Recall of the absent Wisconsin State Senators

You have an opportunity to show your support for Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker in his efforts to limit government employee union influence.  14 democratic state senators have boycotted the state senate chambers and are refusing to vote on the Wisconsin state budget.  Recall efforts are now underway in various districts in Wisconsin to remove the absentee state senators from office.  One of these recall committees have the following website:

http://www.recallwirch.com/

The Consequences of Government Employee Unions

Thomas J. DiLorenzo of the Ludwig von Mises Institute has written a short but comprehensive article about the effects of government employee unions.  The article can be viewed here:

http://mises.org/daily/5072/The-Political-Economy-of-Government-Employee-Unions

I recommend reading the entire article.  Listed below are a few of the highlights:

The main reason why so many state and local governments are bankrupt, or on the verge of bankruptcy, is the combination of government-run monopolies and government-employee unions. Government-employee unions have vastly more power than do private-sector unions because the entities they work for are typically monopolies.

The enormous power of government-employee unions effectively transfers the power to tax from voters to the unions. Because government-employee unions can so easily force elected officials to raise taxes to meet their "demands," it is they (the unions), not the voters, who control the rate of taxation within a political jurisdiction.

Politicians are caught in a political bind by government-employee unions: if they cave in to their wage demands and raise taxes to finance them, then they increase the chances of being kicked out of office themselves in the next election. The "solution" to this dilemma has been to offer government-employee unions moderate wage increases but spectacular pension promises. This allows politicians to pander to the unions but defer the costs to the future, long after the panderers are retired from politics.


As taxpayers in California, Wisconsin, Indiana, and many other states are realizing, the future has arrived. The Wall Street Journal reports that state and local governments in the United States currently have $3.5 trillion in unfunded pension liabilities. They must either raise taxes dramatically to fund these liabilities, as some have already done, or drastically cut back or eliminate government-employee pensions

Every government-employee union is a political machine that lobbies relentlessly for higher taxes, increased government spending, more featherbedding, and more pension promises – while demonizing hesitant taxpayers as uncaring enemies of children, the elderly, and the poor (who are purportedly "served" by the government bureaucrats the unions represent).

How to support the Wisconsin Revolution

You can lend your support to the current efforts in Wisconsin to control government spending and reduce government employee union’s control. A group of Tea Party organizations has formed “American Majority” to support the whose mission is to train and equip a national network of leaders committed to individual freedom through limited government and the free market. Their website is: http://americanmajority.org/

American Majority is organizing a national demonstration of support for Scott Walker and leaders across the country who have the courage to fight the public sector union bosses - on Wednesday, February 23rd. The website dedicated to this effort is: http://www.istandwithwalker.com/

Why the Wisconsin State Employees Unions cannot back down

The following blog news item includes the comment listed below:

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2011/02/20/tea-partier-joins-george-will-great-debate-about-wisconsin-abcs-week#ixzz1EX5JhPae

The following comment was posted by shivas irons redux

Would someone please note that Unions make the great lion's share of their $ from negotiating "benefits", not salaries... or collection of dues.

This is why the decoupling of the Salaries and Benefits so important to Unions in Wisconsin. And why the Union's have countered the way they have. They'll give up Salary and Jobs for Teachers in a second, but they will fight to death for Benefit negotiation position. In another life as an executive in CA, I used to do administration for two Teamster's "Health and Welfare" benefit packages. Do your research, but you'll find I'm correct about motivation of Unions. I also believe that the amount of money kept by Unions will be very interesting to both your viewers, and the tax payers of the US of A. The way it works is that the Unions negotiate with the "Employer" regarding how much money per member/per month they will need to support the benefit options required in Union contract. In the case of WI, they negotiate with each of the 77 counties. Then the Unions negotiate the terms of benefits with "providers"/Ins Co's, etc. They make the lion's share of their money off of what is called the "breakage" created by Employees choosing between plan options, and the administration of the programs. Let me explain with an example: A Union begins by negotiating with the Employer/State. They'll claim their buying leverage will afford Employer significant savings. They'll end up with a 3-tiered cost structure which allows the Union a profit even with the highest benefit option available as Union already has a very good idea about what Providers will be charging. But it gets even more lucrative for Unions at this point. Let's say high-end Blue Cross PPO coverage costs $400 for the Family tier. What a Union will do is require $425 from Employer, plus a loaded in admin fee, as a charge for all Families in the employer group. So far, so fair? But, the Union will also offer a few other plans for Employees to choose from. The Union will also have developed relationships with a few cheaper HMO plans, and lesser PPO benefit structure plans that charge, as an example, $325 and $375, respectively. At an Open House Employees will choose what fits their needs and the Union is in line for the "breakage". The left over breakage is then, to my experience, placed in a fund where only the Union has the checkbook. Cars, Vacations and Condo's, oh my. The Union also makes a "commission" off of things like Pre Legal, Dental and Term Life. As another profit source, the Union also leans on the Administrator for favors I'd rather not list, but usually involving idiocy like buying thousands of dollars of "raffle tickets" and leasing cars for the Union's Business Agents, not entirely above board. Of course I am relating my experience, and what little I know of others who also did Union administration. I'd expect any simple research by an actual reporter would open up a Pandora's box of Slush in the Badger State.

This exposes the Union motivation in opposing the proposed Wisconsin legislation.  If the Unions lose control of the employee benefits they lose the majority of their discretionary funds along with the ability to extort and corrupt the benefit providers.  If you have information to add to this subject please include a comment.  I agree with the comment “I'd expect any simple research by an actual reporter would open up a Pandora's box  of Slush in the Badger State.”

