Wednesday, December 12, 2012

RANDOM SHOTS - Gun Rights Victory, Obama Adviser Praises Chinese Communism, Michigan Approves Right-To-Work Law, Obama Incites Instead Of Unites, and More!



Michigan Approves Right-To-Work Law

As pro-union protesters gather at Michigan State House, Michigan voted in legislation to give Americans in that state the right-to-work.

I know many of us don't understand what the problem is here. What is wrong with having a right-to-work?

A "right-to-work" law is a statute in the United States that prohibits union security agreements, or agreements between labor unions and employers that govern the extent to which an established union can require employees' membership, payment of union dues, or fees as a condition of employment, either before or after hiring.

"Right-to-work" laws do not, as the short phrase might suggest, aim to provide a general guarantee of employment to people seeking work, but rather are a government regulation of the contractual agreements between employers and labor unions that prevents them from excluding non-union workers.

Right-to-work laws exist in twenty-four U.S. states, mostly in the southern and western United States.

Such laws are allowed under the 1947 federal Taft–Hartley Act. A further distinction is often made within the law between those employed by state and municipal governments and those employed by the private sector with states that are otherwise union shop (i.e., pay union dues or lose the job) having right to work laws in effect for government employees.

So basically, a Right-To-Work law secures the right of employees to decide for themselves whether or not to join or financially support a union. And yes, people should not be forced to belong to a union to have a job.

The Michigan Legislature on Tuesday gave final approval to their "right-to-work" legislation, in the face of raucous protests in the capital and stern warnings from Democratic lawmakers.

Threats of violence from Democrats? You betcha!

"There will be blood, there will be repercussions," State Democratic Rep. Douglas Geiss, speaking on the House floor on Tuesday, warned ahead of the votes.

The final votes on the House side Tuesday deliver a blow to the labor movement in the heart of the U.S. auto industry. The measures ban unions from demanding dues from workers.

One bill dealt with public sector workers, the other with government employees. Both measures cleared the Senate last week, and are expected to be signed by Republican Gov. Rick Snyder as early as Wednesday.

Coinciding with the votes were massive and noisy protests both inside and outside the Capitol from pro-union demonstrators. Thousands descended upon downtown Lansing to rally against the legislation that prohibits requiring nonunion employees to financially support unions at their workplace.

"This is about giving workers the freedom to choose whether their resources go to a union or not -- and I actually don't view this as anti-union," he said. "Indiana's had a strong experience. ... They've seen thousands of jobs come to Indiana. Those jobs could also come to Michigan."

Several high-profile Democrats, though, have gotten involved, with Michigan Democratic Sen. Carl Levin and House Democrats meeting with Snyder on Monday and urging him to veto the bill.

The surprise move by Michigan Republicans last Thursday to approve the anti-union bills touched off a firestorm in the home of the U.S. auto industry.

Following high-profile fights over union privileges in Wisconsin and Indiana, Michigan in an instant became the latest battleground in that struggle.

Though Republicans control the capital and had the votes all along to send the bill to Snyder's desk, opponents are planning to mount a legal challenge.

Given the rapid manner with which the bills moved and the fact some demonstrators were kept out of the chambers, Democrats say they'll challenge under open-meetings laws.

The Detroit Free Press also reports that Democrats could try and challenge a provision that exempts police and firefighters.

However, any attempt to bring the proposal to referendum is complicated by the fact that the bill contained an appropriation -- and under Michigan law, appropriations bills cannot be challenged by popular vote.

In order to bring the "right-to-work" bill to referendum, supporters would have to first prove the appropriation to be somehow invalid or inappropriate.

Opponents could also launch recall campaigns against targeted Republicans in retaliation, as they did in Wisconsin following a vote that cracked down on collective bargaining.

More and more states are looking to improve their economies and become more attractive to businesses and this is seen as one step toward that, so we can only wait and see what happens from here.



Michigan Teachers Abandon 26,000 Children For Union Business!

Earlier in the day, a few school districts closed after hundreds of teachers called out to join the Union protests.

