BIRDS OF AN IMPEACHMENT FEATHER: “Rep. Alcee Hastings, previously a federal judge, was removed from the bench in 1988 on corruption charges after more than 400 members of the House voted to impeach him. Though he was later elected to Congress, earlier this year Speaker Nancy Pelosi denied him the chairmanship of the intelligence committee — a job he was in line for after the Democratic takeover — after a furor over his background. But Mr. Hastings found no such inhibition in the Clinton campaign, which happily will put him to work rounding up donations and speaking out on behalf of Hillary.” - Brendan Miniter, Political Diary, 6/15/07
KNOW UNIONS, NO JOBS
“A 2002 study from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy…found that from 1970 to 2000, right-to-work states created 1.43 million manufacturing jobs. At the same time non-right-to-work states lost 2.18 million jobs. Not surprisingly, heavily unionized Michigan was near the bottom of the pile.
“Unions love to claim that Michigan would become ‘an Alabama’ if compulsory unionism were ended. We should be so lucky. While it’s true that per capita income is higher in Michigan than it is in Alabama, at least in that state the per capita income is actually growing. If current trends continue, Alabama will eclipse Michigan in per capita income in just three years. With base pay and bonuses, and especially when the cost of living is factored in, nonunion workers in many auto plants in the South are better off than their union counterparts in Michigan.”
- Lawrence Reed, president of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, Wall Street Journal, 6/16/07
WHY RAISE THE DEAD?
“Now that the president has tried to revive the comatose Senate amnesty bill, at least as big a question as whether he can bring it back to life is why on earth he would want to?”
- Columnist Diana West
HERE COMES THE FULL-COURT PRESS
“Architects of a revived immigration compromise are directing an intense behind-the-scenes bargaining effort to round up enough votes among wavering Republicans to keep it alive. Senate leaders’ announcement Thursday that they would allow the bill a second chance came after getting assurances from key negotiators that they could produce enough support to steer the measure through a procedural minefield, including attempts by conservatives to block it.”
- Associated Press, 6/15/07
TANCREDO CHALKS UP BIG WIN
“The U.S. House of Representatives this morning voted to withhold federal emergency services funding for ‘sanctuary cities’ that protect illegal immigrants. Anti-immigration champion Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., sponsored the measure. He was elated by its passage, which stunned critics and supporters alike. . . . ‘The issue has come to fruition,’ Tancredo said by cell phone after the vote. ‘It’s a really good indicator of just how much closer to the people the House is than the Senate is.’ The House passed the amendment, 234 to 189, with 50 Democrats voting in favor.”
- Rocky Mountain News, 6/15/07
VICTORY AGAINST THE EAR-MARXISTS
“House Republicans scored a surprising victory yesterday by forcing Democrats to back down from their plans to gut the few constraints on Congress’s ability to slip earmarks, or ‘pork barrel’ projects for individual members, into legislation. . . . Senator (Tom) Coburn (R-Okla.) is pleased that bloggers, talk radio and phone calls from constituents created such a ruckus that ‘Democratic leaders felt they had no choice but to retreat.’ Now the task of actually finding a way to limit the predatory behavior of Congress’s ‘EarMarxists’ begins.”
- John Fund, Political Diary, 6/15/07
PORK ADDICTS
“(S)ome supporters of the change (to publicly identify earmarks) hope the number of egregious earmarks will fall because members of Congress will be too ashamed to attach their names to them. But as anyone who’s driven over Senator Robert Byrd Bridge can imagine, the problem isn’t that members of Congress don’t want their names affiliated with most earmarked projects. It’s that so many of them do.”
- Stephen Slivinski of the Cato Institute
GOING ON THE PORK-FREE DIET
“Just 6 of the 100 members of the US Senate did not ask for the often-criticized ‘earmarks’ that would provide money for items such as road or libraries in their home states. Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma is 1 of the six. . . . Others who didn’t sign up are Republicans John McCain and Jim DeMint and Democrats Jay Rockefeller, Clair McCaskill and Russ Feingold.”
- Associated Press, 6/15/07
WE’LL BE INTERESTED, TOO!
“I’m going to be very interested in seeing which Members vote for the amendment that I intend to attach to every appropriation bill, which would call for a total elimination on earmarks. I want to see how many of you actually vote for it. I want to see how many of you do not give hypocrisy a bad name.”
