Union Thuggery: More Criminality in Verizon Strike

-By Warner Todd Huston

In Pennsylvania union thuggery, violations of the law, and criminality is abundant in the strike by the Communications Workers of America against Verizon. It’s expected that unionistas don’t respect businesses, of course, but not to respect the safety of children? That’s beyond the pale.

Sadly, theft, property destruction, and otherwise breaking the law is no hurdle union thugs won’t jump. In fact, it is threats of and use of violence and thuggery that unions have always relied on to extort money from the business community. The situation in Pennsylvania is no exception to the illicit rule of unionism.

Yes, law breaking prevails. These Penn. union members, for instance, are breaking the law by preventing other workers from entering their place of work. It is illegal to do this according to the National Labor Relations Act.
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Union Thuggery: More Criminality in Verizon Strike”


The Stunning Demonization of Fiscal Responsibility

-By Frank Salvato

Just when you thought the Progressive Movement could be more deeply invested in denial, now comes the absurd notion that somehow, the TEA Party Movement, whose pinnacle tenet is fiscal responsibility; which has devoutly insisted that the federal government cease the practice of spending beyond the tax revenue it gleans from taxpayers, that somehow it is the TEA Party Movement and their affiliated members of Congress who are responsible for the downgrade in the US credit rating by S&P and not the glad-handing spendthrifts of the big government, nanny state Progressive Movement.

“Bottom up, top down…inside out.”

Shameless partisan, Chicago Progressive operative and former senior advisor to Pres. Barack Obama, David “Say Anything, Lie, Cheat and Steal to Win” Axelrod is quoted as saying, “The fact of the matter is that this is essentially a Tea Party downgrade.”

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The Stunning Demonization of Fiscal Responsibility”


Reps. Kinzinger & Rush on WTTW’s Chicago Tonight‏

From the office of Rep. Adam Kinzinger (ILL, 11th)…

On Wednesday night, Congressman Adam Kinzinger joined Carol Marin and Congressman Bobby Rush on WTTW’s Chicago Tonight to discuss current unemployment rates, the debt ceiling vote and the Super Committee.

Excerpt:
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Reps. Kinzinger & Rush on WTTW’s Chicago Tonight‏”


Americans for Prosperity: You’re Invited to a Special Meeting – What’s happening in Washington?‏

From Americans for Prosperity-Illinois…

Over the past years Americans for Prosperity and those who believe in fewer taxes, smaller government and more personal freedoms have become engaged in the battle over the direction and the future of our country. We have all fought hard to protect our freedoms, yet there is so much more to do.

Right now we’re in the midst of the most important policy battles over government spending in our lifetime. Debt ceilings, balanced budgets, Homeland Security, Social Security reform, Medicaid reform, regulatory reform, what does it all mean and how is it going to affect our pocket books?

To learn more about these issues and more please join Americans for Prosperity and the Great Awakening for a special Skype presentation by Americans for Prosperity’s National Director of Government Affairs, James Valvo.
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Americans for Prosperity: You’re Invited to a Special Meeting – What’s happening in Washington?‏”


Union Thug Puts Own Teen Daughter In Front of Moving Truck as Protest

-By Warner Todd Huston

With the current strike against Verizon we once again find that union thugs see no reason to obey the law. But it gets even worse. One union thug has even placed his unionism above fatherhood by placing his own teenaged daughter in front of a moving truck in order to protest Verizon.

This Verizon strike has been going on for a little while and has already resulted in lawbreaking, intimidation, and now endangering a minor. Check out this video of a foul-mouthed union thug putting his own teenaged daughter in danger just so he can pay fealty to his unionism…

Read the rest at RightPundits.com.


Aug. 12: Happy Cost of Government Day (Illinoisans Hardest Hit)

-By Warner Todd Huston

Well, we’ve finally paid for the cost of government for the year. That’s right, it took over half the year for working folks to pay off what it costs to keep government rolling for a year. Sadly, Illinois does not far as well as most other states.

