Unions

Budget - Chicago - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Free Trade - Government - Jobs - New Jersey - Public Employees Unions - Socialism - Taxes - Truth in Accounting - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

New Jersey Legislators Should Know the FACTS Before Budget Vote

March 24, 2010 by

From Truth In Accounting…

Truth In Accounting Issues New Jersey’s “Financial State of the State”

Today, the Institute for Truth in Accounting released New Jersey’s “Financial State of the State.” The numbers are not good and they are getting worse every day. The state’s bills as of June 30, 2009 were $143 billion and the state had already used $33 billion of assets that were supposed to be set aside to met established legal and contractual obligations. To pay bills and obligations past legislators should have already covered current and future, taxpayers will have to come up with $176 billion—$66,200 per family.

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New Jersey Legislators Should Know the FACTS Before Budget Vote”

Budget - Business - Constitution - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Government - Jobs - Liberals - Public Employees Unions - Socialism - State Government - Taxes - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Cato Study: Unions Violate Freedom

March 23, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

The Cato Institute has issued its latest Tax and Budget bulletin, this one centered on public-sector unions. The essence of the report is that public employee unions violate freedom, make government more expensive and inefficient, and the incestuous relationship between unions and politicians takes away power from the voters.

While labor unions do play a diminishing role in the private sector, the study points out that they play are playing an increasingly larger role in government these days through their “vigorous lobbying efforts.” I’d add that they are also playing a larger role due to the personal greed of our politicians who are the happy recipients of large amounts of the campaign donations that unions typically provide, as well.

And it’s all bad for government finds Cato. “Collective bargaining is a misguided labor policy,” the report says, “because it violates civil liberties and gives unions excessive power to block needed reforms.”

To fix this evil, Cato recommends that collective bargaining in the public sector be banned.
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Cato Study: Unions Violate Freedom”

Barack Obama - Budget - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Government - Jobs - Liberals - Pensions - President - Public Employees Unions - Stimulus - Taxes - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Obama Forcing Gov’t Costs to Rise With Union Sop

March 22, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Here we are in an economic downturn and Barack Obama is forcing government costs to rise. The Detroit News has noticed it, too, with a recent editorial on Obama’s absurd “responsible contractor” rule on vendors that contract with the federal government.

This new rule would force all vendors that contract with the government to exist under union rules, union pay scales, and union pensions, whether they belong to a union or not. Even entities that are not unionized will be forced to observe union rules if this plan is implemented.
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Obama Forcing Gov’t Costs to Rise With Union Sop”

ACORN - Barack Obama - Budget - Campaign Finance - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Government - Media - Media Bias - Taxes - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Lord of the Rings Updated for 2010, The Dark Lord ACORN Lives

March 20, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

The last book of the famous Lord of the Rings Trilogy is ripe for some updating, so here’s a proposal to that end. The Dark Lord Sauron is a perfect evil villain, of course. He’s shadowy, unseen, hard to grasp, but pervasive and the personification of oppression and evil. But his name needs to be updated and so does his downfall in order to reflect today’s sensibilities.

So, instead of being named Lord Sauron, his new name will be the Dark Lord ACORN. See, the evil still works but it’s updated, ya know?

Now we all know that in the original final book of LOTR, The Return of the King, the Dark Lord and his forces are beaten by the combined forces of the good people of Middle Earth. Evil is vanquished and all live forever after in love and harmony. The age of magic does pass, but a new idyllic age of man dawns.

Well, poppycock says I. We all know that evil isn’t so easily vanquished, don’t we? We need to rewrite the demise of the evil Lord ACORN to one more befitting of reality.
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Lord of the Rings Updated for 2010, The Dark Lord ACORN Lives”

Bill Brady - Budget - Chicago - Cook County - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Elections - GOP - Government - Illinois - Illinois State Government - Jobs - Pat Quinn - Public Employees Unions - Republicans - State Government - Taxes - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Quinn Lies About ‘Losing Middle Class’ Without Unions

March 18, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Pat “the accidental governor” Quinn told a union crowd that Illinois GOP Gubernatorial nominee Bill Brady would somehow destroy the middle class by his anti-union stance. Quinn also made the essential claim that without unions there’d be no “middle class.”

“We’re not going to have a middle class if we allow a lot of anti-labor, anti-union operators to get in politics and tear to shreds fundamental things we all agree on,” Quinn said. “He doesn’t believe in the minimum wage. He wants to abolish it.”

