Criminal politics: Meet the Purple People BeatersRelated video: SEIU in a nutshell
12/2/09
SEIU punches back hard for Obama
Criminal politics: Meet the Purple People BeatersRelated video: SEIU in a nutshell
Obama: Collectivize the News
Everything is 'a public good' nowThe Federal Trade Commission launched a two-day workshop with media executives today, in hopes of developing a new business strategy for the struggling industry. Media executives gathered to trade ideas with FTC officials, including representatives form Google News, the Huffington Post and News Corp.(from franklincenterhq.org)“News is a public good,” FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz said. “We should be willing to take action if necessary to preserve the news that is vital to democracy.”
Labor Shorts
A weekly-ish advisory from: LaborUnionReport.com• Bah Humbug! No egg nog for those Union Scrooges! An ongoing brouhaha between NBC and NABET/CWA has the union threatening to pull the plug on "Christmas in Rockefeller Center."
• Why do they want to eliminate voting rights? Unions won 73% of NLRB Elections in the first half of 2009 which begs the question: Why do union bosses want to eliminate workers' right to a secret-ballot with the hallucinogenically-named Employee Free Choice Act? [What losers.]
• WTF?!? God, Guns and ... Goldman Sachs? The SEIU is bragging (and Bloomberg is reporting) that executives at failed New Jersey governor John Corzine's former company, Goldman Sachs, are arming themselves against a potential proletariat uprising, as SEIU continues to harass the bailed-out billionaires club.
• Speaking of Class Warfare ... In a newly uncovered video, SEIU's former favorite son (and current DNC Chair) Howard "Hear Me Yell" Dean has declared the debate between socialism and capitalism OVER and announces the DNC's "permanent campaign."
• Show Me State Turns Blind Eye To Purple People Eaters Beaters. Three months after the fact and just when it appeared that justice would be served upon the SEIU thugs who beat a black conservative last August, justice just got downgraded to an "ordinance violation."
• SEIU settles PR SNAFU with Boy Scout…sort of. After threatening to file a grievance for a boy scout volunteering his time to clear a path, SEIU bigwigs found themselves picking up sticks by the roadside in an attempt to revitalize their already-blown image.
• Fat Chance, Fat Head! The Machinists union is calling on President Obama to save 1,000 Pratt & Whitney jobs that are moving out of Connecticut. Apparently, the union is hoping that "the silver-tongued orator" Obama has forgotten Machinist President Tom Buffenbarger's anti-Obama tirade during last year's Democratic primaries. [Perhaps the IAM IWAS is befitting.]
• How Objectionable: SEIU's Press Release Calls Out NLRB & Attempts Scare Health Care Workers. The National Labor Relations Board has apparently offended the seemingly above-the-law SEIU by granting health care workers at Kaiser Permanente the right to vote to choose whether or not to remain represented by the Union of Purple People Eaters. Read the release here.
• An Ex-SEIU staffer shares what he found wrong with Andy Stern's SEIU: "…an organization that dampened freedom of speech, weakened internal democracy, reduced meaningful member involvement, made secret deals with employers that harmed members’ interests, and isolated and punished members and staff who disagreed." [Read the rest here.]
• Union extortion gets NY contractor 3 Mos. in slammer. "After apologizing to his family and the court, Petrocelli told the judge that if he hadn't paid off McLaughlin, the crooked labor leader would have put him out of business by drumming up labor unrest."
• Thief Steals Millions from Sandhogs Union. "Like sand in an hourglass, so were the days of our lives pensions for their retirement." Over the last seven years, Melissa G. King of Irvington, N.Y., transferred $42 million from three union funds to bank accounts she controlled.
• SEIU Set to Walk Out on Patients. Richard Palmisano, president and CEO of Northern Berkshire Healthcare, the hospital’s parent corporation, said in a release that the hospital would continue to "provide high quality health care services to our patients without interruption" if the strike takes place as planned.
• Teamsters' Hoffa Imposes Concessions on Teamster Members. “We’re proud that we stood strong against concessions, and we did it on our own. Now our own International union comes in and undercuts us. They’ve sold themselves to the company,” stated Local 705 steward Mike Jordan.
You don't mess with Valerie Jarrett
The Chicago Way: Obamas throw Secret Service under the bus(from suntimes.com)A Desiree drubbing? So whose head will roll in the brouhaha over the White House interlopers who managed to sneak into President Obama's state dinner for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh?
• Answer: It ain't gonna be White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers, according to White House senior adviser David Axelrod. "Absolutely not," Axelrod told Sneed. "There was a breakdown in screening procedures that can and will be addressed, and Desiree will do so, in conjunction with the Secret Service. The president appreciates the great job she has done."
