Marathon Pundit

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Pro-state gov't group and pension advocate not offering pension to its pension analyst

Despite its name, the Center Tax and Budget Responsibility is a pro-state government, pro-public employee organization.

I was tipped that last week the CBTA was looking to hire a research and policy specialist. Rather than offering a pension to its new analyst, the organization is tendering the analyst a defined contribution retirement deal, something I can assume is a 401k or similar program.

CBTA should practice what it preaches. Give your pension analyst a pension. Of course that is hard to do when you are spending your own money.

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Illinois Politics

Illinois

WSJ on Obama's economic obfuscations

The worst part about the president's economic obfuscations, as the Wall Street Journal points out at the end of a paid-registration required op-ed is that Obama doesn't figure in future regulations, such as the massively burdensome Dodd-Frank financial bill and ObamaCare.

Among the core assumptions of modern liberalism is that future regulations have no more effect on the economy than future taxes, as if expectations don't matter and businesses don't prepare now for their costs tomorrow. President Obama's letter to John Boehner yesterday is a classic of the genre.

Last week the Speaker asked the White House to disclose any federal rules in the works with economic costs of $1 billion or more. Proposed or final rule-makings are defined as "major" when their estimated annual costs exceed $100 million. The Obama regulatory agenda for 2011 contains 219 such items. Last year, that figure was 191, versus the combined total for the first two years of the Bush Administration of 103. Amid this surge, Mr. Boehner's underlying point was that the regulatory ambitions of the Obamanauts are redefining "major," much in the way trillion is the new billion for government spending.

Mr. Obama responded by identifying seven pending major rules topping $1 billion, like the Department of Transportation's federal motor vehicle safety standard No. 111 for rearview mirrors ($3 billion) and the Environmental Protection Agency's ozone regulations (as much as $90 billion). But even that understates the costs, as Mr. Obama explains at length. The regulatory agenda is "merely a list of rules that are under general contemplation" and "merely proposed" and "includes a large number of rules that are in a highly preliminary state, with no reliable cost estimate."

epa

environment

Arkansas AG's neutral position on NLRB overreach in Boeing case could haunt him

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." George Santayana

Last summer there was a Democratic primary runoff between incumbent US Senator Blanche Lincoln and Bill Halter in Arkansas. Big Labor put their cash behind Halter, who lost, which led a White House official to anonymously comment, "Organized labor just flushed $10 million of their members' money down the toilet on a pointless exercise."

Someone needs to tell this story to Arkansas Democratic Attorney General Dustin McDaniel, who is taking a neutral position in regards to the egregious overreach by the radicalized National Labor Relations Board in regards to Boeing wanting to build its Dreamliner 787 in South Carolina.

Related post:

White House official: 'Organized labor just flushed $10 million down the toilet'

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law

south carolina

WFI issues responses to individual NLRB decisions and on "August massacre" of jobs

Here is more from a story I posted on last night.

From the Workforce Fairness Institute:

WFI Issues Responses To Individual NLRB Decisions
Obama Administration "August Massacre" Kills Jobs, Pays Off Labor Bosses

Washington, D.C. (August 31, 2011) – The Workforce Fairness Institute (WFI) today released the following statements in response to the individual job-killing decisions reached yesterday by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB):

In response to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) decision concerning Specialty Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center of Mobile, WFI Spokesperson Fred Wszolek stated:

"The decision by Obama's labor board concerning Specialty Healthcare radically alters how collective bargaining units are defined in every industry despite the dishonest claim made by the NLRB stating they 'did not create new criteria for determining appropriate bargaining units outside of health care facilities.' The new standard mandates that the only requirement to form a unit is a 'community of interest' meaning the tight ends on a football team could constitute a unit, while the offensive linemen or wide receivers would constitute separate units. Going further, the regulatory agency makes it nearly impossible for employers to expand the pool of individuals in the 'community of interest' as the employees outside the unit would need to meet an arbitrary threshold classified as an 'overwhelming community of interest.' The practical effect of this is that under one business' roof, multiple mini-units could be formed resulting in dramatically increased labor relations costs due to the employer having to bargain with multiple units negotiating against one another. As this unfolds in one of the worst economies in recent memory, the end result will be more job loss and pain among America's working class. The decision by the Obama Administration in Specialty Healthcare is an affront to job creators and hardworking citizens and shreds any credibility the president maintained on the economy."