There is, of course, a glaring error in Quinn’s wild-eyed union claim. As of 2009 union members accounted for only 12.4 percent of America’s workforce. With this fact one wonders how the middle class could be eliminated by anti-union forces when union workers make up such a tiny percentage of the total U.S. workforce already?
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Quinn Lies About ‘Losing Middle Class’ Without Unions”

Budget - Crime - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Liberals - Oregon - Pensions - Public Employees Unions - State Government - Taxes - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Firefighters Union ‘Sticks it’ to the City of Portland

March 17, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

The Oregonian has a disheartening story proving once again why public employees unions should be outlawed.

Here we have a case of a criminal fireman who ripped off the city through a false claim of being injured and unable to work, he admits his guilt and doesn’t press the city for more benefits, yet the union DOES take the city to court to get undeserved benefits for this layabout fireman!

For 12 years fireman Tom Hurley ripped off the city of Portland’s fireman’s disability fund by receiving monthly checks of $3,200 at the taxpayer’s expense despite that he really wasn’t disabled. In fact, he took the city’s money and put himself through cooking school and then went to work in the food service industry. All paid for by the taxpayers.

And when the city finally wised up and cut him off from the honey pot, even Hurley didn’t appeal the decision. He just shrugged his shoulders and moved forward with his new career as a chef.

But the union would have none of this “end of benefits” business. No, the union wouldn’t move on. The union took the City of Portland to court to force the city to keep paying this former fireman scam artist. The union wants the city to pay this layabout fireman $103,000 in “lost” disability payments.

The city is claiming it wants to “go to war” over this whole thing. Let’s hope they do and let’s hope they win. This union ripoff of the taxpayers is unconscionable.
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Firefighters Union ‘Sticks it’ to the City of Portland”

Barack Obama - Budget - Democrats/Leftists - Government - Health - Liberals - Nancy Pelosi - Republicans - Socialism - Taxes - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Video: Death Panels for Americans, Free Healthcare for Illegals… It’s In There

March 16, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Big payoffs to unions, free healthcare to illegal aliens, death panels for Americans, limits and rationing to Americans… it’s ALL in the bill (HR 3200).

And remember, folks. We get taxed immediately but none of these wonderful “benefits” actually kick in for FOUR YEARS! So even if you liked this communist paradise you won’t get it for almost half the decade. It makes you wonder… how many dead people will Democrats be responsible for since this bill doesn’t kick in for so long, eh?

These are the things that Democrats want in a nationalized healthcare bill. These are the things that WILL end up passed if ANY part of Obamacare is passed.

This will materially alter the relationship between citizen and government and will put a tombstone over what was the United States of America. If Obamcare passes, the U.S.A. is dead.

AFL-CIO - Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Capitalism - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - EFCA - Elections - Government - Liberals - Media - Pensions - Public Employees Unions - SEIU - Taxes - Teachers Unions - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

A Couple of Union Stories in the News

March 13, 2010 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

Three interesting stories on unions have hit the media this week that should be watched.

#1- Bush’s Union Transparency Rules Retracted Under Obama

The Washington Times reports that Obama is still giving favors and pay back to Big Labor. This time Obama is eliminating the transparency rules that Bush had put in to try to keep unions honest and legal. Saddly, Obama doesn’t care much if unions are held to the rule of law.
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A Couple of Union Stories in the News”

Budget - California - Campaign Finance - Communism - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Elections - Free Trade - Government - House of Representatives - Liberals - Lobbyists - Media - Media Bias - Pensions - Public Employees Unions - SEIU - Senate - Socialism - State Government - Taxes - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Unions Top the $1 Billion Club in California Political Spending

March 11, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

The California Teachers Association spent $211,849,298 on lobbying and political spending to get its way in California in 2009. Along with the CTA, the Calif. State Council of Service Employees and 13 other organizations spent a total of one billion dollars on political lobbying of the State House at Sacramento. All of these special interests have helped push California to the brink of insolvency.

But, according to the California Fair Political Practices Commission, the two unions mentioned above far and away top the spending of the other top lobbying spenders in California. The next closest in spending was the Big Pharma clocking in at $104,912,997 on its political spending with various and sundry Indian casino groups whose spending was in the less than $85,000,000 range.

