Orrin Hatch: “it seems to me we really cannot debate campaign finance reform without debating the way in which political funds are not…”

“it seems to me we really cannot debate campaign finance reform without debating the way in which political funds are not only given to candidates but also acquired from people. Campaign contributions are usually donated voluntarily. You can get an invitation to a fundraiser or a direct mail solicitation, and you can decide whether to contribute to that candidate, cause, or party. We all consider this one of the basics of American democracy. Individuals must support it by supporting the candidates they believe in. But there are people in our country for whom this very fundamental freedom of choice is not given--members of labor unions. I may be one of the few ever in the history of Congress to actually have earned his union card and worked in the construction industry for 10 years. It is certainly no secret that unions collect dues from their members and that, in many cases, an individual has to join a union in order to be employed in a particular industry or with a particular company. So there is no effective choice about paying union dues for these people. But to add insult to injury, these Americans, who are forced to pay union dues, must also suffer the fact that unions donate millions of dollars to candidates that any individual may not support.”