September 2, 2011
I LOVE To Singa - Owl Jolson
CLASSIC Cartoon from my childhood. Enjoy! :)
Treasure Your Uniqueness! That's what makes you WONDERFUL... ♥
Because there is no other like you and that is a beautiful thing. ;)
Treasure Your Uniqueness! That's what makes you WONDERFUL... ♥
Because there is no other like you and that is a beautiful thing. ;)
You must first learn to love, respect and value yourself,
before you can expect others to love, respect and value you.
It starts from the inside out.
Be TRUE to your self... ♥
"Experience the plan God has for your life
by stepping out in faith and boldness…
one step at a time."
~ by Joyce Meyer ♥
"Each new step, each new adventure,
brings new richness, a new dawn,
and a new world around you."
~ by OSHO ♥
“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions.
But the really great make you feel
that you, too, can become great.”
~ by Mark Twain ♥
"At the centre of your being you have the answer;
you know who you are
and you know what you want."
~ by Lao Tsu ♥
"Each of us is meant to have a character all our own,
to be what no other can exactly be,
and do what no other can exactly do."
~ by William Ellery Channing ♥
“You have reached the pinnacle of success
as soon as you become uninterested
in money, compliments, or publicity.”
~ by Thomas Wolfe ♥
The Nanny State Mentality In America! They Claim These Dishes Are What's Making Americans FAT! Not So Fast, It's Actually NO EXERCISE, NO ACTIVITY That Causes Weight Gain And Keeps The Pounds On!
I eat what I want, when I want and I will fight to keep it that way. I AM responsible for my body, my health and my choices, not you. I would really appreciate it if these health freaks would stop imposing themselves in our lives. What we eat should remain a personal choice! I am physically fit at 5'3" and weigh 115 lbs. I thoroughly enjoy eating fatty foods whenever I want. But I do balance my eating habits with exercise and fun outdoor activities. I don't want to be forced to eat cardboard. If that floats your boat, that's fine I respect your choice. But no one forces people to select these items listed below on the menu and no one forces people to eat at certain restaurants that serve a variety of foods. But if they do, it is NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS! You eat what you want and let the rest of us eat whatever the heck we want. If I want to stuff my face with donuts, I will. If I want to chow down on a large greasy pizza with the works and extra cheese, I will. If I want to eat Frosted Flakes or Captain Crunch for breakfast or even for dinner, I will. If I want to drink a tall glass of chocolate milk with Oreo cookies, I will. If I want to eat a bacon avocado cheeseburger with a side of fried zucchini and a vanilla shake, I will.
I just went to Jons grocery store last week to buy my meat products and guess what? They no longer sell regular ground beef, beef steaks or pork chops. Everything is lean or extra lean and all of the fat is cut off of the ends. I like to eat the fatty ends (cooked of course) and I don't care if that disgusts you. It's my personal TASTE! This is what you health freaks are doing to the rest of us! LIMITING OUR CHOICES so that you can sleep easy! Why should I have to be forced to go on a diet when I DON'T NEED TO GO ON A DIET. Just because others have weight issues. Did it ever occur to you health freaks that perhaps someone like me would need the fatty foods or extra protein?!?! I eat one large meal a day, munch throughout the day and eat light in the morning and evening. Therefore, a 1,700 calorie meal wouldn't be as HORRIFIC as you make it out to be!!! Start a health club or something if overweight people bother you so much. JUST STOP imposing your disgust and outrage on the rest of us.
How much do you want to bet that these people had/have weight issues. Since they had/have an eating problem, it would be easier for them if these kinds of foods did not exist. So they have made it their mission to bully whomever sells this kind of food. And since they had/have a problem with saying no to these kinds of foods, they feel other people can't be responsible for themselves or think for themselves either.
My beautiful grandmother cooked with lard, yes LARD her entire life. She was the BEST cook on this planet. She passed away at 91 years of age! FLAVOR is the spice of life and my taste buds demand it!
My beautiful grandmother cooked with lard, yes LARD her entire life. She was the BEST cook on this planet. She passed away at 91 years of age! FLAVOR is the spice of life and my taste buds demand it!
*********************************************************
The New York Daily news
written by Staff
Friday September 2, 2011
Obesity is on the rise - and it's no surprise, when you consider the popularity of giant burgers, super-sugary snacks and the latest round of deep-fried concoctions to hit the state fair circuit. From the 15-pound 'Belly Buster' burger to deep-fried butter, these are some of the world's most fattening, ridiculous foods.
Denny's is sharing its love for all things 'cheesy' with America. The family eatery has rolled out a new menu for lactose lovers – including one dish that may need to come with a heart defibrillator on the side.
The Mac 'n Cheese Big Daddy Patty Melt, dubbed by Denny's as 'the ultimate cheesy choice,' is a beef patty topped with macaroni, melted cheddar cheese, more sauce and then served atop grilled potato bread.
There's no official nutritional information on the Denny's website yet, but the food site Eater reports that the chunky cheese meal clocks in at nearly 1,700 calories.
The Diet Dictators’ Attack on Consumer Choice and Free Speech! PLEASE STOP THIS MADNESS!
The Heritage Foundation
written by Diane Katz
August 29, 2011
Federal regulators recently unleashed plans intended to radically restrict food choices for American children. Nutritional staples such as Cheerios, peanut butter, and yogurt are verboten under the proposed standards, which effectively constitute a government-regulated grocery list. Proponents contend they have only the best interests of overweight children in mind. Whether pursuing weight loss or some other high-minded goal, however, the action is unproductive and likely unconstitutional.
Nanny-State Nutritionists
The focus of this latest caloric crackdown is government censorship of food advertising, disguised as “guidelines” crafted by the four federal agencies that wield extensive regulatory powers over the nation’s foodstuffs.[1] This so-called “Interagency Working Group” (IWG) believes that suppressing advertising and promotion about dietary choices will eliminate obesity among the playground set—despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
Congress established the IWG in the 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act to “study” childhood obesity and present recommendations to lawmakers. It is a charge the regulators have stretched beyond recognition.
The group’s “principles”[2] set forth nutrition criteria—calories per serving, fat, sodium, and sugar content, among them—that would have to be met in order for a food product to be advertised or promoted, as well as allowable forms of marketing. The IWG defines “acceptable” foods as those that “make a meaningful contribution to a healthful diet” and “minimize consumption…of nutrients that could have a negative impact on health or weight.”
According to the IWG, the proposal is designed “to encourage children to choose” only the foods that comply with the group’s stringent standards. There is not a single mention of “parent,” “mother,” or “father” in the IWG’s 27 pages of “principles.”
Standards Violate First Amendment
It is all too convenient that the IWG formulated the advertising standards as “voluntary.” As such, they are not subject to the rulemaking requirements of regulatory mandates. If they were, a legal challenge would likely strike them down as an unconstitutional violation of free speech rights—firmly secured in precedent.