Commission Chairman Ross Johnson said in a press release, “This tsunami of special interest spending drowns out the voices of average voters and intimidates political opponents and elected officials alike.”
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Unions Top the $1 Billion Club in California Political Spending”

Budget - California - Capitalism - Democrats/Leftists - Free Trade - Government - Illinois - Jobs - Liberals - Media - Pensions - Public Employees Unions - Socialism - State Government - Taxes - Teachers Unions - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Liebau on Unions: ‘The System is Unsustainable’

March 10, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Carol Platt Liebau posted a piece on RealCleaPolitics.com that also clangs the warning bells over the unsustainable situation that the various states find themselves in between their public employees unions and the states’ fiscal obligations. She focuses on California, but nearly every state in the union is quickly approaching the mess California is in.

Liebau writes of the effort that the teachers union in California led to get kids as young as five-years-old out of school so that they could be bussed to the state capitol in Sacramento in order to protest school budget cuts. Me, I think she races by this outrage too quickly.
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Liebau on Unions: ‘The System is Unsustainable’”

Anti-Americanism - Budget - Business - Capitalism - Congress - Economy/Finances - EFCA - Free Trade - GOP - Government - House of Representatives - Jobs - Liberals - Lobbyists - President - Senate - Socialism - Warner Todd Huston

‘Restoring’ Unions ‘Right’ to Bargain Collectively

March 9, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Not long ago union advocate Stewart Acuff penned a piece for the Huffington website that was filled with soaring rhetoric about unions “creating the middle class” and pleading for voters to pressure Congress to pass the absurdly named Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). He claimed that this piece of… legislation would “restore the right to form unions and bargain collectively.”

Despite Acuff’s urgent pleading, however, he misses an elephant in the room. No one has taken anyone’s “right to collectively bargain” away from them. Of course that wasn’t the only thing that Acuff was factually incorrect about.

Why is it that union folks have to lie about everything, anyway?

Acuff starts out with a whopper.
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‘Restoring’ Unions ‘Right’ to Bargain Collectively”

Budget - Chicago - Cook County - Democrats/Leftists - Illinois - Illinois State Government - Jobs - Liberals - Pensions - Public Employees Unions - State Government - Taxes - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Dear Chicago Taxpayer, You Owe Us a Pension so Pay Up

March 8, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

The Civic Federation is reporting that every Chicago resident is on the hook for 444 percent more in unfunded retirement pension benefits to city workers than they were a decade ago.

The watchdog Civic Federation said Monday that the funding deficit for the 10 largest Chicago-area public pension funds soared from $3.4 billion in 1998 to $18.5 billion in 2008, the last year for which figures are available.

This is the fault of both politicians for spending the money instead of investing it as well as unions for “negotiating” ever higher and undeserved benefits with each new contract.

But no matter who is at fault, I’d guess that all the perpetrators imagine that the federal government should bail them out when the inevitable collapse arrives.

That way neither the unions nor the profligate democrat politicians will ever have to pay any substantive price.

Only one problem: the US government doesn’t have the cash or credit, either.

I foresee the collapse of pensions all across the county and millions of people that thought they had retirement available for them will find out that it doesn’t exist. A major mess will soon come to town and no one can prevent its arrival.

Both rank and file Democrats and their unions and politicians deserve all the pain coming their way, too.
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Dear Chicago Taxpayer, You Owe Us a Pension so Pay Up”

Budget - Capitalism - Communism - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Jobs - Liberals - Pensions - Public Employees Unions - Socialism - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

The Coming Union Pension Plan Collapse

March 8, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

At the blog YidWithLid.blogspot.com Sammy Benoit has posted an interesting piece about the mess befalling so many failing union pension funds across the nation. The post includes a very useful chart that shows the trouble in which some of the largest union pension funds find themselves.

The upshot is that these pensions are on the verge of total collapse which will leave millions of retiring union members and those already retired bereft of the pensions that they had assumed would carry them into their golden years.

The list is extremely scary. This is a disaster for many people. But what is the solution? Naturally the unions are hoping that government is the solution. But the problem with a government bailout is that should a bailout happen the unions will not learn the important lesson that they should learn from the necessary collapse, necessary to reign in their excess. Sadly, many will be hurt by this reigning in of unions, but these same members should never have allowed their unions to get so out of hand in the first place!

