Mitch Daniels Suggests Doing Away With Government Unions

Back when people first started to organize into unions, they did this for two main reasons: protection from harsh working conditions/bosses/companies and an honest wage for an honest days work. Of course, this was in the private sector. Shift to the public sector: now they mostly exist to fleece the American taxpayer so that the public union members can make vastly more than people in the public sector and reap rewards such as time off and pensions that are unavailable in the private sector. There used to be a saying that no one goes into public service to make money. Nowadays, government jobs pay way more than they are worth, it is virtually impossible to terminate an employee involved in misconduct, and they are left with golden parachutes when they retire

(Fox News) On the heels of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s history-making recall victory, the governor of nearby Indiana with his own record of curtailing union benefits suggested public-sector unions are past their prime and should be abolished.

“I think, really, government works better without them,” Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels told “Fox News Sunday,” when asked whether public-worker unions should even exist.

Daniels said that vote should send a message about the problems with public-sector unions.

“I think the message is that, first of all, voters are seeing the fundamental unfairness of government becoming its own special interest group, sitting on both sides of the table,” he said.

Daniels said private-sector unions, while in decline in America, remain “necessary.” But he suggested the public-sector unions have hobbled governments by gobbling up taxpayer resources with generous benefits and salaries and “bulletproof” job protections.

What purpose do government sector unions serve? Liberals tell us that government is simply mega-awesome. So, workers certainly wouldn’t need protection from from government….well, except perhaps those who have to work for Shelia Jackson Lee need protection. What we saw in Wisconsin was a year and a half temper tantrum over public sector unions having to pay a tiny bit more towards their health insurance and into their golden pensions, along with no longer being able to bargain for perks other than salary. And the unions lost. Those of us who see our hard earned tax dollars going to provide pensions which pay more yearly than the public sector worker earned while working are tired of this nonsense.

Read: Mitch Daniels Suggests Doing Away With Government Unions »

New Yorker Imagines An Obama 2nd Term

Would you be shocked that it mostly ignores anything remotely resembling a healed economy and policies that lead to one? The vast majority of the story is based on things that have happened to other presidents during their second terms, as well as casting blame on those big ole Republicans who have blocked Obama’s far left, big spending, and mostly unpopular agenda. But, we do get a little tiny snippet of what he might try to do, according to the New Yorker. They have to imagine it because Team Obama refuses to put forth anything resembling an agenda

(New Yorker) Many White House officials were reluctant to discuss a second term; they are focussed more on the campaign than on what comes after. But the ostensible purpose of a political campaign is to articulate for the public what a candidate will do if he prevails. “It’s a tension,” David Axelrod, Obama’s longtime political adviser, said. “On the one hand, you don’t want to be presumptuous in assuming a second term. But campaigns are about the future, and there is an imperative to spell out where we’re going.”

An imperative, but they still won’t do it. Which is good for Team Romney, who can define the danger of an Obama 2nd term.

Obama has an ambitious second-term agenda, which, at least in broad ways, his campaign is beginning to highlight. The President has said that the most important policy he could address in his second term is climate change, one of the few issues that he thinks could fundamentally improve the world decades from now. He also is concerned with containing nuclear proliferation……

The first is an issue that is dying a slow death around the world in the 1st world nations. In the third world shit holes developing nations, it is popular, because they want some of that sweet free money that can be used for things like new airports.

Obama’s advisers say it is more likely that the President would champion an issue with greater bipartisan support, such as immigration reform. Obama has also said that he hopes to have the time and the attention to address a more robust aid agenda for developing countries than he was able to muster in his first term.

Shamnesty failed when Bush and Republicans pushed it during much better economic times, and the country is in no mood to provide “comprehensive immigration reform” while the economy is tanked. You do have to love that Obama would want more aid to those developing countries with money we don’t have while America’s economy still stagnates.

Notwithstanding Boehner’s antics, there is a possibility that a second Obama term could begin with major deficit reduction and serious reform of taxes and entitlements.

Yeah, it could when the the GOP retains the House and wins the Senate, and Obama would be dragged kicking and screaming into the debate.