However, the ad restrictions are voluntary in name only. Food manufacturers can hardly ignore “recommendations” from the very federal agencies that exercise regulatory authority over their every move. It is akin to a cop asking for ID or to search one’s vehicle: While the law treats such citizen cooperation as voluntary, most individuals would not view it as such, nor would the police look kindly on anyone who denies their requests.
Government officials on more than one occasion have alluded to the potential for regulation if the industry does not voluntarily comply with advertising limits. The Federal Trade Commission, in fact, sought comment on whether the IWG guidelines would suffer from First Amendment issues if enacted into law.[3] And the White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity report to the President suggests that failure to comply would provide sufficient cause for statutory limits on advertising: “Effective voluntary reform will only occur if companies are presented with sufficient reasons to comply,” the report states. “The prospect of regulation or legislation has often served as a catalyst for driving meaningful reform in other industries and may do so in the context of food marketing as well.”[4]
Moreover, the legitimate concern of advertisers that their failure to comply with voluntary requirements will trigger regulation will necessarily have a chilling effect on speech and thus makes even this “voluntary” program constitutionally suspect.
Beyond the constitutional concerns, the limits on food advertising carry economic consequences. Even the working group concluded that the guidelines would result in a 20 percent reduction in ad expenditures that would in turn cause losses of $28.3 billion in manufacturing and retail sales and 378,000 jobs lost by 2015. The costs will also be borne by children’s programming, which gets considerable sponsorship from the food industry.
Excessively Stringent
The IWG nutritional standards would restrict advertising to foods that contain no more than 1 gram of saturated fat; zero trans fats; no more than 13 grams of sugar; and less than 210 milligrams of sodium. In effect, this limits advertising “for children”[5] to fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fish, extra-lean meat and poultry, eggs, fat-free or low-fat milk, and nuts, seeds, and beans.
These standards are far more stringent than any other government nutrition guidelines, including those established by the USDA,[6] upon which most federal food programs are based. Peanut butter and jelly, tomato soup, and 2 percent milk fail to meet the nutrition standards, as would 100 percent juices, many yogurts, and even a variety of frozen vegetables. Indeed, many of the USDA’s own recipe recommendations for children would not pass muster, including Lentil Chili, Roasted Root Vegetables, and Bulgur Chickpea Salad.[7]
So extreme are the standards, in fact, that 88 of the 100 most commonly consumed foods and beverages would be in violation, according to the Association of National Advertisers.[8]
The criteria that defines advertising “targeted to children” is likewise excessive. For television, it is advertising that accompanies programming for which children ages 2–11 comprise an audience share of 30 percent or more or 20 percent of adolescents ages 12–17 years. That means only government-approved advertising for such programs as the Super Bowl, American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, Glee, and Modern Family.
The restrictions extend well beyond television, encompassing virtually every means of promotion, including radio and print advertising; company-sponsored Web sites, ads on third-party Internet sites, and other digital advertising (including e-mail and text messaging); packaging and point-of-purchase displays and other in-store marketing tools; advertising and product placement in movies, videos, and video games; premium distribution, contests, and sweepstakes; cross promotions, including character licensing and toy co-branding; sponsorship of events, sports teams, and individual athletes; word-of-mouth and viral marketing; celebrity endorsements; in-school marketing; philanthropic activity tied to branding opportunities; and a catch-all “other” category.
Advertising Does Not Cause Childhood Obesity
The standards are based on the notion that food advertising causes obesity in children. But a variety of research has failed to establish any such link. For example, the Institute of Medicine reported in 2006 that there was insufficient evidence to associate advertising with the diets of adolescents.[9]
In fact, children’s exposure to food advertising has lessened significantly in recent years. The average number of food and beverage advertisements viewed by kids (ages 2 to 11) during children’s programming fell by 50 percent between 2004 and 2010, according to the Georgetown Economic Service.[10] During the six-year period, ads for snack bars fell by nearly 100 percent, cookies by 99 percent, soft drinks by 96 percent, and frozen and refrigerated pizza by 95 percent.
Please click HERE to read the entire article...
Food Regulators Out of Control... And The Hits Just Keep Coming... ugh :/
The Heritage Foundation
written by Ericka Andersen
Thursday September 31, 2011
First Lady Michelle Obama’s obsession with “childhood obesity” has bothered many since it began two years ago, especially those who think that White House nagging of parents should be reserved for more pressing issues. Now it is getting more serious, with food regulators starting to infringe on the free speech rights of advertisers.
In the latest upset, four federal agencies known as the Interagency Working Group (IWG) have delivered a plan to drastically censor food advertisers with products deemed to be “too high” in sodium, sugar, or fat that cater to any viewing audience between the ages of two and 11. These advertisers would lose key slots during some of America’s most popular shows, like American Idol, America’s Got Talent, and Glee—simply because the nanny state is “uncomfortable” with what they are selling.
The IWG, formed within the 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act to study childhood obesity and offer possible solutions, has gone far beyond their descriptive reach. Now, perfectly reasonable companies may be penalized severely.
The regulators plan to get away with this by disguising their rules as “voluntary guidelines.” In reality, the guidelines are anything but optional, according to food manufacturers affected by them.
As Heritage’s Diane Katz explains:
The restrictions are voluntary in name only. Food manufacturers can hardly ignore “recommendations” from the very federal agencies that exercise regulatory authority over their every move. It is akin to a cop asking for ID or to search one’s vehicle: While the law treats such citizen cooperation as voluntary, most individuals would not view it as such, nor would the police look kindly on anyone who denies their requests.
It’s not just Twinkies and cookies that will be affected, either. Anything deemed to have a little too much sodium or fat will be tested under the new rules, including foods whose very production requires a high sodium content (like pickles) and those that are naturally high fat (like peanuts).
As Katz wrote, “Nutritional staples such as Cheerios, peanut butter, and yogurt are verboten under the proposed standards, which effectively constitute a government-regulated grocery list.”
The regulations hit traditional favorites where it hurts. In turn, the free market and consumer choice is manipulated to fit a misplaced government agenda that doesn’t solve the problem.
Even if the feds are well-intentioned, their action plan isn’t grounded in reliable research. The whole point of the regulations is to curb the growing epidemic of childhood obesity—but the Institute of Medicine found no link between advertisements and children’s food choices.
According to Katz, children have seen about 50 percent less food advertising in the last six years than before that time—yet obesity rates continue to climb. Former FDA Commissioner Dr. Mark McClellan attributes the obesity problem to “physical inactivity”—not caloric intake. In fact, McClellan noted that children’s calorie intake has remained about the same for the last 20 years.
Not only do regulations hinder the market and censor speech; they hurt the businesses behind the labels. Sara Lee CEO Christopher J. Fraleigh recently spoke on the overextended regulations, which will hurt his business in particular:
A turkey sandwich made with Sara Lee fat-free lean turkey meat, we would not be able to advertise that on venues, be it the Superbowl or anything that would have a significant child audience, because the product is a little bit too high in sodium…. Current regulation of advertising toward children is a perfect example of regulation that just goes way too far.