So, courtesy of YidWithLid…
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The Coming Union Pension Plan Collapse”

Anti-Americanism - Business - Communism - Democrats/Leftists - Education - Government - Jobs - Liberals - Media - Michigan - Public Employees Unions - Rights - SEIU - Socialism - Teachers Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Unions Support This Detroit Socialist

March 7, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

The left is constantly attempting to wave its hand dismissively at our claims that they are socialists and communists. They claim they are true blue Americans and we are lying about them. Unions are one of the biggest perpetrators of this misinformation.

Well, it appears that in Detroit unions came out in support of a goof ball that claimed himself to be a socialist. They all stood in the Michigan cold saying their “yeas” as he spoke about getting a free university degree, and as he touted a socialist “right” to food and their own house.

Here we see members of the AFT and the SEIU nodding in appreciation of this socialist’s ideas. They stood by his side as he pronounced these socialist “principles.”

Anyone that tells you that unions aren’t socialists and communists needs to explain why unions came out in support of this un-American nut in Detroit.
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Unions Support This Detroit Socialist”

Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Government - Jobs - Liberals - Lobbyists - Media - President - Public Employees Unions - SEIU - Socialism - Taxes - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Gov’t Employees Now Make More Than Private Sector Workers

March 7, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

The news we have been warning you about is in. Government workers on average exceed the pay scale of those in private industry. The unsustainable situation is here. It is now clear that Bill Clinton was a bit premature when he said that the “era of big government is over.” Sadly he didn’t count on the era of big Obama to come.

One word explains why this upside down situation has come to fruition: unions.

USA Today is reporting that “the number of federal workers earning six-figure salaries has exploded during the recession.” The paper finds that workers at the high end of the salary scale are well represented in government. I’d say overly represented.
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Gov’t Employees Now Make More Than Private Sector Workers”

Andy Stern - Barack Obama - Budget - Democrats/Leftists - Jobs - Liberals - Lobbyists - Media - President - SEIU - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

More On Stern’s Appointment to Deficit Reduction Panel

March 7, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Ed Barnes of FoxNews has a nice recap on Barack Obama’s appointment of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Chief Andy Stern to his deficit reduction panel.

Barnes tells us that Obama’s appointment of Stern set off a “round of criticism.” That’s putting it mildly.

President Obama’s decision to appoint his close political ally, union leader Andrew Stern, to the newly created National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform has set off a firestorm of criticism from business and conservative groups who charge he is a political radical who should be investigated for failure to register as a lobbyist.

The failure to register as a lobbyist charge is over the fact that Stern was one of the most frequent visitors to the White House but never registered as a lobbyist to legally cover his visits. Whatever the case is concerning the legality of Stern’s constant visits to the Obama White House, those that criticize this appointment couldn’t be more right.
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More On Stern’s Appointment to Deficit Reduction Panel”

Budget - Chicago - Cook County - Democrats/Leftists - Illinois - Liberals - Pat Quinn - Public Employees Unions - SEIU - State Government - Taxes - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Service Employees Inat’l Union Gives $1.7 Mil to Ill. Gov. Quinn

March 5, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

The Service Employees International Union wants YOU to pay more taxes, Illinois. And, in order to get their wish, they’ve donated $1.7 million to the one candidate that has since the beginning promised to raise everyone’s taxes, Governor Pat “Mighty Taximo” Quinn.

Oh, it’s a cozy arrangement, of course. The SEIU represents many of Illinois public employees. These greedy folks want YOU to pay their way in life, you see? So, big cash goes to Quinn the Mighty Taximo so that he’ll force higher taxes so that, in turn, these public employees will get even greater pay and even more undeserved benefits that other, private sector citizens don’t get. It’s a Faustian bargain, but it is a fact, nonetheless.

As everyone else in the state is losing his job, these trough-feeders want you to pay more taxes for their comfort. Nice work if you can get it, right?
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Service Employees Inat’l Union Gives $1.7 Mil to Ill. Gov. Quinn”

Barack Obama - Budget - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Jobs - Liberals - Media - Media Bias - Pensions - President - Public Employees Unions - SEIU - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Three Current Union Stories

March 5, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Shuffling through the web I see a few current stories that might be of interest to union watchers everywhere…

Pennsylvanians awoke today to a tale from Investor’s Business Daily headlined, “Specter Tells Business He’ll Back Pro-Union Card Check.”

