Marathon Pundit

New film narrated by Juan Williams rips Chicago Teachers Union

2012-01-28T16:58:00.005-06:00

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.

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

Report from the media call with Adam Kinzinger on the State of the Union address

2012-01-24T23:41:00.010-06:00

Adam Kinzinger (R-IL)

About a half hour after tonight's State of the Union Address, Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) held a media call about the president's speech.

Naturally in a state with a jobless rate higher than the national unemployment rate, jobs will be a topic. "We have the highest corporate tax rate in the free world," Kinzinger said. That makes American manufacturers uncompetitive overseas which of course hinders job growth. Large corporations--Kinzinger mentioned General Electric--can afford tax attorneys to find tax loopholes. Small firms aren't so lucky, but Kinzinger viewed this dilemma as an opportunity for bipartisanship. "So I think an area that we can work together on is tax reform," he commented.

Energy is an opportunity for job creation and this is an area where Kinzinger and Obama differ. Last week the president killed the Keystone XL pipeline, which would have created 100,000 jobs. Kinzinger favors Keystone.

Ohio, IL, 11th cong. district

Since late last year it's been clear that the president's campaign strategy will be to run against Congress. Which could pose a challenge in regards to getting things done in 2012.

"Well if you're willing to work with Congress," Kinzinger remarked, "it's going to be hard to run against us."

What is going to happen?

Of the plans Obama outlined tonight, Kinzinger offered, "There's a realistic side of me that says maybe it's just rhetoric, but the hopeful side says we can find some areas on which we can work together."

But Kinzinger later said of Obama's speech, "I think he is setting up his reelection message, and frankly I want to hear him set up a governing message because we still have a country to run for the next year."

I asked the House freshman about the Republican response to the president's address--a great one, in my opinion--by Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels. He brought up Social Security reform and made the suggestion that perhaps sending Social Security checks to the very rich is something that should be reconsidered. Kinzinger called it "an idea that is worth talking about."

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Technorati tags: Republican Congress news chicago politics Chicago illinois illinois politics adam kinzinger chicago southland gop Congress government energy keystone xl

George Allen statement on the State of the Union address

2012-01-24T22:18:00.002-06:00

George Allen, a Republican candidate for Senate in Virginia, issued a statement about tonight's State of the Union address.

Tonight, millions were hoping to hear President Obama deliver a new vision for a better future for our nation and our economy. Instead, we heard campaign-type promises and advocacy for the same failed agenda. The sad facts remain that his Administration's counter-productive energy, as well as regulatory, tax and spending policies have Americans enduring 35 straight months with unemployment over 8 percent, high gasoline prices costing us $30 more for each fill-up and downgraded creditworthiness for the first time in U.S. history.

I envision a better future than what we are experiencing now in the "State of our Nation." In the heart and spirit of the American people, there is a reservoir of optimism and belief in our ability to achieve the American Dream. Americans share my view that we should be limited only by our imagination, ingenuity and hard work. We must provide Americans with a competitive advantage for more jobs and investment; unleash our plentiful energy resources and creativity; and rein in the overreaching, overspending federal government.

I wish the President's actions truly followed Abraham Lincoln's words of limited, focused government. The chief responsibility of the federal government is our national defense and we all appreciate our troops, veterans and their families.

While his statement regarding energy efficiency in buildings is a worthy goal, I also hope he will allow Virginia to produce natural gas and oil off our coast.

While many people in today’s America have already seen their dreams diminished, I firmly believe the fight for our future can be won. We can spark a genuine comeback for America with empowering tax, regulatory and energy policies that help us recapture the promise of the American Dream for future generations and ourselves. With the right leadership for proven solutions, we can send the message to the world that "America is Open for Business, Again!"

Technorati tags: politics virginia george allen virginia politics sotu senate Republican

IL GOP statements on State of the Union

2012-01-24T21:49:00.002-06:00

Fulton, IL, 16th cong. district

Some Illinois Republican members of the House of Representatives have issued statements about tonight's State of the Union address.

First, Rep. Don Manzullo of Egan:

If the president is serious about wanting to help our employers put Americans back to work, he must stop talking about the two things that will keep Americans on the unemployment lines and extend our difficult times – tax increases and excessive government regulations. Employers are not going to create jobs when they could face huge tax increases and unnecessary regulatory burdens in the near future. We need to reduce the cost of doing business in this country and help make our employers more competitive so they can expand and create jobs. My American Jobs Agenda offers solutions that would put our great nation back on the path to prosperity.

The president also needs to get serious about cutting wasteful Washington spending and shrinking the size of government so we can strengthen our economy and give our employers the confidence they need to invest in their businesses. Today marks the 1,000th day the Senate has gone without passing a budget. That's unacceptable. I strongly encourage the president and Senate Democratic leaders to take a look at a budget I supported last year – the Republican Study Committee budget – that would have cut $9.1 trillion over the next 10 years while strengthening Social Security, saving Medicare, reforming the tax code, and balancing the budget in 9 years. It's time for Washington to start living within its means and end the massive borrowing from China and other countries that is saddling future generations of Americans with massive debt.

From Robert Dold of Kenilworth:

"Coming from a large manufacturing district, I was pleased that the president focused on manufacturing and job-training. I was also pleased to hear the president mention Master Lock, headquartered in Illinois' 10th District, for their work to bring jobs home," said Dold. "Everyone can agree that jobs and the economy are the most important issue facing our country today, so now is the time to work together, find common ground, and start moving our nation forward. The president must work to unite the country, not divide it. We need to focus on putting Americans back to work and start putting people before politics and progress before partisanship."

And finally, from the House Chief Deputy Whip, Peter Roskam of Wheaton:

I was hopeful for tonight's speech, but unfortunately, it was a missed opportunity to turn the page on three years of broken promises and failed policies. Rather than commonsense solutions, Americans heard a campaign speech of broad platitudes supporting the same policies that have made our economy worse. The President spoke about American energy yet didn't reverse his indefensible decision to deny the creation of 20,000 new private-sector union jobs from expanding the Keystone Pipeline. And while he spoke about taxes and jobs, he missed an incredible opportunity to push for comprehensive tax reform – a proven solution that could unite this entire country and unleash American business innovation – last passed in an election year. Republicans stand ready to work the White House and Senate Democrats on genuine solutions that would help small businesses. A good place to start is with the nearly 30 House-passed jobs bills gathering dust in the Senate.

UPDATE 11:10pm CST:

I'm going to have more from him in a few minutes, but Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Manteno also released a statement tonight.

Under the Obama Administration, our national debt has increased by $4.6 trillion – which means every man, woman and child’s share has increased by nearly $14,000 since Obama took office.

In his 2011 State of the Union speech, President Obama warned that "at stake is whether new jobs and industries take root in this country, or somewhere else." This is a fear I hear nearly every day in Illinois. That's why I was deeply disappointed to see the president's administration block the Keystone XL Pipeline - particularly after his own jobs council yesterday called for an "all-in approach" to energy policy that incorporates expanded oil and gas drilling in addition to advancing energy projects such as pipelines.

This pipeline would directly create 20,000 manufacturing and construction jobs and 118,000 total jobs. In addition, we would see 830,000 barrels of safe and secure oil each day from our friends to the north, which means we will need less oil from countries we can no longer rely on and are not friendly to the interests of the United States.

Unfortunately, like tonight's State of the Union address, the Keystone pipeline is a missed opportunity and is yet another major example of the President placing politics before the people. The fact is that someone will benefit from the oil out of Alberta. If it's not the United States, it will be China - and it will be American businesses and consumers who will suffer the consequences from our inaction.

We can't continue to follow the same failed agenda that has driven job creators further into doubt and uncertainty. The road to refueling our economy and creating jobs means tackling our debt head on, simplifying the tax code, reducing onerous regulations, and increasing domestic energy production, making our nation more energy secure, which would help lower costs at the pump and create jobs here at home.

In just one year, the new House Republicans have fought to put the brakes on the Obama administration's spending spree. We've changed the conversation from how much to spend to how much to cut. We've also made clear to the president that it is high time that we cut up the government's credit cards and draw a hard line to stop the government from overspending, which is hampering our economy's ability to grow and thrive. We must get the government to stop spending more money than we take in and focus our efforts toward growing the private sector, where jobs are created.