The Obama Administration’s food regulators think that if you give them an inch, they can take a mile. But when free speech is on the cutting board, they will certainly hear from the people, and the people will not stand for it.
The Obama Administration Sues Trucking Company for Taking Keys Away From Alcoholic Driver! WOW! Unreal... :/
FOX news
written by Stephen Clark
Friday September 2, 2011
Citing a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Obama administration is suing a trucking company for taking the keys away from an Arkansas driver and eventually firing him after he admitted he was battling alcohol abuse.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a lawsuit this week arguing that Old Dominion Freight Line discriminated against Charles Grams by stripping him of his position and offering him a demotion even if he completed a substance abuse counseling program.
Instead, the EEOC argued, the North Carolina-based company, which has a service center in Arkansas, should have complied with the law, known as the ADA, while ensuring safety.
“The ADA mandates that persons with disabilities have an equal opportunity to achieve in the workplace,” said Katharine Kores, director of the EEOCs Memphis District Office, which covers Arkansas. “While the EEOC agrees that an employer’s concern regarding safety on our highways is a legitimate issue, an employer can both ensure safety and comply with the ADA.”
The EEOC says alcoholism is a recognized disability under the ADA and that the company violated the law with its policy that bans any driver who admits alcohol abuse from driving again.
The EEOC wants the company to reinstate Grams and another affected driver to their previous positions and provide them with back pay, compensatory and punitive damages and compensation for lost benefits. The EEOC is also seeking to block the company’s alcohol-related policy.
The company's policy bans any driver who self-reports alcohol abuse from driving again. Reassignment to a non-driving position is contingent upon the driver enrolling in a treatment program. [I agree with the COMPANY POLICY! I mean come on, the company will be held liable for negligence if any harm is caused to the driver, another person(s) or others property by one of their employees. Their driver's don't get fired. They get reassigned to non-driving positions. Why are the feds making a BIG ISSUE and getting involved when the company is CLEARLY doing the RIGHT THING on behalf of the general public. (emphasis mine)]
Joel McCarty, general counsel to Old Dominion, wouldn’t comment on the details of the pending litigation. But he told FoxNews.com, “We intend to vigorously defend our position.”
When asked to respond to EEOC’s comments and rationale behind the lawsuit, McCarty said, “Obviously, we disagree with their position totally.”
“Our concern is safety,” he said. “And that’s why we intend to defend the policy.”
According to the EEOC’s suit, Grams, who had been with Old Dominion for five years without incident, informed the company in June 2009 that he believed he had an alcohol problem.
The company suspended him from his driving position, which paid him nearly $22 per hour, including benefits. In compliance with U.S. Transportation Department regulations, Grams met with a substance abuse professional who notified the company that Grams would participate in an outpatient treatment program and could return to work.
But Old Dominion told Grams that he wouldn’t be allowed to drive again for the company and instead offered him a part-time position as a dock worker as soon as it became available. The position paid $12 per hour without benefits, the lawsuit alleges.
Grams then decided he couldn't afford treatment because he believed he would have to pay for it upfront and be reimbursed by his insurance company only if it approved the treatment. Instead, he joined Alcoholics Anonymous. Old Dominion fired him in July for job abandonment.
The EEOC contends that the company's actions deprived Grams and other affected drivers of "equal employment opportunities and otherwise adversely affect their status as employees, in violation of the ADA."
"Grams is a qualified individual with a disability under ADA ... who can perform the essential functions of a driving position," the suit says, adding that Grams and other employees wouldn't need treatment to perform non-driving duties.
The ADA, first passed by Congress in 1990 and updated in 2008, originally defined disability as “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity.” Earlier this year, the EEOC issued sweeping new regulations offering guidance on how to define “disability” under the law.
When a worker meets the definition, employers must provide reasonable accommodations. For years, employers and employees have clashed over who truly qualifies for the sometimes-costly modifications to workplace duties and schedules.
U.S. Debt Held by Public Tops $10T for 1st Time—Up 59 Percent Under Pres Obama! WOWEE!!! :/
CNS news
written by Terence P. Jeffrey
Friday September 2, 2011
At the close of business on Aug. 31--for the first time in the history of the country--the publicly held debt of the federal government topped $10 trillion, according to data released by the U.S. Treasury Department at 4:00 p.m. yesterday.
During Obama's presidency, debt held by the public has now increased by $3.71694 trillion--or almost 59 percent from the $6.3073 trillion in debt held by the public that the government owed to its creditors on Jan. 20, 2009, when Obama was inaugurated.
Also, according to the most recent reports available from the Treasury and the Federal Reserve, approximately $6.1 trillion of that debt—or about 61 percent of it—is owned by foreign interests (led by the Chinese and the Japanese) and by the Federal Reserve.
At the close of business on Aug. 30, as reported by the Treasury Department’s Bureau of the Public Debt, the federal government’s debt held by the public equaled $9,990,126,772,846.86. By the close of business on Aug. 31, it was $10,024,253,354,407.07.
The Treasury divides the debt of the U.S. government into two general categories: “debt held by the public” and “intragovermental” debt.
The “intragovernmental” debt is money the Treasury has borrowed out of government trust funds—including the Social Security trust fund—to use on federal expenses other than those the trust funds were set up to cover. This “intragovernmental” debt is money the government owes itself.
The ‘debt held by the public,” according to the Treasury, includes “all federal debt held by individuals, corporations, state or local governments, foreign governments, and other entities outside the United States Government.” Among the types of Treasury securities included in the “debt held by the public” are Treasury bills (which mature in one year or less), Treasury notes (which mature in two to 10 years), Treasury bonds (which mature in 30 years), U.S. Savings Bonds, and Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities.
At the close of business on Aug. 31, the total outstanding debt of the U.S. government—including both the debt held by the public and the intragovernmental debt--equaled $14,684,292,994,743.93.
Of that $14,684,292,994,743.93 in U.S government debt, $10,024,253,354,407.07 was debt held by the public and $4,660,039,640,336.86 was intragovernmental debt.
From Obama’s inauguration as president on Jan. 20, 2009 through Aug. 31, 2011, the total debt of the U.S. government increased $4.05742 trillion. But most of that increase—roughly 92 percent—has been from the increase in debt held by the public as opposed to an increase in intragovernmental debt.
When Obama was inaugurated, the overall federal debt was $10.6269 trillion, with about $6.3073 trillion of that in debt held by the public and $4.3196 trillion in intragovernmental debt.
By Aug. 31, 2011, the debt held by the public had increased by about $3.71694 trillion during Obama’s presidency while intragovernmental debt had increased only by $340.47 billion.
Please click HERE to read the entire article...
An Audit By The D.C. Inspector General Slams D.C.'s HIV/AIDS Government Grant Program! AWFUL!