Apparently Benedict Arlen is a yes vote for cloture on the pro-union card check legislation. Not much of a surprise as he’s been very pro-union since his sudden switch to the Democrat Party last year.
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Three Current Union Stories”

Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Congress - Democracy - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Free Trade - Government - Jobs - Liberals - Media - President - Public Employees Unions - Regulation - Taxes - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

AP: Unions Stymied Under Obama?

March 1, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

The Associated Press posted a story lamenting that Big Labor has failed so far to get Obama to heel by their commands. Big Labor has said “jump” and Obama has but skipped. The article is correct, though, that Big Labor has failed in its two biggest goals: socialist healthcare and card check. At least, they’ve failed so far.

A third failure has also been forced upon Big Labor. As a result of newly seated Republican Senator Scott Brown’s win in Massachusetts, Big Labor was not able to install Craig Becker as the head of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

Becker was Big Labor’s back up plan in case Congress didn’t pass the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), or the card check bill. Being a former Big Labor lawyer and activist, labor groups expected that if installed as NLRB chief Becker would change rules, alter processes, and invent systems that would implement card check through the back door instead of through actual legislation.
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AP: Unions Stymied Under Obama?”

Andy Stern - Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Capitalism - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Government - Liberals - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

SEIU Prez Andy Stern Appointed to Federal Deficit Commission?

February 27, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

President Obama has today appointed Service Employees International Union (SEIU) President Andy Stern to the federal deficit-reduction commission. And I say, why not? After all union thugs like Stern are one of the root causes of federal deficits so he should know all about them.

Unfortunately, though, Stern only knows how to make deficits worse and knows precisely nothing about cutting them.

Obama also appointed several other big, big campaign donors to this so-called deficit cutting commission, Ann Fudge (over $36,000 donated) and Alice Rivlin (over $47,000).

Of course this is a joke. But the joke is on all of us. As this poseur of a president sits stroking his chin and telling America “let me be clear,” and “make no mistake” that he’s all about fixing things, he hands out plum after plum to his pals on the extreme left.
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SEIU Prez Andy Stern Appointed to Federal Deficit Commission?”

Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Congress - Elections - Free Trade - GOP - Government - Health - Jobs - Liberals - Public Employees Unions - Republicans - SEIU - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston - Washington

Washington State’s SEIU Bought Republican

February 26, 2010 by 2 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

On February 24, Moe Lane posted a short piece alerting one and all to the fact that one of the Republican candidates for Washington State’s 3rd Congressional District is a favorite of the hard-core lefties in the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) — one of Obama’s favorite Big Labors cohorts. Mr. Lane, though, was sure that Jaime Herrera “regrets that endorsement now.” Unfortunately, I am not so sanguine because Herrera has been far more compliant with Big Labor’s goals than is evident from what Lane might have thought was a mere wayward endorsement.

There is a reason, it appears, that the SEIU endorsed Herrera. As a Republican she seems to be far more one of them than one of us at least as far as Big Labor’s needs go!

Moe Lane cited the Clark County Politics blog on the SEIU’s endorsement, but if you don’t want to believe the CCPblog — admittedly a right leaning site — here is a Progressive Voters Guide for Washington and here is the Voters Guide for Equal Rights Washington, both left-wing groups that show SEIU support for Herrera. On top of that here is SEIU Local 1199 NW’s endorsement page which also announces its endorsement of Herrera.

But, let’s address that possible “regret” that Mr. Lane so casually extends to Ms Harrera. Could Lane be right, could it be that Herrera was just by happenstance on the receiving end of an SEIU endorsement and now wishes it never happened? Was it all just an unfortunate incident? I have to say that after looking up some of her votes over the last few years, I must conclude that Herrera was given the thumbs up by the SEIU for a reason. Jaime Herrera was quite a friend to Big Labor.
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Washington State’s SEIU Bought Republican”

ACORN - Warner Todd Huston

ACORN is Dead?

February 23, 2010 by 2 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

The news has it today that young Mr. James O’Keefe and Andrew Breitbart have laid low ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. ACORN is dissolved, they say.

Don’t believe a word of it. Yes, it is obvious that ACORN was materially hurt by the expose showing its propensity towards criminality. But the organization is not dead. It it merely rebranding.

Tucked into the Politico story, for instance, was the admission that nothing is really changing but the name.
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ACORN is Dead?”

