Marathon Pundit

Audacity: Holder thinks he should 'be given some credit" for Fast and Furious fiasco

2012-02-02T21:32:00.002-06:00

Attorney General Eric Holder was grilled today by the House Oversight Committee over his stonewalling on Operation Fast and Furious, the disastrous sting operation that allowed thousands of guns to get into the hands of vicious Mexican drug cartels. It also led to the death of a US Border Patrol agent.

Like his boss, Holder is audacious.

I should be held accountable for surely my role in whatever I did or didn’t do in connection to the supervision of Fast and Furious. But, yeah, I'm Attorney General of the United States and perhaps I should be held accountable and perhaps even be given some credit.

Occupy Oakland supports Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel

2012-02-02T20:46:00.002-06:00

Taking time out of its busy schedule of rioting and calling police "monsters," Occupy Oakland is attacking Israel.

The Occupy movement loves to hate Israel.

From the Jewish Telegraphic Agency:

The Oakland, Calif., chapter of the Occupy movement overwhelmingly endorsed a proposal in support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel.

According to Twitter accounts by pro-Palestinian activists pushing the proposal, the statement won nearly unanimous backing in a vote Wednesday following a brief discussion. A lengthy statement on the Occupy Oakland website attacked U.S. aid to Israel and suggested that Israel had "prodded" the United States into the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Here is that statement, a rambling one, from Occupy Oakland.

Related posts:

Scottish Occupy protester arrested for destroying menorah
"Occupy Wall Street not Palestine" teach-in held in Milwaukee
Occupy Las Vegas Obamaville and its Palestinian flag
Video: Norman Finkelstein's supporter with Occupy Denver and Israel's "creation" of Hamas
Video: OccupyChicago anti-Israel rant
Month after 49 occupiers arrested for storming church owned lot; NY Episcopals praise OWS

Technorati tags: left wing extremists current events socialism occupywallstreet culture faith religion Jewish Jews crime communism law legal ows culture

Suggestions from the Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future

2012-02-02T18:44:00.001-06:00

As much as a justifiably rip Illinois, one thing we do well is power generation. The Land of Lincoln has 11 nuclear power plants, more than any other state. Half of the electricity generated here comes from nuclear power--and the percentage is even higher in northern half --where I live.

Yes, there was a very minor accident at Byron a few days ago. Very minor.

Last week a bipartisan panel on nuclear energy, the Blue Ribbon Commission, released its extensive report on this under-utilized--even in Illinois--source of power.

The issue of waste from nuclear power plants is confronted in its report. "[T]his nation's failure to come to grips with the nuclear waste issue has already proved damaging and costly and it will be more damaging and more costly the longer it continues," the commission says.

Politics is preventing a workable to solution to this problem. Other than storing the waste adjacent to plants--a decades long "temporary" solution, we have no plan. Which is a pity because we are funding one. "U.S. ratepayers are already paying for waste disposal (through a fee collected on each kilowat-hour of nuclear-generated electricity)—but the program they're paying for isn't working. Taxpayers are paying too—in the form of damage payments from the taxpayer-funded Judgment Fund to compensate utilities for the federal government’s failure to meet its contractual waste acceptance commitments."

Not good.

President Obama has suggested that we streamline the federal government--and the Republicans agree with him. The commission offers this suggestion in regards to nuclear power. "The overall record of DOE [Department of Energy] and of the federal government as a whole, however, has not inspired widespread confidence or trust in our nation's nuclear waste management program. For this and other reasons, the Commission concludes that a new, single-purpose organization is needed to provide the stability, focus, and credibility that are essential to get the waste program back on track. We believe a congressionally chartered federal corporation offers the best model, but whatever the specific form of the new organization it must possess the attributes, independence, and resources to effectively carry out its mission."

In other words, keep it simple. Along that line, the Blue Ribbon Commission suggests using that kilowatt-per-hour fee for disposing of nuclear waste for its intended purpose.

And the commission is aware that finding a permanent solution won't be easy, so it's suggesting "developing consolidated storage capacity" instead of the inadequate waste storage we're now utilizing.

Read the entire report here.

Technorati tags: Democrats politics economy government energy Obama Barack Obama Illinois

Marathon Pundit's new look

2012-02-02T17:20:00.001-06:00

A long overdue redesign has been completed on Marathon Pundit. I believe it's easier to read and more pleasing to the eye, but of course it's up to you to decide if that is the case.

The most practical change is the addition of "share" buttons for Twitter, Google+, and Facebook at the end of each post.

Please use them. PLEASE!

I kept the orange color scheme. By the way, I don't believe I've ever explained how it was chosen. After looking at blogs I read at the time, Red State, Instapundit (Red), Little Green Footballs (green)--and it was a good blog then--Powerline (Blue), I figured orange was a missing hue in the conservative rainbow. And my alma mater, the University of Illinois, was in the midst of its greatest basketball season seven winters ago when Marathon Pundit was started--the Fighting Illini's colors are orange and blue.

That's it--a blog post about blogging should be brief!

Trump endorses Romney in Vegas

2012-02-02T14:59:00.002-06:00

Trump Las Vegas Hotel

Just a few months ago, Donald Trump put his support behind Mitt Romney for president at his hotel in Las Vegas.

"It's my honor, and real honor," Trump declared, "to endorse Mitt Romney."

Trump added, "He's not going to allow bad things to happen to this country that we all love."

Saturday the Nevada Caucuses will take place, where Romney was already expected to do well. The Silver State has a large Mormon population.

Technorati tags: donald trump Republican gop Nevada entertainment las vegas politics news Mitt Romney

NLRB overreach: Hoosier right-to-work edition

2012-02-02T13:17:00.005-06:00

Welcome to a right-to-work state

Job creators, and of course workers, received some good news yesterday in Indiana.

From the Chicago Tribune:

Indiana became the 23rd state to pass anti-union "right-to-work" legislation on Wednesday and the first in the nation's manufacturing heartland, dealing a blow to organized labor by allowing workers to opt out of paying union dues.

Indiana's Republican governor Mitch Daniels signed the legislation into law immediately after it was given final approval in the state Senate, making Indiana the first state to adopt such a measure since Oklahoma did so a decade ago.

Daniels, governor since 2005 and a prominent spokesman for Republicans nationally, said he decided Indiana needed the controversial new law after several businesses decided to locate elsewhere.

"Seven years of evidence and experience ultimately demonstrated that Indiana did need a right-to-work law to capture jobs for which, despite our highly rated business climate, we are not currently being considered," he said in a statement after signing the bill.

Meanwhile, Illinois continues to live in the past, as Americans for Tax Reforms points out.

ATR President Grover Norquist issued the following statement:

"Mitch Daniels has cemented his legacy as a pro-jobs, pro-freedom governor with today's Right to Work news. Indiana has weathered the recent economic downturn better than most of its neighbors, in large part because of the fiscal prudence of the governor and the Republican legislature. But the lasting accomplishment is Right to Work, which will ensure worker freedom and economic growth for generations.

"While Pat Quinn's Illinois continues to tax and spend itself into oblivion at the behest of union bosses, Mitch Daniels' Indiana stands as an example for the entire Midwest.

"I also commend Speaker Brian Bosma, a true leader in this fight. His advocacy on behalf of Indiana workers and businesses suggests he has a bright future in Republican politics."

Indiana Dunes State Park

NetRightDaily: A Very Bad Week for Big Labor

National Right To Work Committee: NLRB's Speed-dialed Forced Unionism

Say Anything: Union enrollment declines nationally

Big Government: Double Reverse: Scott Walker Recall Petitions Finally Posted online

LaborUnionReport: Less Than 10% Of Union-Represented Employees Ever Voted To Be Unionized

Speaking of elections, the bar is open.

SHOT:

"Harkin To Introduce Bill To Help Middle Class Including One Provision From Failed EFCA Bill":

"Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, said Feb. 1 he plans to introduce in the coming weeks a comprehensive bill to help the middle class that includes at least one element from the Employee Free Choice Act (S. 560, H.R. 1409), which died in the previous Congress. Addressing the annual legislative-political conference of the Communications Workers of America, Harkin received thunderous applause when he told delegates that he will 'continue to work to pass EFCA.'" ("Harkin To Introduce Bill To Help Middle Class Including One Provision From Failed EFCA Bill," Daily Labor Report, 2/1/2012)

CHASER:

Senator Michael Bennet Opposes EFCA:

"Rapid-fire debate questions flushed surprising answers from Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet and Republican Ken Buck tonight, with Bennet opposing a treasured union bill … After more than a year of equivocating on the Employee Free Choice Act, which would greatly ease union organizing, Bennet said: 'I would not support the language in that bill.'" (Michael Booth, "Surprising Responses In Rat-Attack-Tat Debate Between Bennet, Buck," The Denver Post, 10/11/10)

Senator Joe Manchin Opposes EFCA:

"Manchin said he does not support removing the secret ballot provision for workers, and that government has no place in dictating labor contracts. Manchin called the secret ballot vote 'the most precious thing you own.' 'I've said publicly that ... we must retain the secrecy of the ballot. It’s your vote, and only you should have knowledge of how you do that,' he said. Another provision of the proposed card check law calls for a government arbitrator to resolve contractual disputes between a company and a union. 'My response to that is that the government has no right to be involved in contractual disputes between an organizing body and the company they are working with,' Manchin commented. 'That's why you have collective bargaining. You sit down and bargain. 'Once you ratify and certify that you recognize the bargaining, then you sit down and work your contract out. Government should not be involved.'" (Joselyn King, "Manchin Distances Self From Obama," Wheeling News-Register, 10/9/10)

Harkin, in my opinion, is a lapdog for the unions.

Technorati tags: Harkin iowa senate unions news organized labor card check politics Democrats gop Republican unions organized labor jobs economy law legal business nlrb

Occupy occtrocities: Queer Occupy Wall Street edition

2012-02-02T10:09:00.005-06:00

There is Occupy Wall Street and then there is Queer Occupy Wall Street. The latter will be protesting the Human Rights Commission in New York on Saturday.

Also, on the same night those peaceful protesters in Oakland will have another "F*ck the Police" rally.

If you have a spare toilet, send it to Fairbanks, Alaska.

As always, I have reports on evictions and arrests.

Act on Principles: Queer Occupy Wall Street to protest HRC's NYC gala at the Waldorf Astoria
Weasel Zippers: Occupy Oakland announces new "Fuck the Police" protest…
Mrs. Marathon Pundit left the Soviet Union to get away from May Day. Take the Square: Spring is coming – US Occupy call for a general strike on May 1
Washington Post: Occupy DC's 'tent of dreams' still standing. Not everyone is happy.
Daily Caller: Conservatives to Occupy DC: 'We're taking back the park!'
NBC 4 Washington: NPS asks Occupy to remove tarp
Miami Herald: Occupy Miami returns to eviction site to ponder next move
ABC (Australia) News: Six arrested in Occupy Sydney dawn raid
Kennebec Journal: Portland will order Occupy protesters to vacate
NewsChannel 5: Proposed law could oust Occupy Nashville
San Francisco Chronicle: Occupy goes from conversation to violence
The Other McCain: California broke, blames Redmond, threatens #Occupy road trip in the name of 'Fairness'
Honolulu Star-Advertiser: City tells Occupy Honolulu protesters to pack up tents
Big Government: Why Geezers are Occupy Wall Street's true enemy
Weasel Zippers: Occupy Oakland now "aquapying" Lake Merritt…
Edmonton Journal: Protesters told they can't Occupy U of A campus
Radio New Zealand: Most want Occupy protests to end
The Blaze: Super Bowl protests & Occupy allies: Big Labor debates whether to shoot itself in the foot
Des Moines Register: Six Occupy protesters now serving time
AP: Occupy Fairbanks loses toilet but continues protest
WSOC-TV: CMPD spent nearly $500,000 covering occupy Charlotte
Buffalo Business First: Occupy Buffalo bulldozed out of Niagara Square
FrontPageMag: The Occupy movement turns on its religious supporters
The people united will never be divided. Huffington Post: Occupy Movement divided over confrontational tactics, after Oakland street battle
Sigmund, Carl, and Alfred: An Occupy movement we can all live with
American Power Blog: Occupy Wall Street: The communist movement reborn

Technorati tags: left wing extremists current events socialism occupywallstreet culture new york city crime communism law legal gay

Nevada prostitutes donate their tips to Ron Paul campaign; "Pimpin' for Paul"

2012-02-02T09:00:00.006-06:00

Libertarianism attracts all types. Which explains why Nevada prostitutes are donating their tips to the Ron Paul campaign.

From Bloomberg:

A poker player helped rent a billboard, a Mormon spreads the word at root beer socials and prostitutes at a famous brothel turn tricks and donate their customers' tips -- all for Ron Paul.

The 76-year-old, 12-term Texas Republican congressman is banking on a big showing at the Feb. 4 Nevada caucuses to boost his third presidential primary bid. His message of personal liberty, states' rights and low taxes resonates with voters in the state, where prostitution is legal, gambling is widespread and the foreclosure rate has been the highest in the nation for five years, according to RealtyTrac.

More...