Each year Americans for Tax Reform figures in the costs of federal, state, and local taxes, fees and costs to float government and calculates that against the income earned by each individual American worker to arrive at the day that government costs are satisfied for the year. This year the day is August 12th.

Working people must toil 224 days out of the year just to meet all costs imposed by government, a full 27 days longer than 2008.

In other words, in 2011 the cost of government consumes 61.42 percent of national income.

Interestingly, last year’s date was August 14, so 2011’s cost of government day is two days earlier than 2010’s.
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Aug. 12: Happy Cost of Government Day (Illinoisans Hardest Hit)”


Failure: Over $14 Mil Spent on Wisc. Recall By Liberal Groups, Unions

-By Warner Todd Huston

As a recap on the past recall effort that just occurred in Wisconsin, a final accounting shows that liberal groups spent over $14 million to beat the six Republicans that were up for recall. They failed in four of the six attempts and in the two they won, well, it was a pyrrhic victory to say the least. It all goes to show that money is not always the final arbiter of an election victory.

The MacIver Institute of Wisconsin has created a great graphic to diagram the spending the left indulged to recall these six Wisconsin Republicans. It was mostly union money, of course.

Click Image to embiggen…

Of the totals, MacIver says:
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Failure: Over $14 Mil Spent on Wisc. Recall By Liberal Groups, Unions”


My Live Tweets of the August Fox GOP Debate

-By Warner Todd Huston

I usually live Tweet many events like this at my Twitter account: http://twitter.com/#!/warnerthuston. The Fox GOP debate is no exception.

As to the debate, who won and who lost?

I’d say Tim Pawlenty ended his run last night. His bickering with Michele Bachmann rattled him and made him look a bit silly. Tim lost but so did Rick Santorum who kept attacking Ron Paul for some crazy reason. Rick seemed like the queen of rage last night, not Bachmann.

As to Bachmann, she did not damage herself in the room, but a few of the things she said about Pawlenty’s past positions were a bit of a misrepresentation. Still, she could think on her feet and seemed in command of herself whereas Pawlenty was getting mad.
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My Live Tweets of the August Fox GOP Debate”


Ill. Policy Institute: $85 Billion in the Red‏

From the Illinois Policy Institute…

My name is Ted Dabrowski, and I’m the Institute’s new Vice President of Policy.

During my first two months here I’ve rapidly engaged in the many challenges Illinois faces. I’m excited to work with all of you to implement policies that help Illinois return to prosperity.

But the path won’t be easy. Last week’s Standard & Poors downgrade of U.S. debt heaped additional scrutiny on the credit rating of states that are fiscally irresponsible. A credit rating consolidates a state’s policies, its financial health and overall outlook into a single rating. Unfortunately, Illinois shares the worst credit rating in the nation with the state of California.

But the situation will worsen. Recently, Moody’s Investors Service (the other major credit rating agency) began implementing a major change in how they calculate a state’s credit rating. Moody’s will now take into account how much each state owes to its retirement funds. Our newest policy report highlights this issue specifically. Read that report here.

For those of you who don’t know how much much Illinois has shortchanged its pension system over the past decades, it now exceeds $85 billion. That number alone dwarfs the rest of Illinois’s other debt.

Policymakers and citizens alike should take notice. Illinois’s credit ratings have been in a downward trajectory for the past few years. We need a new direction from our leaders and we need your engagement.

If you take only one thing away from this news, it should be the following: Reforming the broken pension system of Illinois is pivotal to securing your family’s future and saving the vital services that are so important to your community and Illinois’s future prosperity.

Sincerely,

Ted Dabrowski
Vice President for Policy
Illinois Policy Institute

P.S. I look foward to meeting you in person soon. Feel free to contact me by phone at 312-346-5700 or by email tdabrowski@illinoispolicy.org.

