Everything you wanted to know about Unions, but were afraid of the answer.

Wisconsin from a left wing perspective

…NOBODY DENIES THE RECESSION HAS TANKED STATE REVENUES. That's why even progressive governors have been making budget cuts -- and why Wisconsin's state unions conceded to Walker's demands for higher pension and health care contributions. WHAT THE UNIONS ARE RIGHTLY RESISTING IS A SHIFT IN THE LONG-TERM BALANCE OF POLITICAL POWER that undercutting collective bargaining would represent.

HOW DO WE KNOW THIS IS ABOUT POWER, NOT BUDGETS? Even as they go after the unions, Walker and his Republican legislative allies are also trying to change the makeup of future Wisconsin electorates in their favor. THEY ARE PUSHING TO END SAME-DAY VOTER REGISTRATION (WHICH CURRENTLY EMPOWERS YOUNGER VOTERS, WHO ARE MORE LIBERAL THAN THEIR ELDERS AND MOVE AROUND MORE) AND TO PASS ONEROUS VOTER ID LAWS THAT WOULD ESPECIALLY BURDEN LOWER-INCOME VOTERS….

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/02/28/why_the_wisconsin_fight_matters_109038.html


E.J. Dionne sees this as an attempt to change the makeup of future Wisconsin election by ending same-day voter registration and to pass “onerous voter ID laws” (requiring a ID to vote—the dogs).

Actually you can turn the argument around. Why did Wisconsin allow same day registration to begin with if it wasn’t a plot by the Democrats to change the future Wisconsin electorate? What’s sauce for the goose….



How Big Labor Became Little Labor

WHAT WE ARE WITNESSING IN WISCONSIN AND ELSEWHERE IS THE DEATH KNELL OF BIG LABOR. Once upon a time, most Americans could identify the head of the AFL-CIO. He was George Meany, the cigar-chomping ex-plumber who ran the union federation from 1955 to 1979. He was one of the nation's great power brokers, much quoted and wooed by presidents. It's doubtful that as many Americans can name Meany's present successor. (Answer: Richard Trumka, ex-head of the mine workers' union.)

The American labor movement has been in eclipse for decades, but public- sector unions were one of its few remaining bastions. Now, their power too is waning. STATES AND LOCALITIES FACE LONG-TERM BUDGET SQUEEZES. LABOR COSTS REPRESENT ROUGHLY HALF OF THEIR SPENDING, notes the Cato Institute's Chris Edwards. Pension and retiree health benefits are underfunded. Teachers' unions are being pressed to weed out poor performers. All these unions are on the defensive. Critics are less Republicans than taxpayers and parents.

It's hard for us to recall now how dominant unions were immediately after World War II. By the mid-1950s, unions represented 36 percent of private-sector workers

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/02/28/how_big_labor_became_little_labor_109042.html


A good history of the labor movement in the country. And yet another pundit analyzes why there is such a storm in Wisconsin as labor unions are fighting for their lives.



Upending Our Caste System

As Wisconsin flips its wig, there has been A GREAT DEAL OF DISHONEST, ILL-INFORMED, AND INDEED KNAVISH COMMENTARY on the relationship between public-sector unions and the fiscal conditions of the states. THE THRUST OF THESE UNENLIGHTENING ANALYSES HAS BEEN THAT PUBLIC-SECTOR UNIONS ARE NOT TO BLAME FOR THE DIRE FISCAL SITUATION facing Wisconsin and many other states. The general shape of the Left’s argument here has been that of a compound error with two distinct components: 1) THE INABILITY TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE SHORT-TERM PROBLEMS FACING STATES AS A RESULT OF THE RECENT RECESSION AND THEIR LONG-TERM FISCAL PROBLEMS; 2) THE MUCH MORE SERIOUS CONFLATION OF COLLECTIVE-BARGAINING RIGHTS WITH UNIONS’ POLITICAL POWER

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http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/260830/upending-our-caste-system-kevin-d-williamson?page=1


Definite worth the read and then continue on to another analysis below.



The Privileged Class

The manufactured Madison, Wis., mob is not the movement the White House was hoping for. BOTH MAY FIND THEMSELVES AT THE WRONG END OF THE POPULIST PITCHFORK. While I generally defend collective bargaining and private-sector unions (lots of airline pilots in my family), it is the abuse by public unions and their bosses that PUSHES CENTRISTS LIKE ME TO THE GOP. It is the right and duty of citizens to petition their government. The Tea Party and Republicans seek to limit government growth to protect their pocketbooks. Public-union bosses want to increase the cost of government to protect their racket.


1. PUBLIC UNIONS ARE BIG MONEY.

Public unions are big money…..Of the top 20 biggest givers in federal-level politics over the past 20 years, 10 are unions; just four are corporations. The three biggest public unions gave $171.5 million for the 2010 elections alone, according to The Wall Street Journal. That’s big money.
2. PUBLIC UNIONS REDISTRIBUTE WEALTH.

Michael Barone sums it up: “public-employee unions are a mechanism by which every taxpayer is forced to fund the Democratic Party.”
3. PUBLIC UNIONS SILENCE THE VOTERS’ VOICE.

In effect, the unions sit on both sides of the table and collectively bargain to raise taxes while the voters’ voice is silenced. …. The proposals offered by Gov. Scott Walker would avert 5,500 layoffs of public employees and save $300 million.

4. PUBLIC UNIONS ARE UNNECESSARY.

The primary purpose of private-sector unions today is to get workers a larger share of the profits they helped create. …The government is a monopoly and it earns no profits to be shared. Public employees are already protected by statutes that preclude arbitrary hiring and firing decisions

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http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-02-26/end-unions-and-end-the-privileged-class/

Collective bargaining is a way to negotiate how to share the profits in the private sector. In the public sector that doesn’t exist. Collective bargaining in the public sector is how more the taxpayers can or should pay the public sector and it becomes a problem when the taxpayers make on average less than the public sector’s average pay and benefits are.

Who is killing the public unions?

Some people, like the tens of thousands of protesters in Madison and the tens of millions of Americans who agree with them, believe that THE VILLAINS ARE SCHEMING CORPORATE INTERESTS, FOX NEWS, TEA PARTY ‘FANATICS’ AND OPPORTUNISTICALLY POPULIST POLITICIANS LIKE SCOTT WALKER.

Many of their opponents agree that the right is responsible, though from their point of view THE TEA PARTY AND POLITICIANS LIKE WALKER ARE THE GOOD GUYS, and the public sector unions are the ones in the black hats.

In fact, both sides are wrong. Despite the differences in rhetoric, killing public sector unions is a nonpartisan policy in the United States. While Republicans are more explicit about their goal, and want to move faster, DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS ARE BOTH TAKING STEPS THAT WILL SOON REDUCE THE PUBLIC SECTOR UNION MOVEMENT TO A SHADOW OF ITS CURRENT SELF.

LOOK AT RAHM EMMANUEL, NEWLY ELECTED MAYOR OF CHICAGO. Chicago is a dark blue city in a deep blue state; Emmanuel is a career Democratic pol who served as chief of staff to the most liberal American president elected in many years. And what is Emanuel doing?

The mayor-elect was cagey on the subject during the campaign, but massive tax increases are off the table, and so are big bailouts from Washington DC. ACCORDING TO TIME MAGAZINE, THE CAMPAIGN HAS SPOKEN CRYPTICALLY ABOUT SAVING $110 MILLION from reducing “outdated and duplicative work processes to focus on front-line service delivery.” TRANSLATE THAT OUT OF BUREAUCRATIC NEWSPEAK AND IT MEANS GETTING MORE WORK DONE WITH FEWER PEOPLE: LAYOFFS. Emanuel says that the city’s generous pensions need to be preserved, but may also have to be, ahem, renegotiated. This does not sound like a renegotiation up.

Strip away the fluff and the rhetoric and it looks as though Chicago’s new mayor plans to balance the city budget primarily through layoffs and cutbacks.

http://blogs.the-american-interest.com/wrm/2011/02/27/blue-state-dems-turn-on-state-local-workers/

This is the dirty little secret. The left will howl and protest cutbacks by right wing governors, but they will quietly accept those by left wing governors and politicians. The reason is it has to be done and the left knows it.

What Journalism Isn’t

On Sunday morning, the economics analyst and TV commentator BARRY RITHOLTZ DROPPED A BOMBSHELL ON HIS BLOG: ROGER AILES, THE POWERFUL PRESIDENT OF FOX NEWS, WILL BE INDICTED IN CONNECTION WITH ALLEGEDLY TELLING A NEWS CORP. EXECUTIVE TO LIE TO FEDERAL INVESTIGATORS, according to Ritholtz's blog post.

The story, which was based on what an unnamed source told Ritholtz, quickly boomeranged around the Web and Twitter. Several well-read web sites, including Business Insider and Political Wire, picked up the report….

…Ritholtz, for his part, describes his attitude in writing the post as "passing along what an informed person had said."

"If it's true we'll find out. If it's not, no big deal," he says. "We'll see where this goes."

http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/02/27/ailes_indictment_story/index.html


Just a reminder, don’t believe everything you read on the internet. I try to make sure when I’m quoting a story that it is backed up or I will give the limitations on what you are reading.



THE HILL POLL: On shutdown, more voters would blame Dems

Twenty-nine percent of likely voters would blame Democrats for a government shutdown, compared to 23 percent who would hold Republicans responsible, according to a new poll conducted for The Hill.


THE RESULTS ARE SURPRISING BECAUSE MOST PEOPLE BLAMED THE GOP FOR THE LAST GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN, which occurred during President Clinton’s first term. A week before the 1995 shuttering, polls showed the public blamed Republicans by a two-to-one-margin.

http://thehill.com/polls/146361-the-hill-poll-more-voters-would-blame-dems-than-gop-for-shutdown

The results are only surprising if you’ve been living in a cave for the past 4 years. The Democrats have set an all time record for deficit spending and people want it stopped. Shutting down the government because you want not to cut spending is not going to woo the majority of Americans. But a poll like this will probably make the Democrats think twice before the filibuster or Obama vetoes the spending bill.



Bernard Nathanson: A Life Transformed by Truth

FEW PEOPLE, IF ANY, DID MORE THAN BERNARD NATHANSON TO UNDERMINE THE RIGHT TO LIFE OF UNBORN CHILDREN by turning abortion from an unspeakable crime into a constitutionally protected liberty. Someday, when our law is reformed to honor the dignity and protect the right to life of every member of the human family, including children in the womb, historians will observe that FEW PEOPLE DID MORE THAN BERNARD NATHANSON TO ACHIEVE THAT REVERSAL…..