At the BunnyRanch, customers who say they are "Pimpin' for Paul" get extra attention, Hof said, and some of the women ask clients for Paul donations. Many, like Hustler centerfold Cami Parker, 25, also donate tips.

"I really appreciate the fact that Ron Paul respects states' rights and individual rights," Parker said in a telephone interview. "It seems like he really understands our rights to do what we want."

In addition to legalizing prostitution, the Texas congressman favors making heroin legal.

To post this entry on Twitter or Facebook, click on one of the links on the left.

Technorati tags: politics Republican gop news conservative ron paul

Crossroads ad again rips Solyndra and crony capitalism

2012-02-02T08:35:00.001-06:00

Crossroads GPS once again skewers crony capitalist Solyndra--which wasted $562 million in stimulus funds on unproven green energy.

Technorati tags: politics news Democrats california Barack Obama Obama jobs economy environment climate change global warming green cronyism crony capitalism

Not just Keystone...Obama's war on oil in Alaska

2012-02-01T22:36:00.001-06:00

President Obama's war on oil isn't just limited to blocking the Keystone XL pipeline.

From an op-ed by David Holt in the Washington Examiner:

Indeed, we could have easily telegraphed Obama's decision by looking to Alaska where similar decisions have stymied efforts to develop resources in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas.

There, Obama sacrificed the ability to produce safely nearly 1.4 million barrels of oil a day to appease special interest groups that have misused the federal administrative process to stop exploration of the Arctic at every turn.

In spite of nearly four years of review confirming the project's safety, Obama imposed an arbitrary, and highly political, stoppage time in Shell's conditional permit.

The"approval" advanced by Obama ignores both science and the safety equipment Shell will bring to the region and amounts to a 40 percent reduction in time allowed for exploration work.

Technorati tags: politics economy Drill here, drill now government energy news

Report from the bloggers' call with Sen, Johnny Isakson on privatizing Fannie and Freddie

2012-02-01T19:10:00.003-06:00

Isakson

Four years after the housing crash showed us that this sector of our economy was made of straw--well, it still is. One of the villains of this disaster was government-chartered Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which are now under federal conservatorship.

In President Bush's Decision Points, he said that one of his justifications for bailing Fannie and Freddie out is that some foreign investors assumed that the pair were insured by the feds.

Stupidity should not be a protected behavior.

For now we are stuck with them. But Johnny Isakson (R-GA), who held a bloggers' conference call this afternoon, wants to divest ourselves of Fannie and Freddie by first transitioning them into a new entity that would have a 10-year life, called the Mortgage Finance Agency. Board members of this panel would be appointed by the president--and yes, the Senate would have to confirm them.

How is that bailout going? Our losses "approach $171 billion and climbing."

A natural criticism of the Georgian's bill, which is formally called the Mortgage Finance Act of 2011, is that the federal government won't be immediately out of the mortgage business when the bill is put into law. But things aren't that simple, Isakson warns, because Fannie and Freddie are dealing with 30-year mortgages.

"It's a bridge from where we are to where we want to be," Isakson summarized.

Foreclosed Fannie Mae home,
Morton Grove, IL

His bill will set up tough lending standards and establish a sinking fund to retired the debt.

A few hours earlier, President Obama offered his plan, not his first, to assist underwater homeowners. Curiously, Fannie and Freddie were not mentioned by the president. While the bailout is a Bush-holdover--or is it hangover?--the firms have long been cozy with Democratic politicians. They were practicing crony capitalism before most people had heard of it.

I asked Isakson a question about Obama's speech. While he is awaiting the details of the president's proposal, he favors the refinancing of underwater loans for those Americans who are making payments and are current on their loans, which was the central point of Obama's address. But he was disappointed Fannie and Freddie were omitted. "I think the president continues to miss the mark," Isakson bemoaned, "because as everyone really knows that's the 800 pound gorilla in the living room that we've got to deal with."

There are other bills that also lay out a roadmap for privatizing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac--and Isakson is willing to take the best of all of them to remove that gorilla from the living room.

Technorati tags: politics gop economy business isakson johnny isakson georgia georgia politics real estate cronyism crony capitalism

Higher ed bubble update: 3 recent grads of law school suing over allegation of post-grad employment rate figures fibbing

2012-02-01T16:41:00.001-06:00

Another update on the higher education bubble.

At least these three plaintiffs have a working understanding of the legal system.

From the Chicago Tribune:

Three graduates of John Marshall Law School in Chicago sued the university Wednesday over claims that it inflated its post-graduate employment information to attract students.

"By publishing false and misleading employment data, John Marshall creates an impression of bountiful employment opportunity that in reality does not exist, and convinces plaintiffs and the putative class members to take on substantial debt to finance their JMLS education," the lawsuit said.

Joseph Reyes, one of the plaintiffs, graduated in May and has still not found permanent legal employment, according to the suit. He has been making ends meet by taking temporary, contract assignments reviewing documents, the suit said.

I'm very interested to view the lawsuit--did these three pass the bar exam?

If the suit fails, they can always enroll at Roosevelt University, which is a few blocks away from Marshall, so they can learn how to protest.

Related post:

Chicago's Roosevelt University offers "Occupy Everywhere" course

Technorati tags: law legal college Chicago Illinois illinois politics

NLRB overreach: Rand Paul edition

2012-02-01T14:01:00.005-06:00

Middlesboro, Kentucky

Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) wants to challenge President Obama's illegal recess appointments.

From Politico:

Sen. Rand Paul is joining a legal challenge to President Barack Obama's recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board.

The Kentucky Republican appears to be the first sitting senator to legally object to the Jan. 4 appointments that drew fire from congressional Republicans, who say the president overstepped constitutional boundaries by installing three members to the labor board and Richard Cordray to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

"With the recent recess appointments, President Obama has circumvented our Constitution and showed complete disregard for the separation of powers," Paul said in a statement Tuesday. "He has demonstrated once again that he is willing to treat the office of the presidency like a dictatorship."

Paul said he plans to file a friend-of-the-court brief backing legal action by the National Federation for Independent Business and the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation. The groups filed court claims on Jan. 13 arguing that the NLRB appointments are unconstitutional.

Writing for The Hill, the Workforce Fairness Institutes's Fred Wszolek:

Over the course of the last three years, President Obama has waged a rhetorical campaign against special interests and their influence in Washington DC, while at the same time spearheading an effort to deliver unprecedented giveaways to his largest and most influential campaign contributor, labor bosses.

The heads of unions have been the most frequent visitors to the White House and they have openly bragged about having access to administration officials every day of the week, including weekends. They have also candidly spoken about using administrative agencies full of unelected bureaucrats to create policies that they have been unable to move forward in the Congress due to their lack of popularity with workers and business owners.

At every step of the way, this president has ceded to big labor's demands and sacrificed the interests of employees and employers as he travels the country extoling the importance of job creation and economic growth. For those who feel deep uncertainty about the state of the nation’s economy or threatened by the edicts handed down by the National Labor Relations Board, the administration's conduct has been breathtaking from two perspectives, the breadth of its hypocrisy and outright resentment for the business sector.

That ultimately leaves job creators with few places to turn outside Congress and the courts. With respect to the latter, business groups such as the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, Coalition for a Democratic Workplace and National Federation of Independent Businesses have already sought to challenge the legality of the recent non-recess appointments of Richard Griffin and Sharon Block to the National Labor Relations Board made by President Obama while the Congress was still convening regularly and even though the nominees had only been named weeks prior. Secondly, as Obama's labor board issues decisions on matters, there will be additional legal challenges questioning the constitutional authority of board members who were placed on the National Labor Relations Board despite the fact the Congress had not recessed.

Pittsburgh Tribune Review:

Piling outrage upon outrage, the National Labor Relations Board is operating with new members appointed unconstitutionally -- and trying to tilt the playing field even further in Big Labor's favor.

President Obama flouted separation of powers by making "recess" appointments to the NLRB while the Senate -- where Republicans had vowed to block new NLRB appointees -- was not in recess.

"We presume the constitutionality of the president's appointments, and we go forward based on that understanding," says Mark Pearce, NLRB chairman and -- surprise! -- union lawyer.

The NLRB's already hastened workplace elections, denying employers sufficient time to educate employees. Now, Mr. Pearce wants employers facing workplace elections to give unions not just employees' names and addresses -- as has long been required -- but their home phone numbers and e-mail addresses, too.

Later today Indiana will become the nation's 23rd right-to-work state. Jeff Jacoby in the Boston Globe writes about RTW:

Most Americans regard compulsory unionism as unconscionable. In a new Rasmussen survey, 74 percent of likely voters say non-union workers should not have to pay dues against their will. Once upon a time, labor movement giants like Samuel Gompers, a founder of the American Federation of Labor, agreed. "I want to urge devotion to the fundamentals of human liberty - the principles of voluntarism," declared Gompers in his last speech to the AFL in 1924. "No lasting gain has ever come from compulsion."

But far from rejecting compulsion, Big Labor now fights tooth and nail to defend it. And no wonder: Unions have long since squandered the affection of the American public. In the years right after World War II, more than one-third of the US workforce was unionized; now the union membership rate is just 11.8 percent, and most of those members are government employees. In the productive economy, Americans continue to flee from organized labor. Last year only 6.9 percent of workers at private companies belonged to unions.

So as a matter of by-any-means-necessary expediency, it is easy to understand why Big Labor long ago embraced what liberal scholar Robert Reich (later Bill Clinton's secretary of labor) dubbed "the necessity for coercion." In order “to maintain themselves," Reich said in 1985, “unions have got to have some ability to strap their members to the mast." Or, as Don Corleone might have put it, to make them an offer they can't refuse.

But is there any ethical reason - any honorable basis - for the union shop?

After decades of domination by Big Labor, Michigan is taking a new path.

From the Detroit News:

A House committee on Tuesday passed a package of labor reform bills blasted by critics as anti-union measures.

The legislation would add county and municipal employees to the law that prohibits public school teachers from striking and set steep fines for public sector strikes and lockouts.

Michigan's Upper Peninsula
The bills also would make it easier for employers to get an injunction to stop picketing and require employers to get annual permission from employees to deduct union dues from their paychecks.

The package approved by the House Oversight, Reform and Ethics Committee, chaired by Rep. Tom McMillin, R-Rochester Hills, would have to be passed by the full House and Senate and be signed into law by Gov. Rick Snyder.

Here's a rarity--a victory over red tape at the federal level.

From the Wall Street Journal:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture withdrew a proposal to change its procurement contracts after business groups raised concerns it would increase their labor headaches.

The groups said the proposed change would have unfairly required businesses with USDA contracts to certify that their subcontractors and suppliers are in compliance with labor laws, a mandate they called a burdensome and impossible task that runs counter to President Barack Obama's vow to curb excess regulation.

A spokesman for the USDA, which spends billions of dollars annually to procure such things as commodities for its school lunch and international food aid programs, said Tuesday that the agency has decided against making the new rule effective on Feb. 29 as originally proposed.

Instead, the USDA said it is reviewing complaints received about its idea from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, among other trade groups. The USDA didn't rule out resubmitting a revised version of the proposal at a later date.

Good tidings from Virginia via the Washington Times:

The Virginia House and Senate on Tuesday voted to ban mandatory project labor agreements on state-funded construction projects, a move proponents argue will help protect the state’s right-to-work laws and create a level playing field in contract bidding.

The Republican-led House approved its version of the bill on a 69-27 vote, and the Senate deadlocked on the measure 20-20.

Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, a Republican, cast the tiebreaking vote in favor of the legislation — his first tiebreaking vote on legislation this session. He also cast a tiebreaking vote to organize the Senate last month.

"Public dollars should not be diverted to projects involving Project Labor Agreements that favor union shops over merit shops," Mr. Bolling said in a statement. "This critical legislation protects our right-to-work law and continues to promote a pro-business environment."

The NLRB had a double dipper. But now he's headed to prison.

The Washington Post:

At a time when people are having trouble finding even one job, Jeffrey K. Armstrong of South Riding, Va. was able to find two full-time jobs — one at the United Nations in New York and another at the National Labor Relations Board here in Washington.

Armstrong, sentenced Friday to 18 months in federal prison for his fraudulent endeavors, managed to snag a job in 2008 as the U.N. assistant chief of the Security and Safety Service, “responsible for all physical security at U.N. facilities,” the Justice Department said. That paid about $160,000 a year.

Then in February 2009, after almost a year at the United Nations, he got a second job here at the NLRB as a chief of security within the division of administration. That paid about $121,000. (That’s some serious double-dipping.)

Armstrong somehow "dissuaded" NLRB officials from contacting his U.N. supervisor and filed for medical leave at the United Nations even though he was working at the NLRB, the Justice Department said.

