Showing posts with label Teachers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Teachers. Show all posts

Monday, September 17, 2012

The truth about Obama




Woodward’s Book exposes the real Obama

One of the first scenes Woodward recounts is a meeting at the White House where Obama invited House Republicans over to talk about the stimulus. After then-Minority Whip Eric Cantor distributed a five-point Republican stimulus plan that differed from Obama's tax plan, Obama told Cantor, "I can go it alone. ... Look at the polls. The polls are pretty good for me right now. Elections have consequences. And Eric, I won. So on that, I think I trump you."

Later, after the Democrats drafted a stimulus bill that contained zero Republican ideas, Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel put Obama's position on bipartisanship a bit more succinctly, "We have the votes. F--k 'em."

Obama's tone changed, of course, after the "shellacking" the American people gave him during the 2010 elections. But even when he knew he needed Republican votes to govern, Obama could not help but stereotype and lecture the other party. He confidently told his staff he could roll newly minted House Speaker John Boehner because, "He's a golf-playing, cigarette-smoking, country-club Republican who makes deals. He is very familiar to me."





What Mitch McConnell actually said

National Journal on October 23, 2010:

McConnell: We need to be honest with the public. This election is about them, not us. And we need to treat this election as the first step in retaking the government. We need to say to everyone on Election Day, “Those of you who helped make this a good day, you need to go out and help us finish the job.”

NJ: What’s the job?

McConnell: The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.

NJ: Does that mean endless, or at least frequent, confrontation with the president?

McConnell: If President Obama does a Clintonian backflip, if he’s willing to meet us halfway on some of the biggest issues, it’s not inappropriate for us to do business with him.

NJ: What are the big issues?

McConnell: It is possible the president’s advisers will tell him he has to do something to get right with the public on his levels of spending and [on] lowering the national debt. If he were to heed that advice, he would, I image, [sic] find more support among our conference than he would among some in the Senate in his own party. I don’t want the president to fail; I want him to change. So, we’ll see. The next move is going to be up to him.



Obama’s North African Policy

Is what’s happening in North Africa beyond President Obama’s power to control or a consequence of his actions?  Did Obama’s policy unleash the dogs of war



If you want to know what’s important look were people spend their time

On Tuesday the report broke that for the last year and a half Barack Obama has attended less than four out of every ten intelligence briefings during his presidency a percentage that has sunk lower in the past year. The president gets hard copies of the report and claims to read it judiciously every day, but most of the time he skips the opportunity to probe, ask, questions and consult.  In a July report we learned that he that hadn’t attended his daily economic briefing since April 2011.  Is it any wonder the economy and our foreign policy are in such bad shape?



Hillary cheers Book of Mormon condemns Innocence of Muslims

Once again we find inconsistent stands by left wing politicians.  I guess it okay to support a musical making fun of Mormons because Mormons aren’t threatening to kill you.



Obama’s clumsy mistakes

Obviously, when a U.S. president serially trashes the policies of his predecessor in the Middle East, promises that his own person will reinvent Arab-American relations, damns but then embraces and expands the Bush-Cheney anti-terrorism policies, announces defense cuts and a pivot away from the Middle East while spiking the ball about the death of bin Laden, the cyberwar with Iran, and the Predator targeted assassinations, weaves mythologies about Islam’s greatness while embracing the Muslim Brotherhood  and seeking reset with the Iranian theocracy — all that invites a classical set-up for radical Islamists to readjust the political landscape of the Middle East at American expense, adding insult to our injury. Indeed, to reread the Cairo speech now is painful — the falsities, the naiveté, and the arrogance of it all.

It’s no wonder the leftist MSM is focusing on Romney.  This is another disaster for Obama who was about to pivot to foreign policy to claim superiority over Romney.  This puts a gaping hole in that strategy.


The Media’s reaction is the real problem

On this weekend’s broadcast of “Fox News Sunday,” Fox News senior political analyst Brit Hume said that, although Romney’s remarks were ill-timed, the media’s reaction was the real problem.

 “Look, what [Romney] was criticizing there was a statement that we were talking about in the first panel, which is the administration emphasis on this video and attacking it and reiterating that — the Cairo embassy not only said that, but it reiterated it later after these events unfolded,” Hume said. “So they doubled down on it. Eventually the White House walked it back and so on. But the next thing you know the White House is saying the same thing — that it is all about the video. So, my sense is that he (Romney) was on the mark. He might have timed it better or said it better.”


Another Electoral Model Points to Romney Victory

Yet another model points to a Romney victory.  The electorate is dying to fire Obama and they will.


Seniors in 8 states face biggest Medicare Cuts

Here’s an interesting look at what the $716 billion in Medicare cuts means by state.  You’ll notice a number of them are battleground states.
 


