bill. Go ahead. It’s not going to make one bit of difference in November and we all know it.
Until the voters of this state get tired of depending on government for their livelihood, until they get tired of a nanny government telling them how to live their lives, until they actually pay attention to what’s going on in states like Virginia, it’ll be more of the same ol’ excrement sandwich for WV.
I’m not holding my breath waiting on WV voters to change, either. They like to keep voting for those “working man” Democrats.
The bill (HB4132) was actually amended to read: Employer meetings and communications regarding politics and labor prohibited.
Religion was removed from the content of the bill. (per House Clerk Grey, the House Roll dated 02/25/07 that has the word religious in the heading is irrelevant and will be corrected at a later date).
Daniel,
Thats how freedoms are stolen. We accept bills like this. Then at a later date, they are revised to take more rights away.
This is just a 1/2 step move as to make it easier for the public to accept this bill. Then they will relook at the bill in the future to increase it and take more rights away.
ITs time to say NO! This is not acceptable. These are rights that are in processs of being taken away by government. We need to stop compromising our rights. Period.
Stop being fooled by these small steps to big government.
Interestingly, labor unions are conveniently exempted from this bill. Aren’t labor unions employers who employ people. It’s like do as I say, but not as I do!
Remember this at election time and look at the candidates in the state.
The time for change has come and the need to reduce the number of democrats in the house is about 70 years past due.
Aaron,
Who’s freedom’s are being taken away by this bill? The bill does not prohibit the employer from stating his/her beliefs. Doesn’t the term in the headline “Captive Audience” concern you just a little? The Republican party spends way too much time worrying about hurting the feelings of the business owner instead of protecting the real people of WV.
Daniel,
Are you afraid of listening to a buisness owner and learning something?
How about not regulating freespeech at all…no matters who’s it is. Its not been a problem before so why is it now? When you start chipping away at ANY free speech then you are doing just that…chipping away a free speech.
Why is it a problem now? Are we such a whimpy generation? That all of a sudden that employers free speech is a problem? How about the ability of the listener to make their own judgments? So what if an employer, who offeres someone a job, speaks his mind…doesn’t the employee have a brain to say I simply don’t agree? Employee state their beliefs in many ways thru unions, walk outs, posted bulletins etc. etc.
Lets err of freedom and not outlaw the bill of rights anymore. I’m weary of this whimpy generation that cant’ handle freedom. So if you employer who started a buisness with his sweat and blood offers you a job, payes you a salary, pays you health insurance the best he can offers political thoughts…so be it. You don’t have to accept it but LISTENING NEVER hurt anyone.
As a matter of fact, we ought to listen more these days, you might learn something from a buisness owner.
Vic, are you sure? I mean, if they put God third, it must be a very distant third.
Or maybe I’m confused about who they’re referring to as ‘god’.
Aaron,
I’m not afraid of listening to anyone. But, don’t tell me I have to listen or I will lose my job.
Daniel,
That never happens in real buisnesses. That is a false picture you’re making to support an unconstitutional bill.