It’s 3 a.m. You hear a window break, so you call 911. It rings several times.
An automated voice finally comes on the line: “Due to lost funding,” it informs you, “we are short-staffed. Please press 1 to wait on hold or press 2 if you would like to leave a detailed message about your emergency.”
Oh, and have a great day.
It’s a nightmare scenario, and one you might soon have to confront given the growing demands to defund law enforcement by even mainstream liberal politicians anxious to pander to their party’s extreme-Leftist base.
The question is, are you actually helping to pay for this madness?
If you’re a government employee handing over a portion of every paycheck to a union, the answer is almost certainly yes.
Among those currently funneling money to organizations openly demanding the defunding and abolition of local police, sheriff’s departments, and state patrol agencies are the:
- Teamsters;
- National Education Association (NEA);
- Service Employees International Union (SEIU); and,
- American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).
Some unions go even further. The Teamsters actively supported the violent protests in Seattle, encouraging members to partake and walk with the crowd carrying signs saying “Defund SPD” (Seattle Police Department), “ACAB (All cops are bastards),” “Abolish police,” and worse.
Is this what you signed up for? Is this what you pay union dues for?
Unions purportedly exist to collectively bargain for higher wages, increased benefits, and a safe work environment.
If you work in law enforcement or live in an area being threatened to have the police defunded, will the union show up to assist you?
After receiving numerous angry phone calls and dozens of emails from Teamsters members specifically, the Freedom Foundation sent out an email and two mail pieces detailing union support and involvement in at least one plan to defund the police.
In response, we received bundles of opt-out forms every day for weeks.
Perhaps now that public employees have the right to opt-out of paying union dues, the free market will force unions to reconsider their role as heavy-handed political players and social policy activists.
As a result of one email and two mailings, we estimate the Teamsters’ actions have already cost it $40,000 a year in revenues. Forever.
A little truth goes a long way.