- House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D)
CALLING OBEY’S BLUFF
“According to Tuesday’s New York Times, (House Appropriations Committee Chairman David) Obey warned Republicans that ‘he would ban earmarking completely if Republicans attacked individual projects to score political points.’ What an opportunity for the GOP!
“Republicans forgot how to act like the fiscal conservatives they were supposed to be when they controlled Congress and permitted earmarks to proliferate. Now, they can atone for their sins by attacking individual earmarks issued by specific Democrats, and by challenging Obey to make good on his threat. . . . Republicans need to start acting like Republicans, not drunken, big spending Democrats, and stopping earmarks is a good way to start.”
- Columnist Dick Morris
GIVE CHOICE A CHANCE
“(T)he nation’s monopolistic approach to education remains a millstone around our children’s necks, with America consistently lagging behind its industrialized peers in academic achievement. . . The success of school choice as a method of empowering parents, raising student achievement and improving public education systems in those markets where it has been implemented is indisputable. The question now becomes how to achieve meaningful school choice for the benefit of all parents, not just a select few?”
- Howie Rich, chairman of the Parents in Charge Foundation, Wall Street Journal, 6/16/07
Posted on June 16th, 2007 by Chuck Muth
Filed under: National
“BIRDS OF AN IMPEACHMENT FEATHER” But Rep. Alcee Hastings WAS NOT convicted in a court of law!
“KNOW UNIONS, NO JOBS”..academically speaking, the author offers a lame ass “cause and effect” that would not pass muster in the real world!
Yes! end ALL earmarks!, too bad republicans aren’t fiscal conservatives.
GIVE CHOICE A CHANCE! I agree, end public education and let the free market fill the vacumn! Every kid wil be an Einstein!
If Southy thinks that Congressman Hastings has been treated unfairly, perhaps he should direct his criticisms to the source of this “unjust” treatment (Speaker of the House Pelosi).
If Southy doesn’t buy the connection between unionization and job creation, perhaps he can provide his own “lame ass excuse” for why right to work states created manufacturing jobs while non right to work states lost manufacturing jobs?
South’s absolutely right. Republicans aren’t fiscal conservatives. That’s one of the reasons they were voted out of power last year. The Republican Party would do well to remember why they were put in charge back in 1994 if they ever want to be a majority in Congress again.
Instead of shooting from the hip with his stupid sarcasm, Southy should read the excerpt about school choice prior to commenting. The excerpt says school choice has resulted in “improving public education systems” in places where it has been tried. It doesn’t say anything about abolishing public education. It talks about empowerment, improvement and competition. The US has a university system based on choice, and for the most part it’s the envy of the world (if you don’t believe me, then explain why so many students from other countries come here for college), so why doesn’t this model apply to kindergarten thru 12th grade education?
John,
Truth first; hastings was NOT CONVICTED and indeed was removed from the bench by Congress before his trial.
Cause and effect of Unionization is higher standard of living; why is manufacturing moving areas with no unionization? They can pay less money per unit manufactured. After you look at the “good lists and the bad lists” would you like to live in Alabama or Mississippi? And in 5 years, the cycle will repeat itself in Alabama as it did in Michigan.
The US has used the Protestant model of education in k-12 since the turn of the 20th Century. This model is based on inculturatiing our kids into our society(patriotism, history, culture…) and providing workers for the manufacturing industry. Imagine how empowered all the kids would be if they could all go to a “private” school? All government would have to do is write the checks! No more teacher pensions no more brick and mortar costs!
Southy:
Just for clarification, what exactly is your beef regarding the Congressman Hastings story? That he’s been damned despite being acquitted at his federal criminal trial? That Speaker Pelosi sold him out? What’s your problem with this situation?
Of course union plants have a higher cost/unit produced than non-union plants. However, the main issue is that the presence of unions deprives companies of the flexibility they need to be successful in our new flat world. Guaranteed incomes after layoffs, ever more generous retirement benefits, and a refusal of cooperate with company strategies to improve performance (lean initiatives, etc.) and a refusal to allow more workplace flexibility (”I’m assigned to Department X, the union contract doesn’t allow you to transfer me to Department Y, even though there isn’t any work to do in Department X today”) all contribute to a diminished bottom line. I once worked for a company that relocated here from a non right to work state. This company had a union at its previous location. This company actually paid its employees a higher wage in Nevada than it did at its previous location. Its motive for moving wasn’t wages, it was improved flexibility. It’s staffing at its previous location was 30% higher than it was in Nevada because of workplace inflexibility that was negotiated into the union contract.