Technorati tags: Barack Obama Obama economy sotu politics news Republican Congress Illinois illinois politics dupage county peter roskam gop Congress government energy keystone xl Canada Chicago North Shore bob dold current affairs Obama Barack Obama manzullo

From the SRCC on SOTU: Six things you won't hear tonight

2012-01-24T19:41:00.001-06:00

Do you know what you won't hear tonight? The Senate Republican Senatorial Communications Center does.

Six Things You Won’t Hear Tonight
Six Things President Obama Has Mentioned In Previous State Of The Union Speeches That He Probably Won’t Repeat Tonight

A Reference To This Pledge

2009 SPEECH: “Yesterday, I held a fiscal summit where I pledged to cut the deficit in half by the end of my first term in office.” (President Obama, Remarks To Joint Session Of Congress, 2/24/09)

Because…

The FY2011 deficit is $1.299 Trillion, the second highest in U.S. History.(Congressional Budget Office, 11/7/11)

Faux Outrage Over Campaign Politics

2010 SPEECH: “…what frustrates the American people is a Washington where every day is Election Day.” (President Obama, State Of The Union Address, 1/27/10)

2009 SPEECH: “I also know that in a time of crisis, we cannot afford to govern out of anger, or yield to the politics of the moment.” (President Obama, Remarks To Joint Session Of Congress, 2/24/09)

Because…

“Obama Speech Seeks to Frame Election.” (“Obama Speech Seeks To Frame Election,” The Wall Street Journal, 1/24/12)

·         “…nearly every aspect of daily life in his West Wing is influenced by a campaign mentality…” (“Obama's Big Campaign Speech: SOTU,” Politico,1/23/12)

Praise For Solyndra

2010 SPEECH: “You can see the results of last year's investments in clean energy… in the California business that will put a thousand people to work making solar panels.” (President Obama, State Of The Union Address, 1/27/10)

Because…

“Even with the federal help, Solyndra filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection… and laid off its 1,100 employees.” (“Obama Admin Reworked Solyndra Loan To Favor Donor,” The Associated Press, 9/16/11)

·         “Solyndra was the first company to be awarded a federal loan guarantee under the stimulus, worth $535 million. Taxpayers are likely to end up on the hook for much if not all of that amount, a highly embarrassing development for President Obama because he was among the company's biggest cheerleaders.” (Editorial, “Solyndra And The Stimulus,” The Los Angeles Times, 9/2/11)

Deference To His Fiscal Commission

2010 SPEECH: “…the cost of Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security will continue to skyrocket. That's why I've called for a bipartisan fiscal commission… This can't be one of those Washington gimmicks that lets us pretend we solved a problem.”  (President Obama, State Of The Union Address, 1/27/10)

Because…

President Obama’s “budget all but ignored the recommendations of Mr. Obama's bipartisan debt commission…” (“GOP Denounces Absence Of Entitlements Overhaul,” The Wall Street Journal, 2/15/11)

Promises To Close Guantanamo

2009 SPEECH: “That is why I have ordered the closing of the detention center at Guantanamo Bay…” (President Obama, Remarks To Joint Session Of Congress, 2/24/09)

Because…

“…strong bipartisan opposition in Congress.” (“Official: Closing Gitmo Prison Can Be Done By Jan.,” The Associated Press, 8/9/09)

This Is Our Sputnik Moment

2011 SPEECH: “This is our generation’s Sputnik moment. Two years ago, I said that we needed to reach a level of research and development we haven’t seen since the height of the Space Race.” (President Obama, State Of The Union Address, 1/25/11)

Because…

“Obama Bids Farewell to Space Shuttle as Florida to Lose Thousands of Jobs” (“Obama Bids Farewell To Space Shuttle As Florida To Lose Thousands Of Jobs,”Bloomberg, 4/29/11)

·         “Is Obama grounding JFK’s space legacy? …the voyage is over. John F. Kennedy would have been sorely disappointed.” (Neil Armstrong, Jim Lovell, And Gene Cernan , “Is Obama Grounding JFK's Space Legacy?,” USA Today,5/24/2011)

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

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

2012-01-24T16:40:00.002-06:00

National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis testified in front of the House Oversight Committee about Occupy DC's rat-infested camp near the capital's K Street lobbying hub.

Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) question Jarvis on a statement he made earlier, that the group was being treated "differently" because 'Occupy' was in the group's name.

The McPherson Square "Obamaville" is one of the few Occupy camps left in the country. There has been speculation that the group has been getting special treatment because of its far-left political stance.

Jarvis backtracks a bit, but then the Tea Party freshman from Chicago's northwestern suburbs plays a video made by his staff where the occupiers laud the helpfulness of the NPS, which clean out their port-a-potties three times a week. "The Park Service has defended our right to be here," one occupier said.

The director is planning a clampdown of Occupy DC, but Jarvis fell short of doing what most municipalities have done: tell them to leave.

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

NLRB overreach: State of the Union edition

2012-01-24T15:06:00.007-06:00

Keeping an eye on Las Vegas--south strip

Despite what you will hear tonight during President Obama's State of the Union address, unless you are one of the favored castes of the White House, such as Big Labor, the state of the union is not sound.

We start with an op-ed from Fred Wszolek of the Workforce Fairness Institute in Townhall:

As President Obama steps before the nation tonight, he will deliver a report to the American people on the condition of our country. The speech is the equivalent of Super Bowl Sunday for politicos in Washington, D.C. Commentators, policy experts, lobbyists, flacks and many others will be combing through the speech seeking mentions that affect clients or favored issues.

What Obama won't tell the nation is that he has served as the most pro-labor president in American history. He has delivered a series of giveaways to union bosses that should make even labor's most enthusiastic supporters blush. And in the process of giving away the store to his top campaign contributor, Obama has hung workers out to dry, placed unnecessary job-killing burdens on employers and sent a message to the business community that it can go to hell.

Looking at the last year alone, Obama re-nominated labor radical Craig Becker to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in spite of the fact that both Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Senate opposed his nomination. The White House then proceeded to submit a budget that increased funding to regulatory agencies in spite of a massive budget deficit and poll after poll showing Americans wanted less restrictions on employers, not more.

In March, the NLRB ruled the employees of lessees had a right of access to the private property of the owner to organize workers and distribute materials to the general public without regard to whether other less-intrusive means were available.

Roll Call writes about those so-called recess appointments.

Senate Republicans at their retreat this week are expected to consider ways to take a stand against the White House and Senate Democrats after four controversial recess appointments were made earlier this month, Senate Republicans said today.

"It's going to be discussed" at the Republican retreat Wednesday, said Sen. Chuck Grassley, ranking member of the Judiciary Committee. "I don’t know what's going to be done, but it can't be just Chuck Grassley ... and a couple of other people."

On the Senate floor, Grassley said that President Barack Obama’s recent recess appointments are “a matter of concern to my Republican colleagues, as it should be for all Senators; we must consider how we will respond to the president and restore a constitutional balance."

Did one union cave in on a long-running election dispute?

From The Hill:

The compromise on labor rules for transportation workers contained within the deal to approve a long-term extension of funding for the Federal Aviation Administration is acceptable to at least one key union, officials with the group said Monday.

Lawmakers agreed to a deal last week on the rules for workers covered under the Railway Labor Act, which includes some airline workers, to organize unions after fractious negotiations held up a multi-year funding bill for the FAA for the better part of a year.

Under the agreement, the percentage of a company's workforce that would have to be in favor of a vote on unionization changed to 50 percent from 35 percent before an election could be called.

The Washington, D.C.-based Transport Workers Union said it would be OK with the new rules if it meant ending the string of short-term extensions of the funding for the FAA, which is expected to reach 23 this week as lawmakers iron out the final details over their compromise. The agency's current short-term funding measure had been expected to run out Jan. 31.

More...

Jammie Wearing Fools: Stunner: New York Union Thugs Accused of Harassing Non-Union Employees

Hoosier Access: Right to Work Legislation Advances

Labor Union Report: Las Vegas Organizing Dispute Debate: Stations Casino v. Culinary Union

Big Government: WI State Senate Recall Petition Rife With Invalid Signatures, Duplicates, and Errors

Big Government: Obama and NLRB Continue to Cost Union Jobs

This week is School Choice Week.

Illinois Review: Teachers Union Rewards Republicans for "No" Vote on School Choice

Weasel Zippers: Report: Michigan Union Manual Instructs Teachers How To Use Children As "Propaganda"…

Big Government: James Carville Wants School Choice! & Other News From Nat'l School Choice Week!