More:

NetRightDaily: Senate Should Block All Nominations Until Fake 'Recess' Appointments Resign

Big Government: Big Labor Fail: Forced-Dues Coming to an End in Indiana

Big Government: Disgust with Local Teachers Union Drives One New York Parent to Run for School Board

Illinois Review: Emanuel Sets Off Chicago Teachers Union Over Education Video Comments

Free Enterprise: Recess Appointments Actually Weaken CFPB and NLRB

Related posts:

Video: Chicago Teachers Union organizer welcomes Occupy Chicago to new home

New film narrated by Juan Williams rips Chicago Teachers Union

Indiana legislature passes right-to-work, governor to sign into law today

Technorati tags: education labor unions politics news Illinois chicago democrat illinois politics chicago politics democrats chicago teachers union left wing extremists current events michigan michigan politics organized labor Obama Barack Obama gop Congress

Indiana legislature passes right-to-work, governor to sign into law today

2012-02-01T12:39:00.002-06:00

There is good news this afternoon for Indiana job creators. The state Senate there passed a right-to-work bill moments ago, which Governor Mitch Daniels will sign into law later today.

Meanwhile, my state, Illinois, continues to kowtow to Big Labor and imagine that we are living in the 1930s.

The trickle of jobs from Illinois to the Hoosier State will soon become a flood.

UPDATE 2:20pm CST: Daniels just signed the bill into law.

Technorati tags: Illinois illinois politics Patrick Quinn pat quinn taxes business right to work unions news jobs economy organized labor indiana gop Republican indiana politics Indiana

Roskam on State of the State: Quinn tax hike failed

2012-02-01T11:18:00.004-06:00

Governor Pat Quinn's so-called temporary income tax has failed on multiple levels. As for unpaid bills, Illinois is still has an $8 billion backlog of unpaid bills. And look at this chart from US Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL), the Chief Deputy Whip, which shows unemployment has gone up since that lame duck session 13 months ago when the Prairie State's personal income tax was hiked by 67 percent and corporate income taxes were hiked by 46 percent.

Illinois is red. The blue states border Illinois. Look at us, we are hemorrhaging jobs.

We are going the wrong way.

In 45 minutes, Quinn will present his State of the State address. The state of the state is not sound.

Click here to "Like" the Roskam chart on Facebook.

Technorati tags: business economy government politics Peoria Caterpillar illinois politics Illinois Patrick Quinn Democrats democrat dupage county peter roskam news Republican gop Congress

Occupy occtrocities: Forgery and larceny edition

2012-02-01T09:42:00.001-06:00

Veterans Honor Roll, Henry, Illinois

The fallout from Occupy Oakland continues to settle. But you can learn all about that and more if you enroll at Roosevelt University in Chicago and take the "Occupy Everywhere" course.

In Syracuse police arrested a man suspected of forgery and larceny.

And in Minnesota, a supporter of the Occupy movement wants a "We Support Our Troops" banner taken down.

I even have a post about transgender occupiers.

Syracuse.com: Forgery, larceny suspect arrested at Occupy Syracuse encampment
Weasel Zippers: Hazmat called after Occupy Charlotte protesters used storm drain as a toilet…
Miami Herald: Police in riot gear close down Occupy Miami site
San Francisco Chronicle: 12 with Occupy told to stay away from City Hall
DCist: Man sick of Occupy D.C. tries to cut down big tent, fails
NetRightDaily: Bye bye, Occupy?
All American Blogger: Chris Matthews inadvertently exposes why elitists fear the Tea Party, support #OWS
I say the future. Christian Science Monitor: Occupy Wall St. nonviolence: Is Oakland the exception or the future?
The Blaze: Occupy supporter demands 'We support our troops' sign be taken down from MN building
Village Voice: Occupy Wall Street journalist Tim Pool hit by masked man last night
Stuff NZ: Occupy Wellington protesters arrested
New Zealand Herald: Molotov cocktail allegedly found at former Occupy Wellington site
Good God. Guardian: Occupy London's eviction is a failure for the church, not the camp
WGRZ-TV: Occupy Buffalo contract set to expire
Salon: Rahm's Chicago crackdown aims at Occupy
Big Government: What's next? Occupy the Super Bowl, of course
Really? San Diege Gay and Lesbian News: Transgender Americans may face increased risk of mistreatment in Occupy crackdowns
Urban Infidel: OWS street graffiti: Be the crisis
Gothamist: Grand Central drowns out Occupy Wall Street protesters with train announcements
FreedomWorks: Tea Party 3.0: Occupy the establishment
Texas Fred: Occupy protest rekindles debate about flag-burning
Say Anything: The occupiers are thugs and criminals, not protesters and demonstrators
Daily Caller: Speaking of violence: it's "largely peaceful" when occupiers commit it
Occupy Arrests: 6,464 arrests

Related post:

Chicago's Roosevelt University offers "Occupy Everywhere" course

Technorati tags: left wing extremists current events socialism occupywallstreet culture new york city crime communism law legal

A year ago today: Chicago's big blizzard

2012-02-01T08:23:00.000-06:00

One year ago today a 20 inch blizzard swept through the Chicago area. Below you will find my posts about meteorological marvel.

Blizzard 2011 photos, Morton Grove, Illinois

More Morton Grove 2011 blizzard pics

Technorati tags: Chicago Illinois Morton Grove weather Chicago Illinois snow

Chicago's Roosevelt University offers "Occupy Everywhere" course

2012-01-31T22:54:00.005-06:00

Roosevelt's Loop campus, October 10, 2010

One of my teachers at Carl Sandburg High School in Orland Park, Illinois, Donald Steinhardt, once confided in class that he almost wasn't hired there because his alma mater, Roosevelt University, "was a little pink," in the words of a school board member. Pink as in pinko, meaning communist.

Well it was a lot pink--and apparently it still is. Although I'm glad Consolidated School District 230 offered him the job--he was one of the best teachers I had.

The Chicago Loop campus of Roosevelt, home of "Progressive Learning," which ironically is across the street from the spot in Grant Park where Occupy Chicago failed to set up a tent city, will be offering an Occupy class this semester.

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

Thirty-two undergrads are enrolled this semester in "Occupy Everywhere," a three credit political science course offered at Roosevelt University that takes a look at the movement and the issue of social inequality in the United States.

"I study social movements and this was something unfolding right in front of us," said Jeff Edwards, who is teaching the class. "We can take advantage of being in Chicago."

Last fall, Edwards watched Occupy Chicago's General Assembly gather outside his classroom to meet in Grant Park. The idea for the course was born, though he first wanted to make sure the movement had some staying power.

Students will read the Occupy Gazette, the movement's newspaper, and attend General Assembly meetings. Occupy Chicago leaders may present guest lectures.

New York University (NYU) is also offering an Occupy course. And for a brief spell, Columbia University was planning an Occupy movement class but administrators evicted the idea. The Ivy League school isn't as progressive as Roosevelt or NYU, I guess.

The Roosevelt course ends just before the G8/NATO summits in Chicago. The Sun-Times says students aren't required to join the leftist movement, but two admitted occupiers have signed up for Occupy Everywhere.

I can't think of a goofier way to waste student loan money. The higher education bubble continues to be strained.

Oh, Professor Edwards: I'd like to be one of your guest lecturers. If he's still alive, Donald Steinhardt will vouch for me. Among the topics in his class at Sandburg was--and I'm not making this up--Theater of the Absurd.

Technorati tags: Politics Chicago Illinois illinois politics occupychicago left wing extremists current events socialism occupywallstreet chicago politics college education chicago southland orland park

NAT GAS Act naturally bad

2012-01-31T20:19:00.004-06:00

Americans for Prosperity argues, rightly in my opinion, that Congress needs to focus on simplifying our tax code, not picking winners and losers. Last spring a Republican and a Democratic member of the House introduced H.R. 1380, the NAT GAS Act. It proposes the expansion of tax breaks--and creating some new ones--for the sale, production, and the conversion of natural gas-powered vehicles.

We're not talking nickles and dimes. According to the Heritage Foundation, among those breaks are a $64,000 tax credit for each natural gas-powered truck and $100,000 for each fueling station.

AFP composed an open letter to Congress about this boondoggle, which you can read here.

Who could be a major beneficiary of this crony capitalism valentine?

Leftist gazillionaire George Soros is one, and another über-rich guy, T. Boone Pickens, who was blowing wind power down our throats four years ago, is another.

UPDATE February 2: John Sullivan is the Republican who introduced the NAT GAS Act, and he is the recipient of a $4,800 campaign contribution from Pickens.

Technorati tags: Democrats politics economy government energy crony capitalism

Romney projected winner in Florida Primary

2012-01-31T19:02:00.001-06:00

Kennedy Space Center

Fox News is projecting that Mitt Romney will win the Florida Primary--the former Massachusetts wins all 50 of the Sunshine State's 50 delegates.

Newt Gingrich is expected to finish second, with Rick Santorum taking third, and Ron Paul in last among the active candidates.

Florida's Republican Primary is a closed race--Democrats and independents cannot cast a ballot.

Technorati tags: elections Politics news conservative florida politics florida republicans newt gingrich

NLRB overreach: Usurping edition

2012-01-31T15:35:00.003-06:00

Stone City, Iowa

Did President Obama usurp powers from the Senate with his so-called recess appointments? Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) thinks so.

From the Daily Caller:

Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley accused President Obama of dictatorial behavior in a floor statement Thursday, saying that his recess appointments were not the first acts he has taken to circumvent the constitutional system of checks and balances.

"President Obama's decision to bypass the constitutional advice and consent of the Senate is not an isolated incident," Grassley said, according to prepared remarks. "It is merely the latest escalation in a pattern of contempt for the elected representatives of the American people and the constitutional separation of powers."

Obama appointed Richard Cordray as the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau while the Senate was in recess, after the Senate indicated that they would not confirm his nomination.

Grassley accused the president of "usurping legislative powers" by overriding and working around Congress when possible. This, Grassley argues, is in violation of the Constitution.

It's hard to believe, but Michigan is considering right-to-work legislation. However, however, of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, only the Great Lake State lost population in the last decade.

From the Detroit Free Press:

Another skirmish is expected today at the Capitol in an intensifying battle between the forces of management and labor in Michigan.

But as a Republican-controlled House committee prepares to pass four bills to weaken unions, many on both sides await a fight seen as the main event -- legislation to establish right to work in Michigan.

The push for a right to work law -- under which no one could be required to financially support a union as a condition of employment -- gained momentum this month when a similar measure won partial approval in Indiana. The Hoosier state is expected to become the first industrial Midwest state to approve such a bill, which awaits final approval of the Senate and Gov. Mitch Daniels.

Ahd what about Indiana?

ABC 7 Chicago:

An Indiana Senate committee has passed a right-to-work bill, and Governor Mitch Daniels says he is ready to sign the bill once it clears the full senate.

The bill is expected to clear the senate on Wednesday.

The right-to-work bill is controversial. Protesters were on hand at Indiana's state capitol for Monday's committee vote.

Indiana could be a right-to-work state as early as Wednesday. 22 states are already right-to-work states.

Which brings me to Illinois. From the Washington Examiner:

Folks in Springfield, Ill., witnessed a bizarre scene two years ago. Thousands protested outside the Capitol, chanting: "Raise my taxes! Raise my taxes! Raise my taxes!"
Springfield, Illinois
Who protests for higher taxes?

Government unions do. The American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees helped organize the rally.

This is the new face of the union movement. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported this past Friday that union rates fell again last year. Fewer than one of every eight Americans now belong to unions.

The National Mediation Board bar is open!

SHOT:

Unions Say Workers' Rights Curtailed Under FAA Funding Deal

CHASER:

Union: ‘We Can Live Within’ Labor Rules In FAA Funding Compromise

Transportation Union Blesses Deal On FAA

More on the Employee Rights Act from the Washington Times:

When Congress approved the National Labor Relations Act (aka the Wagner Act) in 1935, it reformed and updated federal labor law to reflect the harsh realities of the American workplace at the mid-point of the Great Depression. Thanks to the Wagner Act, the labor movement was so strengthened that when union membership in the private sector of the economy reached its apogee in 1953, great industries like steel, railroads, autos and mining were dominated by Big Labor. But even then, barely more than a third of all private sector workers were union members. By the time the 21st century dawned, fewer than 10 percent of private sector workers belonged to unions.

It's been a different story in the public sector, which has been fertile ground for powerhouse unions, including the American Federation of Government Employees, National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers, and American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Today, these Big Labor giants represent nearly 40 percent of all public employees and make up more than half of all unionized workers in the country. Being unionized puts these public employees in adversarial relationships with the taxpayers who fund their paychecks.

Only 23 states have right-to-work laws that protect workers who choose not to join unions, and federal employees are not even covered by these laws. The result is effectively a union shop for most public workplaces. But before unions win over a majority of government workers, Congress should quickly pass new legislation to update federal labor laws and regulations, much as the Wagner Act did in 1935. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Rep. Tim Scott, R-S.C., have introduced just such a bill, the Employee Rights Act of 2012.

Workforce Fairness Institute: WFI Issues Comment Concerning Department Of Agriculture Labor Law Violations Rule Change

LaborUnionReport: #OccupyAFL-CIO? #OccupyDC Loads Up, Heads For AFL-CIO's HQ

OpenMarket: Michigan SEIU Scam the Product of Government Collective Bargaining

FreedomWorks: FreedomWorks, Dick Armey, Jim DeMint to Participate in Spartanburg Rally for School Choice on February 2nd

Technorati tags: michigan michigan politics Politics news labor unions organized labor Obama Barack Obama gop Congress

From the SRCC: Reminder about Obama and his promise on the deficit

2012-01-31T14:27:00.000-06:00

Yes, Candidate Obama promised to cut the deficit in half in four years.