…..BY HIS OWN ESTIMATE, HE PRESIDED OVER MORE THAN 60,000 ABORTIONS AS DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR REPRODUCTIVE AND SEXUAL HEALTH, PERSONALLY INSTRUCTED MEDICAL STUDENTS AND PRACTITIONERS IN THE PERFORMANCE OF ABOUT 15,000 MORE, AND PERFORMED 5,000 ABORTIONS HIMSELF. In one of those abortions, he took the life of his own son or daughter—a child conceived with a girlfriend after he had established his medical practice. Writing with deep regret in his moving autobiography The Hand of God (1996), Nathanson confessed his own heartlessness in performing that abortion: “I swear to you, I had no feelings aside from the sense of accomplishment, the pride of expertise.”…

http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2011/02/2806/


It is always interesting to read a story like this one. From one of the main people who got abortions legalized to one of the most harsh critics of the procedure and the maker of the movie, The Silent Scream, Dr. Nathanson died last week and was buried in blessed ground by the Church he first demonized and later converted to.




Union Friends’ Pockets

In Wisconsin, ABOUT 64 PERCENT OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS CARRY HEALTH INSURANCE OFFERED BY WEA TRUST, an organization created by and still very closely AFFILIATED WITH THE WISCONSIN EDUCATION ASSOCIATION, Inc. (WEAC), according to a 2010 report by the Education Action Group Foundation and the MacIver Institute.

Collective bargaining has helped the WEA Trust grow. Gov. Scott Walker’s office has said that making it such that NO DISTRICT IS REQUIRED TO BUY INSURANCE THROUGH THE WEA TRUST COULD REDUCE HEALTH-CARE COSTS BY $68 MILLION A YEAR, noting that “many school districts participate in WEA Trust because WEAC collectively bargains to get as many school districts across the state to participate in this union-run health insurance plan as possible.”

Coverage offered by the WEA Trust is generous. “WEA Trust offers what is commonly known as the ‘Cadillac’ of school employee health coverage,” the Education Action Group Foundation report states. “It earned that moniker for two very good reasons — THE HEALTH COVERAGE IS VERY THOROUGH, AND THE COST TO LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS IS VERY HIGH.”

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner


One hand washes the other. Meanwhile the taxpayers get hosed.

Dark side of the left

Overview


As the clash in Wisconsin continues we are seeing more and more of THE DARK SIDE OF THE LEFT. The legally elected Democrat Senators from Wisconsin have fled the state and continue to hold out somewhere in Illinois. Every time a Fox News Reporter tries to report from Madison, the teachers, firefighters, and other protester start chanting Fox lies. We are getting more and more lies from the unions there and the leftist media covering the story about there not really being a financial crisis or that Governor Walker has caused it.

What has become apparent is that THE LEFT HAS VERY LITTLE USE FOR DEMOCRACY WHEN THEY LOSE. Freedom of the Press is apparently optional, majority rule is only good if it follows left wing desires, and almost any tactic is okay if it is designed to flummox the right.



Progressivism Unmasked

PUBLIC SECTOR WORKERS HAVE WILLINGLY ABANDONED THE JOBS THEY’RE PAID TO DO. Unscrupulous doctors have written notes filled with lies to protect them. The mainstream media has referred to runaway, anarchist legislators as heros, and deliberately ignored the same hate-filled rhetoric directed at Republicans they declared unseemly and dangerous after the shooting of Gabrielle Giffords. Rhetoric that reached a low point on Wednesday, when Rep. Michael Capuano (D-Mass.) told a group of union supporters that “[E]very once in awhile you need to get out on the streets and get a little bloody when necessary.”

Really, Mr. Capuano? DOING BATTLE WITH WHOM, THE TAXPAYERS WHO UNDERWRITE UNION WAGES AND BENEFITS? Shame on you.

None of it is flying. It’s not flying because most AMERICANS ARE FINALLY BEGINNING TO UNDERSTAND THE UNHOLY RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE DEMOCRAT PARTY AND THEIR UNION BENEFACTORS. Benefactors who contribute well over ninety percent of their campaign contributions—funded almost exclusively by mandatory dues required of union members—to Democrats.

How unholy is this relationship? Perhaps nothing speaks to it better than a unionized New York school system in which “PASSING” A 2009 THIRD GRADE MATH TEST CONSTITUTED GETTING 11 POINTS OUT OF A POSSIBLE 39—WHICH IS A SCORE OF 28%. Was anyone fired for such child-abusing, blatant corruption? Quite the contrary. NEW YORK CITY PAID $100 MILLION IN BONUSES TO TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS FOR THEIR FINE WORK IN “RAISING” TEST SCORES. The kids? 75% of them need remedial instruction if they choose to attend college.

http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/33794


There is no progress for progressivism.



Bogus statistic from Wisconsin union backers spreads in media despite being debunked

“A lie can make it half way around the world before the truth has time to put its boots on” – like a false statistic recently disseminated by supporters of Wisconsin’s government-employee unions. Despite being debunked by PolitiFact, it has since been widely repeated in multiple letters to the editor, and it remains uncorrected on the web sites of publications like The Economist.

On Wednesday, PolitiFact debunked the claim by Wisconsin union supporters that Virginia, which bans collective bargaining in state agencies, ranks 44th in the nation in ACT/SAT scores, compared to Wisconsin ranking 2nd. For example, it noted that in 2009, Virginia ranked 22nd in ACT scores, while Wisconsin ranked 13th. As PolitiFact notes, this claim was originally disseminated by the Wisconsin Democratic Party, which has now retracted it.

(Although PolitiFact didn’t note this, in 2010, Virginia actually beat Wisconsin in ACT scores, with Virginia ranked 12th and Wisconsin ranked 17th. Unlike Wisconsin, Virginia is a right-to-work state that bars forcing employees to pay union dues. Collective bargaining with government employee unions is currently mandated in Wisconsin, but banned in Virginia).

http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/opinion-zone/2011/02/bogus-statistic-wisconsin-union-backers-spreads-media-despite-being-debun#ixzz1F4dcZAcr



I had seen this claim in a number of chats. Quite frankly it seemed too good to be true if you were a liberal, but that seems to be the kinds of facts the left posts. Things that aren’t true but from their way of thinking should be true.




Walker won’t back down

GOV. SCOTT WALKER REFUSED TO BACK DOWN SUNDAY IN HIS BUDGET SHOWDOWN WITH WISCONSIN’S PUBLIC-EMPLOYEE UNIONS, saying the state is poised at a historic crossroads.

“We’re broke,” said the Republican governor, whose battle with unions in Wisconsin has landed him at the center of a national debate about government spending.

“I do believe that this is our moment in Wisconsin history,” he told NBC‘s “Meet the Press.”

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, speaking on the same program, said the governor wasn’t interested in solving the state’s fiscal crisis, ACCUSING MR. WALKER INSTEAD OF WANTING TO BREAK THE STATE’S UNIONS.

Mr. Trumka said the tactic is backfiring, and he predicted the public would support union rights in Wisconsin and in the 2012 presidential elections.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/feb/27/walker-unswayed-by-budget-stance-critics/


I do believe we need a violin for all the poor unions that are screaming that Walker is just trying to break the unions. Perhaps he is because many of the unions have tried to break the state.



MSNBC’s O’Donnell Suggests ‘Racist Message’ in RNC Ad Linking Obama to Labor Unions

On Friday’s Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell, msnbc host O’Donnell seemed to channel his predecessor, Keith Olbermann, as HE RIDICULOUSLY SUGGESTED RACISM IN AN RNC AD WHICH ACCUSED PRESIDENT OBAMA OF BEING BEHOLDEN TO ORGANIZED LABOR, a charge often made against Democrats for many years in the past.

But, as he began an interview with guest Jennifer Granholm, former Democratic governor of Michigan, O’Donnell wondered, "DOES THAT SOUND TO YOU LIKE THEY ARE TRYING TO CONSCIOUSLY OR SUBCONSCIOUSLY DELIVER THE RACIST MESSAGE THAT, OF COURSE, OF COURSE A BLACK MAN CAN’T BE THE REAL BOSS?"

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/brad-wilmouth/2011/02/25/msnbc-s-o-donnell-suggests-racist-message-rnc-ad-linking-obama-labor-#ixzz1F9aVL9a8


Liberals at times are so entirely predictable. They tend to be so lazy as to resort to name calling instead of mounting an actual intellectual argument for their beliefs or to support their actions. This is just another example of that.




Another fatal blow coming for Obamacare?

Politico today looks at the possibility that federal District Judge Roger Vinson, who struck down Obamacare as unconstitutional, COULD GIVE THE 26 STATES IN THE LAWSUIT A FREE PASS TO STOP IMPLEMENTING OBAMACARE:

The Justice Department asked Vinson to clarify his ruling that struck down the law as unconstitutional. Justice must file its brief on the motion by Monday, AND VINSON HAS SAID HE WOULD RULE QUICKLY AFTER THAT. At issue is whether Vinson meant to stop reform implementation in the 26 states that brought the suit.

The smart money says Vinson will halt implementation, and legal observers are wondering why Justice would take that risk.

“Having lost one game of chicken when it came to the severability of the mandate, the government is now challenging the same judge to back down on whether his decision is binding. Seems like a risky move,” said Randy Barnett, a law professor at Georgetown University.

http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2011/02/another-fatal-blow-coming-obamacare#ixzz1FDjjq1Ka

Hmmm, let’s see. Obama has decided not to defend DOMA because he thinks the law is unconstitutional. Now Obamacare has been declared Unconstitutional and he is still fighting to keep it going. Does anyone see a bit of hypocrisy here?



Obama Administration Nixes Drilling

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar was in Houston this weekend talking with oil executives who are eager to start drilling again in the Gulf of Mexico. That may sound like progress, but AFTER THE MEETING SALAZAR SAID THAT NOTHING HAD CHANGED. HE WAS NOT READY TO APPROVE ANY NEW DRILLING.


Despite everything that energy companies have done to devise advanced containment systems, Salazar is unwilling to issue a single new permit. Systems constructed by the nonprofit Marine Well Containment Company and other entities are now able to handle a flow equal or greater than that experienced during the Deepwater Horizon accident last summer. But that's not enough for Salazar, who stated that EVEN THE MOST ADVANCED SYSTEMS HAVE "LIMITATIONS ON WATER DEPTH AND BARREL-PER-DAY CONTAINMENT CAPACITY."

http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/02/obama_nixes_safe_drilling.html


When you are paying $100 to fill up your gas tank, remember it is for your own good. And if you used to work in the oil industry remember that this administration is working night and day to get people back to work.

Take a look at history

TAKE A GOOD LOOK AT THIS FACE: IT HASN'T BEEN SEEN IN OVER FIVE MILLENNIA.

In the year 3289 BC, Otzi trekked up the Schnalstal glacier in the Italian Alps. The Neolithic guy -- dubbed Otzi the Iceman, or "Frozen Fritz" -- wore a coat and leggings made of sheep's fur and moccasins made of cattle leather as he climbed, having just polished off his last meal: unleavened bread and meat.

Severely wounded by an arrow and possibly dispatched with a blow to the head by a cudgel, he died, HIS BODY FROZE AND WAS MUMMIFIED, and he lay in place for a very, very long time

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http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/02/25/artists-recreate-face-5300-year-old-iceman-mummy/


I found it interesting. Hope you do too.