Meanwhile people are gaming the system

And not surprisingly, it appears that the SSDI program is often abused.  A new investigative report produced by Senator Coburn, ranking member of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigation, raises serious questions about whether millions of Americans should be receiving these benefits. Coburn’s investigation reviewed the cases of 300 people who had been awarded disability benefits and found that more than a quarter of them provided insufficient, contradictory, or incomplete evidence.

This is worth reading about.  SSDI is a treasure chest of benefits that are designed to help those truly in need but appear to be used by those who are in greed.  
The first thing to understand about political journalism is that the headline is more important than the story. Some significant percentage of readers won't actually read the entire article, but the headline will register in their minds.  For tabloid outlets like Politico, the headline is the entire point of even writing the article. No doubt, since the beginning of the election season, Mike Allen and Jim Van Dehei have day-dreamed about writing the "Romney is flailing" article. Feigned concern over "problems" in a GOP campaign are a staple among left-wing journalists. Today, they finally cobbled together enough bits to produce a 5-page exposition of the "troubled" Romney campaign. Its a yawner.  

Here are the main things we learn in Politico's post: There was disagreement about Romney's convention speech; the main advisor, Stuart Stevens is "eclectic"; Romney is loyal to his staff; and, GOPers not on the campaign payroll disagree with some aspects of the campaign. 

Taking advice from the story, I’ve used the Obama version of Politico as my headline.  




Maureen Dowd anti-semite?

It appears Maureen has stepped into it big time using language that harkens one back to Berlin in the 1930s. 
Dowd fairly observed that neither Mitt Romney nor Paul Ryan are experts in the field of foreign policy, but asserted their strategy was orchestrated by a "neocon puppet master" who was leading the neocon effort to "slither back" into power.

In fact, there is a disturbing trend among some on the left to openly and freely engage in anti-Semitism disguised being pro-Palestinian or anti-Israel.  




Chicago Teachers’ strike week two

Rahm Emmanuel, the Mayor of Chicago, plans to sue the teachers to get them back in the classroom.  The strike in Chicago is a perfect example of what you get when government and unions are in cahoots together.  There is relative peace until even the government can’t afford the demands of the union. 

In the meantime, 40% of the Chicago School Teachers on strike don’t have to worry about their kids being at home during the strike as they send them to private schools



Black Pastors urge their congregations not to vote

"This is the first time in black church history that I'm aware of that black pastors have encouraged their parishioners not to vote." Bryant, who opposes gay marriage, said the president's position on marriage is "at the heart" of the problem.




Democrats; Call the Republicans “racists” because that works

A top official at a liberal super PAC with the goal of eradicating tea partiers from Congress is telling activists that it’s more effective to label Republicans as racists than criticize their policies.
According to an audio recording obtained by The Daily Caller, Matthew “Mudcat” Arnold, the national campaign manager of the liberal CREDO super PAC, told a gathering of supporters in Aurora, Colo., on Sept. 8 that they’ve realized “policy did not move voters.”

He used Iowa Republican Rep. Steve King as an example.

“When we said that Steve King … is pro-life and believes in cutting Social Security and voted for the Ryan budget, no one cared,” Arnold said. “When we said Steve King’s a racist, Steve King believes that immigrants ought to be put in electric fences, people moved.”

The moral of this story is, don’t believe anything the Democrats tell you.  They will say anything to defeat the Republicans. 


What ever happened to the Occupy Movement?

They are supposed to demonstrate today in NYC on the Occuversity of the movement.


 

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Why isn't it working?

What’s new today

Our # 1 story is an excellent look at Keynesian economics and why it isn’t working.  #2 has one of Obama’s cabinet secretaries demeaning the TEA Party and using a sexual slur in referring to them. #3 tells the story of how the Russians have tried to get a spy into close connection with the Obama Administration.  #4 relates how Nancy Pelosi thinks Boeing should either unionize their new plant in South Carolina or shut it down.  I guess you have to be a union member to have a job in Nancy’s America.  #5 shows how despite what you hear from the left, school teachers make more than their counterparts in private industry and if you include fringe benefits, a lot more.  #6 shows the hypocrisy in the left.  While the OWS are out protesting Wall Street, we see Fannie and Freddie executives getting millions in bonuses even after the Federal government has had to come up with hundreds of billions in bailouts.  Finally in #7, we find that the British government is cutting the subsidy to solar in half and the predictions are that the industry will fold as a result. 