Kinzinger, Durbin Weigh in on Reforming Tax Code | Tillman, Ruder Debate Credit Impact: MyFoxCHICAGO.com

What’s Happening with the Stock Market?
To say the least, the stock market has not reacted kindly to the debt ceiling agreement made in Washington and the subsequent lowering of our nation’s credit rating. Why is this happening and what does this mean going forward? John Tillman appeared on FOX Chicago earlier this week to address these important issues. Watch that video above.

Join Us at the State Fair
On August 17 and 18, we are going to be out in numbers at the State Fair in Springfield gathering signatures for our Repeal the Tax Hike Petition. Come on by to say hi or to help us collect more signatures! More information is available here.

Event: Heartland Institute Author Series
On Tuesday, Aug. 16, join our friends at the Heartland Institute as they host Nick Gillespie and Matt Welch of the Reason Foundation to discuss their new book, “The Declaration of Independents.” The event is from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Jaks Tap (901 West Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, IL 60607). The cost to attend is $25, which includes food and drink. Click here to register.


Dan Patlak Cook County Board Of Review Summer Update‏

Our last update was in April, so I thought it wise to provide you another report on our progress and activities at the Board of Review since that time.

On August 1st the Board of Review concluded its 2010 tax year appeals, finishing two months earlier than last year. We did this despite adjudicating the second highest volume of property index numbers (387,000) in Board history. In addition, the Board had two new staffs of analysts, my own and Commissioner Cabonargi’s who were hired after his appointment in February.

I continue to fulfill my campaign pledge to be a full time commissioner, working every day side by side with my personal staff as well as the other staffs at the Board. In line with our plans for instituting a continuing education program at the Board, forty-two analysts attended a two and a half day class on residential assessments August second through fourth conducted by the Illinois Department of Revenue. Several analysts on my staff plan to take additional classes to receive their Certified Illinois Assessing Officer designation.
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Dan Patlak Cook County Board Of Review Summer Update‏”


World Markets Teetering – No Confidence in Obamanomics

-By Rev Michael Bresciani

The only place where the glazed eyes of the most excited followers still reflect a, “If I could but touch the hem of his garment” look; seems to be at the President’s recent birthday bash. The rest of the world, it seems, does not want to look on the face of President Obama, much less his fiscal policies. The no confidence vote is reflected in huge stock sell outs both here and abroad.

The Dow, NASDAQ, Amex and other markets have slipped some 800 points at home and teetering world markets reflect the same no confidence vote in the recent bi-partisan deal to raise the debt ceiling 2.4 trillion while cutting other spending in a long range effort to acquire a balance. Jobs in America are still slipping away and government is still choking free market investments but the president has gotten his way for the moment. Standard and Poor’s reaction to the weak efforts to stabilize the debt has been to knock America’s credit rating back a notch for the first time in our history.

The power to borrow has been saved and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner seems satisfied with the fact that it will take almost five years for the effects of any caps or cuts to have any appreciable sway against the 14 trillion in debt that the country is now facing.
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World Markets Teetering – No Confidence in Obamanomics”


Rick Perry: A Major Squish on Immigration?

-By Warner Todd Huston

Many conservatives across the nation are panting in anticipation of the entry of Texas Governor Rick Perry in the race for the 2012 GOP nomination for president. With his jobs creation record and his undeniable conservative fiscal record, many can’t wait to see this tall Texan join the race. But former Congressman and one-time presidential candidate Tom Tancredo of Colorado begs to differ. He says Perry is no conservative, at least on matters of immigration.

Tancredo penned an op ed at Politico slamming Perry as an amnesty supporter and a major squish on immigration. In truth there is no way to explain away Tancredo’s criticism, either. It’s all pretty undeniable….

Read the rest at RightPundits.com.


Wow: Independent Iowa Voters Disapprove of Obama 61% to 32%

-By Warner Todd Huston

A new poll of 500 likely Iowa voters shows that Obama has fallen to new lows in his approval rating not just among Republicans but even among the all important independents. While 52% of voters in the poll disapprove of the job Obama is doing it is even worse with independents. They disapprove of Obama at 61% to 32%.