Big Government: Union Bosses Against School Choice

Big Government: Judge Orders Bailout of Union-Dominated School District

Big Government: Juan Williams Skewers Chicago Teachers Union in New Film

Technorati tags: politics Democrats economy business law legal nlrb business education labor Nevada entertainment las vegas

Obama talks tough on jobs, but let 1,200 of them escape to Brazil

2012-01-24T13:33:00.001-06:00

While job growth in the private sector continues to be anemic, as he has in prior State of the Union addresses, President Obama will brag about job creation. Tomorrow he will go on a campaign-style tour.

From Bloomberg:

Obama will leave tomorrow morning for a three-day trip to Iowa, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado and Michigan, all battlegrounds in the election.

To talk about manufacturing, Obama tomorrow will stop at Conveyor Engineering & Manufacturing in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, which makes screw-type conveyors for moving materials such as feed, grain and chemicals for farming and processing facilities.

Later in the day he is scheduled to visit Chandler, Arizona, about 20 miles southeast of Phoenix, where Intel Corp. has a manufacturing plant. The world's largest chipmaker says the facility employs 9,700 people.

But President Obama, as I noted in this blog, chose to bypass a reliable American manufacturer, Hawker Beechcraft, for the contract to build its new light attack aircraft, to Embraer, Brazilian firm.

It will cost America 1,200 jobs.

More from Fox News:

Related post:

Answers needed on Obama admin's decision to outsource the next generation of light attack aircraft

Technorati tags: business air force aviation military defense brazil brasil unemployment

Buffett bashing: Crony capitalism and debunking the myth about his secretary

2012-01-24T12:56:00.001-06:00

BNSF coal trail, Colorado plains

Despite President Obama's denial of the jobs-creating Keystone XL pipeline, some of that oil will likely make its way south to the United States--by rail. That option will be more expensive. One of the beneficiaries will be the Burlington Northern Santa Fe, the majority owner of that line is Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway. The Omaha billionaire is a big supporter of President Obama.

Buffett and Obama have been bemoaning that the billionaire's secretary (By the way, do you really think he has just one?) pays a higher tax rate than Buffett.

Not so fast, says AP:

President Barack Obama says he wants to make sure millionaires are taxed at higher rates than their secretaries. The data say they already are.

"Warren Buffett's secretary shouldn't pay a higher tax rate than Warren Buffett. There is no justification for it," Obama said as he announced his deficit-reduction plan this week. "It is wrong that in the United States of America, a teacher or a nurse or a construction worker who earns $50,000 should pay higher tax rates than somebody pulling in $50 million."

On average, the wealthiest people in America pay a lot more taxes than the middle class or the poor, according to private and government data. They pay at a higher rate, and as a group, they contribute a much larger share of the overall taxes collected by the federal government.

The 10 percent of households with the highest incomes pay more than half of all federal taxes. They pay more than 70 percent of federal income taxes, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Technorati tags: Obama politics business warren buffett barack obama economy jobs economy government energy keystone xl news Canada crony capitalism

Video: Roskam on State of the Union gives advice to Obama

2012-01-24T11:52:00.001-06:00

While discussing tonight's State of the Union address on Bloomberg TV, House Chief Deputy Whip Peter Roskam (R-IL) offers advice to President Obama on what he should say.

"Look, the solutions that I have offered as president for the past two and a half or three years, haven't worked. Let's move forward and lets move forward in a bipartisan way," Roskam said. "And I think the country is aching for that kind of leadership--and I hope [the president] does that."

Technorati tags: Barack Obama Obama economy sotu politics news Republican Congress Illinois illinois politics dupage county peter roskam gop Congress

Romney releases tax returns

2012-01-24T10:36:00.000-06:00

There are no real bombshells in the tax returns Mitt Romney released late last night. The former Massachusetts governor will write a check to the IRS for $6.2 million in taxes, he earned $42.5 in 2010 and 2011, a rate of 14 percent. As this is investment income, that percentage is not unusual.

As there is not a lot of "there" there, I have to wonder why Romney fumbled his responses to questions about his tax returns.

I'm not the only one thinking along this line.

Technorati tags: politics news Mitt Romney Republican 2012 gop government taxes

Occupy occtrocities: We are leaving edition

2012-01-24T09:34:00.005-06:00

Chicago Marathon, 2010

The first story reminds me of an Occupy chant. One! We are the people. Two! We are united. Three! The occupation is not leaving.

Well look at the first story--they folded in New York. And look at the second.

Hey Brazil: Get ready for company.

And as always, arrests and convictions.

Business Week: Occupy Wall Street drops challenge to Zuccotti eviction
National Post: Occupy Toronto abandons plans to contest latest eviction order
Salt Lake Tribune: Occupy SLC activist arrested at Sundance Film Festival
Houston Chronicle: Gunman at Occupy Houston site incompetent for trial
Gateway Pundit: #Occupy criminal movement releases screwball revolution anthem (Video)
Freedom Is Just Another Word: Soros: Occupy to turn violent
Weasel Zippers: Occupy Wall Street contingent heading to massive anti-capitalist form in Brazil…
Big Government: Unions and rebranded ACORN behind violent Occupy San Francisco clashes with police
Charlotte Conservative News: Occupy Wall Street idiots, part 3
I thought it was about greed. Contra Costa Times: Occupy Long Beach rallies about WikiLeaks case
As I was saying...Salt Lake Tribune: Occupiers widen focus to societal issues
Along those lines...Gapers Block: Eye on #OCHI: Focus on free speech
Huffington Post: Three Occupy members arrested blocking Boca Raton bridge outside GAIM conference
Media Research Center: Musicians (and Moore) capitalize: 'Occupy This Album'
Belfast Telegraph: Traders want protesters to leave
Limerick Leader: Occupy Limerick protesters move out of makeshift camp
Big Government: President Obama's State of the Union & 2012 campaign based On Occupy’s 'income inequality' messaging
Atlas Shrugs: Occupy AIPAC next step for hate group
Weasel Zippers: Pic of the Day: All aboard the Occupy Express…
Gateway Pundit: Glitter, shouting, tackled protesters: Screaming #Occupy goons dragged from Santorum event in Florida
Amazingly, no arrests. KLCC Radio: Occupy 'Ninjas' protest in downtown Eugene
The Lonely Conservative: Unions plan to Occupy the Super Bowl to protest right to work
Charlotte Observer: Charlotte City Council OKs expanding police power during DNC
American Power: Occupy's inequality push misses real problem: Per capita income has fallen over five years
Occupy Arrests: 5,980 arrests.

Related post:

Indiana Senate approves right-to-work bill

Technorati tags: left wing extremists current events socialism occupywallstreet crime communism law legal ows brazil brasil

Failure: 1,000 days since Senate passed a budget

2012-01-24T08:18:00.003-06:00

President Obama is campaigning against a "do-nothing" Congress. Fine. But he needs to mention that the US Senate, which is controlled by the Democrats, last passed a budget 1,000 days ago.

As for the White House, it was supposed to have issued its budget proposal on February 6, but yesterday it announced that they need another week. Last year's budget, which of course was never enacted, was also delayed.

But the president has several campaign-style appearances tomorrow and has been a prolific fundraiser for his reelection effort and his party.

UPDATE 10:15am CST: The National Republican Senatorial Committee has a new ad, 1,000 Days.

And Virginia GOP Senate candidate George Allen issued a statement about this failure:

Passing a budget is the most basic and fundamental responsibility of any business and legislative body, along with the Executive. Yet today marks 1,000 days since the U.S. Senate has met their responsibility. In that time Washington has added $4.1 trillion to the national debt, punted on nearly every effort to restrain spending and the U.S. economy has been downgraded for the first time in history. It has been over two and a half years since our nation had a budget. It is time for Washington to be held accountable.

There is a way back to fiscal sanity in Washington and it starts with a comprehensive budget reform plan that includes a Balanced Budget Amendment with taxpayer protection, as well as presidential line-item veto authority. In addition, I have long advocated for what I call the Paycheck Penalty Act to withhold a Member of Congress' pay if they fail to complete annual appropriations bills on time.

Washington has demonstrated time and again that it is incapable of policing itself when it comes to spending our taxpayer dollars. Virginia families, businesses and our state all have to balance their budgets and live within our means; it's time for Washington to do the same.

