Redstate

Posted at 4:25pm on Jul. 1, 2008 Do Nothing Dem Congress Slow-Bleeding US Auto Industry

hey...don't Unions vote FOR Democrats? Weird love affair, that...

By haystack

hey...don't Unions vote FOR Democrats? Weird love affair, that...

This just in: GM, Ford, Toyota Plunge as Buyers Reject Big Trucks.

General Motors Corp., Toyota Motor Corp. and Ford Motor Co., the biggest auto retailers in the U.S., said June sales plunged as fuel prices above $4 a gallon drove consumers away from gas-guzzling trucks.

GM sales fell 19 percent, Ford was down 28 percent and Toyota dropped 21 percent. Honda Motor Co. and Volkswagen AG, which rely on cars for the bulk of their sales, each rose about 1 percent.

Weird, I thought Democrats owed their pandering loyalty to ALL Union-based industry. Now, pay close attention to what Obama said a month ago about the effects of high gas prices: "Americans [will] start changing the kinds of cars they drive if gasoline prices continue to climb." What he DIDN'T say was that "Hope and Change" really means Union members must HOPE for lifetime Unemployment Insurance after Obama's destruction of the economy CHANGEs their employment status to "plant closed." Again, from Bloomberg:

The vehicles that people want are in short supply because the industry has turned on a dime in terms of demand and supply can't quite handle that,'' Alan Baum, director of automotive forecasting for Planning Edge in Birmingham, Michigan, said in a Bloomberg Radio interview. You'll continue to see a decline for the next several months.''

For the second straight month, Ford's F-Series large pickup, perennially the best-selling vehicle in the U.S., was outsold by four cars: Toyota's Corolla and Camry and Honda's Civic and Accord. Nissan Motor Co. reported an 18 percent total decline.

Propping up foreign competition while driving American jobs into the ground...hmmm...you know, coal and oil may be making us sick...but this "do nothing Democrat Congress" is killing us. As the Saudi King has suggested: Get Used To It.

Posted in Do Nothing Democrats | Liberals | unions — Comments (46)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 8:07am on May 23, 2008 Gas prices affect Michigan employment... so why do House Democrats want to raise them?

By RightMichigan.com

Cross-posted on Right Michigan at www.RightMichigan.com.

Those out there advocating a brand-spanking new gas tax hike, whether it's today, tomorrow or during the lame duck legislative session after the November general election should consider themselves officially on notice this morning that their actions have consequences as news outlets report some awfully serious automotive related news that's been and will be directly affected by the price at the pump.  The stories are a part of a news cycle chock full of stories about cars, car makers, the people who drive them and the people who pick on the people who drive on them.

Posted in American Axle | Breaking News | CAFE | Democrats | Gas Prices | Michigan | UAW | unions | www.RightMichigan.com — Comments (0) / Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 3:46pm on May 9, 2008 Unions oppose military voting bill .. because it expands private sector workforce

By Soren Dayton

Earlier this week, I wrote about a proposal by Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA-22) to make it easier for active duty military to vote absentee by accelerating the mail delivery process.

It turns out, surprise, surprise, that the unions are opposed. Why? Because it uses the private sector. Seriously. They are opposing making it easier for our deployed active duty soldiers on the grounds that it expands the private sector. From the letter that they sent to the House Subcommittee on Elections (full text at the end of the post):

NAPUS is deeply concerned about HR 5673, particularly the provision that sanctions private contractor conveyance of overseas and military ballots.

Note that this was the first thing that they said.

Furthermore, the Rep. Bob Brady (D-PA), the Chairman of the House Administration Committee, refused to hold a mark-up on this bill this week after the unions demanded that he pull it from the schedule.

Let's get this straight. Democrats cave to unions who oppose increased military voting if it means using the private sector.

Read on.

Posted in Elections | Military voting | unions — Comments (2) / Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 1:38pm on Apr. 30, 2008 AFL-CIO desperate to stop "defection"

Spending big bucks to keep their party together

By Soren Dayton

The AFL-CIO is sending out mail attacking John McCain, according to the Hotline. To whom?