The Washington Examiner
written by By: Freeman Klopott
August 9, 2011
An audit of the District's $10 million grant program for HIV/AIDS residential services has verified serious flaws in the city's oversight of the dollars it doled out.
The Department of Health's HIV/AIDS administration's poor monitoring allowed at least one grant recipient to receive reimbursements for an employee who didn't exist, among other issues.
Many of the woes that have plagued the office occurred under former director Debra Rowe. The FBI has previously said it was investigating accusations of health care fraud that allegedly happened during Rowe's watch, although the U.S. Attorney's office declined to say on Tuesday whether the investigation remained open. Rowe now works for a company - run by a former drug kingpin - that she funded as a city employee.
The audit by the D.C. inspector general "is sadly just another documentation of the legacy of Debra Rowe," D.C. Councilman David Catania said in a statement to The Washington Examiner on Tuesday.
Oversight of the grant program has greatly improved, which has helped dry-up HIV/AIDS funding for groups like Miracle Hands, Catania said. Miracle Hands was created by Cornell Jones, who spent nine years in prison for running an open-air drug market in Northeast during the 1980s. Rowe is currently Miracle Hands' executive director, the company's website says.
Rowe did not return calls for comment.
Soon after she was fired in April 2008, studies found that the HIV/AIDS infection rate had reached epidemic levels in D.C., with 3 percent of the city's population infected.
The inspector general's audit, though, focused its attention on Hill's Community Residential Support Services. Hill's was supposed to provide homes for people infected with HIV/AIDS so they could stay off the street and decrease the risk of infecting others. It picked up more than $1 million under Rowe's watch, which started in 2004. It was cut off in 2009 and has since shutdown.
But the audit found the Hill's funding should have been denied earlier because it didn't meet the terms of the grant. It added that the AIDS/HIV administration "was aware of [Hill's] deficiencies in complying with the terms... but continued to reimburse [Hill's]."
According to the audit, Hill's never paid employees' federal and state taxes, and in at least one case had the city reimburse it nearly $4,000 for an employee who didn't exist. City officials, meanwhile, failed to keep track of Hill's payroll and expenditures, writing about $165,000 in reimbursement checks for expenses that had no receipts, the audit said. The D.C. grant monitor even signed off on paying back Hill's for veterinarian costs for a cat after Hill's said the animal was needed to keep vermin away.
"[Hill's] should have hired an exterminator," the audit said.
DC Attorney General Sues To Get Back More Than $320,000 In Grant Funds For Planned HIV/AIDS Facility That Opened As Nightclub!
WUSA channel 9 news
written by Meta Puttus
Tuesday August 30, 2011
WASHINGTON (WUSA) -- DC is suing Miracle Hands, Inc. to recover funds that were "improperly diverted from the District's HIV/AIDS program," announced District of Columbia Attorney General Irvin Nathan on Tuesday.
The District filed a civil enforcement action against the non-profit corporation and its executive director, Cornell Jones Tuesday. The complaint alleges that Miracle Hands used District grant funds to pay for renovations at a former warehouse that is now operated as a nightclub. The grant required that the warehouse be converted into a job-training facility for people with HIV/AIDS, but that never happened.
According to the attorney general, the complaint alleges that Miracle Hands improperly received more than $320,000 for renovation work during 2006-2008 at two former warehouses in the 2100 block of Queens Chapel Road, N.E. The District is seeking damages and penalties exceeding $1 million. The complaint includes claims for violations of the District's False Claims Act, and common law claims for conversion and unjust enrichment.
According to the complaint, Miracle Hands decided by early 2007 to change the location of the planned job-training facility but continued to submit invoices to the District for renovation work at that location. Then, according to the complaint, a nightclub liquor license was secured in August 2006 for the location, and after renovation it was opened in 2010 as the Stadium nightclub.
*********************************************************
This is how ABC news is reporting this theft of public funds:
WJLA ABC7 news
written by Staff
Wednesday August 31, 2011
(AP, WJLA) -- An official with a local group that was accused of misusing D.C. AIDS grant money says that reports of their alleged financial mismanagement is inaccurate.
Cornell Jones, the Community Development President of Miracle Hands, says that a report in the Washington Post about his group is "filled with inaccuracies" and "false and misleading statements."
Miracle Hands is accused in a lawsuit of using money from the District's HIV/AIDS program to renovate a warehouse that's now a strip club. The lawsuit alleges that the group and its executive director improperly diverted nearly $330,000 in grant money for renovation work at two warehouses.
Jones says that he's an "easy target" for criticism because of his past as a drug kingpin.
"I know people were expecting us to make a mistake," he said in a statement. "Instead, we developed one of the most comprehensive programs for poor HIV-AIDS residents in the city at a time when this community didn't know how to deal with the challenges."
September 1, 2011
"Bless The USA" Video by Nate Smoove! Loved it! God Please Help Us ALL! ♥
Asking God Almigthy to step in and bless the USA from all of it's enemies from within.
Bless The USA by Nate Smoove
What's up America
This is your man named Smoove
On a G-Natzi track
Spitting that Conservative fire at you
Coming way from the right
Never from the left
I'm bringing it down for you
My God please bless the USA
Bless the USA
Bless the USA
Could you bless the USA
x2
First God let me thank you right away
Yes indeed I say
This country is so great
Yet we have lost our way
Forgive us Lord, can you today
For we have went astray
That's all that I can say
Forgive us Lord today
We see evil men and women took us down this path
There's a dedicated few of us that's fighting back
We've got a lot of work to do
And we can't look back
We can't look back
No we can't look back
Keep thinking about the TYRANNY that's heading our way
We have to FIGHT for our freedoms every day
The RINO's and Liberals keep doing us wrong
?
My God please bless the USA
Bless the USA
Bless the USA
Can you bless the USA
x2
First God let me thank you right away
Yes indeed I say
This country is so great
Yet we have lost our way
Forgive us Lord, can you today
For we have went astray
That's all that I can say
Forgive us Lord today
We have IDIOTS running the White House
Now they're trying to put their hands in our house
Taking over our kids in public schools
Purposefully dumbing them down in schools
It's NOT RIGHT America
Take a stand
Vote the traitors out as fast as you can
Vote for patriots that are God fearing folks
You see that's the one who deserve our votes
My God please bless the USA
Bless the USA
Bless the USA
Can you bless the USA
x2
We let Socialism put a stranglehold on our necks
It's time to bring America back from the depths
The eagle doesn't even fly high no more
I'm telling you all Socialism has got to go
It's killing our spirit
It's killing our pride
It's looking like the American dream has died
America needs us
Don't give in
Just fight back the tyranny and all of its sin
My God please bless the USA
Bless the USA
Bless the USA
Can you bless the USA
x2
We need your blessing LORD!
Can you bless us LORD!
We need your blessing LORD!