Technorati tags: politics current affairs news elections Obama Barack Obama democrats

Two Occupy Boise sex offenders testify in favor of keeping state capitol camp open

2012-01-23T21:50:00.002-06:00

Two convicted sex offenders testified in front of an Idaho House committee today, asking the legislators not to ban camping on the state capitol grounds because they would have no where else to go.

From AP:

"They gave me a tent, a few warm blankets. Now they're my family -- and my town," said Glen Edward Garity, a 41-year-old registered sex offender. "This gave me a new meaning to stay out of prison."

Garity, convicted in 1991 of lewd conduct with a child under 16 and released last year, was among more than a dozen people to testify in favor of leaving what Occupy Boise backers call a "vigil site" in place.

Another registered sex offender, Louis Scruggs, said he found a home among the Occupy Boise site's homeless, adding that he, too, is fearful closing the encampment will leave him without a place to sleep because some homeless shelters won't accept him.

"Basically, I feel helpless," said Scruggs, 34, convicted of lewd conduct in 1998. "I leave it in your hands, ladies and gentlemen, my fate."

The creeps did their time--they were not given a life sentence.

But the third paragraph states "some homeless shelters won't accept him." Not all of them. And the logic of this ex-con is bizarre: The legislators need to keep the state capitol Occupy camp open--so ex-con sex offenders have a place to stay.

Idaho: Do what just about every other jurisdiction has done--shut down the Occupy camp. Camping is not free speech.

Technorati tags: news Idaho boise current events left wing extremists socialism occupywallstreet sex offenders crime communism law legal

Media bias: Anti-Scott Walker headline in Wisconsin

2012-01-23T20:58:00.003-06:00

A tipster sent this headline my way, which comes from the Janesville Gazette: Former Walker Associate Has Preliminary Hearing.

Janesville is in southern Wisconsin.

The story refers to Tim Russell, a former staffer of Scott Walker. The investigation involves a non-profit Russell headed; he was appointed by Walker to that job while the Wisconsin governor was serving as Milwaukee County Executive.

Gee, do you think the Gazette headline a story this way? Former Obama Associate Begins Prison Sentence in Pekin. Which Tony Rezko did this month.

Of course not. And the mainstream media didn't even bother to report on Rezko's change of address.

Warner Todd Huston has this to say about this topic in the Publius Forum blog: Guilt By Association Used by Old Media Only to Hurt Republicans

Along those lines, this story from Big Journalism is worth your while too: Local Wisconsin Media Downplays Pro-Walker Rally

Related post:

Exclusive: Obama crony Rezko begins federal prison sentence in Pekin, IL

Technorati tags: elections Politics news wisconsin wisconsin politics Tony Rezko Rezko Rezko janesville

Indiana Senate approves right-to-work bill

2012-01-23T18:36:00.001-06:00

Big Labor suffered a big defeat this evening in Indianapolis--the state Senate voted to pass a right-to-work bill.

The bill now moves to the Indiana House, where the GOP also holds a majority. The legislation is expected to pass there and Gov. Mitch Daniels supports the bill.

Technorati tags: business right to work unions news jobs economy organized labor indiana gop Republican indiana politics Indiana

NLRB overreach: Congressional probe edition

2012-01-23T15:32:00.002-06:00

There was a pro-Scott Walker rally
over the weekend

Those so-called NLRB recess appointments continue to draw scrutiny.

From The Hill:

The House Judiciary Committee will probe President Obama's recent decision to skirt the Senate with a handful of recess appointments.

Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) announced Monday that his committee will hold a hearing on Feb. 15 to explore the constitutionality of the president's move, which he said sets a "dangerous precedent" for future administrations.

Republicans were incensed when the president decided earlier this month to circumvent Senate confirmation and recess appoint three nominations that had been subject to GOP opposition. A particular point of ire was the fact that the president ignored the brief pro forma Senate sessions pushed by the GOP to block such appointments.

"The President cannot unilaterally decide to rush through 'recess appointments' while the Senate is not in recess," Smith said. "Doing so threatens the oversight powers of the Senate and the separation of powers that is fundamental to our Constitution."

The Detroit News:

President Barack Obama pushed the envelope too far this month when he named four appointees without Senate approval, claiming the Senate was in "recess" when in fact it was holding pro-forma sessions. Article II of the Constitution grants the president authority to unilaterally make appointments "when the Senate is in recess." It does not grant him the authority to make such appointments if he doesn't think the Senate is engaged in serious business.

Obama's Justice Department, in an opinion upholding the legality of the appointments, acknowledged the legal risks inherent in the president's move. The question, a memo from the department's Office of Legal Counsel noted, is new and "the substantial arguments on each side create some litigation risks for such appointments."

The litigation has already begun. A coalition of three pro-business groups has filed suit to block three of the appointments, which were to the National Labor Relations Board, on the ground that they are unconstitutional. The fourth appointment was to the newly created Consumer Protection Financial Bureau.

Obama claims to represent, in Occupy Wall Street lingo, "the 99 percent." In fact, he's fighting for the five percent.

From the Hernando Today:

While President Obama and the "Occupy" demonstrators demagogue against the One Percent of wealthy Americans, a favored "Five Percent" of other Americans — union members — continue to receive special treatment from the administration.

To understand why, know that labor unions contributed $335 million — and thousands of volunteers — to Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. As the president himself famously said at a town hall meeting in Iowa, "I am a pro-union guy."

Eternally grateful for their support, the president has spent his entire term looking for government ways to help unions increase their declining ranks and their membership dues.

Unions, a key funder of Democratic Party politics, are in decline. In 1979, their peak, nearly 21 million Americans belonged to unions. By 2010, that had dropped to 15 million, or under 5 percent of Americans. In Florida, about 2 percent of people belong to unions.

In other "one percent" news, President Obama will accept the nomination of his party at Bank of America stadium. But North Carolina is a right-to-work state.

Politico:

One of the contractors responsible for building Bank of America stadium in Charlotte, N.C. is 'praising' President Obama and the Democratic Party for holding a convention event there, calling the stadium an 'outstanding example' of the free enterprise system.

Brett McMahon, president of the concrete construction firm Miller & Long DC and the spokesman for the anti-labor, pro-business group Halt the Assault, notes that the stadium where President Obama will formally accept the nomination was built by non-unionized workers.

The New England Patriots and the New York Giants will face-off in the Super Bowl next month in Indianapolis. The Republican majority at the state capitol wants to make the Hoosier State a right-to-work state. But will Big Labor's antics during Super Bowl week further damage its image?

From AP:

Facing a legislative vote that would make Indiana a right-to-work state, alarmed union members are thinking about making their case on perhaps the nation’s biggest stage — the Super Bowl.

Labor activists are deciding whether to go ahead with protests that could include Teamsters clogging city streets with trucks and electricians staging a slowdown at the convention center site of the NFL village. What's holding them back is a fear the effort could create a backlash from those who think sports and politics don't mix.

"The last thing the city needs is a black eye," said Jeff Combs, organizing director for Teamsters Local 135 in Indianapolis, one of the unions discussing strategy. Union locals are awaiting guidance from the Indiana AFL-CIO before deciding what to do.

The New York Times:

"We had known from the start that there was a remote possibility that some extreme opponents might try to leverage this, but now it's being pretty openly threatened," said Brian Bosma, the Republican speaker of the House, who says the right-to-work legislation will improve Indiana's ability to recruit new businesses. "It would be a horrible mistake to use the Super Bowl in this way, and I think it would backfire terribly."

In Wisconsin, supporters of Governor Scott Walker held a rally over the weekend.

Big Journalism: Local Wisconsin Media Downplays Pro-Walker Rally

McHenry County Blog: Spring Grove Tea Party Members Rally for Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker

I've written in favor of the Employee Rights Act. The Oklahoman weighs in:

Collective bargaining and union decertification are terms that became frustratingly familiar during the NBA lockout. While fixing the impasse provided a nice Christmas gift for fans, the prospect of a lost season spotlighted the complex relationship among employers, employees and unions.

Tim Scott (R-SC)
Outside of professional sports, labor unions touch our lives via school teachers, air traffic controllers, postal workers and more. To empower workers, U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch and U.S. Rep. Tim Scott introduced the Employee Rights Act (ERA) last year.

The Oklahoman supports the ERA because it increases freedom of choice for employees, demands accountability for unions, prohibits coercion and violence and gives workers more control over their own money. Polls indicate significant backing of the legislation, even within union households. It's time to send this bill toward the net.