This is a bad blow to the man that go into the White House on the strength of his hold upon the independent voters. If Obama can’t hold the independents that sent him sailing into office then his road to reelection might be harder than he thought.

This poll shows Obama in a worse light than a recent Gallup poll that found that Obama’s disapproval rating stood at 49% to 43%.

The Wall Street Journal reports the results of the survey commissioned by the American Action Network, a conservative advocacy group, and carried out by The Tarrance Group, a Republican polling firm.
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Wow: Independent Iowa Voters Disapprove of Obama 61% to 32%”


Flirting with the Great Depression 2.0

-By Alan Caruba

“Credit rating agency S&P has downgraded U.S. debt from AAA, the first debt downgrade in U.S. history, the Associated Press reported.” — Politico, Aug. 5, 2011

When a nation’s debt equals its entire annual gross domestic product, it is bankrupt. It can still produce goods and services, but it will likely encounter fewer customers worldwide as they too are drawn deeper into their own debt crises.

When it must borrow billions daily just to meet its obligations to other nations and individuals who have purchased its treasury notes, it is has reached a point of “moral hazard” that threatens the wealth of every single citizen.
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Flirting with the Great Depression 2.0″


Truth In Accounting Exposes ‘Unbalanced’ Budgets

From the Institute for Truth in Accounting…

Report Identifies Five Sinkhole States and Five Sunshine States

Chicago, (August 3, 2011) – While Congress debated legislation that includes a federal balanced budget amendment, many pointed out that 49 out of the 50 states have that same legal requirement. However, a new comprehensive study by non-partisan Institute for Truth in Accounting reports most state balanced budget laws have not worked, because past governors and legislators have not used truthful accounting to calculate their budgets. This lack of transparency has concealed a total of $1 trillion of outstanding bills.

‘State officials say their budgets are balanced but do not include employee pension and healthcare obligations in their calculations,’ stated Sheila Weinberg, Founder and CEO of the Institute. ‘Unlike the federal government, states can’t ‘print money’ to cover costs and shore up their financial conditions.’
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Truth In Accounting Exposes ‘Unbalanced’ Budgets”


Unions Lose BIG In Wisconsin Recall Efforts

-By Warner Todd Huston

Oh, the union thugs in Wisconsin will certainly try to act as if winning a mere two of the six recall elections of the Republican State Senators in the Cheese State was a big win… but it wasn’t. In fact, this recall nonsense shows that the union issues were a huge failure. After all, they even shied from using the union issues to push the recall efforts after they got going because they were looking like a losing issue.

In fact, the two Republicans that lost their effort to beat the recall were the two that were a bit odd as it is, so beating them doesn’t seem to be such a great triumph. And even at that the margins of defeat were not great. David Fredosso of the Washington Examiner puts it well:

In the end, the union-backed Democrats picked up only two state Senate seats in Wisconsin last night, at a staggering cost in time, effort, and of course money. One of the seats was solidly Democratic, held by a Republican due to an apparent fluke of nature. The other was held by an alleged adulterer who had moved outside his district to live with his young mistress, and whose wife was supporting his recall.

A Pyrrhic victory, there, for sure.

Unions and left-wing Democrat operative told us that the people of Wisconsin were furious at Governor Scott Walker and his GOP partners. We were told that “the people” would swarm to the recall election polls and throw the rascals out. But aside from the two problem children above, none of the elections were even close.
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Unions Lose BIG In Wisconsin Recall Efforts”


Pawlenty Video: Obama’s Empty Podium, Empty Presidency

-By Warner Todd Huston

Tim Pawlenty has a new ad out that hits Obama where it hurts the most: his utterly failed fiscal policies.

Tag Line: “Tim Pawlenty: Executive Experience Matters”

I would support Pawlenty over Obama, for sure. TPaw is right that Obama’s lack of experience makes him the worst of all candidates for the presidency.

It isn’t just Obama’s lack of executive experience, though. Obama has no experience at anything. He had an invisible stint at Harvard. He was a non-entity at the University of Chicago. He never published a thing of note in the legal or business world. He made no dent in the world of “community organizing.” He was a do nothing state senator and a do nothing federal senator. All he’s ever been is “Obama.”