From the Senate Republican Communications Center:

Reminder
President Obama Once Pledged To Cut The Deficit In Half By The End Of His First Term

PRESIDENT OBAMA: “And that's why today I'm pledging to cut the deficit we inherited in half by the end of my first term in office.” (President Barack Obama, Remarks At The Fiscal Responsibility Summit, Washington, D.C., 2/23/09)

REALITY: ‘CBO Projects A $1.1 Trillion Federal Budget Deficit’ For 2012

“CBO projects a $1.1 trillion federal budget deficit for fiscal year 2012 if current laws remain unchanged.” (“The Budget And Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2012 To 2022,” Congressional Budget Office, 1/31/12)

“If the CBO estimate is correct, it would mean that the United States recorded a deficit of more than $1 trillion for every year of Obama’s first term. The deficit was $1.4 trillion in 2009, $1.3 trillion in 2010 and $1.3 trillion in 2011. The largest deficit recorded before that was $458 billion in 2008.” (“CBO Projects $1.08T Deficit, Higher Unemployment,” The Hill, 1/31/12)

Technorati tags: Politics Republican gop Senate Democrats Barack Obama Obama economy

Occupy occtrocities: Throwing condoms at Catholic school girls edition

2012-01-31T11:05:00.005-06:00

St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, Calumet, Michigan

Another bountiful harvest of occotrocities today. Not content with rioting, murder, topless dancing, arson, and thousands of arrests, the Occupy movement continues to lower itself. In New England some occupiers threw condoms at Catholic school girls at a pro-life rally.

I also have quite a bit about Saturday's Oakland Occupy mayhem.

Will Chicago top Oakland in May when the G8/NATO summit convenes?

And would you believe that one out of five Americans haven't heard of Occupy Wall Street?

Today brings you a record 45 occtrocities.

LifeSiteNews: Occupy Wall Street protesters throw condoms, drown out speakers at Rhode Island pro-life rally
iOwnTheWorld: Occupy Wall Street is about economics, right?
Say Anything: If you threw bacon at a Muslim you'd be called a racist
Gateway Pundit: #Occupy goons disrupt first-ever March for Life youth rally (Video)
Newark Post: UD survey indicates that 1 in 5 Americans unaware of Occupy Wall St. movement
Shouldn't all of them oppose it? San Francisco Chronicle: Occupy Oakland protesters split over violence
Weasel Zippers: Hapless Oakland mayor to ask "national" Occupy Wall Street leaders to help stop violent Oakland occupiers…
Hot Air: Occupy support drops more than 20 points in … San Francisco?
Daily Beast: Occupy Oakland's violent turn proves the movement has lost its way
Marooned in Marin: Debbie Wasserman Schultz refuses to apologize for slandering Tea Party, while Occupy Oakland comrades burn US Flag at City Hall & commit murder
Gateway Pundit: White House refuses to condemn #Occupy violence, deaths and mass destruction (Video)
CNN: Occupy DC camps remain as deadline passes
Daily Caller: Occupy DC protester: 'Michelle Fields is a c—!' [VIDEO]
Pundit and Pundette: Park Service's non-eviction of Occupy DC a success
Big Government: White House backs US Park Police in Occupy conflict–calls tolerance of protesters "appropriate"
Big Government: Martin Luther King's family halts Occupy event at Atlanta Memorial Center
Des Moines Register: Camping over for Occupy Des Moines
BBC: Bristol's College Green clean-up begins after Occupy eviction
BBC: Men arrested in Occupy London UBS bank eviction
Scotsman: Occupy protesters told stint at the Meadows will be short
Irish Times: Occupy Cork group leaves building after court move
World Socialist Web Site: Forty arrested at Cape Town Occupy
WVEC-TV: Norfolk considers ban on overnight camping on public property
Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Seattle woman marries warehouse, the world makes jokes
It was an unmarried building. Verum Serum: Occupy vandals trash Seattle Wells Fargo branch
Goofy. 10News: Members of Occupy SD attempt to arrest Mayor Sanders
Newsbusters: MSNBC 'Now' panel bemoans how Occupy movement's 'moral argument' has been drowned out
OWS Exposed: Masked occupiers attack NYC cops with bottles during nighttime march
Gateway Pundit: #Occupy protester strangles parents – stuffs their bodies in the back of the PT Cruiser
KCAU-TV: Protesters look for way to remain at Lincoln spot
Daily Iowan: Occupy Iowa City or the world's worst homeless shelter?
I thought it was about greed. Spin: Jesse Jackson ready to Occupy the Grammys over controversial cuts
ConservativeHQ: A comparison of the Occupy movement and the Tea Party
Philadelphia Daily News: Occupiers knock down Dilworth fence
The people united will never be divided. OccupyPhilly: Arturas T, Rosenbacher traitor of Occupy Chicago and Anonymous
Big Government: Adbusters tells occupiers to take to the streets of chicago a la 1968
RomanticPoet's Weblog: Will Rahm Emanuel control "Occupy Chicago" or will he send a message
LaborUnionReport: #OccupyAFL-CIO? #OccupyDC loads up, heads for AFL-CIO's HQ
GoUpstate: Police break up Occupy Charlotte tent city
Fox News should have arrested them. Washington Examiner: Occupy DC protesters make 'citizens' arrest' of Fox News van
PJ Media Belmont Club: Occupy Wall Street, Down Under style
Class warfare playing out. Lonely Conservative: Democrats warn "middle class will be history" if Obama not reelected
Weasel Zippers: Video: Top Democrats supporting Occupy Wall Street…
Weasel Zippers: Separated at birth?…
Occupy Arrests: 6,455 arrests

Related posts:

Exclusive: G8/NATO protest spokesman says Adbusters not calling shots for May rallies

Occupy church occtrocities: Urine on a cross, theft of holy vessel, throwing Bibles at cops

Technorati tags: left wing extremists current events socialism occupywallstreet
christianity culture faith religion new york city crime communism law legal ows catholic

Sign the WhiteHouse.gov petition against illegal recess appointments

2012-01-31T08:55:00.001-06:00

Since the White House is required to respond to any petition that receives 25,000 signatures, I recommend that you sign one at WhiteHouse.gov that calls for President Obama to rescind the four illegal recess appointments made earlier this month, including three to the National Labor Relations Board.

No one expects to change Obama'a mind, but let's at least force the hand of the White House and make the administration explain the so-called recess appointments.

Click here to sign--but before February 10.

Technorati tags: business news government politics labor unions nlrb

Exclusive: G8/NATO protest spokesman says Adbusters not calling shots for May rallies

2012-01-30T18:20:00.012-06:00

Occupy Chicago headquarters

On Friday Occupy Chicago held a press conference at their indoor headquarters in a loft inside an old factory on the city's South Side--and I was there.

And yes, leftist skeptics, not only did I RSVP for the presser, but I did so under my real name. Not all of my Occupy Wall Street reporting is covert.

This was a tedious self-assignment, I had to endure nearly 45 minutes of "99 percent this" and "1 percent" that. The latter bit of the conference did catch my interest--the "welcome" and "endorsement" statement from the Chicago Teachers Union that I reported on Saturday and the part about the G8/NATO Summit that will take place in mid-May about a mile away from the "OccuLoft."

A few moments before the
start of the press conference

Ahh...a mile away. What a coincidence. However, the city-authorized protest space will be at Daley Plaza in Chicago's Loop, which guarantees a traffic nightmare in downtown Chicago.

Speaking that day about the May protests was Eric Ruder, who I will return to in a couple of paragraphs.

Occupy Chicago, as with the rest of the Occupy movement, has roving targets for its rage. Protesting G8/NATO has been on its radar since at least late October. Liberal gadfly Andy Thayer, amidst cult-like chanting, barked out a demand for Mayor Rahm Emanuel to issue permits to the occupiers so they can "get within sight and sound of the G8 and NATO summits" at their Occupy City Hall rally two days before Halloween.

Last week the Canadian leftist magazine Adbusters, summoning the memory of the infamous 1968 Democratic convention riots, issued a call for 50,000 protesters to descend upon Chicago in May.

So when the press conference ended, I asked Ruder, "Is Adbusters calling the shots in regards to the G8/NATO protests?" His reply was a simple, "No."

Occupy Chicago wall poster

He said this movement is being led by the "Coalition Against NATO/G8 War & Poverty Agenda," (CANG8) which Ruder says is "an umbrella organization that was founded before Occupy Chicago." He added, "An introductory meeting was held in August." He's a spokesman for them.

This will be the first G8/NATO summit to be held concurrently in 30 years. Past G8 summits have attracted thousands of protesters for rallies that turned into riots. In his press conference statement, Ruder asserted the non-violent goal of CANG8, but when I asked him about the violence of the previous G8 protests, he intimated to me that one of his concerns is that the Chicago Police could go "bananas."

What?

Occupy Chicago wall poster

Ruder, who was quite pleasant with me--even after I identified myself as a conservative blogger, brought up a 2003 Chicago anti-war protest where hundreds of demonstrators were arrested and Lake Shore Drive was blocked. To this day there remains a lot of 'he said-she said' about this permit-less rally, but one stubborn fact jumps out. The protesters shut down the Drive. That road is a major Chicago thoroughfare--if you haven't been on it, think of it as a Chicago version of Franklin D. Roosevelt East River Drive in New York.

What if an ambulance needed to get through that night?

I just get the feeling--even though Ruder didn't say anything along these lines--that the G8/NATO protesters are looking for a confrontation. But he did say this, "We fear the aggressive police tactics we've seen in Chicago."

The Tea Party movement and the occupiers contrast in so many ways--I've written about those differences before and I don't see the need to repeat them in what is already a very long post. But here's another one: The Occupy movement has a big-time chip on its shoulder. For instance, look at that sign pictured above, it's on a wall inside the Occupy Chicago headquarters: "The government: Protecting and serving the shit out of you."

I've been to four Occupy Chicago rallies--although only one of those had mass arrests--and the cops were pussycats, in my opinion.

Adding to the suspicions of Ruder and other G8 protesters/occupiers is a post by Second City Cop, an anonymous Chicago Police blogger, which was completely misinterpreted by a WBBM-AM reporter who assumed he was advocating in favor of his fellow officers covering their name badges in electrical tape while on duty at G8/NATO. Odd thing: Second City Cop didn't write anything along those lines.

I expect riots in May, but not the Rodney King/Los Angeles variety, but more along the lines of what occurred in Oakland two days ago. Small, but horrible. The troublemakers could be anarchists who've never heard of CANG8, but hey, riots are part of the G8 experience.

As for the Occupy movement, one of their chants is "The people united will never be divided," but when what I call occtrocities happen, they are quick to point the finger and proclaim, "They're not with us." You can't have it both ways, folks.

But Ruder says he doesn't want violence--and I take him at his word. And if there is no violence, well, then he will receive my praise.

As for the loft, it's just an office. No one will be sleeping there, organizers say.

Related posts:

Video: Chicago Teachers Union organizer welcomes Occupy Chicago to new home

Exclusive Occupy Chicago video: Arrests on LaSalle Street

From RebelPundit:

Occupy Chicago eyes headquarters in striking distance of G8/NATO summits

It's official: #OccupyChicago feeble pawns of the NATO/G8 uprising

Technorati tags: Politics Chicago Illinois illinois politics occupychicago left wing extremists current events socialism occupywallstreet chicago politics Rahm Emanuel g8

Oakland: 'Occupier' accused of strangling parents

2012-01-30T15:21:00.000-06:00

Wow...the occtrocities keep piling up.

From Fox Nation: 'Occupier' Accused of Strangling Parents.

Co-workers said Poff and Kamin were having some arguments with their son, some of it having to do with him spending too much time in the Occupy Oakland encampment, but nothing that sounded beyond the scope of typical teenage rebelliousness.

Technorati tags: politics left wing extremists current events occupywallstreet business ows crime California san francisco oakland

Gambling with taxpayer cash: Another green stimulus flop

2012-01-30T14:42:00.001-06:00

South Las Vegas Boulevard last month

Among the reasons I'm confident that President Obama will be defeated this fall is that I expect a steady procession of green firms that benefited from the $862 billion stimulus to experience serious setbacks. Something along the lines of Amonix, which delivered the third bit of green bad news in just a week.

From the Las Vegas Sun:

Gust seven months after California-based solar power company Amonix Inc. opened its largest manufacturing plant, in North Las Vegas, the company's contractor has laid off nearly two-thirds of its workforce.

Flextronics Industrial, the Singapore solar panel manufacturer that partnered with Amonix to staff the new $18 million, 214,000-square-foot plant, laid off about 200 of its 300-plus employees Tuesday.

More...

Amonix received a $5.9 million investment tax credit through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act in 2010, and another $12 million in private capital helped finance the plant.

Meanwhile the White House is blocking the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.

Crazy.

