Schwarzenegger Taking on Unions

The Governator is taking on one of the most powerful political forces in California - teachers unions. If he doesn't receive a reasonable offer from Democrats and unions, he has promised to take the issue to voters directly.

The measure would require public employee unions, among the biggest donors to Democratic campaigns in California, to obtain annual written permission from each member before their dues could be used for political purposes.

Schwarzenegger's team says it plans to turn in signatures for three components of the governor's "reform agenda" by the end of the week – initiatives on state spending, teacher tenure and redistricting.

The best part of this fight is that Democrats are promising to retaliate with additonal laws and regulations of their own if Arnold goes to the mat (the ballot) to limit the unions' power. The Dems are going to go down kicking and screaming.