GOP Must Go All-In on Employee Freedom

We should clone Senator Dave Thompson. At a recent meeting of the Southwest Metro Tea Party in Chanhassen, the freshman legislator joined Senator David Hann along with their House colleagues Representatives Mary Franson, Ernie Leidiger, and Doug Wardlow in previewing the Reform 2.0 initiatives proposed for this year’s legislative session. At one point, Thompson declared that he would not weigh his prospects for re-election in his decision to support employee freedom (also known as right-to-work). The line earned rousing applause, and for good reason. Thompson understands that he was not sent to St. Paul to advance his political career. He was sent to advocate for his constituents’ fundamental rights.

Unfortunately, if murmurs through the grapevine are true, there are a significant number of Republican legislators who are skittish about joining Thompson and Representative Steve Drazkowski in pursuit of employee freedom.  They worry about the effect it may have on their re-election campaigns. That concern misses a number of points, both principled and practical. Continue Reading GOP Must Go All-In on Employee Freedom…