Technorati tags: government energy keystone xl news current affairs Democrats politics economy jobs Barack Obama Obama green environment

NLRB overreach: Utah senators edition

2012-01-30T13:13:00.003-06:00

I've reported on the Employee Rights Act before. Here is some more information on this bill.

From the Washington Times:

In an effort to loosen labor's grip on workers, two GOP lawmakers want legislation that would require workers to re-affirm the existence of their unions with new votes every three years.

Sen. Orrin G. Hatch of Utah and Rep. Tim Scott of South Carolina are pushing the Employee Rights Act that also would place limits on strikes, how fast a union can organize and how membership fees may be used to support political candidates. The bill has yet to receive a committee hearing in either chamber.

"It's neither anti-union, nor pro-employer," Mr. Hatch told The Washington Times. "It's pro-worker."

The move comes as unions are showing new signs of a turnaround in growth. The number of members spiked by about 50,000 workers to nearly 14.8 million in 2011, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That follows two years of declining membership, during which unions lost nearly 1.4 million workers.

The Salt Lake City Tribune reports on Utah's other senator.

President Barack Obama used his weekly address Saturday to rip Congress for blocking his nominees, focusing his ire on Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah.

Earlier in the week, Lee vowed to oppose all of the president's picks for open judicial and federal positions to protest the way Obama skirted the Senate to fill key jobs at the National Labor Relations Board and the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Lee responds. From The Hill:

"Sadly, the President has sought to make this a partisan issue; but the Constitution is not partisan. The Constitution does not allow any president, Republican or Democrat, to circumvent the Senate in making appointments, and I will resist, just as vigorously, members of my own party who would attempt to do the same thing," Lee said in a statement.

The bar is open.

Zion National Park, Utah

SHOT:

Number Of Unionized Workers In U.S. Grows

CHASER:

The State Of Union Paybacks

Let's have another:

SHOT:

Top Dem Miller Wants DOJ Probe Of GOP NLRB Member

CHASER:

Watchdog Says GOP Member Of Labor Board Wasn't Enticed To Resign

More from The Hill:

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Sunday that the courts will have to resolve President Obama's recent recess appointments and blamed the White House for the confrontation with lawmakers.

Speaking on CNN's "State of the Union," McConnell said the president's recess appointments to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) earlier this month was part of Obama's reelection strategy.

"We all know the president wants to pick a fight with Congress," McConnell said.
Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
The senator said the president cannot decide when the Senate is in session or in recess. He noted that there was litigation against the recess appointments at the NLRB and that he understood that there would be litigation forthcoming against the consumer bureau as well.

Would you believe that right-to-work is being debated in suburban Detroit? It is.

Detroit News:

Candidates were asked for their position on the right-to-work issue. [Gary} Glenn said he supported national right-to-work laws as a way to get Americans out of "burdensome work situations" and "bring jobs back to America."

[Pete] Hoekstra said he supports states handling right-to-work adding that reform is at the state level.

The Indiana House this week approved right-to-work legislation and the state Senate is scheduled to begin hearings on the bill Monday. On Saturday, a mix of union members and Occupy protesters from across Indiana marched through Super Bowl Village in Indianapolis in opposition to the state's proposed right-to-work legislation.

Big Government: SEIU confirms Democrat-Socialist Marxist connection

Labor Union Report: SEIU thugs accost Fresno County supervisor at McDonald's

Related posts:

Video: Chicago Teachers Union organizer welcomes Occupy Chicago to new home

New film narrated by Juan Williams rips Chicago Teachers Union

New book: Union rules undermined stimulus

Technorati tags: jobs economy news government politics labor unions nlrb south carolina Orrin Hatch Utah tim scott mike lee utah politics

Friday night Fast and Furious document dump: Holder knew about it months before he previously claimed

2012-01-30T11:27:00.001-06:00

The Obama administration loves Friday night. That's when they "dump" embarrassing news. Last Friday was not an exception. Attorney General Eric Holder knew about the shooting of Border Agent Brian Terry on the day he was murdered--he was murdered with weapons from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms botched Fast and Furious sting operation, according to emails dumped on Friday. ATF is part of Holder's Department of Justice.

In May, Holder testified to the House Judiciary Committee that he only learned about Fast and Furious "a few weeks" earlier. He later walked back that statement, stating it was a “couple months" prior.

Holder will be questioned by the feisty House Oversight Committee on Thursday. I'll be watching on C-SPAN.

Let the good times roll.

Technorati tags: politics news yes we can Republican gop Mexico méxico fast and furious news dump Congress Democrats

Occupy occtrocities: Occupier marries building edition

2012-01-30T10:09:00.002-06:00

This building is available for marriage

An occupier married a building in Seattle--no word on whether the union was consummated.

Lots of other stuff this morning. The smoke is still clearing from Saturday's Occupy Oakland riot, Occupy DC is about to be evicted, not-safe-for-work photographs, and sadly, more anti-Semitism.

Today's collection is comprised of a record 37 occtrocities.

Seattle Post-Intellegincer: Photos: Seattle woman weds doomed building
Weasel Zippers: Oakland police report more than 400 occupiers arrested during Saturday's protests…
Independent: Here we go again: Occupy march turns ugly
The Atlantic Wire: Occupy Oakland's raid on City Hall: The morning after
PJ Tatler: Occupy Pledge of Allegiance: "…and to the plutocracy for which it stands, the privately owned central bank, under the Jews…"
Not safe for work. Scared Monkeys: More from the Obama endorsed Occupy Oakland protests from this weekend … F#@k you pigs (VIDEO)
Pat Dollard: Live stream: Occupy Oakland – Two streams
Weasel Zippers: Raw video: Weapons seized from Occupy Oakland protesters after City Hall siege…
Gateway Pundit: Oakland Mayor Quan rethinks support for #occupiers after they break into City Hall & spray paint walls
MSNBC: Occupy DC faces 'noon' deadline to end camping
Big Government: EXCLUSIVE–Inside Occupy DC: 'Obama is not why the US Park Police are letting us stay'
Not safe for work. Washington City Paper: Photos: Occupy Alfalfa Club
Weasel Zippers: Occupy DC protesters protest against "one percent" outside event featuring Obama, glitter bomb Sen. Lieberman…
Washington Post: Tensions mount with arrest of Occupy D.C. protester and approach of deadline
Borderstan: Guest column: Occupy DC, let us have our park back
Wall Street Journal: 'Occupy' movement tries again in another park
KCCI-TV: Protesters arrested on Capitol grounds
Big Government: Occupy slams National Prayer Breakfast for '1 Percent'; will lead 'People's Prayer Breakfast' in protest
WROC-TV: Occupy Rochester supports Oakland comrades
BBC: Occupy Exeter to fight cathedral grounds eviction
Los Angeles Times: Sundance 2012: An Occupy movement (sort of) takes hold
WPRI-TV: Occupy Providence packing up Sunday
Jawa Report: #OccupyPajamas gets tased
Creative Loafing: Occupy Charlotte braces for the big eviction
CF News 13 Police: Occupy Tampa protester arrested for assault on TPD officer
Daily 49er: Occupy Long Beach continues despite low turnout
Buffalo News: Occupy Buffalo - how long?
NM Politics: Occupy Santa Fe needs to move differently
Student Life: Occupy the University meets in Mallinckrodt, few students attend
Guardian: Holed up in his hut: George, the last protester standing at Occupy Bristol
FrontPagMag: Will Occupiers get their violent Chicago riot?
Radio New Zealand: Occupy protesters out of square, a day after going back in
Guardian: Occupy London protesters evicted from City office block
Urban Infidel: OWS street graffiti: I see tent people
OWS Exposed: Occupiers vs. the Constitution (video)
Big Government: Racist Occupy Wall Street: Movement "clearly" has race problems says Occupy Newark leader
Occupy Arrests: 6,436 arrests.

Technorati tags: politics left wing extremists current events occupywallstreet business ows crime California san francisco oakland new mexico law legal occupy dc Washington DC

From Gateway Pundit: St. Louis welcomes back troops from Iraq (Photos and video)

2012-01-30T09:38:00.001-06:00

St. Louis, population 320,000, hosted a "Welcome Home" parade for our heroes who served in Iraq. Over 100,000 patriots showed up to greet them. Gateway Pundit was there and took photographs and shot video of the celebration.

Technorati tags: news military Iraq St. Louis Missouri

Molly Brown House in Denver

2012-01-29T21:31:00.004-06:00

Some of the news coverage about the Costa Concordia disaster has drawn parallels to the sinking of the Titanic 100 years ago. When I was in Denver in November, I saw the Molly Brown House, which is three blocks southeast of the state capitol. I arrived there shortly before 4:00pm--the last tour had already started.

Strangely, Brown, whose first name was Margaret, was not called Molly until after her death.

Brown of course was a Titanic survivor, played by Kathy Bates in the eponymous movie; she insisted on having her lifeboat return to rescue those passengers swimming in lifejackets after the ship sank.

With some embellishments, Brown's life story was told in the play and movie, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Debbie Reynolds played the lead.

The house from the outside is beautiful--a couple leaving the home while I was taking this picture told me that the interior is worthy of the exterior.

Brown's husband purchased the home in 1894, it passed to Molly after his death and she owned it until she passed on in 1932.

Besides her Titanic fame, Brown was a social activist and a two-time candidate for the US Senate. As for the house, I don't believe she spent much time there. The Browns traveled a lot and the home was used as the governor's mansion for a spell. Eventually it became a boarding house.

Earlier posts:

Cherry Creek and a truss bridge in Denver
Denver: Confluence of the South Platte River and Cherry Creek
On this day in 1864: The Sand Creek Massacre
South Platte River sunset
South Plate River in Denver
Veterans Day 11/11/11: Colorado's Veterans Monument

Technorati tags: travel travel blog colorado photography photos culture history denver colorado titanic italy italia

New book: Union rules undermined stimulus

2012-01-29T17:48:00.004-06:00

President Obama's $862 billion stimulus was a failure. If you need proof--here it is: Obama didn't mention it in his State of the Union address last week.

New York Post reporter Michael Grabell explores the flop in his book, "Money Well Spent?" He summarizes it in the Post today. This sentence jumped out at me:

Public transit advocates expected a windfall for bus companies like New Flyer in St. Cloud, Minn. But the transit money took longer to get out the door because every grant had to be reviewed by the Labor Department to ensure that it wouldn’t have a negative impact on transit unions.

There are two lessons here. The first is that like the radicalized-National Labor Relations Board, the Labor Department is a shill for the unions. Secondly, the Obama administration is so beholden to Big Labor that it undermined one of the major initiatives of the White House. If the union rule was part of the stimulus bill, well, the department could have asked for a waiver. Many of them were issued for ObamaCare.

We can't wait!

Technorati tags: stimulus public works Politics news Senate Democrats unions organized labor jobs economy

From Doug Ross: Photos: Occupy DC girds its loins for eviction tomorrow

2012-01-29T16:51:00.001-06:00

Today is the penultimate day for Occupy DC. Monday is eviction day.

Doug Ross visited them today and took photographs.

Technorati tags: left wing extremists current events socialism occupywallstreet occupy dc Washington DC

Occupy occtrocities: Topless women and chaos in Oakland

2012-01-29T12:26:00.002-06:00

Monsanto plant, Constantine, Michigan

Saturday was a busy day for the Occupy movement. In addition to a flag burning, there was a flag burning, as well as assaults on police and of course, vandalism.

Cold weather hasn't ended female topless dancers within the movement.

And Occupy Monsanto was a flop.

In the related post, you can read about some unwelcome dinner guests in New Mexico.

Herald Sun: Topless Occupy protest for Obama party
NDTV: Topless protesters detained at Davos forum
American Power has the NSFW video from Davos: More topless Ukrainian protest ladies!
Gateway Pundit: Occupy Oakland goons throw rocks and flares at police…three officers injured
PJ Tatler: Occupy Oakland: "Now is the time to spread hate"
Sitting on the Edge of the Sandbox, Biting My Tounge...#Occupy Oakland: Feel the hate
AP: Oakland officials assessing damage after daylong Occupy protests, City Hall break-in
Weasel Zippers: Pic of the day…Occupy Oakland protester expresses his love for America, by burning the U.S. flag
The Blaze: 'Kill the police': Cops arrest hundreds of Occupy Oakland protestors after street clashes
Oregonian: Occupy Portland protesters march in solidarity with Oakland
CKOM Radio: 'Occupy' Monsanto from Regina to Saskatoon flop
New York Daily News: Arrests at Occupy party in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Business Week: Occupy London moves into Iraqi Rafidain Bank after UBS eviction
Weasel Zippers: Magazine that helped launch OWS calls on occupiers to come to Chicago during G8 summit in "tradition of" 1968 rioters…
Occupy Arrests: 6,319 arrests

Related post:

Video: Occupiers invade restaurant in Santa Fe, guest of legislator's eye injured

Technorati tags: politics left wing extremists current events occupywallstreet business ows crime California san francisco oakland new mexico

Video: Occupiers invade restaurant in Santa Fe, guest of legislator's eye injured

2012-01-29T10:44:00.002-06:00

Those rude occupiers invaded a restaurant inside the Eldorado Hotel in Santa Fe, New Mexico four days ago. A group of legislators from both parties were dinner guests of American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a small-government organization.