If President Obama can indeed guide the parties toward an agreement that puts the federal government on a sustainable fiscal path, it would be a substantial achievement and would vindicate his early promise as a bipartisan leader.

Hilarious. He had full control of Congress during his first two years, and spent them pissing away money borrowed from China, creating massive deficits and historic debt before shifting to pushing the unpopular Obamacare.

Several White House officials said that the issue that Obama seems most passionate about is infrastructure. (One insider Democrat joked that Obama’s passion for infrastructure is matched only by that of the Vice-President, who loves trains.) Obama wants to spend an extra hundred and fifty billion dollars on infrastructure during the next six years and reform the process by which projects are awarded,….

So, more paving potholes and painting bridges and creating temporary brainless jobs. He apparently thinks Americans are only good for tedious blue collar jobs.

That’s pretty much it. Nothing on the US economy. None of these bulletin points would be in any way popular or get people to the voting booth. And most are all simply things that Government does. What would an Obama 2nd term look like? Depends on who controls Congress. For Obama’s part, though, his agenda will be a stuttering clusterfark of a miserable failure.

Crossed at Right Wing News and Stop The ACLU.

Read: New Yorker Imagines An Obama 2nd Term »

Say, How’s That Global Warming Working Out?

Ice Age Now finds an interesting graphic from OregonLive

As IAN points out

Of course they had to temper this information by saying that “the globe has still been relatively hot.” Maybe they hope their words will help them ignore the graph.

The graph accompanied a story published back on April 9th of 2012. From that story

Skeptics tend to focus on temperatures since 1998, a record hot year globally. The global average annual temperature has leveled since then. In the U.S., it has dropped at a rate of 0.85 degrees Fahrenheit a decade, according to the National Climatic Data Center. In Oregon, it has dropped 0.79 degrees a decade, thanks in part to a string of La Niñas, sparked by a relatively cold pool of water in the subtropical Pacific Ocean.

That’s a short time, but also a sharp contrast to warming predictions. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts warming of 2 degrees to 11 degrees in the 21st century, depending in part on how much fossil fuel the world burns. In Oregon, predictions range from 3 degrees to 10 degrees through 2100.

Non-skeptics, including the bulk of climate researchers, note the overall trend is still up since 1895, when standardized U.S. records began. Oregon has warmed about 1 degree since then, according to NCDC data, and the globe has warmed about 1.5 degrees.

OK, temps have gone up a tiny bit since the a few decades after the end of the Little Ice Age. Woop-de-doo. Us “skeptics” also point out that it was actually much hotter during the 1930’s, then cooled down till the end of the 1970’s, despite sharply increasing CO2.

Then we get

Going forward, an upward trending solar cycle and a likely end to an unusual string of La Niñas should mean increased warming, Mote says.

NASA researchers predict a likely new record global temperature in 2013 or 2014. “The slowdown of warming is likely to prove illusory,” they said.

“If I had to bet on 10 years from now,” Mote says, “I would bet 3-to-1 we’ll see some kind of increase.”

Uh huh. Because their computer models, which have failed spectacularly, are better! Well, they’re better at hiding the decline, massaging the data, and discarding inconvenient data. Anthony Watts has some very interesting information on just how Warmists muck with the raw data.

Read: Say, How’s That Global Warming Working Out? »

If All You See…

…is an evil plastic water bottle and a fossil fueled vehicle, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Climate Nonconformist.

Read: If All You See… »

Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup

Patriotic Pinup Gil Elvgren

Happy Sunday! Another great day to be an American. This pinup is by Gil Elvgren, with a wee bit of help.

What is happening in Ye Olde Blogosphere? The Fine 15

  1. An Ex-Con’s View is withdrawing support for the National Blogger’s Club. Read why
  2. The First Street Journal discusses the outsized influence of unions
  3. Wizbang discusses liberals in disarray
  4. The POH Diaries features crazy Mike Lupica delving into race baiting
  5. Smitty (The Other McCain) wonders why the hell Eric Holder is still AG
  6. The Jawa Report notes that al-Shabaab has a 10 camel bounty on Obama’s head
  7. Sentry Journal discusses when Conservatives don’t embrace liberty
  8. Say Anything tells us what happens when taxes are really really high…black markets, anyone?
  9. Right Truth discusses jihad through the political process
  10. Public Secrets has a list of things in America that will make you say “WTF?”
  11. Jammie Wearing Fools has more on fake Cherokee Liz Warren
  12. Gateway Pundit reports on more Obama military adventurism
  13. Fire Andrea Mitchell has another racist issue of deadly assault that isn’t making it into the media
  14. Doug Ross says we are watching the Democrat Party implode
  15. And last, but not least, Bob Owens answers the question “why didn’t Trayvon bleed on Zimmerman?”