1.   Four Reasons Why Keynesians keep getting it Wrong

FIRST, BIG INCREASES IN SPENDING AND GOVERNMENT DEFICITS RAISE THE PROSPECT OF FUTURE TAX INCREASES. Many people understand that increased spending must be paid for sooner or later. Meanwhile, President Obama makes certain that many more will reach that conclusion by continuing to demand permanent tax increases. HIS DEMANDS ARE A DETERRENT FOR THOSE WHO DO MOST OF THE SAVING AND INVESTING. Concern over future tax rates is one of the main reasons for heightened uncertainty and reduced confidence. Potential investors hold cash and wait.

SECOND, most of the government spending programs redistribute income from workers to the unemployed. This, Keynesians argue, increases the welfare of many hurt by the recession. What their models ignore, however, is THE REDUCED PRODUCTIVITY THAT FOLLOWS A SHIFT OF RESOURCES TOWARD REDISTRIBUTION and away from productive investment. Keynesian theory argues that each dollar of government spending has a larger effect on output than a dollar of tax reduction. But in reality the reverse has proven true. PERMANENT TAX REDUCTION GENERATES MORE EXPANSION THAN INCREASED GOVERNMENT SPENDING OF THE SAME DOLLARS. I believe that the resulting difference in productivity is a main reason for the difference in results….


Well worth your time to read the entire article. 









2.   Carrying Water for Obama, Hilda Solis Picks a Fight with the Tea Party



With the team behind President Barack Obama targeting the Sunshine State in their bid for a second term in 2012, the White House sent U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis to speak to the Florida Democratic Convention on Saturday.

A day after Vice President Joe Biden told the convention at Walt Disney World that Obama needed to carry Florida to win in 2012, SOLIS ATTEMPTED TO RALLY DEMOCRATS FOR THE ELECTIONS AND URGED THEM TO PUSH FOR THE OBAMA JOBS PLAN WHICH, with Republicans controlling the U.S. House, has no chance of passing Congress.

Speaking at a luncheon event on Saturday, Solis carried water for Obama, bashing Republicans and praising the administration’s economic policies.

Solis offered harsh words about conservatives. Looking at 2012, SOLIS SLAMMED THE TEA PARTY MOVEMENT, CALLING THEM “TEABAGGERS” and promising the Obama administration will take them on.


These people are simply ignorant bigots.  Calling TEA Partiers what she did is the equivalent of a racial slur.  It’s time for Solis to resign. 



3.   Russian Spies come close to infiltrating Senior Obama Administration

The FBI rounded up a network of deep-cover Russian spies last year after the group came close to placing an agent near a Cabinet official in the Obama administration, a senior FBI  counterspy said Monday as the bureau released once-secret documents on the case.

Frank Figliuzzi, assistant FBI director for counterintelligence, did not identify the Cabinet official, but OTHER U.S. OFFICIALS SAID IT WAS SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON.

Mr. Figliuzzi said in an interview that the FBI decided to end its more than 10-year-long counterspy investigation of the network because of concerns that THE SPIES WERE “GETTING VERY CLOSE TO THEIR OBJECTIVE.”

“These 10 Russian officers were sent to the U.S. on a specific mission to get close to U.S. policymakers and leaders in our government,” he said, noting that one had developed a friendship with someone close to a Cabinet official.

Mrs. Clinton’s spokesman at the time the case broke, P.J. CROWLEY, SOUGHT TO DISTANCE HER FROM THE CASE, BUT DID NOT DENY THAT SHE WAS THE PERSON MENTIONED IN COURT PAPERS. “There is no reason to believe that the Secretary of State was a special target of this spy ring,” Mr. Crowley said in an email….

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/oct/31/fbi-says-russian-spies-got-close-to-cabinet/

The lesson here is that we need to be ever vigilant. 







4.   Nancy Pelosi:  Government should shut down non-union manufacturing



In an interview late last week, House Minority Leaeder Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) told CNBC that BOEING SHOULD EITHER UNIONIZE ITS PRODUCTION FACILITIES IN SOUTH CAROLINA, OR SHUT THEM DOWN ENTIRELY.



“Do you think it’s right that Boeing has to close down that plant in South Carolina because it’s non union?” asked host Maria Bartiromo. Pelosi’s reply: “Yes.”



THE MINORITY LEADER QUICKLY ADDED THAT SHE WOULD RATHER IT SIMPLY UNIONIZE AND STAY OPEN. BUT BARRING UNIONIZATION, BY PELOSI’S REASONING, IT SHOULD SIMPLY SHUT DOWN…






Freedom and liberty aren’t Democratic values at least they aren’t if you believe what former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said. 