Anti-Americanism - Budget - Business - California - Capitalism - Economy/Finances - Elections - Free Trade - Jobs - Media - Public Employees Unions - State Government - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Public Employees Unions Destroying California

February 21, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Mark Tapscot echoes our current theme here on the blog by reporting that California is once again in a disastrous budget shortfall and one of the biggest reason that this is so is the undue power of the recalcitrant public employees unions. Tapscot says that California cannot get out of its mess because, “the unions refuse to consider relaxing their death grip on California’s rapidly shrinking legion of tax payers.”

Tapscot thinks that California is coming to realize that the unions are going to have to be confronted in order to solve the spiraling budget woes, but I am doubtful. Looking at the mess from the outside would certainly cause one to draw such a conclusion, but inside the legislature at Sacramento one sees no hint that the unions are becoming the bad guys as they should be.

Still, I hope that Tapscot is right and the California can finally lead the country in a good thing by breaking the public employees unions and, hope of hopes, eliminating them.

And why are these unions so dangerous? Tapscot’s conclusion is a refrain we’ve been touting for years.

It’s not only that public sector unions are driving many state and local governments into fiscal insolvency by forcing them to accept contracts providing compensation benefits that far exceed those in the private sector for comparable work and that cannot be paid for without crippling tax increases.

We agree, of course.

Add this report to the mounting number of individuals coming to the same conclusion we came to here on the blog.
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Public Employees Unions Destroying California”

Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Capitalism - Communism - Democracy - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Liberals - Media - Public Employees Unions - Socialism - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Kaus: Unions Are Crippling Obama

February 20, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Lefty website Slate.com’s Mickey Kaus is another one of those left of center folks that are realizing that unions are killing Obama. Of course, I’d go one farther and say that unions are killing America, but Kaus is only worried about helping Obama. Regardless, he’s right that unions are a dangerous impediment.

Kaus finds that the Davis-Bacon wage regulations made a joke of President Obama’s weatherization scheme, a plan that was supposed to bring jobs through his stimulus package. Because of these union-tied wage regulations, the weatherization projects that the stimulus tried to fund were so over priced and took so long to hammer out that few projects have ended up being undertaken. Yet, weatherization projects that have proceeded free of the Davis-Bacon regulations went smoothly.

As a result, the Department of Energy apparently weatherized only 22,000 homes under the program. Another pre-existing program, which doesn’t have to comply with Davis-Bacon, appears to have weatherized about 100,000 homes, if my math is right.

Kaus notes that unions caused this mess as the government spent most of the year trying to figure out how to implement the Davis-Bacon rules. (Kaus’ bold)

Instead, a year was wasted on mindless, union-demanded bureaucratic attempts to disingenuously replicate the labor market. Did Obama not know this would happen when he allowed the stimulus to be Davis-Baconized, or did he not care? [Update–Choice #3: He knows and cares, but is too weak to stand up to the unions.]

In any case, what we see here is yet another lefty that is grasping that unions are bad for us all. Mark this as another in our continuing chronicle proving that unions need to be eliminated.
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Kaus: Unions Are Crippling Obama”

Colorado - Communism - Congress - Democracy - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Government - House of Representatives - Jimmy Carter - Jobs - Liberals - Public Employees Unions - SEIU - Senate - Socialism - Taxes - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Longtime Dem Consultant Torpedoed by Union Thugs

February 19, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

In Democrat political consulting circles Pat Caddell is a big name. One-time adviser to President Jimmy Carter and longtime political strategist for the left, Caddell isn’t someone you throw off a campaign easily. But the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) doesn’t care about past success. It only cares about its power.

After being thrown off the campaign of Colorado Democrat Andrew Romanoff’s campaign for Senate, Caddell spoke to the folks at The Daily Caller and said he’d been axed by the “thugs” at the SEIU.

“What I said about Andy Stern and the SEIU? Sure, they’re thugs,” said Caddell, a former adviser to President Jimmy Carter, who until Monday* had an informal advising role with the primary challenger to incumbent Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet.

“The unions have been considering endorsing Romanoff, and basically they told him that if I was involved with the campaign, ‘sayonara,’ which I think is the definition of thuggery isn’t it?” said Caddell, who has worked for a who’s who of Democratic politicians over the last few decades, including Ted Kennedy, George McGovern, Mario Cuomo and Gary Hart.

I couldn’t agree more. Unions will brook no opposition and even the smallest disagreement marks you for destruction with a union… even if you are on the same political side as they!