This ad shows him for the feckless, bromide laden, no-account that he is.


Texan Rick Perry In For 2012 Election (All But Announced)

-By Warner Todd Huston

Looks like Rick Perry, current Governor of Texas, is in for the hunt for the GOP nomination for president of the United States. At this point, he’s all but had his official announcement and word is that the announcement is to come Saturday.

Below is the first Perry campaign video and it is smartly focused on the incredible jobs record that Texas has amassed under Perry. After all, having created some 73 percent of all the new jobs in the country is a pretty amazing record.

Tag Line: It’s Time for America to Believe in Itself Again, It’s Time for Rick Perry

Read the rest at RightPundits.com.


Want Proof of How Democrats Would Shut You Up, Tea Partiers?

-By Warner Todd Huston

On MSNBC, John Kerry told us that Tea Party ideas are not “real” ideas, not “factual,” and thinks that the media should stop reporting on anything that smacks of ideas or news coming from Tea Partiers. If this isn’t proof of how Democrats and leftists would use the power of government to quash free political speech, what is?

Not long ago, several Democrats tried to once again raise the ugly head of the defunct Fairness Doctrine that was killed during the Reagan administration in order to limit the free political speech of conservatives. In those dark days when Nancy Pelosi was Speaker of the House of Representatives, several Republicans talked about forever outlawing the anti-free speech rule. Democrats at the time spoke up in favor of the Fairness Doctrine and countered that they wanted to bring it back.

Fortunately, the Fairness Doctrine has not come back. But this un-American policy idea has been talked about by leftists every few years since it was torpedoed by Reagan in 1987. They would love to bring it back. And despite what they claim, the left would use a new Fairness Doctrine to squelch the free political speech of those on the right.
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Want Proof of How Democrats Would Shut You Up, Tea Partiers?”


Chicago Tea Party Offers Free Road Trip to the Iowa Straw Poll

From the Chicago Tea Party

The Chicago Tea Party will be coordinating a free bus trip to the Iowa Straw Poll on Saturday, August 13. The Iowa Straw Poll is a critical event in deciding who President Obama’s opponent will be in the 2012 election. It’s a fun event with a great atmosphere including music, entertainment, food and a chance to see and hear from the field of Presidential candidates.

You can register here now.

Who: People who want to chose a candidate who will uphold the Constitution and defeat Barack Obama in 2012.

What: Free bus trip to the Iowa Straw Poll on the campus of Iowa State University in Ames, IA.

Where: Bus leaves from the Cumberland CTA Blue Line station parking lot, 5800 N. Cumberland, Chicago, IL 60631.

When: The bus begins boarding at 5:00AM and will leave the Cumberland CTA Station at 5:15AM

How: The road trip will include a free bus trip, free breakfast, free lunch at the straw poll, free t-shirt and free tickets to the straw poll. The bus is an executive coach bus with a restroom facility on board.

There will also be free adult beverages on the ride back home.

There will be several Chicago reporters covering our trip, so you may have multiple opportunities to have your voice heard.

Seating is limited, please register as soon as possible. The deadline to register will be Friday, August 12 at noon.

The trip is being sponsored by Strong America Now. Strong America Now is dedicated to educating and mobilizing Americans focused on eliminating the national debt and deficit using a proven waste-elimination process called Lean Six Sigma. Strong America Now wants to change the way Washington thinks about spending money, as do we.

You can register for the free road trip here now.

You must be an Iowa resident to actually vote in the straw poll, but you are welcome to attend and participate in all the straw poll activities.

Please call 773-599-0105 or email us with any questions.

You can learn more about TeaCon and purchase your tickets for TEACON 2011 at www.teaconmidwest.com.


Ill. Policy Institute: A great, cost-cutting move for Chicago‏

Have you ever been stuck in downtown Chicago traffic and thought that the traffic control aides – the people with the orange vests and whistles – were making snarls worse?

