* From the Illinois Policy Institute’s news service…

Three of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s agenda items have traction with voters, at least according to polling data released Wednesday by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute. […]

* 57 percent said they would vote for right-to-work or open-shop laws, while 4 percent said they leaned toward such laws. Thirty-three percent said they were opposed or leaning toward opposition. Seven 7 percent gave an answer of “undecided” or said they didn’t know.

“That one was really pretty surprising,” Jackson said. “This is not a state where you’d expect people to favor right-to-work by anywhere near that margin. I don’t know if it’s linked with Rauner’s having campaigned about this so much or what, but I do think it’s surprising.

“I’m not entirely sure what to make of it other than the possibility of Rauner’s having campaigned on it so hard for so long,” Jackson said.

Another possible factor, Jackson said: Union membership has declined in Illinois and in the nation. It is down nationally from a high of about 37 percent to about 12 percent.

“There are not as many union households to understand what unions mean and why unions would be vehemently opposed to (Illinois becoming) a right-to-work state,” Jackson said.

* From the Illinois Policy Institute’s radio news network…

Better Government Association’s Andy Shaw told WMAY Springfield the finding calls into question Illinois’ status as a pro-union state.

“What you’re really hearing is people thinking that if (right-to-work) drives down the cost of government somewhat, it’s a good thing, because people feel their taxes are not being well enough spent,” Shaw said.

Meanwhile, Shaw said, there is another take on right-to-work: “Of course the other side says it’s a way of driving the wages and the lifestyle of the middle class down.”

When breaking that number down along party lines, 55 percent of Democrats, 69 percent of Republicans and 65 percent of independent voters say they lean toward right-to-work, according to the poll.

* OK, here’s the question asked by the Simon Institute…

Some states have passed right-to-work or open shop laws that say workers have the right to hold their jobs in a unionized workplace, whether they join the labor union or not. Would you vote for or against this proposal?

Ugh.

* I e-mailed David Yepsen at the Institute a couple of days ago to say I thought his poll question was bogus. He asked how I would’ve worded it and I replied…

How about something along the lines of receiving the full benefits of union membership without having to pay a dime for any of the union’s services?

Yepsen agreed.

This isn’t about some “right to freedom of association” it’s about a right to freeload. And it’s wrong.

Jackson and Shaw should’ve both known better.

…Adding… As pointed out in comments, this question merely affirms the current “fair share” system. You don’t have to join the union, but you still have to pay for the service. And that makes the Simon Institute question even more bogus.