5.   Public school teachers make more than private sector workers


We can already hear the anguished, angry protests of the National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers. But our headline captures the essence of an important new study being released today by Jason Richwine of the Heritage Foundation's Center for Data Analysis and American Enterprise Institute's Andrew Biggs. RICHWINE AND BIGGS FOUND THAT WHEN PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS AND PRIVATE SECTOR WORKERS ARE COMPARED OBJECTIVELY ON THE BASIS OF COGNITIVE SKILLS -- RATHER THAN YEARS OF SERVICE OR EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT -- THE EDUCATORS ENJOY HIGHER COMPENSATION -- contrary to the claims of union officials in public debate and in negotiations with school boards.

This is seen most dramatically WHEN WORKERS SWITCH FROM NON-TEACHING JOBS TO TEACHING JOBS. SUCH A MOVE TYPICALLY RESULTS IN A WAGE INCREASE OF APPROXIMATELY NINE PERCENT. "TEACHERS WHO CHANGE TO NON-TEACHING JOBS, ON THE OTHER HAND, SEE THEIR WAGES DECREASE BY ROUGHLY 3 PERCENT. This is the opposite of what one would expect if teachers were underpaid," Richwine and Biggs said….

"More generous fringe benefits for public-school teachers, including greater job security, MAKE TOTAL COMPENSATION 52 PERCENT GREATER THAN FAIR MARKET LEVELS, equivalent to more than $120 billion overcharged to taxpayers each year. Teacher compensation could therefore be reduced with only minor effects on recruitment and retention," Richwine and Biggs conclude….

http://washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/editorials/2011/10/public-school-teachers-make-more-private-sector-workers#ixzz1cSZmj9ZL

This certainly puts a hole in the underpaid, overworked meme by the NEA. 





6.   Crony Socialism at Work at Fannie And Freddie

The Obama administration’s efforts to fix the housing crisis may have fallen well short of helping millions of distressed mortgage holders, but THEY HAVE LED TO SEVEN-FIGURE PAYDAYS FOR SOME TOP EXECUTIVES AT TROUBLED MORTGAGE GIANTS FANNIE MAE AND FREDDIE MAC.

The FEDERAL HOUSING FINANCE AGENCY, THE GOVERNMENT REGULATOR FOR FANNIE AND FREDDIE, APPROVED $12.79 MILLION IN BONUS PAY AFTER 10 EXECUTIVES FROM THE TWO GOVERNMENT-SPONSORED CORPORATIONS LAST YEAR MET MODEST PERFORMANCE TARGETS TIED TO MODIFYING MORTGAGES IN JEOPARDY OF FORECLOSURE.

The executives got the bonuses about two years after the federally backed mortgage giants received nearly $170 billion in taxpayer bailouts — and despite pledges by FHFA, the office tasked with keeping them solvent, that it would adjust the level of CEO-level pay after critics slammed huge compensation packages paid out to former Fannie Mae CEO Franklin Raines and others.

Securities and Exchange Commission documents show that Ed Haldeman, who announced last week that he is stepping down as Freddie Mac’s CEO, received a base salary of $900,000 last year yet took home an additional $2.3 million in bonus pay. Records show other Fannie and Freddie executives got similar Wall Street-style compensation packages; Fannie Mae CEO Michael Williams, for example, got $2.37 million in performance bonuses.


This is a major scandal.  The cause of most of the economic problems remains unchanged and even the compensation packages are completely out of whack with the real world.  It’s time to dissolve Fannie and Freddie. 



7.   UK cuts Solar Subsidy

HUNDREDS OF SOLAR COMPANIES ARE LIKELY TO GO BUST BY CHRISTMAS AFTER THE DEPARTMENT FOR ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE CONFIRMED IT IS LOOKING TO HALVE SUBSIDIES FOR NEW PANELS.

Greg Barker, minister for climate change, said the "feed-in tariff" subsidies are currently too generous, because the cost of installing solar panels has fallen.

The proposed cuts, due to come into force from December, will see the amount earned from each panel fall FROM 43.3P PER KILOWATT HOUR OF SOLAR POWER TO 21P. This will save energy customers around £23 a year - or £700m in total - because the subsidies are funded through electricity bills.

However, the industry warned that many home owners and companies may immediately back away from the flagship scheme because IT WOULD NOW TAKE UP TO 25 YEARS TO EARN BACK THEIR INVESTMENTS.

Gaynor Hartnell, chief executive of the Renewable Energy Association, said: "The installation rate is likely to fall drastically, and many of the 25,000 newly-employed in this industry may end up joining the dole queue."


This is the problem with green energy.  It is unreliable and expensive.  Without subsidies it is unworkable.  So when people talk about cutting government subsidies to all energy, it’s a good idea and it means the death of solar and wind energy.











Wednesday, February 23, 2011

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.