The piece has been sent so far this cycle to more than 400,000 swing voters, notably those much-courted Reagan Democrats living in OH, WI, MI and MN.

Note that "Democrats" are swing voters. These "swing voters" are Hillary Clinton primary voters. These are people who have a high likelihood of becoming McCain voters.

AFL-CIO is terrified that its members are going to vote for John McCain. These are those white working class voters that Barack Obama seems incapable of appealing to. They are going to trash John McCain to their own base for the next 6 months.

This is not a sign of strength. They are going to be spending $53m more on this. That's a sign of desperation.

Posted in 2008 | AFL | John McCain | unions — Comments (10)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 3:58pm on Apr. 22, 2008 SEIU, private equity, and growing unions

What happens when you give up morality for

By Soren Dayton

Several years ago, there was a big split-up in the union movement. The "Change to Win" coalition, led by SEIU's Andy Stern decided that growing their unions was more important than an explicit political agenda.

The Wall Street Journal wrote yesterday, "Ever since the SEIU broke from the AFL-CIO three years ago, its ability to prosper has depended on growing the union." They care about growth so much that they are willing to throw their own retires under the bus:

Like the nurses, Calpers and Calstrs have had the sense and wherewithal to push back against the SEIU's bullying. As they see it, Andy Stern's war on private equity would kill the goose that lays golden eggs for their retirees. His bill would have prevented them from maximizing their returns, which happens to be their fiduciary duty. It's also what's best for working families.

What does this mean for the country?

Posted in Economy | private equity | SEIU | unions — Comments (0)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 10:22am on Mar. 3, 2008 Still working on that "cutting to the bone" thing while Lansing talks new taxes (again)

By RightMichigan.com

Cross-posted on Right Michigan at www.RightMichigan.com.

It's no secret that Lansing democrats are hoping to raise our taxes again.  It was only weeks ago that Speaker of the House Andy Dillon told the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association that a lame-duck vote to spike the gas tax was "probable."  The man took a lot of heat for that accidental confession so you know he's enjoyed the thaw these last couple of days, the damage it's caused to the roads and the corresponding action at the State Capitol.

While drivers across the State try and often times fail to dodge some of the biggest pot-holes in recent memory (near record setting snowfall and cold will do that to roads, Al Gore) a group is meeting in Lansing to discuss the future of State funding for roads.  There's no time like the present to find a handful of angry motorists who are willing to charge themselves an extra nine cents a gallon if it means charging every other Michigander hundreds of millions of dollars.  At least that's the way the thinking goes.  

After all, there's still an entire political party full of activists, bloggers, political hacks, elected officials and taxpayer funded public employees who didn't mind the last $2.4 billion tax hike, don't mind the thought of a new $8 billion tax hike on natural gas and electricity and wouldn't mind at all if we chalked up another hundred million here or there to protect their pet political projects and government waste.  

What they constantly hope taxpayers will forget is that money is fungible.  It can be spent on anything.  Similarly, it can be saved from anywhere.  It can be applied, reapplied or, as is often the case under the Capitol dome, misapplied.  

The Lansing State Journal reports:

The state estimates it needs to come up with an extra $320 million a year in order to maintain state-managed roads at their current level. That doesn't take into account the thousands of local roads...

The governor this past month launched a task force designed to figure out how to pay for what needs fixing. And this Wednesday, the County Road Association of Michigan will host its annual meeting in Delta Township, drawing an audience of road experts from every county.

The overall theme is money and how much more must be spent if road maintenance is to keep ahead of decay, according to the association.

Liberals and conservatives, these days, read that last paragraph in two very distinct ways.  The left asks "how much more money" and "how will we raise it?"  Conservatives ask, among other questions, "how much more money" and "where can we save it?"  