Guaranteeing the right to secret-ballot elections enables employees to freely decide their fate, at least as far as unions go. Employees should have the right not to join a union just as they have the right to join one. Intimidation and manipulation shouldn't sway that choice.

Finally, I leave you with a couple of drinks.

SHOT:

Daschle Calls Recess Sessions 'Bogus' In Defending Obama

CHASER:

"Sen. Tom Daschle, D.-S.D., the Democratic leader, said, 'By circumventing the Senate to recess appoint Charles Pickering, the President has confirmed that he has no interest in working in a bipartisan manner to appoint moderate judges who will uphold the law.'" (Neil Lewis, "Embattled Judge Installed By Bush," The New York Times, 1/17/04)

"Senate Democrats, turning up the heat in their long-simmering feud with President Bush over judicial nominations, vowed on Friday to block all new federal court appointments unless the White House promises to stop installing judges while Congress is in recess. 'We will be clear,' the Democratic leader, Senator Tom Daschle of South Dakota, told his colleagues Friday morning in a pointed speech on the Senate floor. 'We will continue to cooperate in the confirmation of federal judges, but only if the White House gives the assurance that it will no longer abuse the process.'" (Sheryl Gay Stolberg, "Democrats Issue Threat To Block Court Nominees," The New York Times, 3/27/04)

Related post:

Illegal Obama-appointed NLRB board member will receive payments from Operating Engineers' union

Technorati tags: politics Democrats economy business law legal nlrb business Indiana wisconsin wisconsin politics

Roskam slams Obama's refusal to build the Keystone XL pipeline

2012-01-23T14:36:00.001-06:00

Three days ago Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL), the House Chief Deputy Whip, spoke with CNBC's John Carney about President Obama's cave-in to his environmental campaign contributors when he ruled against building the job-creating Keystone XL pipeline.

Here's a portion of what Roskam said:

It's terribly disappointing. President Obama is making a choice. It's a clear choice. 20,000 middle class jobs vs. an environmental base. The President's top priority is his base and as he said in one of his events, I'll try hard on some things but hey it's an election year. The country is looking for someone to put the country together. This was project was tailo- made to do that and yet the president was not willing to bring folks together. This decision was a political calculation. He is appealing to the base of his party and is unwilling to put energy security and jobs first.

Technorati tags: Democrats democrat politics economy government energy keystone xl news Canada current affairs Obama Barack Obama jobs Illinois illinois politics chicago republicans gop Congress dupage county peter roskam chicago politics

Illegal Obama-appointed NLRB board member will receive payments from Operating Engineers' union

2012-01-23T13:40:00.003-06:00

IUOE bumpersticker, Morton Grove, IL

One of President Obama's so-called recess appointments to the radicalized National Labor Relations Board has a clear conflict of interest. The Heritage Foundation's Foundry blog explains:

Financial disclosure documents filed by two of President Obama's illegal appointments to the National Labor Relations Board show that one will continue to receive payments from a major labor union during his time on the board.

Richard Griffin, the former general counsel for the International Union of Operating Engineers, will receive regular payments under two different IUOE pension plans. The payment amounts are not listed on the disclosure form. He will also receive a single lump sum payment equal to three weeks of salary (one week for each of the three years since he enrolled in the plan). Griffin's annual salary as the IUOE's general counsel was $376,778, according to the disclosure form.

In his capacity as general counsel, we have noted, Griffin advanced policies that helped insulate corrupt union leaders from challenge.

Obama didn't even attempt to get the Senate involved in this and another illegal appointment. Also weighing in on this controversy is the Workforce Fairness Institute:

"President Obama's recess appointment of Richard Griffin to the National Labor Relations Board was clearly a giveaway to Big Labor and outside the authority provided in the Constitution. In addition, the recess appointment was made just days after the nomination was announced highlighting the extreme nature of the payback,” said Fred Wszolek, spokesperson for the Workforce Fairness Institute (WFI). "We are now learning that Richard Griffin will receive payments from labor pension plans therefore calling into question any impartiality on his part, which was highly dubious to begin with considering his track record of working against employees and in favor of union bosses. Any decisions Griffin would make on the Obama labor board would undoubtedly force workers into unions and pad Big Labor’s bottom line, and in turn, affect the value of his own pension. This is simply unacceptable and intolerable. Griffin has a clear conflict of interest and this development explains why President Obama did not want him to go through the proper and required nomination process. Congress must act immediately to address this matter."

Technorati tags: politics Democrats Republican unions news organized labor jobs economy law legal nlrb

Mark Kirk suffers stroke

2012-01-23T11:15:00.005-06:00

Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL) suffered a stroke over the weekend. The Chicago Tribune reprinted a press release from Chicago's Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

"On Saturday, Senator Kirk checked himself into Lake Forest Hospital, where doctors discovered a carotid artery dissection in the right side of his neck," his office said in a statement.

"He was transferred to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, where further tests revealed that he had suffered an ischemic stroke," it said. "Early this morning, the senator underwent surgery to relieve swelling around his brain stemming from the stroke. The surgery was successful.

"Due to his young age, good health and the nature of the stroke, doctors are very confident in the Senator's recovery over the weeks ahead."

The office released no other details.

Kirk is 52 years old.

Wow...although the stroke may not be serious, this news is a shocker.

Rep. Bob Dold of Kenilworth, who succeeded Kirk in the House of Representatives, issued this atatement:

Our thoughts and prayers are with Senator Kirk and his family today. I would like to thank the medical professionals for their excellent work and their immediate actions to care for the Senator. Danielle and I join with all the people of the 10th district and across the country in wishing the Senator a full and speedy recovery.

UPDATE 1:45pm CST:

A couple of more statements from Illinois Republicans have come in.

From the House Chief Deputy Whip, Rep. Peter Roskam of Wheaton:

I was disturbed to hear about Senator Kirk. Elizabeth and I have Mark and his family in our thoughts and prayers at this very difficult time. He's a great friend, senator, and leader for Illinois. On behalf of the people of the Sixth District, we hope Senator Kirk enjoys a full and speedy recovery.

From Rep. Joe Walsh of McHenry:

My thoughts and prayers are with Senator Kirk and his family during this time. I hope he makes a complete, safe, and speedy recovery.

Technorati tags: Illinois Politics Illinois chicago Republican politics Mark Kirk government chicago politics Chicago North Shore bob dold

Occupy occtrocities: $3 million tab in Oakland edition

2012-01-23T09:33:00.005-06:00

Don't miss a spot

Once again we start off with Bay Area occtrocities. Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, who supports the Occupy movement, has $3 million less to spend thanks to those peaceful folks creating havoc there.

Two occupiers will be shoveling snow in Ohio, an accused arsonist might be occupying a prison cell in Colorado, and of course, more arrests and evictions.

San Francisco Chronicle: Occupy Oakland tab up to $3 million and counting
CBS Denver: Suspect in Occupy Denver site arson faces 6 years in jail
Fox Nation: Church desecration? 'Occupiers' going to Hell after this one...
WRAL: Occupy Raleigh marks 100th day; two arrested
Good. Bowling Green Sentinel-Tribune: Occupy members ordered to shovel sidewalks
Stuff: Arrests as Occupy Auckland camps shut down
Des Moines Register: Occupy Des Moines campers plan to fold tents by Jan. 31
But does anyone care? News Junkie Post: Has ex Goldman Sachs staff turned Democrat campaigner infiltrated Occupy?
New York Post: B'klyn pol supporter flip-flops on home invaders
I miss the Rocky Mountain News. Denver Post: Rinaldi: The fine art of the Occupy movement shows stripped-down, naked anger
54"40' Or Fight!: Updated – Creepy time at Occupy Portland: Meet the "Occubears"
KION-TV: Occupy camp will close in Monterey
Big Government: Sundays with Sherrod: Occupier solidarity
Verum Serum: Occupiers interrupt pro-life gathering shouting pro-abortion slogans
I thought the protests were about greed. CBS News: Fracking gets its own "Occupy" movement
Harvard Crimson: Occupy Harvard dome violated city codes
Yes! Norwich Evening News: TELL US WHAT YOU THINK: Is it time for the Occupy Norwich protesters to leave Haymarket?
JackFM: Occupy Bristol prepare for eviction
Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! ABA Journal: Costumes, singing, dancing and srrests mark Occupy the Courts protests
Toronto Star: Occupy Toronto protesters looking for new home
Freedom's Lighthouse: Mitt Romney tells "Occupy" hecklers to "Take a hike!" – Video 1/22/12
Gateway Pundit: #Occupy St. Louis & CAIR hold joint protest to harass shoppers inside Lowe's (Video)

Technorati tags: left wing extremists current events socialism occupywallstreet
christianity culture faith religion brooklyn Jewish Jews crime communism law legal ows history culture California san francisco

Marathon Pundit's sprints for 1/22/12

2012-01-22T18:00:00.002-06:00

I've been busy on other items, so I haven't had time to put together Marathon Pundit's Sprints in a while.