Democrats and disaster

The State of Liberalism today

….“PUBLIC SECTOR LIBERALISM" represents the logical terminus for a movement that began in an effort to redraw the boundaries of government action in order to bring industrial capitalism to heel and grew in tandem with the expansion of government….

….The conflict today between democrats and republicans increasingly puts PUBLIC SECTOR UNIONS AND BENEFICIARIES OF PUBLIC PROGRAMS AGAINST THE MIDDLE-CLASS TAXPAYER AND BUSINESS INTERESTS LARGE AND SMALL…

….How this standoff is resolved between popular conservatism and public sector liberalism is a legitimate subject for debate and speculation. It is obvious, however, that LIBERALISM CAN ONLY PROSPER IF IT CAN CONTINUE TO BUILD COALITIONS THROUGH PUBLIC SPENDING, PUBLIC BORROWING, AND PUBLICLY GUARANTEED CREDIT. These are the resources that underwrite their institutional advantages. Should those resources dry up, as they are now doing as a consequence of the long recession, LIBERALISM WILL UNWIND AS A POLITICAL FORCE AS PUBLIC PROGRAMS ARE CUT, PUBLIC EMPLOYEES ARE LET GO, AND RETIREMENT ARRANGEMENTS WITH PUBLIC SECTOR UNIONS ARE RENEGOTIATED. In some public sector states, such outcomes now appear inevitable. Conservatives are in a position to hasten this process along by refusing to approve the spending, borrowing, and federal bailouts that will be required to keep public sector liberalism afloat, though at the price of being blamed for the pain and suffering associated with its collapse. But this is undoubtedly a price worth paying to guide the nation through an adjustment that will otherwise take place later and under circumstances far less to anyone's liking

http://spectator.org/archives/2011/02/21/is-liberalism-dead/1


An excellent article which gives you a lot of insight into the stakes at play in Wisconsin and other states in the Union. Liberals are fighting for their lives. The recession combined with drying up of money in government coffers thereby neutering the left’s ability to buy support is the biggest challenge liberalism has faced in the past 100 years.

Rubicon: A river in Wisconsin

The magnificent turmoil now gripping statehouses in Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana and soon others marks an epic political moment. The nation faces a fiscal crisis of historic proportions and, remarkably, our muddled, gridlocked, allegedly broken politics have yielded singular clarity.

At the federal level, PRESIDENT OBAMA'S BUDGET MAKES CLEAR THAT DEMOCRATS ARE DETERMINED TO DO NOTHING ABOUT THE DEBT CRISIS, while House Republicans have announced that beyond their proposed cuts in discretionary spending, their April budget will actually propose real entitlement reform. Simultaneously, in Wisconsin and other states, Republican governors are taking on unsustainable, fiscally ruinous pension and health-care obligations, WHILE DEMOCRATS ARE FULL-THROATED IN SUPPORT OF THE PUBLIC-EMPLOYEE UNIONS CRYING, "HELL, NO."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/24/AR2011022406520.html

The lines are drawn.  Democratic lawmakers are fleeing their state rather than accept reality.  In 2008 they told us that elections have consequences.  Now they are in denial of that fact.

New Study: Developing Alaska’s OCS

A new study says DRILLING ON ALASKA’S OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF (OCS) COULD MAKE ALASKA THE EIGHTH LARGEST OIL RESOURCE PROVINCE IN THE WORLD -- ahead of Nigeria, Libya, Russia and Norway.


The report -- by the consulting firm Northern Economics and the University of Alaska-Anchorage’s Institute of Social and Economic Research -- says that developing Alaska’s OCS could produce almost 10 BILLION BARRELS OF OIL AND 15 TRILLION CUBIC FEET OF NATURAL GAS, create around 55,000 NEW JOBS and produce $145 billion in new payroll nationally, generating a total of $193 billion in government revenue through the year 2057.

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/new-study-shows-offshore-drilling-alaska


Too bad that liberals don’t want us to drill, produce the energy and the jobs.



Where has all the leadership gone?

…But after telling Tea Party Americans that HE WAS GOING TO "CALL THEIR BLUFF" AND PROPOSE "DIFFICULT CHOICES" to get our runaway deficits under control, what did the president offer in terms of a budget? HE PUT FORTH A PLAN THAT WOULD SEE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT BORROW MORE MONEY IN HIS FOUR YEARS THAN UNDER THE PREVIOUS 43 PRESIDENTS COMBINED. And what tough choices did he recommend to rectify the massive unfunded liabilities that are preparing to devour our economy? None.


The president's budget is such a disgrace that EVEN EVAN THOMAS, THE NEWSWEEK WRITER WHO ONCE COMPARED OBAMA TO GOD, CALLED IT A "PROFILE IN COWARDICE." Obama has called for a scalpel to be taken to federal spending when a fleet of jackhammers and buzz saws are in order. Knowing the calamity that awaits us, HE PREFERS TO MORTGAGE OUR CHILDREN'S FUTURE IN ORDER TO AVOID THE NECESSARY CUTS THAT MIGHT JEOPARDIZE HIS OWN RE-ELECTION BID. That's not hope. That's not change. That's not leadership.


But all is not lost. Despite the miserable failure in the Oval Office, THERE ARE LEADERS AMONG US. THEY ARE EMERGING IN MIDWESTERN STATES LIKE WISCONSIN, MICHIGAN AND OHIO. Indeed, while most political analysts were focusing on the historic turnover in the U.S. Congress, the most significant impact of the 2010 midterm elections is proving to be what happened in statehouses and governor mansions around the country. There, the people handed the machinery of government over to the Republican Party with one demand: STOP TELLING US WHAT WE WANT TO HEAR SIMPLY TO GET ELECTED, AND START TELLING US WHAT MUST BE DONE TO SAVE OUR REPUBLIC.

http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/02/leaders_among_us.html

The bottom line and more

The bottom line

I read a lot of article and try to bring to you the best of what I’ve found. In reading as much as I do, I form certain opinions and I thought I would start off each entry with a section called “THE BOTTOM LINE.” This will give you my overall view of what’s going on. I hope you enjoy this new feature.


There are TWO MAJOR MOVEMENTS GOING ON TODAY. You have the UPRISINGS IN THE MIDDLE EAST in countries like Egypt, Libya, etc. I look at what’s happening there as a crisis but I FEAR IT WILL NOT BE USHERING IN A PERIOD OF PEACE AND DEMOCRACY. I see it more like the revolutions that swept through Europe in 1848. They occurred, but accomplished very little.


At home we have THE PUBLIC UNION CRISIS. Its focus is Wisconsin, but you can plan on it spreading to Ohio, Indiana, etc. The Unions know they are in trouble and seem to be adopting the strategy of Otto von Bismark. Bismark saw the social revolutions in Europe in the 1870s and tried to blunt their effect on Germany by providing the changes the Social Democrats were promising such as old age pensions. THE UNIONS ARE CONCEDING THE INCREASE CONTRIBUTIONS FOR THEIR RETIREMENT AND HEALTHCARE IN THE HOPES OF HOLDING ON TO THEIR RIGHT TO USE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING.


No matter what either side says, this is a fight over power and who will wield it. Scott Walker, the governor of Wisconsin, is TRYING TO SHIFT THE POWER AWAY FROM THE PUBLIC SECTOR UNIONS BACK TO THE STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS. The Unions know if they can hang on to their right to collective bargain any of the give backs they are agreeing to can be changed in the future when they have more friendly government officials. Right now the final outcome isn’t known, but it is a very important issue.


But what is interesting and known are the tactics of the left. If you are a conservative and you are AGAINST ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION, THE LEFT BRANDS YOU AS ANTI-IMMIGRATION. If you are a conservative and AGAINST PUBLIC SECTOR UNIONS THE LEFT BRANDS YOU AS ANTI-UNION. The Alinsky tactics are in effect and on display in Wisconsin.



Time to go for the whole enchilada?

…Seems to me that Governor Walker is asking for adjustments that are WAY TOO MODEST and would leave in place — perhaps solidify — a situation that is only marginally less unjust and untenable than what Wisconsin has now. Under his proposal, citizens working in the private sector would still be paying more for public-employee pensions and substantially more for public-employee health insurance than those citizens pay for their own comparable benefits. He would exempt many public employees from even these modest adjustments. (And for what? Did you see the firefighters out there yesterday, joining the taker-class’s demonstrations against the public?) Furthermore, Walker is being very cagey when asked WHETHER HIS GOAL IS TO BREAK THE PUBLIC-SECTOR UNIONS — he won’t say yes, but his statements have an undertone of “WOULDN’T BE THE WORST THING IN THE WORLD . . .”

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/260601/gov-walkers-strategy-andrew-c-mccarthy


The question we need to address is do we actually need Public Sector Unions? The Unions are already out there with their horror stories of what would happen to everyone without UNIONS, but we aren’t talking doing away with unions. We are talking Public Sector Unions.



Democrats and the new Populism

The Obama campaign and other liberals are looking to tap into the populist current of today's politics and turn the Wisconsin union fight into a national issue in the 2012 election. While the liberals can wield rhetorical pitchforks and light political torches, they should realize that IT'S THEIR GUYS WHO ARE LIVING INSIDE THE CASTLE TODAY. Specifically, public-sector unions -- by many measures the most entrenched special interest in American politics -- are not fighting against The Man, which is to say the entrenched powers of government. In this struggle, THE MAN IS THE GOVERNMENT UNIONS, which are sitting in the smoky back room divvying up the spoils of a crooked racket. And CRONYISM -- NOT WEALTH -- IS THE OBJECT OF TODAY'S POPULIST IRE.


The Left has misread the postbailout populist sentiment all along, assuming public anger was directed at the rich. BUT AMERICAN ANGER, I SUSPECT, IS DIRECTED NOT AT SOME PEOPLE WHO HAVE MONEY OR SUCCESS, BUT AT THOSE WHO PROFIT THROUGH CRONYISM AND THEIR CONNECTIONS TO POWER.

http://washingtonexaminer.com/politics/2011/02/democrats-wage-populist-fight-against-their-allies#ixzz1Es8F7xVc

This is an interesting way of looking at what’s happening. It rings true for me. What about you?



Liberal Facts

RACHEL MADDOW, MSNBC: But, if you look at like the last election cycle, OF THE TOP TEN PEOPLE DONATING MONEY IN THAT ELECTION, SEVEN OF THEM WERE GIVING TO REPUBLICANS. It was all corporate interests and right-wing PACs and stuff. Seven of the ten were all right-wing. AND THE ONLY THREE THAT WEREN'T WERE UNIONS.

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2011/02/23/rachel-maddow-lies-leno-about-republican-political-contributions#ixzz1EsigPr9a


What I have discovered is that liberal facts aren’t necessarily real facts, but things liberals feel should be real. Maddow’s claim is utterly debunked if you go to the link and read. In fact, only one of the top ten contributors was Republican and four of the top ten were unions.