CEO of Gibson Guitar a Republican Donor; Democrat Competitor Uses Same Wood! wow! :/
Landmark Report
written by Andrew Lawton
Friday August 26, 2011
On Thursday, the iconic Gibson Guitar Corporation issued a press release stating that government officials raided their Tennessee manufacturing facility over warrants concerning the legality of the importation of wood purchased from India that they use in their world famous guitars. The wood–which is certified and regulated by the Forest Stewardship Council–is not illegal, but rather subject to a domestic law in India frowns upon the processing of this wood by non-Indians. (Gibson uses American labor for the processing.)
Gibson’s press release claims that, while this incident marks the second raid of their facility in around two years, this is the first of the raids to cost the company time and resources, as they needed to shut down operations. It seems as though this was all for naught.
The release read:
The Federal Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. has suggested that the use of wood from India that is not finished by Indian workers is illegal, not because of U.S. law, but because it is the Justice Department’s interpretation of a law in India. (If the same wood from the same tree was finished by Indian workers, the material would be legal.) This action was taken without the support and consent of the government in India.
On August 24, 2011, around 8:45 a.m. CDT, agents for the federal government executed four search warrants on Gibson’s facilities in Nashville and Memphis and seized several pallets of wood, electronic files and guitars. Gibson had to cease its manufacturing operations and send workers home for the day, while armed agents executed the search warrants. Gibson has fully cooperated with the execution of the search warrants.
The fact that the government would issue warrants based on their interpretation of another country’s laws is laughable–and scary–in and of itself, but that they would demonize an American, non-unionized (coincidentally, I’m sure) company for something that isn’t even a crime (especially not in the American lawbooks) is a gross misjustice. Keep in mind that the Indian government itself wasn’t involved in the Gibson warrants and raid.
This unfortunate event begs the question, Why Gibson?
Putting aside the presumably misguided motivation to enforce another sovereign nation’s laws, why would a homegrown American company be the target of the Department of Justice in the first place?
It’s worth pointing out that Henry E. Juszkiewicz, Gibson’s Chief Executive Officer, is a donor to a couple of Republican politicians. According to the Open Secrets database, Juszkiewicz donated $2000 to Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN07) last year, as well as $1500 to Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN). Juszkiewicz also has donated $10,000 to the Consumer Electronics Association, a PAC that contributed $92.5k to Republican candidates last year, as opposed to $72k to Democrats. (The CEA did, however, contribute more to Democrats in the 2008 election cycle.)
When warrants as ridiculous such as these are issued and executed, there appears no other reason than because the company or individual at hand is being targeted, not because there is any sort of wrongdoing. As a company, Gibson is a legendary. They’ve done nothing wrong, except, apparently, deigning to have a Republican CEO.
The plot thickens, however.
One of Gibson’s leading competitors is C.F. Martin & Company. The C.E.O., Chris Martin IV, is a long-time Democratic supporter, with $35,400 in contributions to Democratic candidates and the DNC over the past couple of election cycles. According to C.F. Martin’s catalog, several of their guitars contain “East Indian Rosewood.” In case you were wondering, that is the exact same wood in at least ten of Gibson’s guitars.
The Gibson facility wasn’t raided over allegations of tax evasion, charges of embezzlement, or even something as drab as child labor. Not even close. It was raided over what the DOJ deems an inability to follow a vague domestic trade law in India (one that apparently the Indian government didn’t seem too concerned about enforcing) regarding a specific type of wood. Not illegal wood, just wood with obscenely specific procedural guidelines.
Stand with Gibson: They have the Law on their side, just not the government.
Pro-Communist Kucinich Caught Shilling for Gadhafi?
New Zeal blog - shining the torch for liberty!
written by Trevor Loudon
Friday September 2, 2011
Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich has worked closely with the Communist Party USA over many years.
This relationship was still evident as late as 2009, when Kucinich personally endorsed the almost successful Cleveland City Council campaign of Communist Party leader Rick Nagin.
The Communist Party USA, in turn has relationships with Cuban, Russian and Chinese communist parties, and to Hugo Chavez’s Venezuela, all of whom have enjoyed close ties to Libya’s Moammar Gadhafi in recent years.
For many years, Libya, though claiming to be “non-aligned’ was effectively a satellite of the old Soviet Bloc. In recent months the Russians have been doing their best to defend their old comrade as NATO forces worked to depose him.
Now it appears that Dennis Kucinich may have been acting to in concert with the Gadhafi regime, in a propaganda campaign to keep the socialist dictator in power.
From Newsmax:
Democratic U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich and a former top State Department official aided Moammar Gadhafi right up to the time that rebels overran the Libyan dictator’s Tripoli compound, papers discovered there have disclosed.
The staunchly anti-war Kucinich disputes the notion that he provided such assistance. But a letter found in the rubble shows that he talked to a senior Gadhafi official asking for evidence of corruption within the rebel Libyan National Transitional Council so he could use the information to try to persuade the White House to remove support for NATO airstrikes…
A letter to Gadhafi’s son, Saif al-Islam, detailing the Kucinich conversation was discovered in the bombed-out Bab-al-Aziziya compound by Al-Jazeera journalist Jamal Elshayyal, who had been invited inside by rebels.
The eight-term Ohio congressman, who ran for president in 2004 and 2008, said he also was looking for links between the rebels and al-Qaida that would help his cause, Elshayyal reported.
Kucinich quickly denied that he had given support to Gadhafi. “My questions about the legitimacy of the war, who the opposition was, and what NATO was doing, were well known and consistent with my official duties,” he said in a statement.
“Any implication I was doing anything other than trying to bring an end to an unauthorized war is fiction.”
Given his long time communist ties, Kucinich’s denial of improper activity on behalf of Libya’s former socialist leader should not be taken at face value.
Dennis Kucinich should be investigated by Congress to determine whether he has ever acted improperly on behalf of the Gadhafi regime.
Or is covertly working as the agent of an hostile foreign power no longer considered unacceptable behavior for a US congressman?
The Inventiveness of Nanny... Knows No Bounds! As In NANNY STATE!
The National Review
written by Andrew Stuttaford
Wednesday August 31, 2011
With passive smoking on the run, a new menace comes waddling into view (the Guardian UK reports — my emphasis added):
Governments around the world need to make immediate and dramatic policy changes to reverse a pandemic of obesity which could affect an extra 11 million people in the UK over the next 20 years, public health scientists have warned.The call to act…comes in a series of papers published on Friday in the Lancet medical journal. The journal begins with a strongly-worded editorial arguing that voluntary food industry codes are ineffective and ministers must intervene more directly…There was a particular need for leadership ahead of a UN summit in New York next month on preventing non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and cancer, said one of the authors, Boyd Swinburn, from the centre for obesity prevention at Melbourne’s Deakin University..Swinburn’s paper comes up with a clear primary culprit: a powerful global food industry “which is producing more processed, affordable, and effectively-marketed food than ever before”. He said an “increased supply of cheap, palatable, energy-dense foods”, coupled with better distribution and marketing, had led to “passive overconsumption”.
Passive eating?