Here are a few:

The Lid: SHAME ON YOU ED KOCH! Shame On You For Flip-Flopping About Obama
Say Anything: Only Jimmy Carter Had A Lower Third-Year Average Approval Rating Than Barack Obama
Great reporting here. Prairie State Report: Alan Nudo Quits Race for 52nd District State Senate Seat
Doug Ross: Debunking the Beltway Hacks' Latest Spin: Gingrich Will Harm Down-Ticket Republicans
The Other McCain: 'Churchill' Gingrich?
Mental Recession: Keystone Less of a Risk Than Pipelines Already in Place, Experts Say
TrogloPundit: Iran: “We're drawing a line. Here! You don't cross it! Okay, fine, we'll draw another line. Here. You don't cross this one! Okay, fine…"
Gates of Vienna: Death Comes to Nigeria (Again)

Technorati tags: Republican politics republicans news democrats

Giffords resigning from Congress

2012-01-22T16:24:00.000-06:00

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) will resign her seat to focus on her recovery. It will be a long struggle--but she's a tough woman.

Technorati tags: politics news arizona arizona politics gabrielle giffords Democrats

Occupy occtrocities: San Francisco violence edition

2012-01-22T12:56:00.002-06:00

The San Francisco 49ers are one victory away from their first Super Bowl appearance in 22 years. But that hasn't cheered up the perpetually enraged Occupy SF movement.

Also, scroll down to the related posts and you will learn that Occupy Wall Street is not only at war with religion, some Christian ministers are abetting this conflict.

PJM's Tatler: Occupy protesters use Bibles as weapons — literally
Weasel Zippers: Occupy San Fran goons throw bricks, rocks and bottles at police sending two officers to the hospital…
San Francisco Chronicle: Final totals show 23 arrested in Occupy protest
Big Government: Exclusive: Occupy Wall Street bans rape whistleblower from 'Spokes Council'
AFP: 'Occupy London' vacates building after brief stay
Verum Serum: Video: Occupy SF turns violent, 2 police officers injured
Anna Raccoon: Occupy bolt cutters
American Power: The new student activism: Occupy Wall Street
Verum Serum: Occupy protesters in DC: We're living in a police state!
As she should. Boston Globe Magazine: Mother worries about her Occupy Wall Street protester son
Big Hollywood: Pro-American band Madison Rising rocks Occupiers' open mic event
Breitbart: Occupy Wall Street puts its hopes in spring rebirth
Big Journalism: Why so little press on the gun toting drifter for whom Occupy voted to pay bail?
Weasel Zippers: Classy: Occupy protesters glitter bomb Santorum during S.C. election night party…
Barf alert. American Libraries: The librarians of Occupy Wall Street
Occupy Arrests: 5,975 arrests.

Related posts:

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

Month after 49 occupiers arrested for storming church owned lot; NY Episcopals praise OWS

RebelPundit Video: Occupy the Dream or Occupy Church and State?--and ELCA pastors supporting break-ins

Video: Chicago OccuMinister planning break-in of vacant home

Technorati tags: left wing extremists current events socialism occupywallstreet
christianity culture faith religion brooklyn Jewish Jews crime communism law legal ows history culture California san francisco

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

2012-01-22T10:59:00.004-06:00

Has the time finally arrived for mainline Protestant denominations to swear off the Occupy movement?

The New York Post is reporting that a holy vessel, a baptismal font, was stolen at West Park Presbyterian Church in Manhattan. It is sheltering occupiers.

The pastor at the church, the Rev. Bob Brashear, still doesn't get it. He rightly called out the jackals, but dressed it in OWS lingo. "It was like pissing on the 99 percent." The Post called it a "fire and brimstone message" from Brashear.

Here is my message to Brashear: You should be preaching to the 100 percent. The vessel, valued at $12,500, was later found--but its basin is still missing.

The night prior to the theft 60 OWSers slept in the church. Three weeks earlier a $2,400 apple MacBook disappeared from Brashear's office a few days after occupiers began sleeping in his church.

What a bunch of ingrates. The pastor has given the occupiers two weeks to leave.

Urination is an apt metaphor here. Down in Brooklyn, the Post is also ecumenically reporting that a rabbi has washed his hands of the Occupy movement after he learned that an OWS protester urinated inside a Brooklyn Presbyterian church. "The Park Slope church housing occupiers was desecrated when an occupier peed inside the building and the pee came into contact with a cross," the rabbi bemoaned in a letter.

In San Francisco, Bibles were desecrated last night. San Francisco occupiers broke in to a vacant hotel. When the police tried to remove them, they threw Gideon's Bibles and other objects at them.

Read below--it's not just the Presbyterians who have been duped by Occupy Wall Street.

Related posts:

Video: Chicago OccuMinister planning break-in of vacant home

RebelPundit Video: Occupy the Dream or Occupy Church and State?--and ELCA pastors supporting break-ins

Month after 49 occupiers arrested for storming church owned lot; NY Episcopals praise OWS

Occupy the Quakers

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

Joe Paterno dies

2012-01-22T09:52:00.000-06:00

Longtime Penn State football coach Joe Paterno died this morning. A sex scandal involving a longtime assistant, Jerry Sandusky, led to his dismally in November.

His last game was a 10-7 win--a real stinker of a game against my Fighting Illini in a snowy Happy Valley.

We'll probably never know now what Paterno knew about Sandusky. He was viewed as the likely successor to JoePa, but the younger assistant retired in 1999--but retained full use of the Penn State athletic facilities until his recent arrest for child molestation. The incident that triggered Paterno's downfall--Sandusky's alleged rape of a boy--occurred in 2002.

Technorati tags: University of Illinois illini politics pennsylvania politics pennsylvania penn state joe paterno

Romney to release tax returns on Tuesday

2012-01-22T09:07:00.001-06:00

Ending the drip...drip...drip...torture largely brought on by himself in his hesitancy to do so earlier, Mitt Romney told Fox News' Chris Wallace that he will release his 2010 taxes on Tuesday.

Technorati tags: politics news Mitt Romney Republican 2012 gop government taxes

Month after 49 occupiers arrested for storming church owned lot; NY Episcopals praise OWS

2012-01-21T20:33:00.003-06:00

The embracement of the Occupy Wall Street movement by some mainline Protestant denominations continues to astound me.

Last month 49 OWSers were arrested for trespassing after a mob stormed a vacant lot owned by Trinity Wall Street Episcopal Church. Some crawled under the fence surrounding the property, some tried to climb over it with ladders. One of those arrested was a man with two warrants; police found five pairs of bolt cutters in his backpack, presumably for cutting through the chain link fence.

Those that made it past the fence, CBS New York reported, chanted "Make them catch you" as well as obscenities.

In a statement, Rev. Dr. James H. Cooper, the rector of Trinity Church, wrote, "It is regrettable that Occupy members feel it is necessary to provoke potential legal and police action by attempting to trespass on other parish property… I would urge all concerned to stand down and seek justice in ways that do not further alienate potential allies."

And in a letter obtained by the New York Observer, the church stated, "Trinity's position has been consistent and clear. Trinity has provided meeting and gathering spaces as well as a tranquil place at church facilities in and around Wall Street."

How should you respond to ingrates? Praise them if you are Episcopalian clergy.

The Episcopal Diocese of New York, which governs the New York City area and the lower Hudson River valley, issued a fawning statement about the Occupy movement during its annual convention this week.

This passage is representative of the whole:

[1] that the Occupy movement has shed light on the challenges we face as both citizens and followers of Jesus Christ;

[2] that unfettered capitalism has resulted in unacceptable inequities within the fabric of our society;

[3] that non-violent protests and direct actions of the Occupy movement, including actions of conscientious civil disobedience, have a time honored place in the formation and growth of a more civil society;

Did the resolution, which "passed with a large majority," mention the uncivil disobedient barbarians storming the fence at Trinity Wall Street Church? Of course not.