Washington: The Senate Democrats refuses to entertain cutting spending

When Congress returns next week, HOUSE REPUBLICANS PLAN TO INTRODUCE A TWO-WEEK CR THAT WOULD CUT FEDERAL SPENDING BY $4 BILLION, which is essentially a pro-rated amount based on the $61 billion in cuts (over a 30 week period) contained in the CR passed by the House last week.

On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader HARRY REID (R., NEV.) PROPOSED A 30-DAYS “STOP-GAP” SPENDING RESOLUTION TO KEEP THE GOVERNMENT FUNDED AT CURRENT LEVELS while a longer term deal is negotiated. The current continuing resolution expires on March 4.

House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio) said this was unacceptable, arguing that even a short-term continuing resolution must contain spending cuts. “The only people who refuse to consider any spending cuts in the short-term CR are the Senate Democratic Leaders like Sens. Reid and Schumer,” Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said in a statement. “With a massive federal deficit and record-setting debt, the idea that we can’t cut one penny worth of federal government spending is indefensible.”

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/260574/house-republicans-offer-short-term-cr-4-billion-cuts-andrew-stiles


Boehner’s staff has met with Reid’s staff and there has been no movement. The Democrats claim they have already cut spending by $41 billion since they didn’t enact President Obama’s budget but continued spending at the 2010 rate. The logic here is similar to your spouse coming home loaded with shopping bags and proceeds to tell you how much money s/he has saved you.


Here’s a fact check on what’s being claimed by the Democrats and Repubicans

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2011/02/harry_reids_illusory_41_billio.html?hpid=news-col-blog



Failure to preserve, protect and defend …

Notable examples in the scant couple of years The One has been in office include: REFUSAL TO ENFORCE VOTING LAWS AGAINST INTIMIDATION AT THE POLLS IN CHICAGO, EFFORTS TO USE THE REGULATORY FUNCTIONS OF THE FPA TO CIRCUMVENT THE SPECIFIC LEGISLATION OF CONGRESS to ban cap-and-trade, REFUSAL TO ENFORCE IMMIGRATION LAWS, and attempts by the FCC to regulate matters banned from its jurisdiction by law.

We need not even mention the UNDEMOCRATIC PARLIAMENTARY TACTICS AND OUTRIGHT BRIBERY USED BY OBAMA AND HIS ALLIES TO RAM THROUGH THE UNPOPULAR AND CLEARLY UNCONSTITUTIONAL OBAMACARE BILL -- without it even having been read by most Congress members.

On the judiciary side, we witness the executive IGNORING A FEDERAL COURT RULING ON OBAMACARE'S UNCONSTITUTIONALITY, the refusal -- to the point where an order of compliance had to be issued from the bench -- to refrain from imposing an illegal moratorium on oil drilling; and, now the clearest and most blatant power grab of all. Obama has arrogated to himself, in the matter of DOMA, the power to declare that law unconstitutional and order his Justice Department not to contest lawsuits challenging it.

http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/02/obama_completes_his_trifecta.html


Obama’s record is getting worse and worse.



The War on Terror—in case you forgot

Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari, 20, a citizen of Saudi Arabia and resident of Lubbock, Texas, was arrested late yesterday by FBI agents in Texas ON A FEDERAL CHARGE OF ATTEMPTED USE OF A WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION in connection with his alleged purchase of chemicals and equipment necessary to make an improvised explosive device (IED) and his research of potential U.S. targets.


The arrest and the criminal complaint, which was unsealed in the Northern District of Texas, were announced by David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security; James T. Jacks, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas; and Robert E. Casey Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Dallas Field Division

http://www.the33tv.com/news/kdaf-terror-suspect-arrested-in-lubbock-texas-20110224,0,5306188,full.story


We owe a debt of gratitude to those who are front and center in this war. Lest we forget, we have our freedom and our safety from those who go into harm’s way.


Green Energy begets a House probe

…..He (Obama) said high-tech facilities LIKE SOLYNDRA WOULD HELP "LAY A NEW FOUNDATION FOR LASTING GROWTH."

Then came last November, the day after the midterm elections when everyone was focused on the historic shift to Republican control of the House. Solyndra announced then that not only was it not going to create those 1,000 full-time jobs so eagerly hailed by Obama and Biden, but it also was GOING TO CLOSE AN OLDER FACTORY AND ACTUALLY LAY OFF 175 FULL- OR PART-TIME WORKERS…..

….But now Fred Upton and Cliff Stearns, chairmen of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and Oversight Subcommittee, have been examining the company's financials and the possibility of waste and fraud. Since its 2005 founding, IT SEEMS THAT SOLYNDRA HAS NEVER MADE A PROFIT AND ITS OWN AUDITOR HAD RAISED SERIOUS QUESTIONS that did not slow or stop the immense guarantee's approval by the Obama administration……

……Oh, one other thing: The majority owner of Solyndra is George Kaiser. He's an Oklahoma billionaire. He was also a bundler, a major fundraiser, for the 2008 presidential campaign of Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

But that's probably coincidence.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2011/02/solyndra-obama-biden-stimulus-waste.html#more


Green energy reminds me of alchemy. For thousands of years people have dreamed of being able to turn lead into gold. The modern day version of this is green energy’s dream of replacing oil with solar and wind. The science isn’t there in either case.

Public Sector Unions--a stuggle for power

Senators must collect their paychecks in person

A nice first step. THE NEXT STEP, AFTER THE “FLEEBAGGERS” (AS THEY’RE NOW BEING CALLED ON TWITTER) HAVE COME HOME, SHOULD BE TO PASS A LAW RETROACTIVELY DOCKING THEIR PAY FOR THE DAYS THEY MISSED. Senate Republicans can’t do that now, I believe, because it’s a fiscal measure and those require a 20-member quorum. But soon enough, soon enough.

[MOTION] That the Chief Clerk provide the paycheck, per diem check, and any expense reimbursement check of any Senator who is absent without leave for 2 or more session days to the Majority Leader for the absent member to pick up in person. Until the Majority Leader authorizes the Chief Clerk to reinstate direct deposit, the Chief Clerk shall suspend the direct deposit of the paycheck of any such Senator and process the Senator’s pay as a paper check. The Majority Leader shall provide the checks only to the absent Senator and only on the floor of the Senate during a session day.

THE COMMITTEE VOTE ON THAT WAS 3-2, THREE REPUBLICANS IN THE MAJORITY and two Democrats in the minority. But wait — how can Democrats vote when they’re not there? Well, apparently, telephone votes are permissible and common practice for committee sessions, just not for floor sessions.

http://hotair.com/archives/2011/02/22/wisconsin-senate-committee-passes-new-rule-senators-must-collect-their-paychecks-in-person/


This just keeps getting better and better.


POLITICAL HARDBALL IN WISCONSIN

Republicans on a state Senate committee approved a bill Tuesday to require voters to show ID at the polls, in their latest effort to entice Democrats to end their boycott of Senate proceedings.

The committee made significant changes to the bill in a meeting that included a bizarre element. Sen. Jon Erpenbach (D-Middleton) participated in the meeting by phone, but Sen. Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin), the committee chairwoman, refused to let him vote because he and the 13 other Senate Democrats left the state Thursday.

Senators routinely participate in committee meetings by phone and are allowed to debate, offer amendments and vote on measures. But Lazich said she wasn't allowing Erpenbach to vote because he had an invalid reasons for being absent.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/116680594.html


You’ve got to love it. If the Wisconsin Democrats are going to act like petulant children, they deserved to be treated like petulant children.



Wisconsin starts reviewing complaint about Doctor excuses

Staff at the state Department of Regulation and Licensing have BEGUN TO REVIEW ROUGHLY 300 E-MAIL COMPLAINTS ABOUT DOCTORS ISSUING EXCUSE NOTES FOR PROTESTERS at the state Capitol over the weekend, officials said Tuesday.

Complaints that name a specific doctor and the alleged violations of rules covered by their licenses will be forwarded to the Wisconsin Medical Examining Board. Letters specifying the complaint will be sent to the doctors at the start of the investigation.

To date, THE NAMES OF DOCTORS LOU SANNER AND JAMES SHROPSHIRE have been cited in media reports about the medical excuses dispensed over the weekend. Both are affiliated with the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. The agency said none of the doctors involved was representing UW Health at the time…..

http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/116683269.html


Somehow the terms “chickens” and “roost” come to mind.



It’s early yet, but Obama has a big uphill fight for reelection

For polling purposes, we divided all 10,000 voters into three camps: 1) RED STATES THAT DID NOT VOTE FOR OBAMA IN 2008 AND ARE UNLIKELY TO DO SO IN 2012; 2) BLUE STATES THAT DID NOT VOTE FOR MCCAIN IN 2008 AND ARE UNLIKELY TO VOTE GOP IN 2012; AND 3) BATTLEGROUND “GREEN” STATES THAT COULD GO EITHER WAY IN 2012. The following 12 Green states all saw significant changes brought about by statewide and congressional GOP victories and GOP wins in state legislatures as a result of the 2010 midterm elections: FL, IN, IA, MI, MO, NH, NM, NC, OH, PA, VA, and WI.

The first question we asked voters in all three state categories is WHETHER THEY THINK PRESIDENT OBAMA DESERVES RE-ELECTION or if they think it is time for someone new in the White House.

Voters in BLUE STATES WOULD PREFER SOMEONE NEW OVER PRESIDENT OBAMA BY A SLIM 3-POINT MARGIN (48% TO 45%). The President should easily be able to make-up this ground once his campaign gets into full swing.

IN RED STATES, HOWEVER, VOTERS WOULD PREFER SOMEONE NEW BY A SIZEABLE 22-POINT MARGIN (58% TO 36%), a sizeable margin that the President is unlikely to overcome. In GREEN STATES, VOTERS WANT SOMEONE NEW IN THE WHITE HOUSE BY A 13-POINT MARGIN (54% TO 41%), showing that Obama’s quest for the critical middle-ground will be a severe uphill climb.....

http://townhall.com/columnists/bradoleary/2011/02/22/poll_shows_battleground_states_trending_strongly_for_gop_on_obama_re-election_issues/page/full/


As I said in the headline, it’s early. But I followed the change happening in the country throughout all of 2010 and it really didn’t change. People may have already made up their mind about this President and the Liberal agenda.



Meanwhile the Polls aren’t being kind to Obama

THE PRESIDENT’S MINI-RECOVERY IS STARTING TO FALL FLAT. According to the latest Rasmussen Daily Presidential Tracking poll, Barack Obama’s approval ratings have fallen to their lowest level since mid-November. JUST 21 PERCENT OF US VOTERS STRONGLY APPROVE OF THE PRESIDENT’S JOB PERFORMANCE IN CONTRAST TO 41 PERCENT WHO STRONGLY DISAPPROVE. Obama’s Presidential Approval Index rating now stands at minus 20 points (the difference between the percentage of Americans who strongly approve of the president’s performance against the percentage who strongly disapprove). Further, Republicans now have a nine-point lead over Democrats on the Generic Congressional Ballot in Rasmussen’s survey.

