(San Francisco Chronicle) They claim to want limited government. Yet, they propose a ballot initiative that imposes government intrusion into how private organizations collect dues from their members and participate in politics.

Am I the only one who sees the contradiction? ...

The backers propose no change for HMOs' political influence, only for nurses. They propose no change for the political influence of voucher advocates, only for teachers. They propose no change for the political influence of the gun manufacturers, only for police officers. ...

There is hypocrisy among the far right and those who resist government regulation at every turn. The essence of their "reform" measures is to require the government to decide how private organizations -- in this case, the dreaded nurses, teachers, firefighters and police officers -- govern their own affairs. In any other context, were the government to attempt to tell a private organization how to finance its internal operations, Lewis Uhler, leader of the Coalition for Employee Rights, and numerous multibillion-dollar private interests would tell the government to pound sand. They would say, Free association is a fundamental principal of liberty. They would say, Why in the world should the government tell private organizations how to collect their money? This is more government in a place where government does not belong, they would shout.