Naturally the individual is incapable of deciding these things for himself. And naturally, we have to think of, yes, wait for it, the children.
Another study by Steven Gortmaker from Harvard University’s school of public health, concludes that the response by governments has been a failure of will which mirrored previous struggles to tackle tobacco consumption. Ministers knew it made sense to crack down on junk foods but did not have the political appetite to take on such a huge industry.
“I think governments get it, but don’t know what to do about it, and don’t think it’s their responsibility. But it is their responsibility,” he said. His study lists eight cost-effective policies. Topped by a tax on unhealthy food and drink, the rest focus on shielding children from TV advertising or ensuring they exercise more.
Why won’t these people just go away?
California Assembly Passes Ridiculous Babysitting Bill. Oh Come On!!! Baby Sitting Was My First Job Working For Neighbors At Age 9!!!
The American Thinker
written by Thomas Lifson
Thursday August 1, 2011
The nanny state impulse runs strong in the Golden State, where the State Assembly has passed a bill that would virtually regulate babysitting out of business. After 2 hours of babysitting, a mandatory 15 minute break must be give, meaning that a stand-by babysitter must be present. Then there are the paperwork requirements, and the severe penalties that kick in for any parents who fail to dot the i's and cross the t's. State Senator Doug LaMalfa writes:
The bill has already passed the Assembly and is quickly moving through the Senate with blanket support from the Democrat members that control both houses of the Legislature - and without the support of a single Republican member. Assuming the bill will easily clear its last couple of legislative hurdles, AB 889 will soon be on its way to the Governor's desk.
Under AB 889, household "employers" (aka "parents") who hire a babysitter on a Friday night will be legally obligated to pay at least minimum wage to any sitter over the age of 18 (unless it is a family member), provide a substitute caregiver every two hours to cover rest and meal breaks, in addition to workers' compensation coverage, overtime pay, and a meticulously calculated timecard/paycheck.
Failure to abide by any of these provisions may result in a legal cause of action against the employer including cumulative penalties, attorneys' fees, legal costs and expenses associated with hiring expert witnesses, an unprecedented measure of legal recourse provided no other class of workers - from agricultural laborers to garment manufacturers. (On the bright side, language requiring an hour of paid vacation time for every 30 hours worked was amended out of the bill in the Senate.)
Unfortunately, the unreasonable costs and risks contained in this bill will discourage folks from hiring housekeepers, nannies and babysitters and increase the use of institutionalized care rather than allowing children, the sick or elderly to be cared for in their homes. I can't help but wonder if that is the goal of AB 889 - a terrible bill that needs to be stopped.
Meanwhile, he nanny state impulse flourishes elsewhere around the world. The latest fantasy analogizes obesity to smoking, and invents the concept "passive eating." No the link is not to The Onion, it is to the UK Guardian.
Solar Company Solyndra Bankruptcy Exposes Obama's Green Jobs SHAM And SCAM On The American People!
The Washington Examiner
written by Mark Tapscott, Editorial Page Editor
Wednesday August 31, 2011
A star of the burgeoning clean energy industry frequently touted by President Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and other national Democrats burned out today as Solyndra LLC announced that it is shutting its doors, laying off 1,100 employees and filing for bankruptcy.
This is the same firm that received the Department of Energy's first loan guarantee under Obama's economic stimulus program, worth $535 million and guaranteed by - who else? - the American taxpayer.
At the time, Obama praised Solyndra in May 2010 during a widely publicized speech at the company's new Fremont, California, facility that was made possible by the federal loan guarantee.
“The true engine of economic growth will always be companies like Solyndra, will always be America’s businesses, ” Obama told the assembled company employees. “Less than a year ago, we were standing on what was an empty lot. But through the Recovery Act, this company received a loan to expand its operations. This new factory is the result of those loans.”
But in fact Solyndra has had troubles from its founding amid doubts about the viability of the solar energy market the firm's investors were betting would flourish if only the federal government would provide enough subsidies to keep it afloat.
Afloat that is until Big Green environmentalists, liberal Democrat politicians and Washington bureaucrats succeeded in making gasoline and coal-generated electricity so expensive and scarce that consumers would be willing to pay more for alternatives.
Expect Obama and other advocates of massive government subsidies for clean energy companies to put the blame for the lengthening list of clean energy industry failures like Solyndra on Republicans and conservatives in Congress and elsewhere who argue the government has no business picking winners and losers in the marketplace because consumers will always do a better job of it.
Brian Harrison, Solyndra's CEO, may have had such a blame game in mind in today's announcement with his observation that “regulatory and policy uncertainties in recent months created significant near-term excess supply and price erosion. Raising incremental capital in this environment was not possible."
Apparently Harrison was unaware that capital flows to where it's most needed to fulfill economic needs in a free market, unless it is prevented from doing so by government, which almost always acts at the behest of firms that can't otherwise raise sufficient funds to stay in business due to lack of demand for their products.
The loan guarantees are at the center of a sometimes testy contest between the House Energy and Commerce Committee's investigative subcommittee and Obama's top political appointees at DOE and the Office of Management and Budget, which reviewed the loan guarantee before it was awarded.
Obama's appointees have slow-walked responding to the subcommittee's request for documents concerning the loan guarantee, and have outright refused to provide many of those sought. A congressional subpoena was issued last month, but committee sources say administration officials have since been more responsive.
Upon hearing the news of Solyndra's bankruptcy, committee chairman Rep. Fred Upton, R-MI, and subcommittee chairman Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-FL, issued this statement:
“We smelled a rat from the onset. As the highly celebrated first stimulus loan guarantee awarded by the DOE, the $535 million loan for Solyndra was suspect from day one. Our investigation to protect American taxpayers has revealed that in the rush to get stimulus cash out the door, despite repeated claims by the Administration to the contrary, some bets were bad from the beginning. And yet, despite the red flags and vocal concerns this Administration continued to tout Solyndra as a stimulus success story, going so far as to have the President visit the plant last summer.
“It is clear that Solyndra was a dubious investment, but DOE doubled down in March of this year and restructured the loan, possibly further increasing taxpayers’ liability. That is a question we want answered. In this time of record debt such disregard for taxpayer dollars cannot be tolerated.
“For an administration that parades around the banner of transparency, they fought us tooth and nail all summer long in turning over relevant documents related to the credit approval, and today we found out why. Committee Democrats have played politics, protesting our investigation every step of the way, and our issuance of a subpoena for OMB documents was a 14 to 8, straight party line vote.
"But our investigation continues, and with Solyndra’s bankruptcy we expect full and continued cooperation from the OMB, as we must ensure American taxpayers are not left holding the bag. Unfortunately, Solyndra is just the latest casualty of the Obama Administration's failed stimulus, emblematic of an economic policy that has not worked and will not work. We hope this informs the President ahead of his address to Congress next week.”
For a timeline of the subcommittee's investigation of the Solyndra loan and related documents, go HERE.