What explains this rather dramatic reversal of fortune for the president after three months of rising poll numbers? IT IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY CLEAR THAT OBAMA’S MESSAGING ON THE ECONOMY IS NOT GOING DOWN WELL WITH AN AMERICAN PUBLIC that is deeply worried about high levels of unemployment, the general state of the economy, the spiraling budget deficit, and fears over the impact of the government’s health care reforms. As Rasmussen reveals, a mere 24 percent of Americans believe their own personal finances are improving, and just 31 percent believe the economy is improving.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/nilegardiner/100077285/the-obama-bounce-is-falling-flat/


The democrats seem to be hoping that the economy will improve and Obama will get the credit. That might happen, but with the fights that are about to go on about the deficit, the economy might improve but Obama will get no credit.



Wisconsin Showdown

Nationwide, state and local government workers are paid on average 45% more than private sector workers, with an average hourly wage of $26.25, and $13.56 in hourly costs for benefits, for total hourly costs of $39.81, or $80,000 per year on average. This is true in Wisconsin as well. Indeed, the Manhattan Institute's E.J. McMahon reports that for public school teachers in Milwaukee, the annual cost of family health coverage is $26,844, for which the teachers currently pay nothing.

Yet, state and local government workers are mobbing the capitol in Wisconsin because newly elected GOVERNOR SCOTT WALKER'S BILL TO CLOSE THE STATE'S $3.6 BILLION BUDGET DEFICIT WOULD REQUIRE THEM TO PAY 5.8% OF THEIR PENSION COSTS, AND 12.6% OF THEIR HEALTH INSURANCE COSTS. …

http://spectator.org/archives/2011/02/23/wisconsin-showdown


A good article spelling out the problem with Public Sector Unions.


Liberal Magic

There is a Wisconsin talking point that will not die: Everything was fine until Scott Walker got some business-incentive tax cuts passed. I just heard it from Erica Williams of the Center for American Progress. Rachel Maddow has trafficked in this nonsense, as have some more respectable lefty types.

Help an English major out, here: HOW EXACTLY DO $137 MILLION IN TAX CUTS CAUSE A $3.6 BILLION DEFICIT IN TWO YEARS? I AM DYING TO KNOW.

Those tax cuts may or may not be a good idea; I am generally skeptical of using special tax breaks as a tool of economic development. (Low general taxes, a simple tax code, a sane regulatory environment, and a sane tort environment seem to me much better tools.) But getting a $3.6 billion deficit out of a $137 million tax cut is a pretty good rabbit-outta-the-hat trick.

http://www.nationalreview.com/exchequer/260578/tax-cuts-and-wisconsins-deficit


Actually this is a very good question.



What’s happened to civility?

SOMETIMES IT'S NECESSARY TO GET OUT ON THE STREETS AND "GET A LITTLE BLOODY," A MASSACHUSETTS DEMOCRAT SAID TUESDAY IN REFERENCE TO LABOR BATTLES IN WISCONSIN.


Rep. Michael Capuano (D-Mass.) fired up a group of union members in Boston with a speech urging them to work down in the trenches to fend off limits to workers' rights like those proposed in Wisconsin.

"I’m proud to be here with people who understand that it’s more than just sending an email to get you going," Capuano said, according to the Dorchester Reporter. "EVERY ONCE AND AWHILE YOU NEED TO GET OUT ON THE STREETS AND GET A LITTLE BLOODY WHEN NECESSARY."

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/145627-dem-lawmaker-on-labor-protests-get-a-little-bloody-when-necessary


Apparently Capuano didn’t get the memo that declared only the right advocated violence. Anyone with an ounce of knowledge about history knows this is complete rubbish.



Shutting Down the Government

Let’s put aside that congressional Republicans deny that they want to shut down the government. How can Harry Reid continue talking about Republicans wanting to shut down the government as if it were the worst conceivable thing in the world when, as he is making this accusation, DEMOCRATS IN (NOW) TWO STATES HAVE ACTUALLY SHUT DOWN THEIR GOVERNMENTS — and not due to a legitimate legislative impasse, but by the illegitimate tactic of fleeing the state to avoid being compelled to do their jobs? If government shutdowns in Wisconsin and Indiana occur in coordination with President Obama’s political operation AND TO THE CHEERS OF DEMOCRATIC BIGWIGS ACROSS THE NATION, HOW BAD CAN SHUTTING DOWN THE GOVERNMENT BE?

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/260424/shutting-down-government-andrew-c-mccarthy


Actually this is an interesting way to look at the possibility of a government shutdown.



Follow the Money

Enormous contributions, yes -- to the Democratic Party and the Obama campaign. UNIONS, MOST OF WHOSE MEMBERS ARE PUBLIC EMPLOYEES, GAVE DEMOCRATS SOME $400 MILLION IN THE 2008 ELECTION CYCLE. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the biggest public employee union, gave Democrats $90 million in the 2010 cycle.

FOLLOW THE MONEY, WASHINGTON REPORTERS LIKE TO SAY. The money in this case comes from taxpayers, present and future, who are the source of every penny of dues paid to public employee unions, who in turn spend much of that money on politics, almost all of it for Democrats. In effect, public employee unions are a mechanism by which every taxpayer is forced to fund the Democratic Party.

So, JUST AS THE PRESIDENT COMPLAINED IN HIS 2010 STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS ABOUT A SUPREME COURT DECISION THAT HE FEARED WOULD INCREASE THE FLOW OF MONEY TO REPUBLICANS, HE ALSO FOUND TIME TO COMPLAIN ABOUT A PROPOSED STATE LAW THAT COULD REDUCE THE FLOW OF MONEY TO DEMOCRATS.

And, according to the Washington Post, to get the Democratic National Committee to organize protests against the proposed Wisconsin law. PROTESTS THAT SHOWED CONTEMPT FOR THE LAW, with teachers abandoning classrooms, doctors writing phony medical excuses, Democratic legislators fleeing the state and holing up in a motel. The lawmakers played hooky without losing any salary, which is protected by the state constitution.

It's true that Walker's proposals would strike hard at the power of the public employee unions. They would no longer have the right to bargain for fringe benefits, which are threatening to bankrupt the state government, and they would no longer be able to count on government withholding dues money and passing it along to them.

But what are the contributions that public employee unions make to our states and our citizens? THEIR INCENTIVES ARE TO INCREASE THE COST OF GOVERNMENT AND REDUCE DOWN TOWARD ZERO THE ACCOUNTABILITY OF PUBLIC EMPLOYEES -- BOTH CONTRARY TO THE INTERESTS OF TAXPAYING CITIZENS….

http://washingtonexaminer.com/politics/2011/02/public-unions-force-taxpayers-fund-democrats#ixzz1EnX1eUKH


What’s going on in Wisconsin and other states is a fight for money and power. The Democrats and the Unions want to keep the status quo while the Republicans and the majority of Americans are looking for change.

Irony?

http://datechguy.wordpress.com/2011/02/22/the-ultimate-irony-of-todays-rally-in-boston/


Watch this short video. It makes an interesting point.

Will Wisconsin spread?

Obama’s Attempt to Distance Himself From Wisconsin Rally Fails

In a good indication that the Wisconsin PROTESTS HAVE BECOME A LIABILITY FOR DEMOCRATS, the White House and the DNC have clumsily attempted to distance themselves from the event in the New York Times:

Administration officials said Sunday that the WHITE HOUSE HAD DONE NOTHING TO ENCOURAGE THE DEMONSTRATIONS IN WISCONSIN — nor was it doing so in Ohio, Florida and other states where new Republican governors are trying to make deep cuts to balance their budget. …

And, officials and union leaders said, reports of the involvement of the Democratic National Committee — specifically ORGANIZING FOR AMERICA, THE GRASS-ROOTS NETWORK BORN OF MR. OBAMA’S 2008 CAMPAIGN — WERE OVERBLOWN TO START WITH.…

“This is a Wisconsin story, not a Washington one,” said Dan Pfeiffer, the White House communications director. “False claims of White House involvement are attempts to distract from the organic grass-roots opposition that is happening in Wisconsin.”

But apparently someone forget to tell the DNC’s communication director BOB WOODHOUSE TO SCRUB HIS TWITTER FEED to reflect this new strategy. Doug Ross has pointed out a Feb. 17 Tweet from Woodhouse saying that THE WHITE HOUSE WAS “PROUDLY” PLAYING A ROLE IN THE PROTEST.

http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2011/02/21/obama%e2%80%99s-attempt-to-distance-himself-from-wisconsin-rally-fails/


It sounds as if the President is doing the political hokey pokey. “You put you left foot in you take your left foot out….”


New poll: Public sides with Wisconsin governor over union

A new national poll just released by pollster Scott Rasmussen shows that 48 PERCENT OF THOSE SURVEYED SUPPORT WISCONSIN REPUBLICAN GOV. SCOTT WALKER in his showdown with the state's public-employee unions, while 38 percent support the union. Broken down by party, Rasmussen found that 68 PERCENT OF DEMOCRATS SUPPORT THE UNIONS, WHILE 68 PERCENT OF REPUBLICANS SUPPORT WALKER. Among the POLITICALLY-CRITICAL INDEPENDENTS, 56 PERCENT SUPPORT THE GOVERNOR. And in a showdown in which teachers have abandoned the classroom to protest against Walker's budget bill, 38 percent said they believe that teachers, along with firefighters and police, should have the right to strike, while 49 PERCENT SAID THOSE PUBLIC EMPLOYEES SHOULD NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO STRIKE

.
http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2011/02/new-poll-public-sides-wisconsin-governor-over-union#ixzz1EgyW4TbQ

And this story may tell you why President Obama is doing the hokey pokey.



Our reactionary President

…..In a noisome bit of body snatching, THE MADISON PROTESTERS ASSOCIATE THEMSELVES WITH THE DEMONSTRATORS IN EGYPT. If we must use Egypt analogies, THIS ONE HAS IT BACKWARD. Tapping into new technologies empowering individuals, the anti-Mubarak protesters overthrew a sclerotic political system that no longer fit the times. In their aims, THE ANTI-WALKER THRONGS ARE MORE LIKE EGYPT’S COUNTERDEMONSTRATORS WHO RODE IN ON CAMELS TO TRY TO SAVE A DECREPIT, 30-YEAR-OLD POLITICAL DISPENSATION.


Obama’s transformative agenda has largely consisted of accelerating already-present trends. WE HAD ALREADY TRIED A STIMULUS AND DEFICIT SPENDING — OBAMA GAVE US MORE OF BOTH. WE ALREADY HAD SUBSIDIES TO GREEN ENERGY — OBAMA CREATED MORE. WE ALREADY WERE SPENDING MORE THAN EVER ON EDUCATION — OBAMA ADDED MORE. WE ALREADY HAD MASSIVE GOVERNMENT HEALTH-CARE PROGRAMS crowding out the private sector and tipping the federal government toward bankruptcy — Obama added yet another one….

