It’s really that simple.  Prop 89, the California Nurses Association’s “Clean Money” initiatitive, is really, really bad to their power in state politics.  They frame it this way:

Hoffenblum has an alternative proposal: No contribution or spending limits, require full and immediate online disclosure and let the voters make what they will of the information.
“If Philip Morris, Standard Oil or the California Labor Federation want to give $100,000 to a candidate, that’s fine as long as the voters and the candidate’s opponent know it,” he said. (San Diego Union-Trib 7/30/06)

See, the problem that Mr. Hoffenblum, the publisher of the California Target Book, overlooks is the numerical discrepancy between big business and labor.  How many California Labor Federations are there? Uh, one.  Well, even if the separate powerful unions each decide to really push at a race, how many of these massive checks can they write to candidates?  Well, I grant you that in a strong union state, there would be quite a few organizations to represent the interests of labor.

However, let’s compare that to how many organizations represent the interests of big business.  Well, I guess we can start with Philip Morris (aka Altria) and Standard Oil (umm…now better known as Big Oil companies like ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP…), and then continue on to other major employers who would have very different interests from that of labor. 

Suffice it to say that Big Business draws on a much larger monetary cesspool than unions could ever hope to reach.  And how many people does this Big Business Buck represent compared to your typical Union Buck?  The trade associations and big companies represent a small slice of California, the super rich, while the unions represent a much larger percentage of the state’s population.

A disclosure system would be nice…if the voters were able to take the time to review the information.  But even the most well-informed voter can’t be expected to keep track of that information, and the effects of the massive doses of cash obfuscate all but the most egregious monetary plays.  The influence of big monetary donors has gotten out of control in our nation in general and until the Buckley case is overturned, it will remain so.  But Prop 89 steers clear of these restrictions and is the best chance for the people of California to regain some power over our elections.