Solyndra's Lobbyists
The Washington Examiner
written by Timothy P. Carney, Senior Political Columnist
Thursday September 1, 2011
The Obama administration sure liked to tout Solyndra, the solar-power company that took in millions of federal subsidies before going bankrupt this week. Given that this company's short life was dependent on government connections, it's worth looking at Solyndra's lobbyists.
I've spent a good bit of time studying companies' lobbyists, and Solyndra has a pretty impressive lineup, on par with much bigger companies. Here are a few:
In July, Solyndra retained the powerful Glover Park Group, where the company's lobbyists include top Max Baucus aide and Environment & Public Works Committee staffer Catherine Ransom, longtime Republican aide Alex Mistri, and Energy and Commerce staffer (and former John Kerry Legislative Director) Gregg Rothschild.
The company's in-house lobbyists are former top Republican Hill aides Joe Pasetti and Victoria Sanville.
Solyndra's biggest lobbying contract is with McAllister & Quinn, co-founded by Steny Hoyer's chief of staff Andy Quinn. Steve Ham, another former Hoyer staffer at McA&Q, is on the Solyndra account, as is Al D'Amato aide Chris Fish, and former American writer Kyle Winslow. Gotta love it when young cub writer jump from liberal magazines to K Street.
As befits any company seeking green subsidies, Solyndra retained McBee Strategic Consulting. Steve McBee, a former Dem Approps aide, helped lower the standards for federal green energy financing before signing Solyndra as a client and getting Solyndra the financing under these lower standards. Former Democratic Energy & Natural Resources staffer Angela Becker-Dippmann was also on the Solyndra account.
Another Solar Company Goes Bust, Filing Bankruptcy! Solyndra Stiffs US Taxpayers A Half A Billion!!! STOP Whipping A DEAD HORSE Already! >:/
The Washington Post
written by By Joe Stephens and Carol D. Leonnig
Wednesday August 31, 2011
A company that served as a showcase for the Obama administration’s effort to create jobs in clean technology shut down Wednesday, leaving 1,100 people out of work and taxpayers obligated for $535 million in federal loans.
Solyndra, a California solar panel maker, had long been an administration favorite. Over the past two years, President Obama and Energy Secretary Steven Chu each had made congratulatory visits to the company’s Silicon Valley headquarters.
Although Wednesday’s announcement came as a surprise, House Republicans and government auditors had questioned the wisdom of the administration’s loan guarantees to the company, backed by capital from billionaire Democratic fundraiser George Kaiser. In July, a House subcommittee subpoenaed White House documents related to the guarantee, and after Wednesday’s developments, Republican lawmakers vowed to continue investigating.
Solyndra officials said in a news release that they were suspending operations and planned to seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The move would give the company time to evaluate options, including selling the business or licensing its technology to other companies.
“This was an unexpected outcome and is most unfortunate,” Solyndra chief executive Brian Harrison said in a statement. “Regulatory and policy uncertainties” made it impossible to raise capital to quickly rescue the operation, he said.
The White House said that it remained committed to building an economy based on clean technology.
“While we are disappointed by this particular outcome, we continue to believe the clean energy jobs race is one that America can, must and will win,” it said in a statement. “The Department of Energy’s overall portfolio of investments — which includes dozens of other companies — continues to perform well and is on pace to create thousands of jobs.”
Wednesday’s announcement came amid a broader shakeout in the solar industry. Energy Department officials said that less expensive solar panels made by government-subsidized companies in China undercut Solyndra’s products.
“We have always recognized that not every one of the innovative companies supported by our loans and loan guarantees would succeed,” Energy Department spokesman Dan Leistikow said in a statement. “But we can’t stop investing in game-changing technologies that are key to America’s leadership in the global economy.” [<===YES YOU CAN!!! You are draining the US Treasury on FAILED PROJECTS/BUSINESS MODELS! HIGH RISK JUNK INVESTMENTS! (emphasis mine)]
The Treasury Department provided Solyndra’s loan, on the assurance of the Energy Department. The terms were reviewed in advance by the White House Office of Management and Budget, and almost all of the $535 million has been disbursed to Solyndra.
Taxpayers might be on the hook for most of the loan if Solyndra is unable to repay, said experts in the stimulus and loan guarantee program. The Energy Department could seek repayment in court, but receiving more than a nominal amount is unlikely because of the company’s depleted cash and assets.
“Congress recognized the risks inherent in such an effort and wisely set aside funding to offset any potential defaults or losses,” Leistikow’s statement said.
Please click HERE to read the entire article...
Home Raided By SWAT For Defaulted Student Loans!!! Oh Dear LORD! :/
I just got wind of this news on Monday. I'm still in shock about learning of yet another federal raid. I'd like to share the exchange I had with friends after posting this information on my facebook profile.
Josette (Me): Why is it that people ADORE Pres Obama? It is his federal administration that is responsible for all of these raids on Americans! They are following Pres Obama's orders.
Pam: I thought it just goes to collection?
Josette: Apparently not! This is horrible! The feds, in this case the Dept of Education sent the SWAT team to arrest the debtor! WTH is that?!?! I don't like this one bit! Like they mention in this report, Wall Street, US auto companies, foreign nations and so many other "Green" corporations have received TONS of federal money giveaways and we're the ones who have to pay that DEBT back!!! and here they are arresting the general public!? >:/
Jeanette: What?????? BAILOUTS FOR BANKS AND WALL ST - SWAT TEAMS FOR COLLECTING DELINQUENT STUDENT LOANS!!!
Josette: The SWAT team was not sent in to collect. They were sent in to ARREST the debtor! That sounds pretty GESTAPO to me!!!!!
Josette: GESTAPO: 1.the secret police force of the German Nazi state, notorious for its terrorism, brutality, etc. 3.Slang: any police force or other authority regarded variously as sinister, ruthless, brutal, etc.
Linda: That seems pretty true.
Josette: @Linda, what does? the event that took place? or my gestapo description?
Linda: Someone being arrested by a SWAT team for defaulting simply on a student loan. That's just strange.
Josette: @Linda, strange as in unthinkable? Twilight Zonish? Yep... I'll accept your strange and raise it to plain wrong! :/
Linda: Definitely, as is the connection you made with the def. of gestapo. People are asleep...
Josette: @Linda, it's a trip you said "people are asleep." Because last night I kept shouting WAKE UP AMERICA in my spirit. I guess I was subconsciously trying to send out some massive vibrations to shake their spirits awake. We are heading down a very dark path Linda. I don't like this one bit. and it's only the beginning. :/
*********************************************************
The Washington Post
written by Elizabeth Flock
June 8, 2011
U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General special agents broke into a California home at 6 a.m. Tuesday and reportedly roughed up a man because of a student aid issue involving his estranged wife. His wife was not present.
In 2010, the Post’s Valerie Strauss reported that the Education Department was purchasing 27 Remington Brand Model 870 police 12-gauge shotguns to replace old firearms used by Education’s Office of Inspector General, which is the law enforcement arm of the department. DoE said the guns were necessary to help enforce “waste, fraud, abuse, and other criminal activity involving Federal education funds, programs, and operations.”