The agitators threw 5 x 8 cards in the restaurant--phony invitations--the New Mexico Watchdog is reporting. One of those cards hit the eye of a guest of a Republican legislator, possibly injuring her.

And there is video of the rudeness.

As she's being hauled away, one occupier shrieks, "ALEC killed indigenous people!"

We are not dealing with rational people.

Roadhouse Roundup has more.

Technorati tags: politics left wing extremists current events occupywallstreet business ows crime new mexico

Occupy Oakland: 300 arrests, US flag burned, cops assaulted, art vandalized

2012-01-29T10:03:00.002-06:00

Those peaceful folks with Occupy Oakland held a roving rally yesterday. Among the lowlights were 300 arrests, a burning of an American flag, broke into City Hall and stole some more flags, assaulted police officers with rocks and bottles, vandalized art, damaged fencing and construction equipment, and generally created havoc.

Oakland's hapless mayor, Jean Quan, who initially fawned over the radical leftists, still doesn't get it. She is blaming the mayhem on a tiny "very radical, violent" segment within the Occupy movement.

Three weeks ago Occupy Oakland held a "F*ck OPD" rally.

Related post:

Occupy Oakland rally flyer: "F*ck OPD"

Technorati tags: politics left wing extremists current events occupywallstreet business ows crime California san francisco oakland

Video: Chicago Teachers Union organizer welcomes Occupy Chicago to new home

2012-01-28T21:33:00.007-06:00

In the new documentary A Tale of Two Missions, Juan Williams said, "If the Chicago Teachers Union would put as much effort into improving as they do into protesting, then perhaps Chicago wouldn't be so burdened by violence, crime, and lack of economic mobility all borne of bad schools."

Yesterday afternoon one of those protesters, CTU organizing coordinator Norine Gutekanst, gave a hearty welcome to Occupy Chicago at their new headquarters at a loft on the city's South Side. Over 300 Occupy Chicago members have been arrested since they started protesting in September; nationally, over 6,000 occupiers have been busted. In my opinion it's a group of lawbreakers.

In my video, Gutekanst selectively read from the Chicago Teachers Union endorsement of Occupy Chicago.

She left this part out:

Whereas, Chicago Teachers Union represents teachers, paraprofessional and school related staff and school clinicians who work with and are members of the other 99% of Americans who have experienced cuts in their pay through the Board's reneging of 4% contractual raises...

Hmm...why did Gutekanst omit that passage?

But she did declare, "We look forward to continued partnership with the Occupy movement."

I agree with what Gutekanst said next. "Our students, their families, and our communities deserve the resources necessary to enable them to get a world-class education."

But I have to return to what Williams asserted in the documentary: "If the Chicago Teachers Union would put as much effort into improving as they do into protesting, then perhaps Chicago wouldn't be so burdened by violence, crime, and lack of economic mobility all borne of bad schools."

This is the last day of National School Choice Week. And oh, does Chicago ever need choice.

Related post:

New film narrated by Juan Williams rips Chicago Teachers Union

Technorati tags: education labor unions politics news Illinois chicago democrat illinois politics chicago politics democrats chicago teachers union occupychicago left wing extremists current events socialism occupywallstreet occupy chicago

Cain endorses Newt

2012-01-28T20:43:00.002-06:00

The Cain Train has set up a station with Newt Gingrich. The Hill is reporting that the businessman and former presidential candidate endorsed Gingrich at a Republican Party Lincoln Day banquet in Palm Beach.

Good news for Gingrich--but it would have been great news had Cain given his nod for Newt last fall.

Technorati tags: politics Republican gop elections 2012 herman cain politics newt gingrich republicans

Oakland cops use tear gas against Occupy mob

2012-01-28T19:05:00.001-06:00

Perhaps the most brutish of the Occupy groups is in Oakland. They are stirring up trouble again tonight, AP is reporting that a mob of 2,000 had to be subdued with flash grenades and tear gas after they tried to knock down a fence and take over a vacant building. Fox News says some police officers have been injured--the occupiers were throwing objects at them.

At least 19 of the peaceful protesters have been arrested.

Oakland's inept mayor, Democrat Jean Quan, was initially supportive of Occupy Oakland.

Related post:

Occupy occtrocities: 6,000 arrests edition

Technorati tags: politics left wing extremists current events occupywallstreet business ows crime California san francisco oakland

New film by Juan Williams rips Chicago Teachers Union

2012-01-28T16:58:00.007-06:00

Today is the last day of National School Choice Week and I want to get a couple of more entries posted about it here tonight.

My friend Andrew Marcus directed the Juan Williams-narrated A Tale of Two Missions.

"Even America's best public schools in the most affluent areas are falling behind when compared to schools in the rest of the developed world," Williams states early on.

A few moments later he adds, "No single entity benefits more from the current system than the teachers unions. They obstruct and resist education reform whenever and however it is tried."

Watch the abridged internet version of the documentary:

Williams looks at Chicago unionized-schools and compares them to a successful charter high school, Noble, while dispelling myths about why they succeed--such as charter schools "pick and choose" their students. With the exception of siblings, Noble's students are selected by lottery.

Noble graduates 99 percent of its students, Chicago Public Schools only graduate 56 percent of their students. The Chicago Teachers Union's answer to any problem is always more money. But the CTU is a big part of this mess. Williams calls it "a teachers union that is so radically politicized that it has become dysfunctional."

Without union red tape to contend with, charter schools have fewer rules. Or in the words of one union protester in the film, "They have less rules." I hope that rabble-rouser isn't a grammar teacher.

The Marathon Pundit Family lived on Chicago's North Side until 1999. "We have to get out," I told my wife then, "we can't send our daughter to Chicago's public schools."

I'm so glad we left.

Hat tip to Big Government.

Related post:

Video: Chicago Teachers Union organizer welcomes Occupy Chicago to new home

Technorati tags: education labor unions politics news Illinois chicago democrat illinois politics chicago politics democrats

BoDeans: Closer to Free

2012-01-28T15:04:00.001-06:00

Best known for its being on the Party of Five soundrack, BoDeans' "Closer to Free" stands up on its own as a rousing tune.

Over the next few months I'll be featuring Wisconsin bands for my Saturday Musical Selection as a show of support to Governor Scott Walker in his battle against Big Labor--the BoDeans come from Waukesha.

Technorati tags: videos rock music rock music entertainment bodeans waukesha wisconsin

Occupy occtrocities: 6,000 arrests edition

2012-01-28T12:07:00.005-06:00

Police at Occupy Chicago

As you will read below, the Occupy movement celebrated its 6,000th arrest this week.

Today I report on more arrests, evictions, and other occtrocities, including a story about a man who was arrested while dressed as Lady Gaga.

Los Angeles Times: Occupy D.C. protesters warned: Stop camping or risk arrest
AP: Occupy Charlottesville protesters found guilty of trespassing
AP: Final Occupy Reno protester arrested
Guardian: Occupy protesters evicted from empty London office block
BBC: New Occupy protest in City of London sees three arrests
Weasel Zippers: OWS-founder and class warrior Elizabeth Warren: "I think it's wrong" the way Romney earns his income…
Gateway Pundit: Multimillionaire leftist Elizabeth Warren says she's not wealthy (Video)
Park Record: Lady Gaga-dressed man arrested at Occupy protest on Main Street
AP: Oakland officials warn Occupy protesters they won't allow group to take over vacant building
Newsbusters: WashPost columnist: Occupy DC protesters just like Yogi Bear
Conservative Byte: Winter thaw: Occupy plotting spring chaos
The Occupy movement slams Citizens United, but...The Lonely Conservative: Obama and Democrats slam PACs and secret money while creating their own secret money PACs.
FrontPageMag: Soros's 'glee' over OWS violence
Ed Driscoll at PJM: Steal this book!

Related posts:

Occupy movement arrest total now over 6,000

Homeless man dies at Occupy Claremont, 10th death for movement

Technorati tags: politics left wing extremists current events occupywallstreet business ows crime California san francisco oakland washington dc lady gaga

Weekly GOP Address with Marco Rubio

2012-01-28T09:10:00.001-06:00

Florida Senator Marco Rubio presents today's Weekly GOP Address. He speaks of President Obama's failures.

"Yes, this President inherited an economy where unemployment was too high, but over the last three years he's made it worse." Rubio says "Today our unemployment rate is higher than the day he took office. In fact, since he took over, it's been stuck over 8 percent every single month.

"This President didn't talk about his record for one simple reason; he doesn't want you to know about it."

Technorati tags: politics florida republicans democrat news marco rubio florida politics

Illinois college tuition increases going for pensions, not to benefit students

2012-01-27T20:52:00.003-06:00

While rising tuition costs are a problem, it's best that we look a the causes. Here's one.

From UniversityBusiness:

Illinois' 12 percent increase in higher education spending this year isn't going to benefit students. Instead, the additional funding for fiscal 2012 is going into the State Universities Retirement System (SURS) to address its underfunded pension program.

More...

SURS, which is responsible for the pensions of the state's university employees, is facing an unfunded liability — how much it owes in benefits compared with how much assets it has on hand — of $17.2 billion, according to its 2011 annual report.

Those tuition hikes aren't "for the kids."

Technorati tags: politics Illinois illinois politics education college pensions

Occupy movement arrest total now over 6,000

2012-01-27T18:20:00.006-06:00

Occupy Denver arrest, Nov 11, 2011

After hovering just under the 6,000 arrest mark for a week, the Occupy Wall Street movement roared past it yesterday, thanks to 37 busts at a Brooklyn protest. The Occupy Arrests site now lists 6,025 confirmed arrests.

As I've said many times before, I'm still waiting for that first Tea Party arrest.

On Tuesday, there was another Occupy death, it was the movement's tenth fatality.

Sexual assaults are among the crimes that have been reported at Occupy camps. You can read about the OccuArsonist here. And you can learn about one of the Occupy assaults on a police officer here.

Pictured is an Occupy Denver arrest that I witnessed.

To post this entry on Twitter or Facebook, click on one of the links on the left.

Related post:

Homeless man dies at Occupy Claremont, 10th death for movement

Technorati tags: politics left wing extremists current events occupywallstreet business denver colorado occupy denver ows brooklyn crime

Video: Ex-NLRB head rips proposed new union harassment weapon

2012-01-27T17:41:00.001-06:00

I was watching Fox News yesterday afternoon when Peter Schaumber, the former chairman of the National Labor Relations Board, appeared on Neil Cavuto's Your World where he talked about the radicalized-agency's next move--allowing union bosses to collect worker phone numbers and email addresses from employers for their organizing campaigns--without their permission.

It's a perfect harassment tool for Big Labor.

"Workers have a right to be left alone," Schaumber told Cavuto, "they have a right not to be harassed during a union organizing campaign."

On a worker's first day on the job, personal contact information is given to employers for just one purpose--so that employee can be contacted when there is an emergency.

Schaumber called the Obama-appointees to the NLRB "union advocates." He added, "They want to stack the deck in favor of unionization."

The Workforce Fairness Institute is also covering this issue.

Technorati tags: Politics unions news organized labor jobs economy law legal business nlrb

Tea Party Express returns with Florida Primary tour

2012-01-27T16:25:00.002-06:00

Marathon Pundit with
Andrea Shea King,
Rockford, IL

The Tea Party Express, America's Freedom Caravan, will tour the Sunshine State for a Florida Primary trek that begins Saturday.

Here is the itinerary:

Saturday, January 28
9:00 AM – Jacksonville Rally (11437 Central Parkway, Jacksonville FL 32224)
1:30 PM – Winter Park Rally (1815 State Road 436, Winter Park, FL 32792)
7:00 PM – West Palm Beach Rally (Howard Park – 1302 Parker Ave, West Palm Beach, FL 33401)

Sunday, January 29
1:30 PM – The Villages Rally (Location TBA)
4:00 PM – Gainesville Rally (Location TBA)

Monday, January 30
12:00 PM CST – Panama City Rally (Location TBA)
5:00 PM CST – Pensacola Rally (Jerry’s Cajun Café – 6205 North 9th Ave, Pensacola, FL 32504)

All times are local. My good friend Andrea Shea King will once again be embedded with the TPX.

On her blog, Andrea states, "They say the Tea Party movement is dead? Hah! We're just getting started!"

The Tea Party movement is absolutely not dead. If we don't hold as many rallies as that leftist group, it's because we bother with such mundane details as acquiring permits.

Technorati tags: elections Politics news conservative freedom tea party andrea shea king florida politics florida

NLRB overreach: More pushback edition

2012-01-27T13:53:00.001-06:00

Washington Circle, Wash. DC

"And it was inevitable that some of these people pushed back..."
The Martian Chronicles, Ray Bradbury.

Time for more pushback.

From Business Week:

Senate Republicans are weighing a plan to block most of President Barack Obama's federal appeals court nominations starting in June or earlier in response to the recess appointments he made this month.