In response to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) decision concerning Lamons Gasket, WFI Spokesperson Fred Wszolek stated:

"The NLRB's decision to disallow workers the right to challenge their employer’s recognition of a union through card check is stunning. Despite its request, no empirical evidence supporting the agency’s reversal of this precedent surfaced. To the contrary, according to the regulatory agency's own statistics, since the right was created in 2007, the union lost only 25% of the employee challenges. Congress recently refused to consider the Employee 'Forced' Choice Act (EFCA), which would have instituted card check and done away with the secret ballot, yet an agency within the executive branch stacked with unelected bureaucrats doing the bidding of labor bosses is completely undermining the will of the legislative branch. It is clear from this decision by Obama's labor board that the Congress must step forward and pass legislation that protects employee free choice with a secret ballot in workplace elections and removes card check as a means to force workers into unions."

In response to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) decision concerning UGL-UNICCO, WFI Spokesperson Fred Wszolek stated:

"Once again seeking to force unionization any way it can, the decision by President Obama's labor board overturns what has been NLRB law for most of its history and it does so without justification. The regulatory agency bars any employee challenge to an incumbent union when there is a change in ownership. While the board claims such a bar is necessary to preserve labor relations stability, elsewhere it becomes clear that the old law was too threatening to Big Labor because there has been an increase in mergers and acquisitions. As more workers voluntarily decide against joining unions, this is yet another effort by government to promote the interests of labor bosses above employees."

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law

business

Update: Wisconsin "dumbass white boy" now tied to Eau Claire burglaries

Last week Christopher J. Parker of Eau Claire, Wisconsin was arrested on Chicago's South Side after attempting to bribe a police officer with $100,000. He described himself to the cops as a "dumbass white boy from Wisconsin." But it appears he had the cash, someone bailed Parker out of Cook County Jail with $90,000.

But that story got Eau Claire County Sheriff Ron Cramer thinking.

"If he's got $100,000 to bribe an officer with in Chicago he's a big roller so lets take a look and see what we can do. Did he commit a burglary, armed robbery what did this guy do," Cramer told WEAU-TV. Parker was arrested in Wisconsin after stolen items were found in his home. He's being held in jail but has not been charged with any crimes.

Being a "dumbass" is not against the law in America's Dairyland.

Related post:

"Dumbass white boy from Wisconsin" arrested after offering Chicago cop $100,000 bribe

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Illinois

Summer Up North: Henry Aaron and the Legend of Eau Claire Baseball by (Google Affiliate Ad)

Two days, four Iowa Tea Party Express rallies

The freedom caravan will spend today and tomorrow in the pivotal state of Iowa.

More from the TPX:

TEA PARTY EXPRESS LAUNCHES 4-CITY CAMPAIGN THROUGHOUT IOWA
Rallies Today In Sioux City & Des Moines, where Michele Bachmann Will Headline

The Tea Party Express (www.TeaPartyExpress.org), is rolling into Iowa to hold four tea party rallies Wednesday and Thursday. It was previously announced that presidential candidate Michele Bachmann, who has attended rallies on previous Tea Party Express tours, will speak at the event in Des Moines, IA on Wednesday at 5:00PM.

The full tour schedule is available here.

The tea party rallies have been described as a "rolling 4th of July show", and will feature Tea Party Express Chair Amy Kremer, Nevada Republican Senate Nominee Sharron Angle, Comedian and TV star Jim Labriola, radio host Andrea Shea King, Gold Star Mom Debbie Lee, FreedomWorks representative Tabitha Hale, and Patriot Action Network New Media Director Eric Odom.

Loess Hills

The audience will be treated to musical performances by singer/songwriter Lloyd Marcus, The Rivoli Revue, soloist Diana Nagy, and even conservative rapper Polatik.

Rallies Wednesday, 8/31:

Sioux City: 11:30AM - 1PM
Riverside Park
1201 Riverside Blvd
Sioux City, IA 51109

Des Moines: 5PM - 6:30PM, featuring Michele Bachmann
Des Moines Water Works
2201 George Flagg Parkway
Des Moines, IA 50321

Rallies on Thursday 9/1:

Amana Millrace

Cedar Rapids: 12PM - 1:30PM
Green Park
400 4th Avenue SE
Cedar Rapids IA 52401

Davenport: 5PM - 6:30PM
Leach Park
100 12th Street
Bettendorf, IA 52722

The Tea Party Express launched their "Reclaiming America" national tour last weekend in California, and is rolling across the country holding conservative rallies in 30 cities. The grand finale is the Tea Party Debate hosted by CNN and Tea Party Express on September 12th, where all top-tier candidates have confirmed their attendance.

With a focus on the race for the White House, the grassroots group has offered an open invitation to candidates wishing to attend tea party rallies and ask for the support of the highly engaged tea party activists.

Eric Odom's latest post on the Tea Party Express is here. By clicking here, you will read Andrea Shea King's latest entry.

And I am going to take this opportunity to endulge my readers with some of my Iowa posts.