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/260307/our-reactionary-president-rich-lowry


Progressive? It doesn’t really look like it. In fact, the left has grown lazy and moribund in regard to ideas. When challenged on what they are doing they tend to resort to name calling using racist, bigots, homophobe, sexists, etc instead of explanations. These are not the actions of a dynamic and thoughtful movement.



The Left’s Assault on Democracy in Wisconsin

LEFTIST RADICALS DON’T BELIEVE IN DEMOCRACY IN THE WAY THE TERM IS USED IN AMERICA. If they win, it’s democracy in action, a noble rendering of the wise judgment of the people. If they lose, democracy has been undermined and usually some cabal of corporate villains in a smoke-filled backroom somewhere is to blame for the injustice.

The union goons and paid protesters wreaking havoc in Madison, Wisconsin believe in the radical left-wing un-American conception of democracy.

They’re being cheered on by the REV. JESSE JACKSON who dropped by to outrageously compare the ongoing disruptions to the 1965 civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. “THIS IS A MARTIN LUTHER KING MOMENT, this is a Gandhi moment,” he said without chuckling.

They’re also being praised and encouraged by the nation’s foremost leftist guru, professor Noam Chomsky. CHOMSKY TOLD DEMOCRACY NOW! RECENTLY THAT HE HOPES THE PROTESTS BEGIN TO RESEMBLE THE VIOLENT DEMONSTRATIONS IN EGYPT. “It was heartening to see that there are tens of thousands of people protesting in Madison day after day in fact. I mean that’s the beginning maybe of what we really need here, a democracy uprising. Democracy’s almost been eviscerated

http://frontpagemag.com/2011/02/22/the-left%E2%80%99s-assault-on-democracy-in-wisconsin/


We’ve seen a lot of hypocrisy going on over the past week. I guess the phrase “We won,” is only applicable if it is a leftist who won the election.


Howard Dean and the $100,000 Wisconsin Slush Fund

YOU CAN CALL THEM "DEAN DOLLARS."

Former Vermont Governor and Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, a one-time presidential candidate, is the founder of a group that by mid-day of President's Day HAD RAISED OVER $100,000 IN A SLUSH FUND TO "BACK" THE ON-THE-LAM WISCONSIN DEMOCRATIC STATE SENATORS.

The Dean Dollars are being specifically funneled to the Wisconsin State Senate Democratic Committee (SSDC) -- AN APPARENT VIOLATION OF WISCONSIN ELECTION LAW that pointedly says, according to the Wisconsin Election Board's Legal Counsel in a 2005 decision, that the "SSDC may not accept a contribution of more than $6,000 from a single committee in a calendar year."

http://spectator.org/archives/2011/02/22/howard-dean-and-the-100000-wis


It appears we have welfare for elected officials who are on the lam.



Missing Democrats: A spreading problem

Seats on one side of the Indiana House were nearly empty today as House Democrats departed the the state rather than vote on anti-union legislation.

A source tells the Indianapolis Star that Democrats are headed to Illinois, though it was possible some also might go to Kentucky. They need to go to a state with a Democratic governor to avoid being taken into police custody and returned to Indiana.

The House was came into session twice this morning, with only three of the 40 Democrats present. Those were needed to make a motion, and a seconding motion, for any procedural steps Democrats would want to take to ensure Republicans don’t do anything official without quorum.

With only 58 legislators present, there was no quorum present to do business. The House needs 67 of its members to be present.

http://www.indystar.com/article/20110222/NEWS/110222004/House-Democrats-flee-Indiana-stop-votes?odyssey=mod

It appears we have a new Democratic phenom.  The case of the disappearing Democrats.  Actually it is more like the spoiled kid who if he doesn't get his way threatens to take is ball and go home. 


George Will dissects Wisconsin

…He does, however, think there is sincerity unleavened by information: MANY PROTESTERS DO NOT REALIZE THAT MOST WORKER PROTECTIONS - merit hiring; just cause for discipline and termination - ARE THE RESULT NOT OF COLLECTIVE BARGAINING BUT OF WISCONSIN'S UNIQUELY STRONG AND CENTURY-OLD CIVIL SERVICE LAW.

"I am convinced," he says, "this is about money - but not the employees' money." IT CONCERNS UNION DUES, WHICH HE WANTS THE STATE TO STOP COLLECTING FOR THE UNIONS, just as he wants annual votes by state employees on re-certifying the unions. He says many employees pay $500 to $600 annually in union dues - teachers pay up to $1,000. Given a choice, many might prefer to apply this money to health care premiums or retirement plans. And he thinks "eventually" most will say about the dues collectors, "What do we need this for?"

SUCH UNIONS ARE GOVERNMENT ORGANIZED AS AN INTEREST GROUP TO LOBBY ITSELF TO DO WHAT IT ALWAYS WANTS TO DO ANYWAY - GROW. These unions use dues extracted from members to elect their members' employers. And governments, not disciplined by the need to make a profit, extract government employees' salaries from taxpayers. Government sits on both sides of the table in cozy "negotiations" with unions.

A few days after President Obama submitted a budget that would increase the federal deficit, he tried to sabotage Wisconsin's progress toward solvency. THE WASHINGTON POST: "THE PRESIDENT'S POLITICAL MACHINE WORKED IN CLOSE COORDINATION . . . WITH STATE AND NATIONAL UNION OFFICIALS TO MOBILIZE THOUSANDS OF PROTESTERS TO GATHER IN MADISON and to plan similar demonstrations in other state capitals." Walker notes that in the 1990s, Wisconsin was a trendsetter regarding school choice and welfare reform. Obama, he thinks, may be worried that Wisconsin might again be a harbinger….

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/21/AR2011022103190.html


One of the truisms of Unions is that they will sacrifice many of the promises they made to organize a group to get a check off clause (the company collects union dues from the members for the union) in that first contract. Of all the things being proposed by Walker, doing away with this is most likely the biggest problem for the Unions.


Two-Thirds of Wisconsin Public-School 8th Graders Can’t Read Proficiently

TWO-THIRDS OF THE EIGHTH GRADERS IN WISCONSIN PUBLIC SCHOOLS CANNOT READ PROFICIENTLY ACCORDING TO THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, despite the fact that Wisconsin spends more per pupil in its public schools than any other state in the Midwest.

In the National Assessment of Educational Progress tests administered by the U.S. Department of Education in 2009—the latest year available—ONLY 32 PERCENT OF WISCONSIN PUBLIC-SCHOOL EIGHTH GRADERS EARNED A “PROFICIENT” RATING WHILE ANOTHER 2 PERCENT EARNED AN “ADVANCED” rating. The other 66 percent of Wisconsin public-school eighth graders earned ratings below “proficient,” including 44 percent who earned a rating of “basic” and 22 percent who earned a rating of “below basic

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/two-thirds-wisconsin-public-school-8th-g


This sounds like those teachers really need to be back in the classroom explain what is happening since it appears 66% of their students will have a tough time reading about it.



Wisconsin labor unrest spills across Lake Michigan

MICHIGAN UNION LEADERS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE ACTIVISTS WILL JOIN WITH COLLEAGUES IN WISCONSIN AND OHIO ON TUESDAY AS THE AFL-CIO PLANS STREET PROTESTS IN LANSING against Republican Gov. Rick Snyder's attempt to balance the state budget on the backs of public employees.

In scenes that US Rep. Paul Ryan (R) has likened to the massive recent protests and clashes in Cairo, Wisconsin public sector employees and union activists staged a seventh day of protests in Madison Monday as Gov. Scott Walker (R) refused to budge on his plan to gut collective bargaining, the behind-closed-doors process by which civil service workers, including teachers, secure pay, health, and pension benefits.

FIGHTING SIMILAR PROPOSALS, OHIO UNION ACTIVISTS PROTESTED IN COLUMBUS LAST WEEK, as well, and now Michigan union protesters are planning a morning protest in Lansing. In Tennessee, a Republican-backed plan to end collective bargaining for the state's 52,000 teachers has drawn sharp rebukes from the education establishment. Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels has also proposed curbing collective bargaining rules in the Hoosier State….

http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20110221/ts_csm/364791


Wisconsin is only the first place you will be seeing this struggle. Stand bye.


Mika Makes Excuses For Vile WI Signs—Till She Sees Them

Mika Brzezinski learned a life lesson this morning: look before you leap to defend liberals . . .


At the top of Morning Joe, Joe Scarborough referenced the hateful emails he and Mika had received from the left and the similarly ugly signs held by Wisconsin union protesters. MIKA REFLEXIVELY DEFENDED THE VILENESS, SAYING THAT PEOPLE WERE "HURTING AND REALLY DON'T FEEL LIKE THEY'RE BEING HEARD."


Aww. But later, the show rolled video of some of the Wisconsin signs, including one with crosshairs on Gov. Walker, another calling him Hitler, one accusing him of rape, and of course that great old standard "death to tyrants."



TO HER CREDIT, MIKA DID CHANGE HER TUNE. VIEW VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP.

Admitting that she hadn't previously seen those signs, MIKA AGREED WITH JOE THAT IF TEA PARTIERS HELD UP SOMETHING SIMILAR, "THEY'D BE ON A [MSM] LOOP."

View the video and watch Mika's change of heart as she runs headlong into the hard reality of what's happening in Wisconsin.

http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/mark-finkelstein/2011/02/21/mika-makes-excuses-vile-wi-signs-till-she-sees-them#ixzz1EgpGKtH1


An admission that the MSM treats the TEA Party more harshly than it does Public Employee Unions. Who would of thought it?



GOP can cut spending without closing government

Washington Democrats and liberal mainstream media journalists have been wearing out their tongues for a week PREDICTING HOUSE REPUBLICANS WILL FORCE A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN JUST AS THEY DID IN 1995, WITH THE SAME DISASTROUS RESULTS FOR THE GOP. They are framing the issue this way because they want a government shutdown, thinking IT WILL BLUNT THE DRIVE BY HOUSE REPUBLICANS TO CUT FEDERAL SPENDING, which voters demanded last November. Unfortunately, many Republicans have bought into the fallacy that the only way to achieve their goal is through a political stalemate that forces a suspension of government services.

In fact, THIS IS NOT AN "EITHER/OR" PROPOSITION, as congressional Republicans can show this week by taking two steps. First, HOUSE GOP LEADERS SHOULD INTRODUCE AN ALTERNATIVE CONTINUING RESOLUTION THAT ENSURES NO SLOWDOWN IN ESSENTIAL SERVICES, including the delivery of Social Security checks and Medicare payments for medical treatment, keeping the military at full strength and funding agencies charged with maintaining the public safety. House Speaker John Boehner should make clear that this alternative continuing resolution will be approved if Senate Democrats and/or President Obama refuse to accept the $61 billion in spending cuts approved last week by the lower chamber. Just as Cato the Elder ended his every Roman Senate speech by demanding that "Carthage must die," BOEHNER SHOULD CONSTANTLY DEMAND THAT DEMOCRATS STOP OBSTRUCTING THE DEFUNDING OF OBAMACARE, WHITE HOUSE "CZARS," EPA'S REGULATORY CAP-AND-TRADE, AND OTHER MUCH-NEEDED SPENDING CUTS…..

http://washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/editorials/2011/02/examiner-editorial-gop-can-cut-spending-without-closing-government#ixzz1Eh9uvyg9

I do think the democrats think this is 1995, not 2011. There seems to be a giggly anticipation that this will do the Republicans in and revive the Democrats. I don’t think this is the case.