The idea was discussed at a private retreat of Senate Republicans on Jan. 25 at Mount Vernon, the Virginia estate of George Washington. The option of stopping all consideration of executive and judicial nominees didn't get as much support as a more modest reaction to Obama's recess appointments, which included the installation of Richard Cordray as director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, senators said.

Broadly blocking nominees "was discussed, but we're also very aware he would like us to play into his narrative, and we're not going to take the bait," said Senator John Cornyn of Texas, who heads the National Republican Senatorial Committee, referring to Obama’s rhetoric about a "do-nothing" Congress.

"There will be a response, but it will be measured and appropriate," Cornyn said.

Obama also illegaly appointed three board members to the National Labor Relations Board, including two who had not been vetted.

At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing yesterday, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) blasted those appointments.

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) also blasted the illegal appointments. From The Hill:

"Reversing years of precedent, the administration is asserting that the executive branch now has the authority to decide when the Legislative Branch is or is not in session," he said. "This presumptuous action by the president goes far beyond the limited powers he is granted by our Constitution.

"It is an affront to the democratic checks and balances as established by our Founders, and it constitutes a gross violation of precedent set by those who have come before us."

My neighbor to the east will soon be a right-to-work state.

CBS News:

In the end, they just didn't have the votes.

For two legislative sessions, Indiana Democrats fought the divisive labor measure known as right-to-work. They offered amendments aimed at changing the bill. They sought to put the issue before voters in a referendum. And in their most high-profile gambit, House Democrats staged occasional boycotts to deny the Republican-dominated chamber enough members to conduct business.

But that all ended Wednesday when the minority party acceded to the mathematical reality of the Republican's 60-40 majority in the chamber. Democrats showed up, and the Indiana House voted 54-44 to make Indiana the 23rd right-to-work state.

It is the latest successful legislative push targeting union power following a Republican sweep of statehouses in 2010, and if Gov. Mitch Daniels signs the bill as expected it will make Indiana the first Rust Belt state to ban contracts that require workers to pay mandatory union fees for representation.

This week is National School Choice Week.

Big Government: Gov. Jindal Calls for Expanded School Voucher Program, New Charter Schools and Tenure Reform

Technorati tags: Politics news labor unions organized labor Obama Barack Obama gop Congress

Spanish-language conservative talk radio show debuts

2012-01-27T12:26:00.000-06:00

Here is an interesting development and more evidence that not all Hispanics are Democrats. Most of them, in fact, are social conservatives.

From Politico:

A former Bush administration official is launching a Spanish-language talk-radio show in hopes of bringing a conservative political message to a medium popular with many Hispanics.

"It will be like Rush Limbaugh but with a little Piolín flavor," said host Alfonso Aguilar, referring to the godfather of conservative talk and the country’s dominant Latino broadcaster.

Last Saturday, Aguilar began what will be a weekly, hourlong show in 11 top Univision radio markets by interviewing Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio. An interview with Newt Gingrich will air Saturday morning, just four days before Florida’s primary. The show airs live and features newsmaker interviews as well as listener phone calls.

It;s the first national conservative talk show in Spanish and the idea is to reach Hispanics on a station that draws millions of listeners — but doesn't often include a conservative perspective.

In a few years you might be able to trace the birth of Hispanic conservatism with the debut of this show.

Technorati tags: florida republicans democrat news newt gingrich marco rubio florida politics

Occupy occtrocities: Chicago pawns edition

2012-01-27T10:24:00.002-06:00

Pawns on a chess board...

Is Occupy Chicago a pawn in the G8/NATO game of life? Find out below.

And a local newspaper tried to obscure it, but I still uncovered the story of the 10th Occupy movement death.

As always, I have more reports on arrests and evictions.

AP: Idaho House votes 54-16 to boot Occupy Boise
I thought it was about greed. VTDigger: Occupy Burlington says SHUT DOWN VT YANKEE!
As I was saying...Ward Room: Adbusters 2ants 50,000 G8/NATO protesters in Chicago
Ditto. The Villager: Occupy demands reversal of the Citizens United ruling
RebelPundit: It's official: #OccupyChicago feeble pawns of the NATO/G8 uprising
Auckland Now: Occupy Auckland arrests top 21
The Tennessean: Occupy Nashville camping on public land could be banned
BBC: Sheffield Cathedral Occupy eviction trial set for 21 February
LifeSiteNews: Why does Occupy Wall St. support Big Abortion?
AP: Video: 26 reportedly arrested at Occupy Wall Street foreclosure auction blockade
Sad, but true for now. Publius Forum: Conservatives: Occupy Wall Street shows how we can't get our message out over old media din
The people united will never be divided. Daily Iowan: Fight reported at Occupy site
Big Journalism: APM's Marketplace promotes Occupy, defends Alinsky
Press Democrat: Occupy Santa Rosa protesters appear in court on bank arrests
AP: Occupy protesters moving to Iowa Capitol grounds
Occupy Arrests: 5,984 arrests.

Related post:

Homeless man dies at Occupy Claremont, 10th death for movement

Technorati tags: communism international Politics Chicago Illinois illinois politics occupychicago left wing extremists current events socialism occupywallstreet chicago politics

Homeless man dies at Occupy Claremont, 10th death for movement

2012-01-27T09:09:00.002-06:00

A homeless man, Phillip Greene, was found dead at the Occupy Claremont camp three days ago in suburban Los Angeles.

A police seargent told the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, "But he is not part of the Occupy camp."

Gregory Toliver, who the paper says is a member of Occupy Claremont, tells a different story in a Daily Bulletin video.

"We lent him one of our empty tents to sleep in...we set him up in one corner or another of this site," Tolliver said. "He like all of the homeless people here has been dependent upon us for friendship and care and concern," he added.

It's a sad ending to a tragic life.

And it is an Occupy movement death--he camped there, he died there--which the paper is obscuring. Greene was the brother of a journalist at the Daily Bulletin, who is also now deceased.

There have been 10 deaths since the Occupy Wall Street movement began in September.

Technorati tags: ows Politics left wing extremists current events news california politics california occupywallstreet

Will Obama's EPA ditch common sense on forestry water ditches?

2012-01-26T21:07:00.004-06:00

Upper Peninsula of Michigan

In his third State of the Union address, President Obama again talked about job-creation. But his radicalized Environmental Protection Agency continues to assault the job creators.

In the Washington Examiner, David Freddoso explains a possible new front in the war on prosperity.

If jobs are on President Obama's mind, he should care about the U.S. logging industry. In 46 of the 50 states, forestry ranks in the top 10 manufacturing industries. It employs about 2.5 million Americans and pays $87 billion in wages annually. Its annual sales are $230 billion, including exports of roughly $35 billion.

Those jobs and that revenue now face a man-made crisis -- more specifically, a Big Green environmentalist-made crisis. Obama's administration could weigh in on either side.

For 35 years, the Environmental Protection Agency has understood silviculture -- the act of harvesting trees, as opposed to processing them -- to be an agricultural activity, not a manufacturing one. The distinction is vital because of particulars in the Clean Water Act. Runoff from "point-source" manufacturing facilities (including saw mills) is closely regulated. Permits are required, and an involved monitoring and remediation process is prescribed.

On the other hand, the "natural runoff" from forest roads -- basically mud puddles that accumulate in ditches -- has never required such permits or monitoring. It is cared for through what is known as "best management practices."

And the EPA just might see an opportunity to attack an industry, logging, that their fellow leftists detest.

Liberals love the courts--they discovered decades ago that it's easier to enact unpopular laws in the courtroom than in the legislature. "[T]the EPA has been misinterpreting its own rules for 35 years, and that, in fact, forest roads must be regulated in similar fashion to factories and power plants," Freddoso writes about how the outlier 9th Circuit Court of Appeals views this dispute. And the Obama EPA might end up concurring.

The expense of the litigation alone could kill the logging industry in the United States. And if the EPA requires permits for these ditches, American forestry could be chopped to pieces.

Forestry jobs pay well.

But for the Obama administration, it's more important to "fundamentally transform America."

Technorati tags: politics economy gop epa

Illinois after tax increase: Wrong way on unemployment

2012-01-26T17:39:00.003-06:00

The Illinois Policy Institute took a look at state-by-state unemployment figures for 2011. It discovered that only four states saw an increase in that measure last year. And it was the state that hiked its personal income tax rate by 67 percent and the corporate income tax rate by 46 percent that saw the biggest jump in the jobless rate.

Illinois--you are going the wrong way.

Technorati tags: Politics illinois Illinois Politics business economy illinois policy institue

Another green stimulus failure; Americans for Limited Government statement

2012-01-26T16:18:00.004-06:00

One day after my congresscritter, Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) dismissed the Keystone XL pipeline by ludicrously claiming, "Twenty thousand jobs is really not that many job and investing in green technologies will produce that and more," Ener1, a green firm that received $118 million in stimulus cash filed for bankruptcy.

Americans for Limited Government issued a statement about this latest failure:

As early as 2008 an investment advisory firm, Citron Research, issued dire warnings about Ener1, saying the company was "just a corporate shell company with a long history of failed businesses based on exaggerated promises," citing the company's long and shady history. When it was proposed that the 'stimulus' be used to give $118.5 million to Ener1, Americans for Limited Government worked with media to help expose this bogus firm for what it was. Predictably, it turns out those warnings were correct, unfortunately for taxpayers.

First Solyndra, now Ener1. Who is next?

Related post:

Lib Dem Schakowsky on Keystone XL: "Twenty thousand jobs is really not that many"

CBS News: 11 more Solyndras

Technorati tags: government energy keystone xl Schakowsky Jan Schakowsky news current affairs jobs Politics Chicago Illinois illinois politics current events chicago politics Indiana Democrats politics economy jobs Barack Obama Obama green environment

NLRB overreach: Second verse same as the first edition

2012-01-26T14:26:00.007-06:00

Second verse same as the first.
"Henry the Eighth, I Am." Herman and the Hermits
and numerous others

President Obama's illegally recess-appointed National Labor Relations Board members represent his second Big Labor-favoring packed generation on that panel.

And yes, it's second verse, same as the first.

In Illinois, the Teamsters union used its muscle to put an alleged mobster back on the state payroll.

From Fox News:

The chairman of the National Labor Relations Board hopes to have another round of regulations in place by the end of the year that would make it easier for unions to establish and win representation elections in workplaces.

Undeterred by Republican protests, Mark Pearce said he will urge the board to approve the new rules now that it has a full component of five members after President Barack Obama bypassed the Senate to fill three vacancies.

"We keep our eye on the prize," Pearce said in an interview with The Associated Press. "Our goal is to create a set of rules that eliminate a lot of waste of time, energy and money for the taxpayers."

One change Pearce wants is requiring businesses to hand over lists of employee phone numbers and emails to union leaders before an election.

Bad news for union members. More annoying phone calls during dinner could be coming your way.

About those illegal appointments...from Politico:

Citing Congress's constitutional prerogative to set its own rules, Rep. Todd Rokita (R-Ind.) has asked President Barack Obama to revoke appointments he made over the winter break and revisit his legal counsel's determination that he had the right to make such "recess" appointments even when the House and Senate were meeting regularly for pro forma sessions.

"The president's recent appointments are unconstitutional and are an egregious example of executive overreach," Rokita said in a statement announcing that he and 26 co-signers had sent a letter to Obama on the matter late Monday. "While the president may view the Constitution as an impediment to his agenda, we are asking the president to uphold his oath to protect and defend the Constitution. We urge him to retract his appointments and refrain from attempting to circumvent the Constitution by making appointments while the Senate is in pro forma session."

The Hill:

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) on Tuesday asked Attorney General Eric Holder for all documents and other information related to the Obama administration's decision to make four recess appointments when the Senate was not in recess.

In his letter to Holder, Smith argued that the appointment of Richard Cordray to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the three appointments to the National Labor Relations Board were "unprecedented," because the Senate was not in recess.

"[T]he Senate, which has the power to determine the 'rules of its proceedings,' did not believe it was in 'recess' for purposes of the recess appointments clause during the relevant time period," Smith wrote.

My taxes, which went up dramatically last year, pay the salary of an alleged former mobster in Illinois.

From Fox 32 Chicago:

Fox Chicago's investigators have learned that the state of Illinois has been ordered to re-hire a former mob bookie, and cut him a check for more than $100,000.

Ralph Peluso was fired in 2010 after we started asking questions about how he landed on the state payroll.

He is now back on the job, thanks to the powerful Teamsters union.

Peluso allegedly took plenty of bets during his long career as an outfit bookmaker. But even he may be stunned at how he beat the odds and scored a major payday at the expense of Illinois taxpayers.

Speaking of the Teamsters...

New York Daily News: Teamsters lawyer Kevin Clor pleads not guilty to ripping off union for $211,000

To my east, Indiana will probably become a right-to-work state soon.

Northwest Indiana Times:

The Indiana Senate will act on House-approved right-to-work legislation next week, culminating in a possible final vote Wednesday before the Legislature breaks for the Super Bowl.

The Senate Pensions and Labor Committee is scheduled to meet at 8 a.m. region time Monday to review House Bill 1001, right-to-work legislation that is nearly identical to Senate Bill 269, which passed 28-22 on Monday.

