Part of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now’s (ACORN) rotten core includes a very cozy relationship with Big Labor.  In fact, in many instances ACORN and Big Labor are one and the same.  In 2008, Big Labor funneled ACORN millions of dollars for so-called organizing activity.  But, that is only the tip of the Big Labor iceberg.

ACORN controls or significantly dominates several Big Labor unions and organizations.  ACORN created and controls SEIU 100 (Gulf Region) and SEIU 880 (a recently expanded SEIU mega-local that covers Chicago, Illinois, Indiana, and Kansas).

ACORN founder S. Wade Rathke referred to mega-union SEIU 880 as “one of the pillars of the ACORN Family.”

Service Employees International Union (SEIU) President Andy Stern hand picked ACORN’s Rathke to direct SEIU’s nationwide organizing projects.

In addition to Rathke’s and ACORN’s SEIU involvement, Rathke controlled Louisiana HERE Local 100, was Secretary-Treasurer of a New Orleans based AFL-CIO labor organization, and served on the board of a hotel employees union organizing committee.

A search of financial disclosure reports (UnionReports.gov) filed with the U.S. Department of Labor for the years 2000 and 2006 disclosed the following positions that Rathke held in labor unions while he concurrently served as ACORN’s Chief Organizer:

Wade Rathke DOL Reported Union Positions (2000,2006)

ACORN’s connections extend to several other Big Labor funded organizations such as the Wal-Mart Alliance for Reform Now (WARN), Site Fighters, and Community Labor Organizing Center (CLOC).

(more…)

I believe that President Obama’s address to Congress, and our Nation, did not go far enough to put the numerous concerns Americans have to rest with the healthcare reform proposals before the House and the Senate.  There are still too many unanswered questions surrounding these discussions and too much at stake to simply pass any bill without intensive scrutiny and review.  After reading the over 1,000 page House Democrat proposal and fielding over 8,000 constituent correspondences into my office, it is clear that there is much work to be done.  

 During the August district work period, I attended numerous meetings across my congressional district and met with hundreds of constituents who made it clear that they are unhappy with the way Congress is conducting the current health care debate.  Democrat Congressional leadership continues to rush health care legislation through both chambers, without any real explanation.  Constituents in Ohio’s Fifth District, in addition to millions of other Americans, have asked Congress to slow this process down and thoroughly examine probably one of the most important pieces of legislation Congress has debated since the New Deal.  No one will argue that our nation does not need health care reform, but it is clear that Congress must start over with real bipartisan negotiations where Republicans can be included and have input into the final legislation.

(more…)

President Obama appeared at Federal Hall in New York yesterday to reiterate his support for a massive overhaul of financial services regulation. At the center of the speech the president laid out his economic philosophy:

I have always been a strong believer in the power of the free market. I believe that jobs are best created not by government, but by businesses and entrepreneurs willing to take a risk on a good idea. I believe that the role of the government is not to disparage wealth, but to expand its reach; not to stifle markets, but to provide the ground rules and level playing field that helps to make those markets more vibrant — and that will allow us to better tap the creative and innovative potential of our people. For we know that it is the dynamism of our people that has been the source of America’s progress and prosperity.

If this were the philosophy actually driving regulatory reform, it would be the biggest ray of sunshine in an otherwise cloudy field of government-expanding reforms (health care, energy, and college loans to name a few). Unfortunately, the plan the White House sent over to Congress in June does not line up with this statement from the president.

Instead, the bills now floating around the Rayburn House Office Building and Rep. Barney Frank’s Financial Services Committee propose reforms that will stifle innovation and restrict opportunities to create wealth. The White House plan, as proposed, would not create an even playing field for competition, but would give big firms a competitive advantage by labeling them too big to fail. Ultimately, the regulation reform proposals represent a massive power grab from Washington.

The president criticized the doctrine of too big to fail (TBTF) yesterday, but his plan will create a tiered structure naming the biggest firms systemic risks to the system because of their size and interconnectedness. The proposed resolution authority would essentially act as a built-in bailout mechanism for those firms. So instead of ending TBTF, the president’s plan actually codifies the policy, essentially turning Wall Street’s biggest institutions into government-sponsored entities in the mold of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac before the crisis.