FoxNews.com confirmed that the Warren school district had to close Tuesday after so many teachers called out absent; WDIV in Detroit reported that the Taylor school district had to do the same.

A statement from the Warren system said that by 8 a.m. local time, 750 staff members had called out.

The Michigan Education Association (aka Teachers' Union) has pressed their members to abandon Michigan’s classrooms in order to lobby against Governor Rick Snyder’s right-to-work reforms.

Classes were cancelled today in several Michigan school districts to accommodate the absence of hundreds of teachers, who were prompted by their union to call in "sick" in a sort of "protest" of the right-to-work legislation at the Michigan Capitol.

The result, twenty-six thousand students are out of school today.

The mass exodus of teachers has primarily affected the Detroit metro area. The last thing Detroit children need is an unplanned day out of school. Under the leadership of Democrat, just 7% of the city’s Eighth Graders can read proficiently - and just 4% of the city's Eighth Graders are on their grade level in math.

In other words, the city is being inhabited by the ignorant taught by the incompetent more worried about union business than teaching.
And I agree with one writer who said that none of that matters to the union boss out there who perceives a threat to his power and had the teachers abandon those kids.

As everyone knows, unions across the country are politically powerful agents for the Democrat Party. And yes, that's even more the case in Michigan.

The most recent data available show that the Michigan Education Association spent more than $7 million on political contributions, and that 86% of unions’ political contributions went to Democrats.

Some teachers might take exception to their hard-earned money being used for such partisan political purposes, but that doesn't matter because the unions are going to back Democrats no matter who they run.

Of course, when the right-to-work legislation is implemented, teachers will have the option to control how their paychecks are spent. Imagine that!

Let's all join in and sing, Free At Last! Free At Last!

Union dues range between $600 to $900 per year. Teachers shouldn’t be forced to forgo that money in order to teach. And yes, like it or not, for some teachers who want to teach but don't want to belong to the union - they are being forced to pay a membership that they don't want.

That is at the heart of the question, should someone be forced to join a union, pay a huge "initiation fee" and pay monthly dues and in some cases fight seniority and other union rules, if all they want to do is find a job and go to work?

Establishing a right-to-work law in Michigan will be the beginning of freedom for thousands of teachers and trades across the state.

The unions recognize that when teachers aren’t forced to hand over their paychecks, that their bloated coffers will get a little lighter.

That’s less money the union can use for an overtly political agenda, less money that can go to the plush salaries of union bosses, and a weakened ability to block much needed education reforms in the state.

As such, teachers won’t be the only beneficiaries. Right-to-work legislation will loosen organized labor’s stranglehold on public education generally.

Governor Snyder’s efforts have the support of the workers that will be affected. Over half of Michigan voters support the effort, and 40% of union households are in favor - many of whom are fed up with their union dues going to political candidates that they do not support.

So why is there a problem if someone wants to work but not be forced to join a union? Well, let's face it, organized labor’s bosses see this as such a threat to their entrenched power.

And no, they don't care if children who really need to be in class are in fact sitting at home or on the streets.

Is this something new for the unions? No, these union tactics aren’t new at all.

The educational futures of 5,000 Louisiana children now hang in the balance because the Teachers’ Union there has filed suit against the state’s newly minted voucher program.

The Chicago Teachers’ Union forced schools to shut down this fall for an entire week, in order for education employees to demand an increase to their already extravagant salaries and benefits.  And as everyone knows, Chicago is not exactly a place were kids are doing well either.

Teachers’ unions have tried similar scare tactics recently in Oklahoma, Arizona, and Wisconsin. It's a modern day hostage situation and the unions know it.

They have control of the classroom and what is taught to the kids. Forget the Three Rs of yesteryear, these days they sing praises to Obama and the Democrat Party all while learning the evils of Republicans and others who really want to see them learn something to get ahead in life.

I know that my stance on teachers deciding to walk off the job and calling in "sick" is not popular.

As far as I'm concerned. since we judge people on their action, the teachers who pushed aside their responsibility to educate kids to instead show their support for their union should all be replaced.