Since September, when the Occupy Wall Street movement began in lower Manhattan, there have been nearly 6,000 arrests, two murders, and numerous rapes and assaults.

Related posts:

Video: Chicago OccuMinister planning break-in of vacant home

RebelPundit Video: Occupy the Dream or Occupy Church and State?--and ELCA pastors supporting break-ins

Technorati tags: left wing extremists current events socialism occupywallstreet
christianity culture faith religion episcopal episcopalian new york city

Fox News projecting Newt win in SC

2012-01-21T18:06:00.001-06:00

Gingrich with Marathon
Pundit in 2011

Fox News is projecting a win by Newt Gingrich in the South Carolina Primary. Twice Gingrich has been written off for dead in the GOP race for president. But he keeps coming back.

Mitt Romney is projected to finish second while Fox News says its too close to call between Ron Paul and Rick Santorum in regards to third.

Technorati tags: Mitt Romney Republican 2012 gop government politics news conservative politics newt gingrich republicans elections 2012 south carolina south carolina politics south carolina primary

From the WFI: FAA agreement defends worker rights

2012-01-21T17:39:00.002-06:00

There is a good news for aviation and rail workers this weekend. In a press release, the Workforce Fairness Institute explains:

Washington, D.C. (January 21, 2011) – The Workforce Fairness Institute (WFI) today released the following statement in response to news reports that Congressional leaders have reached an agreement on Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) legislation:
"The agreement reached by Congressional leadership protects the rights of workers in the airline and railroad industries and balances the scales in workplace elections. While we continue to believe the National Mediation Board (NMB) ruling upending nearly a century of precedent was an extraordinary form of payback to Big Labor bosses, the legislative branch has met its constitutional obligation to serve as a check on the executive," said Fred Wszolek, spokesperson for the Workforce Fairness Institute (WFI). "The deal as reported will appropriately require 50 percent of workers in a company to support efforts to organize before a union election can be held as opposed to the current 35 percent. Another noteworthy provision ensures run-off elections are between the top two recipients of worker votes ending the practice of allowing a union with less support than the no-union vote to remain on the ballot. Lastly, the NMB will now be required to conduct public hearings when engaging in significant rulemaking. At the end of the day, this is a decisive victory for workers and significant defeat for union bosses who sought to use an Obama regulatory agency to stack the deck against employees and employers."

Technorati tags: politics organized labor aviation unions

RebelPundit Video: Occupy the Dream or Occupy Church and State?--and ELCA pastors supporting break-ins

2012-01-21T14:24:00.004-06:00

Even after nearly 6,000 occupier arrests, some Protestant ministers are still embracing and cheering on the Occupy Wall Street movement. Yes, many of those busts are for relatively harmless crimes such as disorderly conduct, but two occupiers have been arrested for murder. There have also been numerous rapes and assaults.

Watch RebelPundit's video of preachers--and politicians--sipping the Occupy Kool-Aid on the altar of People's Church in Chicago on Sunday during Occupy the Dream.

I also attended this event and the video is an accurate representation of what took place there that afternoon.

The most egregious statement from Sunday was from the Rev. Tom Gaulke of First Lutheran Church of the Trinity in Chicago's Bridgeport neighborhood. "We will be supporting a homeless family in reoccupying a vacant house."

That's called a break-in. I don't know if Gaulke was there, but a vacant home on Chicago's South Side was illegally "occupied" on Thursday, as Progress Illinois reports. The self-appointed do-gooders have been rehabbing the house, which is owned by HSBC. That doesn't make things right. If I steal your car, change the oil, fill the gas tank, and then give it to someone who doesn't own a vehicle, it is still theft.

CPD: Break-in in progress
on Kenwood

Of Thursday's break-in, the Reverend Booker Vance of Stephen's Lutheran Church of Chicago South Side (Another Lutheran pastor!) told Progress Illinois, "It's legal in the sense that it's been illegal what they're doing to the community."

Both Gaulke and Vance serve under the auspices of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.

Chicago Police? Where are you? If you want to investigate, the home is on the 8700 block of South Kenwood.

Apparently a "homeless" woman and her children have moved into that house, but while she is clearly going through tough times, the "homeless" mom was living in her sister's home.

Related post:

Video: Chicago OccuMinister planning break-in of vacant home

Technorati tags: Illinois illinois politics taxes business occupychicago left wing extremists current events socialism occupywallstreet Lutheran christianity culture faith religion

Richard Thompson: Cooksferry Queen

2012-01-21T13:18:00.000-06:00

Somewhere in England there is a hot babe known as the Cooksferry Queen. Watch as Jools Holland introduces Richard Thompson for this TV show "Later..."

Best known for his folk work, Thompson rocks out here as he promotes his album from 1999, Mock Tudor by performing "Cooksferry Queen."

Related posts:

Richard Thompson: Oops, I Did It Again
Richard Thompson: Dimming of the Day
Richard Thompson: Wall of Death
Richard Thompson: 1952 Vincent Black Lightning
Richard Thomson: Beeswing

Technorati tags: music rock entertainment video folk Richard Thompson folk music jools holland

Occupy occtrocities: Bicentennial Man edition

2012-01-21T10:07:00.007-06:00

American Bicentennial mural, Tampico, Illinois

Among the many inane causes taken up by the Occupy movement is the notion of "corporate personhood." In the Citizens United case, the US Supreme Court, rightly, ruled that organizations could run political ads without disclosing their contributors.

Unions, with dues money, have been doing essentially the same thing for decades. Nearly all of that money of course goes to Democrats. The Supreme Court did not declare corporations "people." But the Occupiers must have read Isaac Asimov's Bicentennial Man--or watched the inferior movie---way too many times. A precocious robot, the Bicentennial Man seeks, well, personhood.

Occupiers--it's called science-fiction. Fiction.

Yesterday the OWS crowd held protests about robots--oops, I mean "corporate personhood," dubbed "Occupy the Courts." It ended predictably--with lots of arrests. Oh, scroll down--soon the Occupy Wall Street movement will celebrate its 6,000th arrest.

CBS News: Occupy makes small, shrill showing at courts
AGI: 2 hurt and 24 arrested in San Francisco, but "Occupy" flops
Washington Examiner: Occupy protests at Supreme Court, 12 arrested
But a pretty ugly symbol. Idaho Statesmen: Occupy Boise tent city is a symbol, not a camp, protesters tell legislators
Investors Business Daily: Will unions Occupy Super Bowl over right to work?
SILive.com: Congregation seeks creative way to respond Occupy movement
Here is London's response: Time: High Court: Occupy London protesters can Be evicted from St. Paul's cathedral
TV NZ: Poor turnout for Occupy Auckland's 99th day march
American Spectator: Occupiers for Obama
News Observer: Homeless remain at Chapel Hill Occupy site
WDEL: Green party Pres. candidate visits Occupy Delaware
InfoShop News: Eureka Police Department arrests six at vacant house
Commentary: Occupy AIPAC next step for leftist group
Edinburgh Evening News: Occupy member faces probe into square vandalism

There is no honor among occupiers--even in regards to an Occupy-sympathetic mayor, Jean Quan of Oakland.

Silly. Syracuse.com: Occupy Syracuse fights order not to bring chairs or tables to protest site
Rude. Capital New York: Professor briefly interrupts Cuomo's budget speech, Occupy-style
Greenville Sun: Small 'Occupy' group spends 2 hours here
Also rude. And a weird blog name. Art Fag City: MoMA security confiscates Occupy Museums banner: OM poses acquisition terms [UPDATE]
American Power: The 1% pays more taxes
National Review Online: Why do Obama officials get rich?
Big Government: Citizens United: Two years of free speech

Related posts:

Coming very soon: 6,000th Occupy arrest

Occupy Las Vegas' permit won't be renewed

Technorati tags: crime communism law legal ows Politics left wing extremists current events socialism occupywallstreet business economy news

Coming very soon: 6,000th Occupy arrest

2012-01-21T08:43:00.001-06:00

Possibly as soon as today the Occupy movement will pass another benchmark--its 6,000th arrest. According to Occupy Arrests, the total is now 5,963.

I'm still waiting for that first Tea Party arrest.

The Occupy Wall Street movement began in September.