As always, the full set of pinups can be seen in the Patriotic Pinup category, or over at my Gallery page. While we are on pinups, since it is that time of year, have you gotten your “Pinups for Vets” calendar yet? And don’t forget to check out what I declare to be our War on Women Rule 5 and linky luv posts

Anyone else have a link or hotty-fest going on? Let me know so I can add you to the list. (BTW, since someone asked, the reason I leave links for the previous week up (or you might see a *) is because they are place holders for later in the day or for next weeks. Easier than rewriting all the time. Also, the listing order has to do with how they are added over time, not how good a post is. I just copy and paste from the previous week, then edit. If you see one of the *’s, go ahead and check out the blog anyhow, see if there is an update. I cannot update with my Android during the day.

The posts do take a long time, so, if you want to send me your links for Rule 5 babeage or links, use ye olde email in the header bar (remove the NOSPAM part). Preferably, create the html link so I can copy and paste how you want it to read.

Read: Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup »

Coney Island Principal Bans Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless The USA”

I’m not sure if you can blame this one on liberalism: the principal in question is a Jehovah’s Witness, and their religion doesn’t allow them to stand and salute any flag. I’d still bet that she is an Obama voter. She’s had issues with race baiting previously

(NY Post) A controversial Coney Island principal has pulled the plug on patriotism.

Her refusal to let students sing “God Bless the USA” at their graduation has sparked fireworks at a school filled with proud immigrants.

Greta Hawkins, principal of PS 90, the Edna Cohen School, won’t allow kindergartners to belt out the beloved Lee Greenwood ballad, also known as “Proud to be an American,” at their moving-up ceremony.

When Hawkins walked in on rehersal, she shut it down, telling them to drop the song. Why?

“We don’t want to offend other cultures,” they quoted her as explaining.

The school, which features immigrants from Pakistan, Mexico, and Ecuador, among others, has used the song in previous years, with no problems. The parents love it.

Department of Education spokeswoman Jessica Scaperotti gave The Post an explanation staffers said they never heard — that Hawkins found the lyrics “too grown up” for 5-year-olds.

Uh huh.

But Justin Bieber’s flirty song about teen romance, “Baby,” was deemed a fine selection for the show. Hawkins had no problem with 5-year-olds singing lines such as, “Are we an item? Girl, quit playing.”

The school says the Pledge of Allegiance and sings America the Beautiful each morning. Why, yes, Hawkins has tried to shut those down, too. Liberalism or being a Jehovah’s Witness, some people seem to always ruin things for others because they are “offended.”

Crossed at Right Wing News and Stop The ACLU.

Read: Coney Island Principal Bans Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless The USA” »

Hey, What Say We Turn Sky White To Solve Globull Warming?

You have to wonder what the unintended consequences of this could be

(Daily Mail) The sky could turn from a reassuring blue to a blank white if scientists are forced to take drastic action to tackle global warming, experts have claimed.

By injecting aerosols which scatter light into the atmosphere we could reflect more sun away from Earth and cool the planet.

But the knock-on effect would be the scattering of red particles around the atmosphere that wash out the blue.

The result would be skies that turn into a foggy or hazy white instead of the crisp colours we are used to on a summer’s day.

Wait, I thought the sun had no effect on the climate? Oh, I get it, they’re trying to say that by reducing the amount of sunlight entering the atmosphere there would be less to be trapped by CO2, a trace greenhouse gas necessary for life. Got it.

Of course, this would mean less sunlight for solar receptors. Which could mean a higher reliance on fossil fuels.

And doing this could seriously change weather patterns, which are primarily driving by the Sun (not just sunlight, to be sure, but sunlight tends to impact the immediate weather).