They have clearly shown where their priorities really are. And no, it's not with educating children.



Obama Chimes In To Incite Instead Of Unite

President Obama also weighed in Monday, using a speech near Detroit to call out local Republicans.

"These so-called 'right-to-work' laws, they don't have anything to do with economics. They have everything to do with politics," Obama said. "What they're really talking about is they're giving you the right to work for less money."

I don't know if Obama is just ignorant or purposely misleading Americans by his statements. I can't help but wonder if the president understands that his job is to unite Americans and not incite anger and division.

It's really no surprise that Obama failed to mention that real truth behind the law.

The truth of the matter is that "Right-To-Work" laws prohibit mandatory union membership and "initiation fees" while allowing non-union employees to receive the same wages and benefits.


Federal Appeals Court Strikes Down Illinois State Ban On Carrying Concealed Weapons

It's a victory for Americans living in Illinois. Those folks can now have the same rights as other Americans in other states.

They now have the right to carry a concealed weapon and defend themselves if need be.

A Federal Appeals Court on Tuesday struck down Illinois' ban on carrying concealed weapons - the only total concealed-carry ban in the country.

The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals gave state lawmakers six months to come up with their own version of the law that legalizes concealed carry.

"We're extremely pleased with the ruling," Illinois State Rifle Association leader Richard Pearson said. "Now that the court has ruled ... we will work as soon as possible with legislators to craft a concealed-carry bill for the state of Illinois."

The 2-1 decision marks a huge win for gun rights advocates who have argued that the ban on concealed weapons violates the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment and what they see as citizens' right to carry guns for self-defense.

A new law could be in place by January, Pearson said. A bill has already been written by Rep. Brandon Phelps that includes background checks, field provisions and other issues.

"Christmas came early for law-abiding gun owners," said Phelps, whose proposed legislation came within three votes of passing in 2011.

"I said on the floor, `A lot of people who voted against this, one of these days, you're going to wish you did, because of all the limitations and the safety precautions we put in this bill, because one of these days, the court's going to rule and you're not going to like the ruling.' Today's the day. The court's pretty much said there's no restrictions," he said.

Judge Richard Posner wrote in the court's majority opinion that the state "had to provide us with more than merely a rational basis for believing that its uniquely sweeping ban is justified by an increase in public safety. It has failed to meet this burden."

He continued: "The theoretical and empirical evidence (which overall is inconclusive) is consistent with concluding that a right to carry firearms in public may promote self-defense."

The appeals court ruling reverses lower court opinions against a lawsuit filed by former corrections officer Michael Moore of Champaign, farmer Charles Hooks of Percy in southeastern Illinois and the Bellevue, Washington-based Second Amendment Foundation.

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, who favors strict gun control laws and proposed an assault weapons ban earlier this year that lawmakers defeated, has vowed to again bring legislation that would prohibit the sale or possession of semi-automatic rifles and other guns.

While this is great news, sadly the poor people in Illinois have to worry about liberal Democrat politicians who see the citizens of that state as being better off unarmed and defenseless.

What this means is that liberals in power in that state will probably try to circumvent the law somehow. Their reasoning is that they rather see their citizens become victims of violence than see the use of a weapon in the act of self-defense be justified.



Chrysler workers canned for drinking and smoking pot on the job get reinstated

Chrysler workers who were fired or suspended two years ago after a MyFoxDetroit investigation found them drinking and and smoking pot during a lunch break are back on the job.

MyFoxDetroit first aired the footage of the Chrysler workers in September 2010. Video showed them in a park during the work day, drinking alcohol from bottles covered in brown paper bags and smoking what appeared to be marijuana.

With the auto giant having recently received a federal taxpayer bailout, and President Obama having visited the plant where the employees worked just months earlier, Chrysler appeared to take a zero-tolerance attitude. The company fired 13 workers, and suspended two.

But MyFoxDetroit reports that following a union-backed arbitration process, the employees were reinstated. This week, they came back to work.

Chrysler said in a statement that it does not support the decision to bring back the workers but would like to move on.

