blech.

So I was already not happy about running into the union vice-president the day after measure 75 lost (although I had been fairly pessimistic already).  Then I had to happen upon him in this conversation:

Mr. M: "So, measure 75 was the union one, right?"
Union VP: "Yeah, it said that union dues couldn't be used for political purposes anymore."
Mr. M: "I thought it was just we had to okay it if we wanted our dues used for political purposes."
Union VP: "No, if the measure passed they couldn't be used at all."
I interject: "No, it said they could still be used, just that you had to give them authorization to use them."
Union VP: "Oh, I guess I was misinformed then."

Could it get more upsetting than that?  There are two possibilities - either the local union VP is going around lying to people, or the CTA is lying to its local leaders and telling them to pass on false information.  Since I know the union VP and he's a pretty good guy, I'm pretty sure it's the second one.  So not only do they spend $40 million of their member's money to barely defeat the measure, they lie to their own local leaders and teach them to lie to everyone else.  Anyone still wondering why I hate unions?

edit: I just found out that the San Francisco Chronicle, San Diego Union-Tribune, Orange County Register, Riverside Press-Enterprise, Fresno Bee, and the LA Times all had endorsed measure 75 before the election.  Even more amazingly, EVERY SINGLE major newspaper in California, both liberal and conservative, endorsed measure 77.  So how did these measures not pass?

lies.  lies and money.  All that's left in politics is lies and money.