Read: Hey, What Say We Turn Sky White To Solve Globull Warming? »

If All You See…

…is an evil fossil fueled car having Gaia’s precious and non-renewable water being poured on it, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is The H2.

Read: If All You See… »

Green Police Invade Miami Beach

Live in Miami Beach? Well, prepare yourself to have your garbage invaded

(InfoWars) Audi’s infamous ‘Green Police’ Superbowl commercial may not be far off coming to fruition. Miami Beach has passed an ordinance that makes recycling compulsory from July 2013, with those who fail to comply under threat of fines up to $2500 dollars.

“People, who live in the city of Miami Beach, must soon recycle or possibly face fines,” reports Local10.com.

“Once the ordinance goes in effect in July 2013, people who don’t recycle would be fined $350 for their first violation, $500 for their second violation and $1,000 for the third violation.”

The Miami Herald reports that the fine for a fourth violation would total $2500.

Mandatory recycling ordinances represent another example of how big government is exploiting the environmental movement to increase regulation and big brother snooping on Americans’ private lives.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: there is nothing wrong with recycling. It is good for the environment. Where I live, Raleigh NC, the city has made it easier by providing garbage can sized recycling bins (we used to have tiny ones) with handy dandy graphics on top to say what can and can’t be recycled. But, it’s not mandatory. The bins must have cost quite a bit, and our waste pickup costs did go up a bit. But, I’m good with that.

This, though, is truly George Orwell’s 1984, where people can be fined for failing to recycle, and garbage men are turned in law enforcement officers who have to inspect people’s garbage. It’s happened in other cities. Funny how liberals always say they want government out of their bedrooms, but are good with government being in their garbage.

Humorously, Miami Beach admits it doesn’t have the money to enforce this Big Brother ordinance. Yet, they still passed it.

Read: Green Police Invade Miami Beach »

Obama Retreats On “Private Sector Doing Fine” Comment

For those who missed it, here’s the Democrats clueless, completely out of touch President

Of course, after getting slapped around by Romney, the GOP, and pretty much everyone else

(The Hill) The verbal gaffe offered a political gift to Republicans and capped a miserable week for the president, who was on the losing side of Wisconsin’s recall election and saw his campaign beaten in fundraising by Republican Mitt Romney for the month of May.

“It is absolutely clear that the economy is not doing fine,” Obama said in his correction. “That’s the reason I had a press conference. That’s why I spent yesterday, the day before yesterday, this past week, this past month and this past year talking about how we can make the economy stronger.

“There are too many people out of work, the housing market is still weak and too many homes underwater, and that’s precisely why I asked Congress to start taking some steps that can make a difference,” Obama said.

That’s why he has spent so much time campaigning as of late. That’s why he decided to hold a press conference and Blame Republicans for failing to pass Obama’s sticky note of a to do list which includes no details, not plans. It can’t even be considered a rough outline. Republicans have passed dozens of job related bill which are currently stuck gathering dust over in the Democrat controlled Senate.

Interestingly, the Washington Post had an article up Friday morning discussing how a good chunk of our economic problems were the fault of Europe’s economic problems (I wrote a post on it Friday morning, then found something more interesting), then, Obama used the PC to partially blame Europe himself. And that’s how the out of touch remark appeared

Q    What about the Republicans saying that you’re blaming the Europeans for the failures of your own policies?

THE PRESIDENT:  The truth of the matter is that, as I said, we’ve created 4.3 million jobs over the last 27 months, over 800,000 just this year alone.  The private sector is doing fine. Where we’re seeing weaknesses in our economy have to do with state and local government — oftentimes, cuts initiated by governors or mayors who are not getting the kind of help that they have in the past from the federal government and who don’t have the same kind of flexibility as the federal government in dealing with fewer revenues coming in.

Some have claimed that Obama meant to say it is “not” doing well. In full context, we can see, in fact, that Obama did mean to say that the private sector is doing fine. It’s pretty early in the true general election season, but I reckon that we will see that quote quite a bit between now and November.

Crossed at Right Wing News and Stop The ACLU.

Read: Obama Retreats On “Private Sector Doing Fine” Comment »

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