The AFL-CIO has released its annual legislative rankings, which place nearly every Democratic legislator near the top for voting in the union's interests.  

Democratic Congressional candidates Joe Miklosi (candidate for CD-6), Sal Pace (candidate for CD-3), and Brandon Shaffer (CD-4) all have received high lifetime achievement rankings by the AFL-CIO.  Shaffer and Pace received a lifetime legislative rating of 97%, and Miklosi received a 95% rating.  In case it wasn't clear, that means that these guys voted the "right way" nearly 100% of the time on bills that favored by the AFL-CIO.

By our calculations (courtesy of FollowTheMoney.org), AFL-CIO and its affiliates contributed at least $570,000 in the 2010 campaign to a wide variety of candidates and causes in Colorado.

So, the question becomes – Are these legislators voting in favor of their constituents or in favor of special interest union cash?

But, in case you felt bad for these three, know that they're not alone.  There are several candidates for the State House and Senate who have a 100% lifetime rating with the AFL-CIO. That's right, they've never voted against a bill that the AFL-CIO likes.

In the Senate, those incumbent candidates are:

Morgan Carroll (SD-29)
Angela Giron (SD-03)
Lucia Guzman (SD-34)
Mike Johnston (SD-33)
Jeanne Nicholson (SD-16)

In the House, those incumbent candidates are:

Chrisanta Duran (HD-05)
Randy Fischer (HD-53)
Dickey Lee Hullinghorst (HD-10)
Don Pabon (HD-04)
Cherilyn Peniston (HD-35)
Su Ryden (HD-36)
Jon Singer (HD-11)

Of course, we'd be remiss if we didn't mention Andy Kerr, who is running for State Senate.  He also received an A+ for union loyalty – a 100% lifetime rating.  His commitment to advancing the union cause certainly deserves at least a pat on the back.

The special interest group also went with a new tagline of Reinvest in Colorado. First, these people wanted Invest as a euphemysm for higher taxes, now they want reinvest, as if we're doubling down on the financial blackhole they've created?

All we can say, is congratulations ladies and gentlemen for your honor, and condolences to taxpayers for the bill from this union racket.