I’ve never lived in Alabama or Mississippi, but I’ve lived in other states in the deep south, as well as other areas of the country. Wherever I’ve lived, I’ve always been able to see the good points of those places, I have no complaints about having lived there, and I’m sure that I would see the good aspects of living anywhere in this country. Have you ever been to Alabama or Mississippi? Do you have a problem with either of those states?
In another note, you said that “everyone blames the schools when the issue is with the student and their parent(s).” So why are you now writing, “End public education and let the free market fill the vacuum! Every kid will be an Einstein!” Not every kid has the mental capacity to be an Einstein, just as not every kid has the physical talents to be a professional athlete. It would seem that the goal of school choice wouldn’t necessarily be to destroy the public education system, but rather to force it be competitive while providing students an opportunity to attend schools more fitted for their individual talents (college prep, trade schools, special needs, etc.). And yes, it would be good if our educational system remembered the roots that you wrote of (”providing workers for the manufacturing industry”) and remembered that it still has an obligation to prepare its students for a lifetime of productive work instead of wasting time inculcating (indoctrinating) the social values of the teachers union into the students in hopes of perpetuating the current welfare state.
hastings…the right talk shows that lott doesn’t like would have americans believe he was found guilty and convicted when that is not the case. amercia; innocent until proven guilty. our values.
i never used the word einstein. i assume you know what you’re talking about and that letting parents pick from the numerous private sector schools that would flourish would be the way to go… our 40th president called this model getting government out of the way! let privitization flourish! try not to create strawman arguments by talking about ability; it wan’t in the discusion.
what you call flexibility i call failure to pay for talent…mid and upper management are not moved all over the place and expected to be proficient in 7rl jobs…
yup, been in the deep south. some great people there, but…bottom of all the good lists and top of all the bad lists (like nevada). ah, imagine how much better our mutual funds would be if the managers would exercise their fudiciary responsibility and not allow exorbenent exective pay and perks…$200,000,000 a year salary! crazy. i know some wil say that these people “created” worth for the corporation, but really wasn’t it the guys and gals in department x? my long experience is that diminsihed bottom lines are due to lousy managers; you knw the suck ups that have less formal education than department y employees, but their higher ups love a suck-up.
ending public education would end your hatred of the teachers union. i’[m just agreeing with your point of view and then you reject it. crazy.
the management mentality believes they have all the answers.
Southy:
The excerpt from Brendan Miniter’s column states that Congressman Hastings “was removed from the bench in 1988 on corruption charges after more than 400 members of the House voted to impeach him.” This is a correct statement, though the reality is that the Senate was the body that actually removed him from office after the House voted for impeachment. You’re right, then Judge Hastings was never convicted in a criminal court, but Mr. Miniter’s column never makes this claim, does it? If there’s any outrage about this situation, it’s that Speaker Pelosi was so quick to throw Congressman Hastings under the bus because of his background, but then supported the ethically challenged Congressman Murtha’s bid to become House majority leader.
“Never used the word einstein”? The comment posted by Southy at 6:47pm, June_18 says, “Every kid wil be an Einstein!” That was you, wasn’t it?
If Nevada is at the “bottom of all the good lists and top of all the bad lists,” then why do you live here? For the $2.99 buffets?
You seem like a pretty bright guy, so I’m surprised that you would disparage people with “less formal education.” I’ve known stupid PhD’s as well as brilliant GED’s. And I’ve known very few people with less formal education who could be considered suckups. Maybe I’ve just been lucky in that regard.
No argument with you about “lousy management.” Sometimes I read “Dilbert” and don’t know whether to laugh or cry because it’s so true. Unfortunately, we’re in a constantly changing world, the social contract underwent a huge paradigm shift a long time ago, and there are still too many people in organized labor and in upper management who either don’t realize it or are still trying to fight the fights that were overcome by events long ago.
I don’t hate the teachers union, I just think their priorities are pathetic. I subscribe to the belief that no group of people cares more about the kids than the teachers, but no group of people cares less about the kids than the teachers union. School choice would put the students and their parents in the role of customers who can change vendors to suit their needs. This would force the public schools to remember who they are serving, and hopefully the teachers union would correct its priorities. If it doesn’t, then by all means let it be destroyed. Anyways, thanks for agreeing with my point of view, and thanks for calling me crazy, I need that once in awhile.
“The management mentality believes they have all the answers”? “You talkin’ to me? I don’t see anyone else around.”