• Translation: Nobody's gonna mess with first lady Michelle Obama's galpal clique, which includes Rogers, Valerie Jarrett and Michelle's chief of staff, Susan Sher, who not only work at the White House, but also live in the same apartment complex -- where they frequently get together after hours to share a glass of wine, chat and kvetch. "It's almost like a pajama party," said a source who knows the women.
Stop Valerie Jarrett is a project of Americans for Limited Government and NetRightNation.com
Working Families Fraud, part 1
All In The Big Labor FamilyIn August, City Hall published an investigative report explaining the operations of the Working Families Party’s for-profit company, Data & Field Services. In early September, after conducting its own review, the New York City Campaign Finance Board officially declared that “DFS exists as an arm of the Working Families Party.” Over the last three months, City Hall has continued the investigation, relying on dozens of interviews with people within and outside the organization, in addition to a review of tax, lobbying and campaign finance records, as well as confidential internal documents.(from cityhallnews.com)
Following weeks of in-depth inquiries from City Hall, the Working Families Party announced on Nov. 6 that it was hiring the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom to conduct a review of its practices, with the effort to be led by Judith Kaye, the former chief judge of the New York Court of Appeals.
Related post: Working Families Gone Wild!
Typical labor-state AFL-CIO embezzlement reported
U.S. workers plagued by corrupt union bigsMelissa King was arrested on charges of embezzling tens of millions of dollars from the employee benefit plans she administered on behalf of the Compressed Air and Free Air Foundations, Tunnels, Caissons, Subways, Cofferdams, Sewer Construction Workers Local 147 of New York, New Jersey States and Vicinity AFL-CIO ("Local 147"). King was arrested at her Irvington, New York residence by DOL-OIG and IRS agents.(from empirestatenews.net)King provided administrative services to the Local 147 Funds through the company that she controls, King Care LLC ("King Care").
Between 2002 and 2008, KING caused at least $42 million to be transferred, in the form of checks, from the bank accounts of the Local 147 Funds into a bank account controlled by King Care (the "King Care Account").
Moreover, between 2002 and October 2009, tens of millions in embezzled funds were transferred out of the King Care account through check, wire transfers, and other means in transactions that appear unrelated to the Local 147 Funds. These transactions included at least: $7 million paid to American Express; $3 million paid to various entities that sell, maintain, and transport horses; $700,000 paid to a diamond company; $500,000 transferred to E-Trade Securities; $300,000 paid to Neiman Marcus; $150,000 paid to the Ritz Carlton Palm Beach; $10 million transferred to other bank accounts held by King Care; and $600,000 transferred to the "Trust Agreement between Jerome and Mabel King."
Union cash colors labor-state democracy
Political bribery, extortion come before bargaining, representationDuring West Virginia’s 2008 election cycle, the union and lawyer/lobbyist industries flexed their money muscles, pumping a combined $1,321,672 into state-level campaigns.(from westvirginia.watchdog.org)
This data comes from a combined project of the National Institute on Money in State Politics and the Center for Responsive Politics.
“A groundbreaking collaboration…created this unique view of the top 10,000 political donors to campaigns at both the state and national level. Top donors consist of companies, labor organizations, and special interest groups. Totals include money given by employees, subsidiaries, and/or locals affiliated with the donor.”
We're all ACORN now
New Prog politics lousy with fraudAlready facing multiple felony counts for alleged mishandling of funds in a political campaign, Athens (OH) County Democratic Party Chair Susan Gwinn was indicted on two more charges Monday, for her alleged involvement in a plan to pay student campaign volunteers a $5 bounty for every voter they brought out for early voting Oct. 30 in Athens.(from athensnews.com)
The Ohio University College Democrats, however, who were allegedly also involved in the plan, will not face any charges, according to the special prosecutor handling the case.
“We’ve got young people, students, not judicious … who are following the lead of a licensed professional, an adult,” said special prosecutor Dave Yost. “To the extent that there’s culpability, we don’t think it rests with the students.” He added that the College Dems have cooperated in his investigation.
On top of the charges already pending against Gwinn of theft in office, money laundering, unauthorized use of property, and falsification, an Athens County grand jury has now added two counts of elections-related bribery.
Overexposed Obama walks away
Can't quit blaming Bush-CheneyDuring a nationally televised address Tuesday, a visibly tired and worn President Obama informed the country that he was going out for a pack of cigarettes and would be back in 10 minutes or so.(from theonion.com)At press time, it was already getting dark and he had not yet returned.
"My fellow Americans, a year ago I was elected to the office of president of the United States," Obama said. "With that responsibility comes a lot of expectations. A lot of pressure. I inherited a trillion-dollar deficit, two wars, a financial system in crisis, and a failing health care industry. I've been trying to piece it all back together, you know? Trying to be the man everyone elected me to be. The man of this White House. But sometimes—sometimes it's like I'm suffocating."
"Anyway, I'm going to go get some smokes, but I'll…be right back," added Obama, his voice trembling slightly. "Don't wait up."
Related video: Nap time at West Point
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