“While the company does not agree with the ultimate decision of the arbitrator, we respect the grievance procedure process as outlined in the collective bargaining agreement and our relationship with the (United Auto Workers union),” the company said, according to MyFoxDetroit.

“Unfortunately, the company was put in a very difficult position because of the way the story was investigated and ultimately revealed to the public. These employees from Jefferson North have been off work for more than two years. The time has come to put this situation behind us and resume our focus on building quality products that will firmly establish Chrysler Group's position in the marketplace."

These union employees can thank their union for their jobs. Any other job would have fired them for such blatant actions.

And just for the record, I worked with some people who I found out later were smoking pot and drinking during their lunch hour. I'm just glad they never got me injured while on the job.

Their are reasons that we as a society should not condone such activities. Besides the fact that they should not be at work drunk or high on pot, they do put the safety of others at risk.

The employees work at the Jefferson North Assembly Plant, which builds Jeep Cherokees.

So yes, if you work with any of these men - be aware that they may get you hurt. And if they do, thank your UAW union bosses who brought these guys back!



Obama administration's business adviser says China’s "state-run communism" works

When this administration first took charge four years ago, I really didn't know what to think about all of the charges in that they were all a bunch of Communist and Socialist.

Over the years, this administration has proven themselves to be a strange group. Obama's policies seem to based more on Karl Marx and Joe Stalin than that of Thomas Jefferson or Abe Lincoln.

And yes, even his advisers are Communist sympathizers.

You think I'm kidding? Well just yesterday, Jeff Immelt who is the chairman of President Barack Obama’s job council has endorsed China’s Communist State, saying “state-run communism may not be your cup of tea, but their government works.”

It reminds me of a horrible quip that I once heard about Adolph Hitler. The ignorant bastard who said it could have been an Obama adviser.

He said, "Hitler might not have been your cup of tea with murdering millions of Jews and all, but more importantly Hitler got those trains to run on time!"

Sad, isn't it? I think so. I think its very sad that someone who is an adviser to the President of the United States would praise a system of government that takes freedom from the people and treats them like cattle.

Jeff Immelt is the dual-hatted chairman of the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness, and of General Electric, a huge company with businesses in many domestic and international sectors, including China.

He used a December 10th television interview with Charlie Rose to suggest that China’s type of state-run government has been great for business.

China’s government consists of a Communist dictatorship. That dictatorship overlaps with Chinese-style family networks of nepotism and communist bureaucrats who oversee the nation’s five-year economic development plans.
China’s government is now spending huge amounts of money to build up the country’s infrastructure. I remember Obama talking about infrastructure 5 years ago, but that was all just talk for the cameras.

And yes, while Obama and the Democrat Party as a whole are trying to destroy America's coal industry, China is spending huge amounts of money buying coal-fired and nuclear power plants, and the electricity transmission lines that that power will produce. They are also buying railroads and other equipment — all of which G.E. builds for export.

Chinese politicians and bureaucrats choose which companies, usually through bribes and payoffs and favors and such, so that companies such as G.E. get contracts. This is no different than how things were in the old Soviet Union Communist state.

Comparing the Communist system of government with a dictator to the United States with a president who some say wants to be a dictator is not too unusual these days. I've heard many say that Obama would relish the authority that a Communist Dictator has.

In fact, early in 2011, Obama told a group that it would be so much easier to be the president of China. As one White House official put it, “No one is scrutinizing Hu Jintao’s words in Tahrir Square.”

Technically the "President" of China has a lot of titles. Among them: “Paramount Leader,” “General Secretary of the Communist Party,” and “Chairman of the Central Military Commission.”

Being “president” in China isn’t the same as being President of the United States. It’s a dictatorship, or at the very mildest, the strongest position in an autocratic and thoroughly entrenched and unaccountable political system.

As such, yes, it’s easier to wield power. But why was Obama such an idiot for making the case for enlightened despotism over representative democracy?

Making power easier for government to yield was the exact outcome that our founders feared, which is why they wrote the Constitution and ratified it 222 years ago.