Technorati tags: left wing extremists current events crime communism law legal ows Politics left wing extremists current events socialism occupywallstreet news

Occupy Las Vegas' permit won't be renewed

2012-01-20T22:47:00.001-06:00

Occupy Las Vegas,
December 12, 2011

Take down the Palestinian flags!

Occupy Las Vegas, also known as Area 99, in an anomaly among the Occupy camps. Not only does it still exist, but the Obamaville, which I visited last month, actually has a permit.

But bickering among the campers is leading to its downfall, as the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

Clark County management will not renew a permit for the Occupy Las Vegas encampment once it expires Feb. 20.

The decision comes days after internal squabbling among protesters made a splash online. Organizer Sebring Frehner demanded his name be removed from the permit that allows protesters to camp on 1.4-acres of county land near Paradise Road and Swenson Street.

Area 99
Frehner, who tried to cancel the permit earlier this week according to emails obtained by the Review-Journal, did not return calls seeking comment. It is unclear why Frehner wants his name removed from the permit. Online posts point to an alleged increase in drug and alcohol use on the site as well as fighting, but protesters at the site contest the allegations.

One protester alleged that Frehner tried to have the portable toilets removed so that the group would be evicted for not complying with the county permit. According to protesters, about 50 people camp at the site. About a dozen are activists with the movement while the majority are area homeless who rely on the food, shelter and portable toilets. The place that once served as an outlet for Occupy Las Vegas, a local chapter of the Occupy Wall Street movement against corporate greed and influence in politics, appears to now have turned into an extension of social services.

Drugs, alcohol, homeless people, and arguing about port-a-potties..."This is what democracy looks like."

I saw two homemade Palestinian flags flying over Area 99. But as they used to say in the newspaper business, it will soon be 30 for them.

Related post:

Occupy Las Vegas Obamaville and its Palestinian flag

Technorati tags: Politics left wing extremists current events socialism occupywallstreet Jewish Jews current affairs Palestine Israel Nevada entertainment las vegas

Hillary getting the blame for Keystone XL?

2012-01-20T22:07:00.001-06:00

The Weekly Standard takes a look at the Keystone XL debacle. To show how out-of-touch they are with reality--which is why William Daley was needed to add sanity there--staffers were astonished by the uproar when President Obama blocked the jobs-creating project.

Well it can't be the fault of these geniuses, right? They have to blame someone--how about Hillary Clinton? In a statement, the White House set the table for her: "As a result, the Secretary of State has recommended that the application be denied."

House Republicans now want Clinton to testify about her decision, assuming of course she made it, on Keystone XL.

Technorati tags: politics economy government energy keystone xl news Canada current affairs Obama Barack Obama jobs Hillary Hillary Clinton

Exclusive: Obama crony Rezko begins federal prison sentence in Pekin, IL

2012-01-20T19:15:00.005-06:00

Former Rezko mansion, Wilmette, IL

Pekin, Illinois in Tazewell County has a new resident. Well, sort of.

I don't know when he was transferred, but President Obama's first political sponsor, Antoin "Tony" Rezko, is now an inmate at the Federal Correctional Institution in Pekin, which is across the Illinois River from Peoria.

I've been checking the Federal Bureau of Prisons site for Rezko's arrival every few days--today I got a hit.

The political fixer got into all sorts of trouble while serving as a dealmaker for disgraced former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. He was sentenced to 10 1/2 years in prison in November and 7 1/2 years for crimes involved in the sale of his pizza restaurants. But Rezko's trial judge allowed the latter to be served concurrently with the former. And Rezko is getting credit for time served since 2008 while awaiting his sentence at a Chicago federal lockup and a county jail in Wisconsin.

Rezko offered a job to Obama while he was still a Harvard law student. Most notoriously, through his wife, Rezko purchased a strip of land adjacent to the Obama's South Side Chicago mansion on the same day the future first couple closed on that home.

It's my belief that Rezko did that as a favor to then-Sen. Obama so he could afford the purchase of the mansion.

As for Rezko's Wilmette home, which is pictured on top, it was the site of a key Obama Senate race fundraiser in 2003. The food was better that day than it will be at the Pekin FCI. But Rezko, through his experience as a restaurateur, might be able to get a kitchen job there.

Related post:

Obama's "sweetheart" mortgage: Was the competing lender Broadway Bank?

Technorati tags: Illinois Democrats Obama politics Barack Obama Chicago Tony Rezko corruption Wilmette Chicago North Shore cronyism Tony Rezko Rezko Rezko Blagojevich graft

NLRB overreach: Agency not impartial anymore edition

2012-01-20T16:19:00.002-06:00

Peter Schaumber, a former chairman of the National Labor Relations Board, blows the whistle at his old workplace.

This one is a rarity--it starts with a joke. Although the left-wing assault on our economy is anything but funny.

From NRO:

What's the difference between a defendant's sister on the jury and a committed member of the labor movement on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)? Answer: The defendant's sister is more apt to be impartial.

Being impartial no longer fits the job description for a member of the NLRB, at least if you are a Democrat. In fact, it disqualifies you. With the continuing loss of union density in the private sector, organized labor looks to members of the NLRB to augment union power and stack the deck to favor a union outcome. And with hundreds of millions of dollars in campaign contributions given to Democrats, they get their way. It was for this reason that President Obama gave Richard Griffin and Sharon Block, two union advocates, unprecedented and constitutionally suspect recess appointments.

It was outrageous enough that the president acted while the Senate was in session — using a technique invented by Sen. Harry Reid to prevent President George W. Bush from making recess appointments during his last year in office. But the appointments of Griffin and Block were even more egregious: they were nominated on December 15, just before the Senate adjourned for Christmas, and were "recessed" 18 days later, just after the New Year. Both nominees were sworn into office without even completing the Senate committee's questionnaire inquiring into their potential conflicts of interest.

These recess appointments are terribly wrong.

More NLRB mischief from the Workforce Fairness Institute blog: Depth Of Obama Labor Board Job-Killing Dishonesty On "Micro-Units" Revealed

Publius Forum on right-to-work legislation. Indiana Democrats Fleebagging Again, Abandoning Their Jobs

The people united will never be divided. From The Hill:

The Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA) left the BlueGreen Alliance on Friday, citing a disagreement with the group's members over the Keystone XL pipeline.

LIUNA, a vocal Keystone supporter, took aim at other unions for opposing the project.

"We're repulsed by some of our supposed brothers and sisters lining up with job killers like the Sierra Club and the Natural Resources Defense Council to destroy the lives of working men and women," LIUNA General President Terry O’Sullivan said in a statement.

The BlueGreen Alliance, a coalition of environmental groups and labor unions, confirmed LIUNA's exit Friday afternoon.

The Daily Mail:

Last year, the received wisdom was that Washington DC was paralyzed by gridlock. The President and the Speaker of the House, John Boehner, were locked in an unending struggle that would only be broken when the American people pulled them apart in November 2012, deciding which direction the country would take.

In the last few months, however, the President has pushed forward his agenda in uncompromising fashion, regaining much of the political initiative. The only problem is that he has done so in a way that abuses his powers. 2012 may therefore prove to be the high water mark of the Imperial Presidency.

He new attitude really hit home on January 4th. The US Constitution requires that senior officials in the Executive branch be appointed only with the 'advice and consent' of the Senate. Many such appointees are controversial, and are often filibustered. The Constitution, however, provides for the President to fill vacancies temporarily when the Senate is in recess (the actual wording relates to vacancies 'that may happen during the recess,' but since 1832 this has been interpreted to mean 'happen to exist.')

Public servants? These SEIU members fall short of that label in California.

From KSEE-TV:

The strike will last for three days.

Union members expect many departments to completely shut down because of it, but county officials plan on keeping things up and running.

Health services, food stamps, welfare, child support, libraries, and administrative offices: All of it could be severely impacted if SEIU Local 521 follows through with plans for a strike.

Health clinics have already cancelled appointments for early next week, and nurses say they plan on standing with Local 521 for the duration of the strike.

Technorati tags: politics Democrats economy business law legal nlrb business Indiana

Video: "Change has come." - Now Let's Change It Back

2012-01-20T15:25:00.001-06:00

Yes, let's change it back.

Now is the time for all good citizens to come to the aid of their country.

Technorati tags: economy government politics democrat news unemployment gop Republican Cult of Change Obama Barack Obama