Time Magazine: Greens move on from 'climate change' to organic food movement

THESE ARE DARK DAYS FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT. A year after being on the cusp of passing landmark legislation to cap greenhouse gases, greens are coming to accept the fact THAT THE CHANCE OF NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE HAS BECOME MORE REMOTE THAN EVER. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is under attack by newly empowered Republicans in Congress who argue that the very idea of environmental protection is unaffordable for our debt-ridden country. Accustomed to remaining optimistic in the face of long odds, the environmental movement all at once faces a challenge just to stay relevant in a hostile political climate. In 2004, authors Michael Shellenberger and Ted Nordhaus faced a harsh backlash from the greens when they released a polemic essay called "The Death of Environmentalism," but now it appears they might have been ahead of their time.

EVEN AS TRADITIONAL ENVIRONMENTALISM STRUGGLES, ANOTHER MOVEMENT IS RISING IN ITS PLACE, ALIGNING CONSUMERS, PRODUCERS, THE MEDIA AND EVEN POLITICIANS. IT'S THE FOOD MOVEMENT, AND IF IT CONTINUES TO GROW IT MAY BE ABLE TO CREATE JUST THE SORT OF POLITICAL AND SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION THAT ENVIRONMENTALISTS HAVE FAILED TO ACHIEVE IN RECENT YEARS. That would mean not only changing the way Americans eat and the way they farm — away from industrialized, cheap calories and toward more organic, small-scale production, with plenty of fruits and vegetables — but also altering the way we work and relate to one another. TO ITS MOST ARDENT ADHERENTS, THE FOOD MOVEMENT ISN'T JUST ABOUT REFORM — IT'S ABOUT REVOLUTION…..

http://hockeyschtick.blogspot.com/2011/02/time-magazine-greens-move-on-from.html


As AGW falls new green movements are afoot. This is a new one on me. I had heard that bio-diversity was the next big green assault.

Fox News and other things the left hates

CNN vs Fox News

As news in the Wisconsin union protests continues to develop, IT’S INTERESTING TO GET DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES ON THE SAME EVENTS. Are public school teachers unfairly being asked to make economic sacrifices and noble for standing up for themselves or are they selfishly calling in sick and wrong for forcing kids to miss out on school? Your answer might depend on which news channel you’re watching.

On Fox News, Mike Tobin interviewed some residents of the state who claimed that it was extremely easy to get a doctor to give them a sick note, thus enabling public employees to take off from work to protest without any risk. News anchor GREGG JARRETT RESPONDED, “THAT’S INCREDIBLE NEWS IF IT’S TRUE. THAT’S BASICALLY FRAUD BY DOCTORS INCIDENTAL TO THE BREACH OF A TEACHER CONTRACT, which prohibits them from calling in sick to protest.”

Over on CNN, THE STORY WAS ESSENTIALLY THE SAME, but the tone decidedly different. Casey Wian reported that “DOCTORS ARE WRITING NOTES . . . THEY’RE HELPING OUT THE TEACHERS. There’s some concern that some of those doctors may be putting themselves in jeopardy because they are writing notes for teachers who obviously aren’t sick.” Anchor Martin Savage just responded with “VERY INTERESTING.”

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/fox-calls-doctors-writing-sick-slips-in-wi-fraud-cnn-calls-it-helping-out-teachers/


The left hates Fox News and this is the reason why. They are looking for soft pedaling of leftists and their allies. Anything less is obviously lies to them.



The Real Revolution

….BOY, DID DEMOCRATS MISREAD THEIR MANDATE! With very little hindsight needed, it's apparent to all but ideologically-blinkered liberals that the Democrats' gross overreach isn't what voters wanted or expected. VOTERS WANTED A REDO OF THE CLINTON YEARS. INSTEAD, IN THE PERSON OF BARACK OBAMA, VOTERS GOT AN AMALGAM OF FDR AND LBJ WITH A DASH OF NEVILLE CHAMBERLIN THROWN IN.



But here's the real kicker. Two years of Obama-Reid-Pelosi overreach and excesses may have been the table-setter for the real revolution now unfolding. Voters and taxpayers first needed to see the IRRESPONSIBILITY AND RECKLESSNESS OF UNALLOYED LIBERALISM to appreciate that conservative government is far superior. Thank you, Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid.



Of course, the real revolution began last year with the 2010 midterm elections. Yes, the GOP made the largest gains in U.S. House seats since 1948. BUT THE UNDERAPPRECIATED STORY IS THAT THE GOP RACKED UP HUGE GAINS IN STATE LEGISLATIVE CONTESTS, AND FURTHER DOWN BALLOT, Republicans swept plenty of local offices. State legislatures control congressional redistricting. Republicans now dominate enough key statehouses to lock-in GOP congressional electoral advantages for a decade…..

http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/02/the_real_revolution_has_begun.html

The Democrats spent 6 years lambasting Bush and the Republicans for prolific spending and then when they got into office rather than curtail it, they tripled it! No wonder the American public threw them out of power. They knew they had been lied to big time.



Wisconsin union debate could shape 2012 election

UNION SUPPORT WILL BE VITAL TO DEMOCRATS NEXT YEAR, especially in battleground states such as Wisconsin, to offset the flow of corporate funds into campaigns allowed by a 2010 Supreme Court decision. Last year, 11.9% of U.S. workers were represented by unions, down from 20% in 1983, the Labor Department says.

"IF WISCONSIN LEGISLATORS STAND STRONG, IT WILL EMBOLDEN OTHER STATE LEGISLATORS. IF THEY CAVE, IT EMBOLDENS THE UNIONS," says Ned Ryun of American Majority, which trains candidates who espouse its limited government philosophy. "This is the opening salvo of the 2012 elections."

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-02-21-RW_publicunions20_ST_N.htm

Politically the events in Madison are monumental. First, the Public sector unions are being shown in a very bad light. Wages, benefits and motives are being laid bare by what’s happening. Second, the Unions are spending a lot of money to get their people to protest and that is money they won’t have to give to Democrats in 2012. And finally, this puts an even bigger wind at the back of the Republicans. They are addressing the deficits across the country, while the Democrats seem in denial to the needs and wants of the electorate.

Public Opinion on Governor Scott’s side

According to a new Rasmussen report, 48 PERCENT OF THOSE SURVEYED BACK WALKER WHILE 38 PERCENT ON UNIONS' SIDE. A near-majority believes that teachers, police officers and fire fighters should not be allowed to strike.

EVEN MORE STRIKING, A CLARUS POLL FINDS 64 PERCENT OF THOSE SURVEYED BELIEVE THAT GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO JOIN LABOR UNIONS.

My guess is that the longer that the teachers abandon their classrooms to demonstrate at Wisconsin's state capital in Madison and the longer that Democratic senators continue their self-imposed exile in Illinois to stymie Walker's Budget Repair bill, the higher those numbers will climb.

http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/dennis-byrne-barbershop/2011/02/public-sides-with-wis-gov-walker-in-labor-dispute.html#ixzz1EeRCVX1N

This is not what the Democrats want to see. I agree with the comment that the longer this goes on the worse it will get for the Unions.


Wisconsin reveals class war between 'haves' and 'have yours'

…As talk turns to the 'new class war', the concept of a class defined not so much by its net worth or tax bracket as by its economic (and therefore political) DEPENDENCE ON GOVERNMENT WILL SHARPEN STEP FOR STEP WITH THE REALITY OF THIS CLASS, which will be hitting home in all its gruesome implications for those outside and inside it….

Anyone who responds to the current crisis by anointing unionized employees of the government as the epitome of 'the working man' is placing themselves, and I really do not say this lightly, at the mercy of socialism -- not just as an intellectual theory, but as an emotional promise of happiness. THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A VIABLE, DURABLE LABOR PARTY IN THE US. BUT NEITHER HAS THE GOVERNMENT CLASS EVER BEEN SO BIG OR FACED SUCH AN EXISTENTIAL THREAT…..

http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2011/02/wisconsin-reveals-class-war-between-haves-and-have-yours#ixzz1EayLwzsh




Facebook remark wasn’t racist, Hagan says

A Broadview Heights woman is accusing state Rep. Robert F. Hagan of using a term that some believe has a racist connotation on a social networking site.

Hagan, D-60th, of Youngstown, used the term “buckwheat” in a Facebook posting Saturday.

He said the posting wasn’t racist, and THE ATTACK ON HIM IS THE TEA PARTY’S ATTEMPT TO MAKE HIM LOOK BAD….

…The discussion continues, with Manias, Cook and Crowther, who is black, arguing for the need for cuts and Hagan against what’s bee n proposed.

Manias then wrote, “I’m guessing your (sic) from an entrenched area ripe with corruption. I don’t recognize your name as a Cuyahoga County resident, but I’m guessing you’re from the land of Traficant...”

Hagan responds that she’s not making sense. Two others comment and then Crowther returns to the discussion of public unions.

Then Hagan writes, “I RAN AGAINST TRAFICANT BUCKWHEAT ... SO TAKE YOUR PERSONAL SHOTS, AND SHOVE THEM WHERE THE SUN DON’T SHINE.”…

http://www.vindy.com/news/2011/feb/20/facebook-remark-wasn8217t-racist-hagan-s/


Surprised? Don’t be. This only garners publicity if it is a conservative who says it. And notice how Hagan blames the TEA Party.


Dionne blames Tea Party not spending for our troubles

….THANKS TO THE TEA PARTY, WE ARE NOW TOLD THAT ALL OUR PROBLEMS WILL BE SOLVED BY CUTTING GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS. Thus the House Republicans foresee nirvana if we simply reduce our spending on Head Start, Pell grants for college access, teen pregnancy prevention, clean water programs, K-12 education and a host of other areas.

DOES ANYONE REALLY THINK THAT CUTTING SUCH PROGRAMS WILL CREATE JOBS OR HELP AMERICANS GET AHEAD? But give the tea party guys credit: They have seized the political and media agenda and made budget cutting as fashionable as Justin Bieber was five minutes ago.

MORE STRIKING IS THE TEA PARTY'S INFLUENCE ON WASHINGTON'S POLITICAL ELITE, WHICH LOOKS DOWN ITS NOSE AT THE MORE EXTREME MEN AND WOMEN OF THE RIGHT when they appear on Fox News but ends up carrying their water…..

 

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/02/21/is_it_really_time_to_cut_spending.html


Reading Dionne’s column I am struck by two things. First, how pathetic he sounds. And second how he out of touch he is with reality. I recommend you read this one.