Enlightened despotism is still despotism, and the “enlightened” part depends entirely on whether the analysts fall in or out of favor with the despot.

And since the “president” of China doesn’t give a damn about the freedom and liberty of his own people, no one really gives a damn what he thinks about the freedom and liberty of others. Most see that as a feature of being President of the United States.

Sure, Obama might think it would be easier to be President of China, but he’d have found it impossible to become President of China.

Unlike Americans, who can vote for whomever they choose, the entrenched power structure in Beijing would never have allowed an untested backbencher with no experience in executive management to have come close to the top job.

Obama should be thanking his lucky stars rather than lamenting his fate as he did early last year.

So does it really surprise me that the chairman of General Electric, Jeff Immelt, who is also an adviser to President Obama likes the Communist system where all he has to deal with is a few bureaucrat flunkies to sell his products?

No, it doesn't. It sounds like he's used to dealing with bureaucrats.

Take for example that fact that he is an adviser to Obama, America's head bureaucrat, who has spent tens of billions of taxpayers’ dollars on green-tech energy programs, and his environmental regulations which has also forced companies to buy new generations of energy products manufactured by General Electric and other companies.

Obama's regulations spur sales of GE’s products, such as banking, medical equipment, locomotives and aircraft engines.

Immelt’s two jobs allow him to have the ear of the president while allowing General Electric to have access to federal dollars and help company lobbyists gain access to shaping federal environmental, energy and tax regulations.

For example, GE and its subsidiaries won at least 19 direct contracts or grants worth Billions of taxpayer dollars from the 2009 stimulus package.

Clearly Immelt is not an idiot when it comes to making money for General Electric, as he has the ear of President Obama to help him do so.

Not bad for a man who is not smart enough to know why communism doesn't work if you're subjected to its injustices.

Communism doesn't work because people will not work as hard for the benefit of strangers as they will for themselves or their families.

Remove all the incentive to work hard and progress dies. It's the same with Communism. Why break your back at work? You won't make any more or any less than anyone else.

The guy who makes money is the corrupt bureaucrat, or that guy from General Electric who doesn't have to live under that system of government but admires its proficiency.

TRIVIA  

Christmas is a holiday full of symbolism.

Why did the Three Wise Men bring Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh to baby Jesus?

What is the Meaning of Gold?

The gift of gold to the Christ Child is supposed to have come from Melchior, a king from Arabia, who, legend has it, was one of the Three Wise Men. His contribution is thought to have financed the Holy Family's flight into Egypt.

Gold, as valuable today as it was in Christ's time, symbolizes immortality, divinity, purity, and the kingship of Jesus Christ.

What is the Meaning of Frankincense?

Tradition maintains that Balthasar, one of the Three Wise Men who came from the East to find the Christ Child, presented frankincense to the baby as a gift. By honoring him in this way, Balthasar fulfilled the prophecy that gold and frankincense would be brought from the Gentiles to honor the heavenly king (Isaiah 60 and Psalm 72).

Frankincense is an incense given to the baby Jesus.

Frankincense, a sweet gum resin from the Boswellia tree, is the purest of incense. When burned, it produces white smoke and a sweet smell, symbolizing the prayers and praises of the faithful as well as Christ's sacrifice and the divine name of God.

What is the Meaning of Myrrh?

Caspar, a king from Tarsus and one of the Three Wise Men, is believed to have given myrrh to the Baby Jesus.

Myrrh is known for its medicinal value and was used in ancient times for cleaning wounds and sores, as an analgesic, and for embalming the dead or anointing kings.

Myrrh is actually an aromatic gum resin that oozes from gashes cut in the bark of the commiphora tree. It hardens into teardrop-shaped chunks and is then pounded into powder or mixed to make ointments and perfumes. It is named for its bitter taste and symbolizes the Suffering Savior, the Great Physician, and Christ's human nature.

  Story by Tom Correa

1 comment:

  1. I like the idea of letting Illinois carry their concealed weapons. It means that for them it will be better to have the gun and not need it than to need the gun and not have it.

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