Firms knowing they are TBTF with government protection will have a greater incentive to take risks. Lenders, knowing the TBTF firms have the backing of the government, will offer the cheapest of credit to JP Morgan Mae and Citi Mac, creating an uneven market. That’s not the level playing field the president wants.

(more…)

FoxNews.com reports:

[ACORN co-founder Wade] Rathke has repeatedly blasted the news media and conservative groups for intentionally targeting ACORN because of its progressive agenda. In a posting on his “Chief Organizer Blog,” Rathke said the Census Bureau’s decision to break ties with ACORN showed “how willing the Obama administration is open to a cave-in to the conservatives on false pretenses on a completely fake ‘issue.’”

“This is all just more reputational McCarthyism as the rightwing and Republicans attack ACORN,” he wrote. (more…)

Last night, 83 members of the United States Senate went on record to prohibit ACORN from collecting any federal funds. Tonight, over 130 members of the House of Representatives sent a letter to President Obama, asking him to disclose and terminate all federal funding to ACORN.

That leaves 305 members of the House who are silent. If you want to find out whether your Congressman has taken a stand against an organization whose employees are eager to facilitate a child prostitution ring, call the House switchboard at 202-224-3121.

As James O’Keefe noted in his latest post, “Keep on the pressure. Never let up.”

2009-09-15_ACORN_Letter_to_President_Obama-1 –

Today NPR took notice of the most recent ACORN scandal. Credit to Frank James for covering this story in a fashion that puts most of the MSM to shame so far.

“Instead of wasting its funds on lawsuits, ACORN might want to consider doing more intensive training of its workers and testing them with its own undercover testers.”

Unfortunately, Mr. James concludes his piece by indulging in what George Bush (or one of his speech writers) so eloquently referred to as “the soft bigotry of low expectations.”

“It’s also important to keep in mind that ACORN’s workers are coming from the same low-income neighborhoods the organization serves, with all that entails — poor schools, high crime and the sorts of social problems that have been documented for decades.”

“So the flaws conservatives are pointing out about ACORN are not so much problems associated with that organization per se but more about the problems of being poor and minority in urban America.”

It’s true that the neglect of school children in the inner cities and elsewhere is morally wrong and possibly criminal. It is arguably the systemic root of much of what ails America. And it’s true that liberal government policies dating back three generations have served to warehouse the poor while creating perverse financial incentives to underachieve, i.e. welfare policies that encouraged the poorest to forgo savings, to ignore career and college ambitions and to have multiple children outside of marriage. Even so, it is sick and condescending to assume that the poor and disenfranchised lack any moral compass. The aforementioned behavior, financially speaking, is perfectly rational — thanks to our government. The implicit suggestion that these people “don’t know better” than to abet child prostitution is the height of racism and arrogance. (more…)

This morning, the ACORN scandal was raised to Charlie Gibson in an interview on WLS AM Chicago’s “Don Wade & Roma Morning Show.” Listen to the audio here:

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TRANSCRIPT:

Don: Ok here’s my question, Senate bill yesterday passes cutting off funds to this group called ACORN. Now we got the…we got that bill passing, we got the embarrassing video of ACORN staff giving tax advice on how to set up a brothel with 13 year old hookers. It has everything you could want corruption and sleazy action at tax funded organizations that’s got government ties. But nobody’s covering that story why?

Charlie Gibson: (laugh) I don’t even know about it. Uh, so you got me at a loss, I don’t know. Uh, uh, but, but My goodness if it’s got everything including sleaziness in it we should talk about it this morning.

Roma: This is the American way…

Charlie Gibson: Well maybe, maybe that’s one you just leave to the cables. (more…)

**This is a Part I of the ACORN San Bernardino exposé.  Updates to follow…

Alinsky Rule #8: Keep the pressure on. Never let up.