Cut Federal Spending Act of 2011

Thanks to Senator Rand Paul we now have a bill before the US Senate that will reduce Federal spending by 500 billion dollars in 2011.  The title of this bill is the “Cut Federal Spending Act of 2011”.  The bill can be viewed at this link:

http://www.randpaul2010.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/500Bcutsbill.pdf

This is a relatively short bill considering the amount of spending cuts that it entails.  You can easily read all 12 pages in a few minutes.  If you do not read the entire bill the highlights are as follows:

The following departments or agencies will be defunded:

The Government printing office

The Agriculture Research Service.


The National Institute of Food and Agriculture.


The Resources Conservation Service.


The Foreign Agricultural Service.


All Department of Education programs are defunded effective on the date of enactment of this Act, except for the Pell grant program which shall be capped at $16,256,000,000.


All accounts and programs of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.


The Bureau of Reclamation.


All accounts and programs of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.


All accounts and programs of the Office of Justice Programs.


International Organizations and Conferences.


International Commissions.


All Amtrak Federal subsidies are terminated.


Affordable Housing Program.


Commission on Fine Arts.


Consumer Product Safety Commission.


Corporation for Public Broadcasting.


National Endowment for the Arts.


National Endowment for the Humanities.


State Justice Institute.



All other Federal Agencies and departments will have their budgets cut by various amounts except for the following:


The Occupational Safety and Health Administration.


The Mine Safety and Health Administration.


The Employment and Training Administration (including all unemployment compensation).


Department of Veterans’ Affairs


Social Security Administration


MISCELLANEOUS BUDGET SAVINGS.


The following programs shall be implemented or repealed in fiscal year 2011 with the savings provided:


Collect delinquent taxes from Federal Employees, $3,000,000,000.


Freeze Federal Government employee pay, $2,000,000,000.


Reduce Federal Government travel, $7,500,000,000.


Davis- Bacon is repealed, $6,000,000,000.


Prohibit union labor project agreements, $2,000,000,000.


The Troubled Assets Relief Program is repealed, $4,481,000,000.


Unused Federal assets shall be sold, $19,000,000,000.


Reduce Federal vehicle budget, $600,000,000.

I sent the lettter listed below to  both of my Seantrors:
 

Dear Senator _______________________


I enthusiastically support the “Cut Federal Spending Act of 2011” which was sponsored by Senator Rand Paul. I encourage you to consider the detrimental effects that our current Federal spending will have on the future financial stability of our nation. I know that you have the best interests of your continuants in mind and that you realize that our current federal spending is unsustainable. Your vote to pass the “Cut Federal Spending Act of 2011” will make America stronger and more self sufficient. I know that you will put your constituents future above politics.  I strongly encourage you to vote in favor of the Senate bill “Cut Federal Spending Act of 2011”.

Sincerely yours,

The race to the top

Illinois is poised to capture the title of "highest combined national-local corporate income tax in the industrialized world".  Congratulations!  The details can be found in this article:

http://taxfoundation.org/publications/show/26954.html

It is not over yet.  The lame duck session of the Illinois legislature has only one day left and the tax increase does not yet have the votes to pass.  If you live in Illinois call your State Representative and State Senator and tell them you oppose the tax increase.  Use this link to find the contact information:

http://www.elections.il.gov/DistrictLocator/DistrictOfficialSearchByDistrict.aspx

A stimulating day at the zoo

The following story warms my heart.  Our tax dollars are being spent to help those who were ravaged by flood waters in Cook County.  The Cook County Board took these flood victims to the zoo for a day at a cost of $79,000.00.  You can read the details here:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-todd-stroger-brookfield-zoo-20101130,0,6134064.story

Here are some of the details:

Cook County Board President Todd Stroger's administration treated families whose homes were damaged by floods to a nearly $79,000 party at Brookfield Zoo, paying for the day of fun with federal grant money meant to restore those homes, newly released county documents show.


The Sept. 12 zoo event included parking, admission, special attractions and "hungry as a bear" picnic baskets for up to 2,250 people, according to an invoice. The zoo tab also covered more than $8,000 in entertainment, including a prize raffle, a disc jockey, a face painter, seven caricature artists, a juggler and a stilt walker.... There was a music therapy workshop.

This is another example of why government should never have the authority to spend your money.  There is one question about this article that I can’t answer, what is a music therapy workshop?

Quantitative Easing Explained

A friend of ours sent me the following link to a humorous look at our current economic policy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTUY16CkS-k&feature=player_embedded

The end of the beginning

In a speech on November 10, 1942 after a series of defeats from Dunkirk to Singapore, Winston Churchill could finally tell the House of Commons that "we have a new experience. We have victory - a remarkable and definite victory."

Today those who have fought for personal freedom have won “a remarkable and definite victory." The midterm elections of 2010 are a victory for the vision of a limited government that is responsible to the people.

Churchill also presented this historical perspective in his speech on that November day: “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”

We are in the same position today as the Allied Forces were in 1942. We have won a decisive victory against a ruthless and oppressive adversary. The final outcome is far from certain in this battle for freedom. There will be many challenges to overcome in the days and months ahead. All that has transpired will pale in comparison to the epic struggle for the White House on November 6, 2012.

In our celebrations today remember one final quotation from Churchill’s 1942 speech “The late M. Venizelos observed that in all her wars England always wins one battle -- the last.”

VOTE!

Vote on Tuesday November 2, 2010. This election can become another “shot heard around the world”. Be sure that all your family votes. Convince all of your friends to vote.

Vote to remove incumbent politicians. Vote for candidates that are committed to reduce government spending, borrowing, and taxation.

We can create smaller government, lower taxes, and more freedom.