Imagine a special-interest group — the National Rifle Association, for example — arguing that its service is so universally beneficial that a percentage of every government employee’s paycheck must be garnished to pay for it, with or without consent.

Even the most ardent gun rights supporter would scoff at such a scheme because it clearly violates the First Amendment guarantee of free speech on which this nation was founded. But suppose the NRA had enough political clout to pass laws making this money grab legal anyway?