We did and, after digging through government budgets, found that Chicago spent over $10 million on wages for traffic control aides in 2009. Our “Spotlight on Spending” from last October showed how to save money (and frustration) by scaling back the program. We’re pleased to note that this week Mayor Emanuel did just that, for savings of over $2 million.

Have you come across a state or local government program that doesn’t serve its intended purpose? I’d like to talk with you about it. Send me a reply email or call me at 217-528-8800.
Sincerely,

Mark Cavers
Government Reform Policy Analyst
Illinois Policy Institute
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Ill. Policy Institute: A great, cost-cutting move for Chicago‏”


Bad Signs at the SOS March

-By Larry Sand

“Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire.” – William Butler Yeats
“You can’t light a fire in an empty bucket” – Larry Sand

The Save Our Schools March, Rally and Pity Party went off as planned in D.C. this past weekend, although on a smaller scale than the organizers had anticipated. They thought they could attract 5-10,000 people, but according to Education Week, only 3,000 showed up. Of those 3,000, it is unknown how many were teachers.

Many of the protesters carried signs which pretty much captured their reason for supporting the event. Essentially, the messages can be broken down into two basic areas. The first were in the political-economical realm:
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Bad Signs at the SOS March”


Debt Ceiling Increase Shows Failed Leadership Lake County Tea Party Calls Increase Irresponsible and Hypocritical

From the Lake County Tea Party…

(Round Lake, IL – August 2, 2011) Lake County Tea Party today called the deal to raise the U.S. debt ceiling and any increase in deficit spending “a failure in leadership.” The Lake County Tea party maintains that the administration will not be able to successfully stabilize the economy through greater debt.

Tea Party Chairman Lennie Jarratt recalled a statement by then-Senator Barack Obama in March, 2006, during a previous debate on raising the debt ceiling. “Senator Obama stated that “the fact that we are here today to debate raising American’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. government can’t pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government’s reckless fiscal policies.’” Jarratt pointed to the irony that the country’s debt has multiplied under the Obama Administration. He noted that the Tea Party is committed to educating voters on the virtues of fiscally responsible government at all levels and that “robbing Peter to pay Paul” is irresponsible.
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Debt Ceiling Increase Shows Failed Leadership Lake County Tea Party Calls Increase Irresponsible and Hypocritical”


Media Ninnie Claims She Isn’t ‘Uncivil,’ Tea Partiers ARE Terrorists

-By Warner Todd Huston

Froma Harrop is a typical left-wing, hack journo, of course, but she is also the new president of the National Conference of Editorial Writers. NCEW is a group whose mission is in part “to improve the quality of political discourse” with its “Civility Project.” So, naturally, Harrop just wrote an editorial calling all conservatives and Tea Partiers “terrorists.”

Some civility, eh?…

Read the rest at RightPundits.com.


FBN’s Eric Bolling: ‘Obama’s Economy Will Dip Back Into Recession’

-By Warner Todd Huston

“The debt deal was a bad deal…”

We were told that the country was about to collapse like the Weimar Republic or the Soviet Union, even, if Washington didn’t get that darn debt ceiling hike done. Yet, even as President Obama was signing the very bill that was supposed to save our faltering economy, the DOW tanked closing down 512 points.

I had a chance to talk with Fox Business Network’s Eric Bolling about this mess and, hoping for some happy news, found that Bolling was not so optimistic about the near economic future of our great nation.

Here is our exchange:
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FBN’s Eric Bolling: ‘Obama’s Economy Will Dip Back Into Recession’”


Unions: On the Outside Looking In At Political Power?

-By Warner Todd Huston

Since Obama began his run for the White House he has been Big Labor’s best friend. And they loved him for it, too. As Obama ran and as soon as he got into office the unions had stars in their eyes. They thought that with a bought and paid for president in their hip pocket, every long dreamed of union wish was about to be fulfilled.

You can’t really blame them, of course. Obama did nothing but work to let them believe he’d do everything they wanted once safely in the White House. They gave him millions of dollars and he gave them rosy promises. But they are starting to feel duped.