He pointed out, as have we — repeatedly — that public employees unions are destroying the country:
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Longtime Dem Consultant Torpedoed by Union Thugs”

Budget - Business - Chicago - Democrats/Leftists - Illinois - Liberals - Pensions - Public Employees Unions - SEIU - State Government - Taxes - Teachers Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Pension Failure in Illinois Worst in Country

February 19, 2010 by 2 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

According to the Pew Center on the States, Illinois’ public employee’s pension system is in the worst shape of all states. The Associated Press reported that pensions in Illinois are underfunded and over promised.

Illinois was rated the most troubled pension system during the study period, with a 54 percent funding level and a total liability of more than $54 billion.

Proof once again that public employee unions are antithetical to good government. The reasons these pensions are in such poor shape are twofold. One is that they are far, far too generous (fault: unions) and two is that even when the money does go into these accounts the state legislature raids the funds for general usage (fault: politicians). Both reasons are failures of government.

What this state needs to do first thing is to start a two tiered system. Since the pensions are protected by law, we need to accept that we are saddled with current pensions. But any new employee and all employees not yet vested should have their undeserved benefits massively cut.

The state should also look to offer as many buyouts at lower costs as it can. Early retirements might help the bottom line, too.

But taking care that future benefits are not so undeservedly high is the most important thing here.
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Pension Failure in Illinois Worst in Country”

ACORN - Alabama - Anti-Americanism - Budget - Business - Campaign Finance - Communism - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Government - Liberals - Policy - Socialism - Stimulus - Warner Todd Huston

Union Admits Buying Politician, Wants $ Back

February 18, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

When an average citizen donates money to a politician it is usually because that citizen believes in the politician and wants to help him have the war chest to conduct a campaign. Unions like to pretend that they donate to politicians out of the goodness of their hearts, just like common citizens do. Everyone knows, though, that they are merely making an attempt to buy them. A union in Alabama has as much as admitted that they were trying to buy a politician, but when he didn’t dance to their tune, these union folks demanded their contributions back.

Al Henley, secretary-treasurer of the Alabama AFL-CIO, seems to be a mite miffed with Alabama Representative Parker Griffith. You’ll recall that Griffith was the one-time Democrat who jumped the sinking Donkey ship and became a Republican late last year.

Apparently while he was a Democrat the AFL-CIO had no problem giving him campaign money. Now that he’s a Republican, though, the union has taken sudden umbrage at Griffith’s voting record. “Parker Griffith, we feel you have swindled us,” Henley said at a recent rally in Hunstville, Alabama.
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Union Admits Buying Politician, Wants $ Back”

Budget - Democrats/Leftists - Liberals - Rhode Island - Taxes - Teachers Unions - Warner Todd Huston

All Administrators and Teachers at Rhode Island School Fired

February 16, 2010 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

I don’t expect this to stick. I fully expect some left-wing, paid off judge to come to the aid of these union thugs. But… in Central Falls, Rhode Island School Superintendent Frances Gallo has fired an entire high school’s worth of teachers and administrators over a labor dispute.

Central Falls High School is situated in one of the poorest sections of Rhode Island yet the teachers there make between $72 and $78 thousand per year, far above the mean income of the area. The school is also performing dismally.

So, Superintendent Gallo told teachers that they would have to work perhaps twenty-five minutes more per day and help tutor the students. Naturally the un-caring teachers union refused — proving once again that education and the kids are not of interest to a union.

The union wouldn’t budge so Super Gallo just fired them all. Now THAT is some funny stuff right there! Good for Super Gallo.
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All Administrators and Teachers at Rhode Island School Fired”

Budget - Business - Capitalism - Congress - Democracy - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Free Trade - Government - Jobs - Liberals - Pensions - Public Employees Unions - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Status of Obama’s PLA Order

February 14, 2010 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

CNSNews did a story today giving an update on Obama’s Executive Order number 13502 requiring all federal construction projects to operate under Project Labor Agreements (PLAs). Thus far the EO has been stymied by the commission that Obama set up to handle the initiative.

A PLA is a contract agreement that would force union rules, union dues, and union control of any construction project that the federal government undertakes. The PLA rules would even descend upon any non-union labor hired for the work meaning that employees would be forced to pay dues even if they do not belong to a union.

This PLA requirement is only another Obama payoff to unions and the construction industry says that PLAs will make any federal project go over budget, take longer to complete making the projects needlessly expensive.
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Status of Obama’s PLA Order”