Video: Superhero Abyss interviewed at Occupy Chicago

Two nights ago I visited Occupy Chicago. As I wrote that evening, the dwindling group had planned a march in support of since-evicted Occupy LA. There was no march and there were just 25 people in front of the Bank of American Building. One of them was a superhero, Abyss. He had a gas mask and made some alarming allegations. Abyss says there was a food tampering attempt, with something green, by opponents of Occupy Chicago. As for the gas mask: He's prepared for a police tear gas attack.



Related posts:

Video: Just 5 Occupy Chicago protesters on duty

Video: OccuFlop Chicago

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EPA's MACT mess makes for less power

Coal barge, Guttenberg, Iowa

Much of my Midwest is powered by coal. But the EPA's Utility MACT and Cross State Air Pollution rules threaten to turn the switch off on many coal plants.

From Energy Biz:

The Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator Inc. has again sounded a warning that new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency air emissions regulations will strain system capacity as coal-fired units are shut down by power generators to meet the standards.

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"Reliability in the Midwest will be severely challenged throughout the implementation period of the proposed rules," said MISO. "The compliance time allowed by the proposed rule and the time required to accomplish the installation of new control equipment or capacity replacement is exactly the same, meaning owners of all these units must remove them from service simultaneously leaving inadequate generation resources to sustain reliable electricity supply."

Around 62,000 MW of generation cannot be removed from service simultaneously without interrupting loads in the region, MISO noted. In order for MISO to meet reliability obligations, generator outage requests will be denied to maintain adequate supplies, it said.

MISO is a regional transmission organization charged with the operation and administration of the wholesale electricity markets in thirteen Midwestern states and one Canadian province.

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WFI statement on passage of Workforce Democracy & Fairness Act

Earlier this afternoon the House passed, 235 to 188, the Workforce Democracy and Fairness Act, which seeks to fight back against NLRB overreach.

From a Workforce Fairness Institute Press release:

"Passage of legislation in the U.S. House that reins in an out-of-control regulatory agency sends the message to Big Labor bosses that the legislative branch is not going to sit by and allow government bureaucrats to punish workers and small businesses with job-killing policies," said Fred Wszolek, spokesperson for the Workforce Fairness Institute (WFI). "The Workforce Democracy and Fairness Act protects the free speech and rights of employees, and ensures misguided policies such as 'ambush' elections and the formation of 'micro-units' no longer threaten American employers. This legislation merits prompt consideration in the U.S. Senate as it will immediately communicate to job creators that Washington is serious about ending the regulatory onslaught that has produced uncertainty and job loss throughout the country."

Earlier today the radical agency voted to approve "ambush" elections.

Related post:

Report from the bloggers call with Rep. John Kline on the Workforce Democracy and Fairness Act

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House committee votes to dismiss ObamaCare's CLASS Act

Kinzinger

There are mixed signals from the White House about the status of the CLASS Act part of ObamaCare--but just in case it's still part of the unpopular health takover plans, the House is working to kill it off.

From a Adam Kinzinger press release:

Kinzinger, Energy and Commerce Committee Pass Bipartisan Bill to Repeal Another Part of Government-Run Health Care

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following statement after H.R. 1173, the Fiscal Responsibility and Retirement Security Act of 2011, passed the full committee with bipartisan support by a vote of 33 to 17. This legislation repeals part of President Obama's government takeover of health care, known as the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Program.

In a classic "Washington knows best" approach, the CLASS Act was another big-government health care program which, at the time it was passed, already had signification long-term sustainability concerns.

"The CLASS Act should not be left on the books, simply waiting for someone to revive this mistaken and misguided program, especially when the same Administration that created it has now abandoned it.

I was sent to Congress by my constituents to fight back against Washington’s central planning approach to healthcare. I've opposed many aspects of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), and the CLASS Act is among PPACA's significant problems.

The Energy and Commerce Committee passage of the CLASS Act repeal is another significant step toward rolling back a government takeover of health care which threatens job growth and creates major spending increases our nation simply can't afford.

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