To be sure Obama has done more for Big Labor than any other president in American history. He’s stocked his entire regulatory edifice with union hacks, he’s issued executive orders to force federal contractors to pay union dues, wages, pensions and to work under union rules even when said companies aren’t unionized, and he’s used his powers to regulate to attack companies that dare to cross swords with Big Labor.
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Unions: On the Outside Looking In At Political Power?”


Obama’s New CAFE Standards Will Cost Us All More Money

-By Warner Todd Huston

The Obama administration has been touting new Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards to be imposed on America’s automobile manufacturers saying that it will save all Americans money at the pumps. Unfortunately, there are all sorts of hidden costs of which the administration isn’t noting, costs that will drive up the price of driving in multiple ways for all of us.

The new standards are supposed to raise the miles per gallon requirements from the 2016 mandate of 35.5 mpg to 56 mpg by the year 2025. The administration claims that this would be a big savings and would serve to help get Americans off a reliance on foreign oil.

Curiously, as Obama touts his new CAFE standards as a way to get us off foreign oil, there is no talk at all of increasing domestic oil production which would help do the same thing. But I digress.
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Obama’s New CAFE Standards Will Cost Us All More Money”


Mandating the Future to Kow-Tow to Now

-By Frank Salvato

What is being termed a “historic debt ceiling compromise deal,” complete with backslapping and self-congratulations at the highest levels, is being considered by the Senate and the House rank-and-file. And consider they will. With many provisions going against the principles of both the TEA Party contingent and the far-leftist Progressive faction, there is a lot to consider. Significantly, lost in this “grand compromise” are these facts: a) Almost all of the spending cuts trumpeted as victory for the TEA Party Movement come after the 2012 General Election and with the election of a new Congress, b) The agreement does not eliminate deficit spending, rather, it simply lowers the amount of deficit spending, and c) Because the agreement doesn’t reach the $4 trillion mark mandated by the ratings agencies there is still a chance for our nations credit rating to be downgraded.

Perhaps the most significant issue in all of this is that for all the talk of not wanting to “kick the can down the road,” this agreement “kicks the can down the road.” Why do I say that? I say that because one Congress cannot mandate a future Congress to do anything. Short of a constitutional amendment that includes triggers that would apply devastating consequences outside the manipulative reach of any future Congress – or the Executive Branch – future Congresses don’t have to honor anything passed by previous Congresses. A perfect example comes in the form a the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, which mandates that Congress must complete its annual budget resolution by April 15th. Even though there is an enforcement mechanism – a punishment for not achieving this goal – in that if Congress fails to pass a budget resolution, legislation that affects budgetary matters cannot be considered, today, the 111th Congress has essentially ignored the law, having been delinquent in passing a budget for over two years running.

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Mandating the Future to Kow-Tow to Now”


Truth in Accounting Exposes ‘Unbalanced’ Budgets

From the Institute for Truth in Accounting…

Report Identifies Five Sinkhole States and Five Sunshine States

Chicago, (August 3, 2011) – While Congress debated legislation that includes a federal balanced budget amendment, many pointed out that 49 out of the 50 states have that same legal requirement. However, a new comprehensive study by non-partisan Institute for Truth in Accounting reports most state balanced budget laws have not worked, because past governors and legislators have not used truthful accounting to calculate their budgets. This lack of transparency has concealed a total of $1 trillion of outstanding bills.
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Truth in Accounting Exposes ‘Unbalanced’ Budgets”


Joe Walsh’s Interview With Ginni Thomas of The Daily Caller

From the office of Rep. Joe Walsh (Ill., 8th District)…

Leaders with Ginni Thomas: Rep. Joe Walsh

One Republican freshman from Illinois has the audacity to tell the president he lies, to tell Chris Matthews he bullies guests, and to say the Tea Party movement seems bigger than either the Republican or Democratic parties.
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Joe Walsh’s Interview With Ginni Thomas of The Daily Caller”