Into the Shark-infested Political Waters

In today’s Statesman, I have a letter to the editor:

The Democrats have run an effective scare campaign on right to work, alleging it has caused our state’s economic problems. As a concerned citizen, I looked into whether allowing people to choose not to join a union was the cause of total economic devastation. I took a look at per-capita income numbers and which states are right to work, and here’s some key information the unions won’t provide you:

• In 2003, in our non-right-to-work neighbor Montana, the average person earned $9 more annually than the average Idahoan. If right-to-work laws are so devastating, one would think the difference between the two states would amount to more than 75 cents a month.

• In our neighbor, Wyoming (which has right-to-work laws), the average Wyomian earned nearly $7,000 more than the average Idahoan. Why? Here’s a clue. They pay only 4 percent sales tax with no income tax, and they pay 44 percent less in gas taxes. Wyomians also out-earn Oregonians who have no right-to-work laws.

It would seem more logical to conclude our state’s plight is not caused by unions not having the legal right to force people to join them, but rather by tax-and-spend politicians.

—This is a loaded subject, but it’s got to be addressed. For too long, most people’s thoughts of economics in Idaho has been merely voodoo: “Right to Work Bad”. Our state has high taxes and a high divorce rate. Things aren’t simple and it’s about time people face the fact our economy requires more than empowering union bosses.

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