They may also ask, "why do Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow continually fail to bring Michigan out of donor status in Washington DC?"  The state with, arguably, the most consistently weather-beaten roads in the nation still only receives about ninety-two cents for every road tax dollar we send to the federal government.  If there's one state that should be above the dollar threshold it's Michigan.  But alas, Senator Levin is apparently too busy readjusting his glasses.  But that's neither here nor there.

The roads are a mess, Democrats want to raise our taxes (again), `probably' plan to hold a vote in November on a gas tax hike, according to Andy Dillon, and Jennifer Granholm is creating task forces and commissions to "study" the problem and release likely-pre-drafted reports telling residents just how bleak the future looks without more "revenues."  She's... ahem... paving the way for another tax increase.  (Ba-dum-CHING!)

While the tax-hike drum beats start again it is important to remember that it isn't a gas-tax-or-nothing proposition.  If the State really does require extra money for road construction and repairs there is an opportunity to find it elsewhere in government through the elimination of wasteful spending.  

As long as Lansing continues to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on items like a fancy new Michigan State Police Headquarters that even MSP said they didn't need and didn't want, on full-time staff for an Office of the First Gentleman, on lifetime welfare benefits for able bodied adults... the list can go on and on... they'll have a hard time convincing anyone that Lansing has a "revenue" problem.  For the love of pete, they just swiped an extra $1.5 BILLION last year alone and that still isn't enough.  

Instead of another taxpayer funded blue ribbon panel on ways to gorge working moms and dads how about Lansing simply examine some of our local units of government who, it turns out, are finding interesting ways to save a little cash themselves.  The Detroit News reports this morning that places like Inkster have saved $10,000 by eliminating nice but unnecessary programs (and they're not the only ones).

So sorry, Santa. Inkster gave you the ax over the holidays. Mayor Hilliard Hampton tapped the Downtown Development Authority to pay for decorations, ending a long tradition of the city footing the bill.

"We made a commitment every season to purchase (the displays), but we haven't been able to do that," Hampton said. "It demonstrates that cities are forced to deal with core responsibilities. Everything else is on the chopping block...

Elected in November, Mayor Jim Fouts nixed a chauffeur who had escorted his predecessor, deploying the driver and shifting the duties to create a mobile mini police station. "It serves as an effective deterrent," Fouts said. "We're making it easier for people to report things to the police and making it more flexible and mobile. It's allowing residents to become familiar with the police."

Savings: $30,000 in overtime cuts.

Imagine how much cash a city like Detroit could save by scaling back the mayoral chauffeur service... or refusing to pay for losses in multi-million dollar lawsuits that find the mayor responsible for illegal firings, perjury and who knows what else.

Would it be nice to pay Kwame's legal bills?  Sure.  Would it be nice to pay for a driver for Jim Fouts?  Of course.  And everyone loves Santa.  It'd be nice if the city could pay for those decorations instead finding others to sponsor the displays.  It'd also be nice if we could buy iPods for every school kid and put a pony in every little girls backyard.  But alas, this is reality.  We just plain can't afford it.  

Posted in Barack Obama | Breaking News | Free Trade | Hillary Clinton | jennifer granholm | Michigan | NAFTA | taxes | UAW | unions — Comments (0) / Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 11:30pm on Jan. 18, 2008 Dems worried about union intimidation

By Soren Dayton

Now, I wasn't at Redstate when the whole Card Check debate was going on, but, needless to say, Redstate was right, and the Democrats were wrong.

What is so funny today is that the Hillary Clinton people, after getting beaten trying to reduce the power of the culinary union, are screaming about union intimidation. One diarist over at MyDD captured the problem like this:

This is an open caucus. Union members will be standing in the same room with other union members. Or maybe even their shop steward. Or their foreman. Or possibly even a union official. Everyone will know which candidate you're backing. And if you're a member of Culinary Workers Local 226, and you don't caucus for Senator Obama???

Lemme get the argument straight. Secret ballots are important to protect you in a caucus from union thugs, but not in a vote in a unionized shop?