If, as expected, the committee approves the House version, the measure would be eligible for amendment on the Senate floor Tuesday.

National School Choice Week posts:

Illinois Review: School choice is long overdue in Illinois

Say Anything: Obama's school attendance mandate is a sop to the teachers' unions

Big Government: New film skewers Chicago Teachers Union, explains stakes of contract negotiations

Big Government: Michigan union bosses hate school choice

Illinois Policy Institute: National School Choice Week - Michael Medved: "Let the money stay home!"

Technorati tags: michigan michigan politics Politics news labor unions organized labor labor day Obama Barack Obama teamsters gop Congress

Thin-skinned Obama challenged by AZ guv Brewer at airport

2012-01-26T12:52:00.006-06:00

Brewer responds to Obama

Americans elected a thin-skinned president in 2008. At what is normally a friendly ceremony, President Obama confronted Republican Governor Jan Brewer during his campaign-style tour through swing states yesterday.

From Politico:

"He brought up my book. And he was a little tense. I asked him if he read my book, 'Scorpions for Breakfast' and he said he read the excerpt and he didn't think that I was very cordial," Brewer told radio host Mike Broomhead on KFYI radio. "He was somewhat thin-skinned and a little tense to say the least. I was trying to be very calm."

"The book is factual, the book is true," Brewer repeated on Fox's Greta Van Susteren show. "I don't know why he was surprised by my book but he evidently is and he's very thin-skinned in regards to it."

Brewer and Obama reportedly got into a disagreement upon the president's arrival in Phoenix Wednesday, over Brewer's recent 2011 book. In her book, Brewer describes two meetings with the president — once at the White House in 2010 and once at Arizona State University. In the book, she describes being 'lectured' by the President over immigration.

There are two lessons here. Obama doesn't like to be challenged and the GOP nominee needs to do that to him this fall. Also, his sensitivity explains why he surrounds himself with sycophants such as Valerie Jarrett and David Axelrod. Those who challenge him, for instance Rahm Emanuel or William Daley, find themselves no longer working at the White House.

Heckuva way to run a county...

Technorati tags: news Democrats Obama politics Barack Obama immigration news arizona current affairs laws legal

Poll: Walker beating back challengers in Wisconsin

2012-01-26T12:07:00.002-06:00

It's an early poll, but Governor Scott Walker is holding off potential challengers in hypothetical recall matchups in Wisconsin.

From a Marquette Law School survey:

Walker 50 percent-44 percent against Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett
Walker 49 percent-42 percent against former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk
Walker 49 percent-43percent former Congressman David Obey
Walker 50 percent-40 percent against state Senator Tim Cullen

Walker has better name recognition yes, but those one million petition signatures won't count in an election.

Technorati tags: elections Politics news wisconsin wisconsin politics

Occupy occtrocities: DC showdown edition

2012-01-26T10:08:00.007-06:00

Washington Circle, Wash. DC

Will the National Park Service finally evict Occupy DC from its illegal encampment at McPherson Square?

What use are laws if they are not enforced?

Plus as always, arrests and evictions, and a video that shows occtrocities in Boise.

Human Events: Occupy DC and Obama administration showdown looming
Whose streets? Our streets! Washington Post: Occupy protesters won't be counted as homeless
Washington Post: National Park Service defense of Occupy action is a muddle
Washington Examiner: D.C. Chamber joins call to evict Occupy
CBS DC: Mayor Gray still wants Occupy DC out of McPherson
The people united will never be divided. BuzzFeed: Occupy DC activist accuses Van Jones, MoveOn of smear campaign
Oregonian: At least four arrested as Occupy Portland demonstration takes to streets
Poling's home was the target of Occupy protesters. Register-Guard: City pays $13,000 for Poling; the Eugene councilor says the police overtime pay and fencing were necessary for his family's safety
Can they symbolically leave? Boston Herald: Maine occupiers: Encampment is our symbol
Daily Tar Heel: Charlotte City Council ends Occupy encampment
Examiner: Occupy Charlotte is an idea that endures
Here's something we can unite on! SFWeekly: Occupy My Street: S.F. woman starts petition against out of control parking tickets
Actually, except for the terminology of one charge, none of these are "weird." AtlanticWire: The weirdest things Occupy protesters get arrested for
Trespassing. San Francisco Chronicle: Occupy Oakland says it will seize vacant building
KGO-TV: Occupy Oakland protesters may target Oakland Airport
WPRO-AM Providence: Occupiers claim victory, to "temporarily" suspend camp
Idaho Statesman: Idaho lawmakers hear about incidents and costs at Occupy Boise
KTVB Boise: State accuses Occupy campers of vandalism, trespassing and theft

Lots of plastic container drumming? Music Week: Members of Occupy London announce first record label release
I thought it was about greed. Mondoweiss: Occupy AIPAC now has 100 orgs behind it (and neocons try to block its appeal to 'Jewish liberals')
As I was saying...Kent News: Occupy movement targets Turner gallery
Try eBay. Kotaku: The Occupy movement needs an arcade cabinet. Help it get one.
Hot Air: Contrary to Occupiers' claims, camping is not a First Amendment right
OWS Exposed: 'Revolution': New Occupy anthem tells protesters to 'speed-up momentum' (video)
Denver Post: Occupying a cliché
Death and Taxes: Was Obama's State of the Union address a shout-out to Occupy?
Big Hollywood: Redford's Sundance brand: The epitome of one percent perks

Related post:

Scottish Occupy protester arrested for destroying menorah

Technorati tags: left wing extremists current events socialism occupywallstreet crime communism law legal occupy dc Washington DC

Scottish Occupy protester arrested for destroying menorah

2012-01-26T08:44:00.003-06:00

Occupy Chicago, November protest

Earlier this week I wrote about occupiers in America stealing a holy vessel from a church, urinating on a cross, and throwing Bibles at police officers.

It's not just Christianity being assaulted by OWS.

Last month a menorah was destroyed by an Occupy protester in Edinburgh, Scotland. He appeared in court last week and has been charged with "vandalism aggravated by hate," the Jewish Chronicle is reporting. Although a member of a synagogue in the Scottish capital says that the occupier's goal was to sell the aluminum for scrap.

Perhaps. But I'm sure the brute was aware that the menorah was a sacred object. The stench of anti-Semitism has pervaded the Occupy Wall Street movement since its founding in September.

Last month a menorah was damaged in Denmark by a member of Occupy Copenhagen.

Nothing is sacred to the occupiers--themselves excluded, of course.

Related posts:

Occupy church occtrocities: Urine on a cross, theft of holy vessel, throwing Bibles at cops
"Occupy Wall Street not Palestine" teach-in held in Milwaukee
Occupy Las Vegas Obamaville and its Palestinian flag
Video: Norman Finkelstein's supporter with Occupy Denver and Israel's "creation" of Hamas
Video: OccupyChicago anti-Israel rant
Month after 49 occupiers arrested for storming church owned lot; NY Episcopals praise OWS

Technorati tags: left wing extremists current events socialism occupywallstreet
christianity culture faith religion Jewish Jews crime communism law legal ows culture uk Scotland

Lib Dem Schakowsky on Keystone XL: "Twenty thousand jobs is really not that many"

2012-01-25T15:27:00.004-06:00

Illinois' unemployment rate is 9.8 percent, which is more than a percentage point higher than the national rate.

But my congresswoman, liberal Democrat Jan Schakowsky, dismisses our nation's largest 'shovel-ready' project, the Keystone XL pipeline which will create 20,000 jobs and bring petroleum from friendly Canada and lessen our dependence on oil from the Middle East and Venezuela. Keystone will also create 100,000 support positions.

On Don Wade & Roma's WLS-AM show this morning, Schakowsky told the hosts, "Twenty thousand jobs is really not that many jobs [emphasis mine] and investing in green technologies will produce that and more."

Listen here. The crucial segment comes in at the 6 minute mark.

But the federal government sunk over a half-billion taxpayer dollars into Solyndra, which is closing its doors. The crony capitalism solar panel firm could be just the first of many green failures.

Last week in front of a crowd at 'Occupy the Dream' on Chicago's North Side, Schakowsky shouted, "We can put people to work!"

We sure can put people to work, Jan--by building Keystone XL. But Schakowsky prefers to gamble on uncertain green ventures. And even if green energy works, we should still pursue an 'all-of-the-above' approach to energy production.

Lest you think I'm being selective about my editing of this video, RebelPundit has a longer version of Schakowsky speaking at 'Occupy the Dream' on his blog.

UPDATE 5:30pm CST: My good friend Joel Pollak has more on Schakowsky and those 20,000 jobs in Big Government.

Technorati tags: economy government energy keystone xl Schakowsky Jan Schakowsky news Canada current affairs jobs Politics Chicago Illinois illinois politics occupychicago left wing extremists current events occupywallstreet chicago politics

From Doug Ross: Say, didn't Illinois just try Obama's "tax the rich" crap last year? And didn't it fail, miserably?

2012-01-25T13:00:00.000-06:00

Yes, as Doug Ross phrases it, Illinois' "temporary" income tax is a fiasco. Say, didn't Illinois just try Obama's "tax the rich" crap last year? And didn't it fail, miserably?

But after one year, the "temporary" tax hike hasn't lowered the amount of unpaid bills. And my state's credit rating has since been lowered by Moody's. Illinois has the nation's lowest credit rating.

Technorati tags: Illinois illinois politics gop government politics

Rent-a-protesters in Chicago

2012-01-25T10:54:00.002-06:00

Rent-a-mob, or rent-a-couple of protesters, was a going concern in Chicago earlier this month, the Chicago Sun-Times reported yesterday.

Always contentious hearings on whether to close failing Chicago schools have taken a bizarre twist this year with charges that cash-strapped residents were hired as "rent-a-protesters" and given pre-made signs and pre-crafted scripts to support school shakeups.

Two men told the Chicago Sun-Times they showed up to apply for financial help with their energy bills at the Englewood office of the HOPE Organization headed by Rev. Roosevelt Watkins III, only to be offered money to attend school-related "rallies" held Jan. 6. Watkins denies they were paid to protest, saying money paid was for training.

Both protesters said they didn’t realize until the last minute that they were supposed to support school closings. One said he was promised $50 to speak at a rally "for schools," but was stiffed $25 after Watkins complained he had publicly revealed at the hearing he was "compensated" for speaking.

HOPE also bused protesters in.

In today's Sun-Times, other ministers said that paying prosters is not a common occurence in Chicago.

I have my doubts.

Video: OccupyChicago protester is a paid volunteer, UPDATED

Technorati tags: Politics Chicago Illinois illinois politics current events chicago politics current affairs culture faith religion

Occupy occtrocities: National Park Service edition

2012-01-25T09:39:00.001-06:00

The head of the National Park Service was grilled by the House Oversight Committee yesterday about why the Occupy DC movement is allowed to camp at McPherson Square near K Street.

Will they be booted? Maybe.

Today we have a few British occtrocities and an Irish one.

AFP: Occupy DC faces no-camping clampdown 'very soon'
Atlantic Wire: Cracking down on Occupy DC will be a huge headache for the Parks Service
Weasel Zippers: National Park Service director admits they haven't enforced camping ban on Occupy DC because they fear violent reaction from protesters…
Bloomberg: U.K. act to stop Occupy-style protests at venues of London Olympic games
BBC: Occupy protesters to leave St Andrew Square in Edinburgh
Bloomberg News: UBS protesters may be evicted after Occupy London drops appeal
Ireland, too. JOE: "Scruffy" Occupy campaigners becoming a right pain for businesses
Weasel Zippers: MoveOn.org: Obama's State Of The Union proposals "Truly a huge victory for the 99% movement"…
OWS Exposed: The first Occupy candidate: Nate Kleinman
KIVI-TV: Occupy Boise anti-camping bill passes committee, now moves on to full House
De-Occupied: Lexington Herald Leader: Police clear Occupy Lexington encampment after it's found unoccupied
KTVN: "Occupy Reno" leaving Moana Pool
OWS Exposed: Robert Redford claims Sundance (the corporate sponsored playground for celebrities) is for the ’99 percent’
Hippie alert. Treehugger: Yoko Ono delivers "peace postcards" to Occupy Wall Street protesters
Warning! Parody! The Heckler: Mets' Pelfrey attacked at Occupy Wall Street after trying to hand out signed baseballs
Big Journalism: One Occupier's sad story of foreclosure is a bit less sad than reported by the press

Related post:

Video: Joe Walsh questions NPS director on Occupy DC; occupiers get port-a-potties cleaned out by NPS

Technorati tags: politics occupywallstreet left wing extremists current events politics Chicago illinois communism news joe walsh Northwest Chicago Suburbs elections tea party law legal occupy dc Washington DC

Heroes: Navy SEAL Team Six free two hostages

2012-01-25T08:08:00.000-06:00

The heroic Navy SEAL Team Six, which killed Osama bin Laden last year, rescued two hostages held by Somali pirates, and American and a Dane. Nine pirates were killed.

There is good news this morning.

Technorati tags: Republican politics military defense news denmark danmark terrorism current affairs