Kenneth Wright says his house was raided because of his wife’s unpaid loans. One blogger speculated that we finally know what those guns are being used for.
But the Department of Education told Reason Magazine Wednesday that the special agents raided the house because of a criminal investigation, not a student loan.
“The Inspector General's Office does not execute search warrants for late loan payments,” the statement said. DoE did not get into the specifics of the case, but says “the offices conducts raids on issues such as bribery, fraud, and embezzlement of federal student aid funds.”
Wright says he was grabbed by the neck and handcuffed as the officers searched his house. Stockton says he was put in a police car in his underwear along with his three young children.
“They busted down my door for this. It wasn’t even me,” Wright told the local news station News 10. “All I want is an apology for me and my kids and for them to get me a new door.”
Wright has no previous criminal record, according to News 10.
News 10 has removed their original story that said Wright was raided because of defaulted student loans, and has published a new story that reflects both sides of the story.
**************************************************************
Read DoE’s statement on the story HERE. Here is an excerpt, "On June 7, US Department of Education Office of Inspector General (OIG) special agents executed a search warrant at a Stockton, California residence. The warrant was authorized by a Federal Magistrate Judge."
Tyson Foods Worker Slaps Union with Federal Charges for Threats and Intimidation! WooHOO! Way To Go! :)
Green Mountain Scribes
written by Staff
August 27, 2011
Jefferson, Wisconsin – A meat processing worker has filed federal charges against a local union and Tyson Foods, Inc. officials after union officials illegally threatened to retaliate against him for exercising his rights.
With free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Foundation, Tyson employee Gregory Langron of Janesville filed the charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) last week.
United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 538 union officials enjoy monopoly bargaining privileges over Tyson Foods employees in the Jefferson plant. Langron recently exercised his right under National Right to Work Foundation-won Supreme Court precedent in Communication Workers v. Beck to refrain from full-dues-paying union membership.
However, because Wisconsin does not have a Right to Work law, most workers who refrain from formal union membership can still be forced to pay a part of union dues as a condition of employment, but cannot be compelled to pay the portion used for the union’s political, lobbying, and member-only activities.
UFCW Local 538 union officials recently threatened to prosecute Langron with internal union kangaroo court proceedings for allegedly initiating a petition to remove the union hierarchy from the workplace. Union officials also illegally told Langron that they would not represent him despite the fact that he is forced to pay union dues and accept UFCW union boss “representation” because Wisconsin lacks a Right to Work law for private sector workers.
Moreover, local Tyson Foods management faces charges after company supervisors ordered Langron to remove a sticker from his lunchbox representing his feelings about the abusive UFCW hierarchy.
“UFCW union officials are not only forcing workers to financially associate with their union, they are threatening independent-minded workers with kangaroo court sanctions for exercising their rights,” said Patrick Semmens, National Right to Work Foundation legal information director. “Wisconsin desperately need a Right to Work law to protect all employees from the very union bosses that claim to care about workers’ rights but clearly don’t.”
Under the recently-enacted union reform bill backed by Governor Scott Walker most public employees now enjoy the Right to Work protections that make union membership and dues payment strictly voluntary. However, private sector employees in Wisconsin currently do not enjoy such protections, meaning union bosses can order a worker fired for refusing to pay union dues.
Polls consistently show that 8 in 10 Americans support the Right to Work principle, that no worker should be compelled to join a union or pay union dues to get or keep a job. Twenty-two states have already passed Right to Work protections for their workers.
President Obama: The So Called “Bus Tour” Was Not A Bus Tour At All. WOW! Oh And The Million Dollar Buses Were Made In Canada! Thanks For Your Support Mr. President
LiveLeak news
written by Staff
August 22, 2011
This is really disgusting! The so called “Bus Tour” was not a bus tour at all!
An AP reporter said that Obama might have ridden these expensive buses only one mile at each stop. Therefore, it wasn’t really a “BUS TOUR”!
President Obama spent most of the “BUS TOUR” on an airplane traveling between stops. It looks like Obama has scammed the American people again with the help of the liberal media. It’s no damn telling just how much this “show” cost the American taxpayer.
PRESIDENT OBAMA’S HYPOCRISY KNOWS NO BOUNDS!!!
"Greyhound 1" Secret Service Buys Two New $1.1 Million Buses For Three-Day Trip…
President Barack Obama walks to his bus as he arrives in Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, Minnesota, August 15, 2011, where he is to begin his three-day bus tour in the Midwest centering on ways to grow the economy.
He FLYS into an airport somewhere in the midwest, hops into a brand new 1.1 Million $ bus, paid for by you and me, for a “bus tour” ‘around the midwest’, and after an hour or so, gets driven back to the airport for ANOTHER FLIGHT, lands at another airport where another 1.1 Million $ brand new black bus is waiting for him and repeats all that until his midwest bus‘tour’ is done??
Oh yes and THEN he leaves on a 12 day vacation to Martha's Vineyard to REST UP from this campaign bus tour! And don't forget those brand new shiny black buses aren’t DRIVEN to the location where they meet Obama. Those buses are loaded up on one or more C-17s. Then, they are flown to the destination ahead of AirForce- AND! this is REPEATED FOR EVERY CAMPAIGN STOP.
On this 'bus tour', the Prez will lecture the 'little people' on how they need to live within their means and cut-back! Remember when very recently Obama told that family man to GO BUY A HYBRID VAN when he said he couldn’t afford to fill up his truck???? Obama's 'carbon footprint' must be as large as most cities by now.
All of this on the taxpayer's dime. But remember, this is NOT a campaign trip - it is "Meet with the people" trip only! So that the DNC does NOT pay a cent for all of this.
***********************************************************
New York Post
written by Geoff Earle
August 17, 2011
WASHINGTON -- President Obama is barnstorming the heartland to boost US jobs in a taxpayer-financed luxury bus the government had custom built -- in Canada, The Post has learned.
The $1.1 million vehicle, one of two that Quebec-based Prevost sold the government, has been tricked out by the Secret Service with state-of-the-art security features and creature comforts.
It's a VIP H3-45 model, the company's top of the line, and is used by major traveling rock bands.
"That's the more luxurious model," Christine Garant of Prevost told The Post.
The feds bought the two coaches for $2.2 million from Hemphill Brothers Coach, based in Tennessee. It installed custom interior upgrades into the Prevost shell, which accounted for about half the cost.
The contract lists the country of origin as Canada and place of manufacture as "outside U.S. - Trade Agreements," a possible reference to the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Hemphill wouldn't comment on the bus. But an ad on its Web site for a similar bus costing $100,000 less than what has been dubbed "Greyhound One" boasts: "This coach is appointed with the finest materials and the latest in high tech electronics and was built for a top entertainer to travel efficiently without losing the luxuries of home.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