After going undercover on the east coast, James and I headed to the west coast. We knew it was a risky endeavor but the results on the east coast were too good to ignore. We had to test our scenario in an opposite region.  It is like a science experiment:

1)      Ask A Question: What if a “prostitute” and her alleged law school boyfriend walk into ACORN seeking housing for an underage brothel to fund his future congressional campaign?

2)      Do Background Research:

1. Learn as much about ACORN housing procedures and protocol as possible.
2. History of ACORN and their effect on the United States

3)      Construct a Hypothesis: ACORN is corrupt and it is in their nature to promote and disguise illegal behavior.

4)      Experiment: Baltimore, DC, Brooklyn, San Bernardino, and…

5)      Analyze and draw a conclusion.

America-

James O’Keefe and I posed a question and gathered the evidence. We’ve run around this nation on a quest for truth unraveling the mystery of organized corruption.

You Decide. (more…)

IRS ACORN doc –

From GOP Leader:

Today House Republicans, led by Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH), are sending the following letter to President Obama asking him to use his authority to end all funding to and break all government ties with ACORN:

Dear Mr. President:

We write to you today in the wake of new reports of potentially criminal activity involving associates of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) to respectfully request that you use your authority to publicly disclose and terminate all federal funding to ACORN and its affiliates.  It is evident that ACORN is incapable of using federal funds in a manner that is consistent with the law.  Immediate action is necessary to ensure that no additional tax dollars are directed to ACORN.  Simply put, ACORN should not receive another penny of American taxpayers’ money.

Congressional pressure, coupled with the impact of recent media reports, prompted the U.S. Census Bureau on September 11 to end its partnership with ACORN.  We support this decision by the Census Bureau, and believe it is vital that all other federal agencies with ties to ACORN follow the Census Bureau’s example by severing all ties to ACORN and its affiliates, whether those ties consist of partnerships or the awarding of federal funds, including federal funds distributed through state and local governments from federal block grants. (more…)

Last week, we saw some pretty disturbing activities revealed in the undercover footage from ACORN Housing’s Baltimore office. By any measure of conduct, the actions of ACORN’s employees should never have happened. It turns out the actions shouldn’t have happened for another, very simple, reason: ACORN can’t legally operate in the state of Maryland.

According to the following documents, ACORN, Inc.–the parent organization of all things ACORN–forfeited its corporate charter in Maryland in 2006. ACORN Housing forfeited its corporate charter in 2008. Any ACORN office in the state of Maryland is potentially operating illegally.

The Maryland Attorney General has made noise about prosecuting the intrepid journalists who undercovered the misdeeds of ACORN employees. Perhaps he should focus instead on how ACORN was able to operate without a license in his state.

ACORN Illegally Operating in Maryland –

As the federal government continuously churns out ideas and policies that drive our nation deeper and deeper in debt, citizens and taxpayers are right to be worried. From federal “stimulus” bills that force state governments to change laws, raise taxes and increase spending, to cap and trade proposals that will run our energy industry into the ground, to emerging plans for an unprecedented and unsustainable expansion of government health care, it is clear that the swollen river of our federal government has overflowed its banks.

 Washington is increasingly out of step with folks out here in flyover country who do not share the inside-the-Beltway belief that a benevolent, all-knowing government can expand and encroach without limit, because individual Americans simply cannot be trusted to make right choices.

This mindset has driven the explosive growth of the size, spending and intrusiveness of the federal government. Our founding fathers would be appalled at the way their successors are ignoring individual liberties, contemplating more tax increases and interfering further into private enterprise.

Washington bureaucrats must be reminded that America is not some windowless laboratory where they can tinker with theories with no regard to consequences. Real harm is resulting from policies that are disastrous for America’s future, bankrupting our country, and mortgaging our children’s future. Fear of this emerging future and frustration with an administration run amok are fueling the resurgent interest in the 10^th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. “We the people” are standing up and demanding an audience.

(more…)

The Washington Examiner reports:

Today House Republicans will introduce a bill that would end all federal funding to ACORN and its affiliates. Republicans are also sending a letter to President Obama on the same subject.