House cuts could bring on Obama Veto shutting down the government

The vote in the early morning hours of Saturday by the Republican-led House to make historically large cuts in federal spending sets up a standoff with Senate Democrats and President Obama that COULD LEAD TO A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN NEXT MONTH.

THE HOUSE MOVED TO SLASH $61.5 BILLION FROM THIS YEAR'S BUDGET. Lawmakers voted 235-189, along mostly party lines, following four days of debate and consideration of hundreds of amendments in a rarely used open format that allowed each member an opportunity to shape the legislation.

President Obama has promised to veto the $1.2 trillion bill, which would fund the government until the fiscal year ends on Sept. 30 and makes deep cuts across nearly every agency

http://washingtonexaminer.com/politics/congress/2011/02/house-vote-slash-budget-could-lead-government-shutdown#ixzz1Eax9MSE5


I believe it will have the effect and I think the Democrats in desperation are trying to reenact the government shut down during the Clinton Administration which brought WJC back from the dead. I don’t think it will work this time. Back then, reducing spending was a good idea. Today it is needed to avoid a train wreck.



A new openness in the House of Representatives

…The CR was considered in an historic and unprecedented open process on the House floor that INCLUDED MORE THAN 580 AMENDMENTS OFFERED BY BOTH PARTIES AND A GRUELING 60-PLUS HOURS OF PUBLIC DEBATE. Of these amendments, 67 WERE ACCEPTED OR PASSED, changing the underlying legislation and reflecting the fair representation of the American people. In all, the successful amendments included more than $620 million in additional spending cuts.


“FOR FIRST TIME AFTER YEARS OF CLOSED-DOOR DEMOCRAT CONTROL, THE HOUSE WAS ABLE TO WORK ITS WILL IN AN OPEN AND TRANSPARENT FASHION IN FULL VIEW OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. Hundreds of amendments were considered, the debate offered everyone a chance to be heard, and the legislation now contains changes that reflect the many varied interests of families, communities, and businesses across the country. I am proud that the House has returned to a regular and fair democratic process, and look forward to continuing this effort throughout the Appropriations process this year,” Rogers said.


A LIST OF THE SUCCESSFUL AMENDMENTS TO THE CR (H.R. 1) FOLLOWS:


• An amendment by Rep. Rooney (R-FL) to eliminate $450 million in funding for the Alternate Engine, produced by GE-Rolls Royce, for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

• An amendment by Rep. Michaud (D-ME) to transfer $80 million from the Census Bureau to the Economic Development Administration, an agency within the Department of Commerce….

http://appropriations.house.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_id=264



Under Pelosi, the House would set up rules on every bill which basically limited debate, amendments, etc. The Republicans were basically squeezed out of any meaningful part. The Reps have not done that to the Democrats as the 580 amendments testifies to. Keep reading if you want to see the 67 amendments that were passed.



Manufactured News

Wisconsin is one of the most heavily-taxed states in the country, and its government employees are paid much better than the state’s taxpayers. Like many states, it's facing a budget deficit. BUT WHEN THE STATE’S NEWLY-ELECTED REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR, SCOTT WALKER, ATTEMPTED TO PLACE REASONABLE LIMITS ON GOVERNMENT-EMPLOYEE PAY AND COLLECTIVE BARGAINING, LIBERAL COMMENTATORS LIKE RACHEL MADDOW FALSELY CLAIMED THAT THE STATE’S BUDGET CRISIS WAS MANUFACTURED, and that Wisconsin was running a budget surplus.

This claim has now been debunked even by the liberal Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, which endorsed Obama in 2008 and John Kerry in 2004: “Our conclusion: MADDOW AND THE OTHERS ARE WRONG. THERE IS, INDEED, A PROJECTED DEFICIT THAT REQUIRED ATTENTION, AND WALKER AND GOP LAWMAKERS DID NOT CREATE IT.” Maddow blamed the state’s current deficit on business tax breaks supported by the Governor, but those cuts are a tiny drop in the bucket compared to the state’s overall budget; and as the Journal-Sentinel newspaper noted, “the cuts are not even in effect yet, so they cannot be part of the current problem.”

Despite being debunked by newspapers like the Journal-Sentinel, LIBERAL BLOGGERS AND TV COMMENTATORS CONTINUE TO MAKE THIS FALSE CLAIM THAT WISCONSIN’S BUDGET CRISIS WAS “MANUFACTURED” TO CREATE AN EXCUSE TO DESTROY PUBLIC-EMPLOYEE UNIONS. (Never mind that the proposals by Wisconsin’s governor would still allow far more collective bargaining in Wisconsin than is permitted in states like Virginia).

http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/opinion-zone/2011/02/liberal-fairy-tales-about-wisconsin-no-its-budget-crisis-wasnt-manufactur#ixzz1EazK4IKp


Why would liberal bloggers continue to say the crisis was manufactured when that has been debunked? It’s fits the narrative they want to put forward and I find liberals do not consider facts to be truth.

Public schools for your children

MORE THAN 25 PERCENT OF PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS IN WASHINGTON AND BALTIMORE SEND THEIR CHILDREN TO PRIVATE SCHOOLS, A NEW STUDY REPORTS.

Nationwide, PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS ARE ALMOST TWICE AS LIKELY AS OTHER PARENTS TO CHOOSE PRIVATE SCHOOLS FOR THEIR OWN CHILDREN, the study by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute found. More than 1 in 5 public school teachers said their children attend private schools.

IN WASHINGTON (28 PERCENT), BALTIMORE (35 PERCENT) AND 16 OTHER MAJOR CITIES, THE FIGURE IS MORE THAN 1 IN 4. In some cities, nearly half of the children of public school teachers have abandoned public schools….

Public school teachers told the Fordham Institute’s surveyors that PRIVATE AND RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS IMPOSE GREATER DISCIPLINE, ACHIEVE HIGHER ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND OFFER OVERALL A BETTER ATMOSPHERE.

“ACROSS THE STATES, 12.2 PERCENT OF ALL FAMILIES — urban, rural and suburban — SEND THEIR CHILDREN TO PRIVATE SCHOOLS,” says the report, based on 2000 census data.

“PUBLIC EDUCATION IN MANY OF OUR LARGE CITIES IS BROKEN,” the surveyors conclude. “The fix? Choice, in part, to be sure.”

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2004/sep/22/20040922-122847-5968r/

This is the equivalent of people who work at a restaurant going out to eat –everyday. Or working at a Ford factory and driving a Toyota. But when vouchers are talked about at least one teacher in five has to have mixed emotions.



The next story will show you why this is happening.



The Bottom of the Teachers’ Union Barrel?

With state budgets collapsing around the nation, AN INCREASINGLY BRIGHT SPOTLIGHT HAS BEEN FOCUSED ON THE ACTIVITIES OF MANY PUBLIC SECTOR UNIONS, PERHAPS NONE MORE SO THAN THE TEACHERS UNIONS. Since most of the news is rather alarming to say the least, here at Hot Air we feel obliged to bring you a true feel-good story of union activity to brighten your winter days. With that in mind, I invite you to look over this CNN video journal by reporter Steve Perry. (Video available at the end of this column.)

The story focuses on Central Falls school in Rhode Island, an educational institute in such a sorry state of affairs that their drop-out rates were staggering and many students didn’t even log enough classroom time to receive a grade. LAST YEAR, IN AN APPARENT SIGN OF THROWING UP THEIR HANDS IN DESPAIR, THE SCHOOL BOARD TOOK THE DRASTIC MEASURE OF FIRING ALL 88 OF CENTRAL FALLS’ TEACHERS.

UPDATE: I’ve been reminded that Ed covered the firing of the teachers last year with full details of just how badly the school was performing….

Fear not! IN CHARGED THE RHODE ISLAND FEDERATION OF TEACHERS, WHO NOT ONLY GOT ALL OF THEIR JOBS BACK… THEY LANDED THEM A RAISE. And all of this is taking place in a community which wouldn’t even qualify as “working class” by most standards. The average wages in the Central Falls region are very low. Steve Perry sat down with Supervisor of Schools Frances Gallo to ask her about it…..

http://hotair.com/archives/2011/02/20/the-bottom-of-the-teachers-union-barrel/


Now this story is the exception rather than the rule, but it is a horrible exception highlighting the worst of public employee unions.



AGW on the ropes

In late January HERTSGAARD EXPLAINED HIS BIG SCHEME TO “CONFRONT THE CLIMATE CRANKS” IN AN ARTICLE IN THE NATION.

“Our plan is to confront the climate cranks face to face, on camera, and call them to account for the dangers they have set in motion. WE WILL HIGHLIGHT THE LUDICROUSNESS OF THEIR ANTISCIENTIFIC VIEWS, which alone should discredit them from further influence over US climate policies,” he wrote.

The tables were turned, however, when instead of making Inhofe — whose cause célèbre has been questioning the global warming agenda — look foolish, THE SENATOR MADE MINCE MEAT OF HIS WOULD-BE AMBUSHER. Fortunately, Matt Dempsey, Inhofe’s communication’s director, was there to catch it all on camera.

Mark Hertsgaard later posted his own, highly edited version on his website. Not surprisingly, the full version tells a much different story than the edited version.

http://dailycaller.com/2011/02/18/sen-inhofe-turns-tables-on-global-warming-ambushers-and-gets-it-on-tape-video/#ixzz1EbFvWSeB



What is really funny is the “we will highlight the ludicrousness of their antiscientific views,” basically came down to a call to authority with absolutely no discussion of the science or how Inhofe violates it. Inhofe tells him correctly that “The science is mixed. We all know the science is mixed. “ Evidently Hertsgaard didn’t know it or even imagine it.



Meanwhile Green Jobs don’t seem to working out too well

Solyndra is in serious financial trouble. DESPITE GETTING A $535 MILLION BAILOUT - PART OF THE TAXPAYER-FUNDED “STIMULUS” - THE COMPANY SUBSEQUENTLY ANNOUNCED IT WOULD LAY OFF MORE THAN 17 PERCENT OF ITS WORK FORCE. It also had to close one of its manufacturing plants about a year after it got the money. The House Energy and Commerce Committee is launching an investigation.

That’s understandable. After all, it wasn’t supposed to turn out this way for Solyndra and other solar-cell producers. PRESIDENT OBAMA AND SEN. BARBARA BOXER BOTH CAMPAIGNED AT THE PLANT, TOUTING THE “GREEN JOBS” THAT WOULD FLOW FROM GOVERNMENT INVESTMENT in companies that produce renewable energy.

How that bit of economic magic was supposed to occur is a mystery. SOLYNDRA’S PRODUCTION COSTS ARE MORE THAN SIX TIMES THOSE OF OTHER PRODUCERS. Even with strong backing from Washington, the company had to cancel a $300 million initial public offering after a bad audit from PricewaterhouseCoopers

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/feb/21/dark-days-for-solar-power/


The only good thing about this is that we didn’t invest even more in other green sinkholes.