I love watching the Democrats. They are validating our arguments about the Democrat Party. They prove the deep strain of racism in their party. They prove our arguments about union thuggery. They have a couple more weeks to give us more attacks... Fun fun fun.

Posted in 2008 | Democratic Party | Nevada Caucuses | unions — Comments (9) / Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 3:31pm on Dec. 21, 2007 Quelle Surprise

By Pejman Yousefzadeh

Who didn't actually see this (subscription required) coming?

Despite launching an endless barrage of incendiary rhetoric at Washington buyout firm  Carlyle Group regarding its pending buyout of a top nursing home chain, a union organizer has been far less alarmist about the merger in private discussions with investors in  Manor Care Inc.

Read on . . .

Posted in Dishonesty | Economy | unions — Comments (2)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 7:19am on Dec. 6, 2007 MI Morning Update: SOS Land proposes enhanced driver licenses

By saul anuzis

336 Days until Election Day

MORNING UPDATE:

Secretary of StateTerri Lynn Land proposes enhancing the security of driver’s licenses, by adding convenient optional “enhanced” drivers license…info below. Non-citizens must prove legal presence in U.S. for upgraded “standard” license.

Education Action Group (EAG) was recently cited in the Michigan Education Report for their database of school board members that have received financial support from one of the 20+ MEA PACs. The extensive article on union involvement in school elections can be found here: http://www.educationreport.org/pubs/mer/article.aspx?ID=9096

Posted in Drivers Licences | Illegal Aliens | Michigan Republicans | Republicans | unions — Comments (0) / Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 12:44pm on Mar. 8, 2007 General Hoffa, Reporting For Duty!

By RS Insider

The RS Insider hears that House Democratic Leaders turned down a chance to meet with General Petraeus this morning – and considering how they were busy rolling out their plan to undercut him today, that’s understandable. 
 
But it’s interesting to see who they have been meeting with as they formulated their antiwar plan.  Top Generals?  Academic experts? 
 
Well, no… 

But any dilution of Murtha's original proposal is likely to infuriate the antiwar wing of the party, which wants dramatic action now. After a conference call yesterday, antiwar and labor groups all but gave up on Murtha's approach, concluding they could only support a war-funding "supplemental" bill if it contains a deadline for withdrawing troops.

 
 The RS Insider understands why Democrats might not want to face General Petraeus, but we must admit surprise that Democrats Steny Hoyer and Nancy Pelosi are openly inviting Labor Unions and Moveon.org to direct the Democratic Party’s military strategy.

Posted in Murtha | unions | War — Comments (4)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 11:48am on Mar. 7, 2007 Susan Collins (Whodathunkit?) Calls Out The Dems On Senate Floor

By Erick

This morning the Democrats are going to have to put their vote where their mouth is. They're about to be called out on their TSA collective bargaining issues by Susan Collins.

Claire McCaskill, doing the bidding of the unions that helped her so much in Missouri, is pushing to give TSA workers collective bargaining rights. This would allow union bureaucracies to meddle in our national security, including doing such things as ordering worker slow downs in the lines at airports if their demands are not met by the government.

Susan Collins, recognizing that unions should stay out of the business of the TSA, would go further than McCaskill -- doing exactly what McCaskill and the Democrats claim they want -- without actually allowing unions to obstruct the TSA.

Collins's amendment would give workers every single worker benefit in the McCaskill Amendment -- whistleblower protection, workplace problem resolution, performance incentives, the right to join a labor organization, appeals process -- but the amendment would prevent unions from interfering with security decisions, including such things as worker slow downs, mysterious contractions of the "TSA Flu," etc.

This all puts the Democrats in a quandary. Do they really support worker protection or are they more interested in giving national security power to Union bosses? Today, on the floor of the Senate, we'll find out.

Posted in Collective Bargaining | Congress | TSA | unions — Comments (6)/ Email this page » / Read More »