The action comes after the release, on the website BigGovernment, of three undercover videos showing ACORN employees in Baltimore, Washington DC, and New York City offering advice on how to evade taxes, cover up prostitution activity, and abet the use of minors in prostitution. In the wake of those disclosures, the U.S. Census cut its ties with ACORN, and yesterday the Senate voted 83-7 to cut off housing funds for the organization. (more…)

Over the last eight months, I worked to build a coalition in Congress to reduce health care costs and expand insurance coverage without increasing spending, raising taxes, rationing care, or putting the government between you and your doctor.

After months of hard work and consensus building, the Republican Tuesday Group developed the centrist Medical Rights and Reform Act to dramatically reduce the cost of health insurance for all Americans without bankrupting the country and without compromising the doctor-patient relationship.

Our plan would end lawsuit abuse, expand electronic medical records, allow Americans to buy health insurance across state lines, and give individuals who buy their own insurance the same tax breaks we give corporations.

And, most importantly, our plan would prohibit the government from rationing care or overruling the judgment of your family physician.

Before the President’s most recent address, I released four key questions I hoped the President would address.

First, how would the Democrat health care bill lower the deficit? (more…)

Now that a third ACORN video has surfaced, a pattern emerges of ACORN workers willing to help people engage in prostitution, tax fraud, housing fraud, and even human trafficking. Under federal law, a RICO investigation is now warranted. Three strikes and you’re out, ACORN.

Videos show ACORN employees offering to help two undercover reporters/filmmakers posing as a prostitute and pimp in falsifying tax returns and getting a federal loan to buy a house that they could use as a brothel for underage prostitutes smuggled in from El Salvador.

When the first video emerged from such a meeting in ACORN’s Baltimore office on Thursday, ACORN fired the two workers involved. When another video surfaced on Friday, this one from ACORN’s D.C. office, the two workers involved there were fired as well, and ACORN said that these two reporters had tried and failed to carry out this sting in other offices.

One such office where ACORN said these reporters tried and failed was New York City. Yet Monday, a third video surfaced from Brooklyn in New York City. Once again, the ACORN employees on the video advise the undercover duo on how to violate federal law by filing a false income tax return to qualify for a federal housing loan.

As one worker says on the video, “honesty is not going to get you the house.” Well, not if you’re engaged in a host of felonies. (more…)

From FoxNews.com:

This story has everything you could ever want – corruption, sleazy actions at tax-funded organizations, firings, government ties, sex, hookers. It is a network news director’s dream. Imagine the ratings. But almost no one is covering it.

Bruce Springsteen once wrote: “From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come).” I doubt he expected that story of love gone wrong would become ideal political commentary for the group known as ACORN.

The small scandal showing an embarrassing video of Baltimore ACORN staffers looking like they were giving tax advice on how to set up a brothel, is now national news. — This story has everything you could ever want – corruption, sleazy actions at tax-funded organizations, firings, government ties, sex, hookers. It is a network news director’s dream. Imagine the ratings!

Only almost no one is covering it.

This is the news media in the era of Van Jones and President Obama. The major outlets cover what they want and create the themes they want. When they find something inconvenient, they let it pass. They didn’t like the Van Jones story, so they ignored it. The network news media liked the financial entity known as Fannie Mae, so they ignored that scandalous organization for years. ACORN is getting the same treatment. (more…)

Exclusive story here.

Listen to the full unedited audio here:

Part 1:

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Part 2:

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Full transcript follows:

Exclusive story here.

New York ACORN Transcript –

The Johanns Amendment # 2355 to H.R. 3288 passed by a margin of 83 to 7.

**UPDATE** View complete Senate vote here.

The seven “NAYs”:

*****

From the Associated Press:

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Senate voted Monday to block the Housing and Urban Development Department from giving grants to ACORN, a community organization under fire in several voter-registration fraud cases.The 83-7 vote would deny housing and community grant funding to ACORN, which stands for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now.

The action came as the group is suffering from bad publicity after a duo of conservative activists posing as a prostitute and her pimp released hidden-camera videos in which ACORN employees in Baltimore gave advice on house-buying and how to account on tax forms for the woman’s income. Two other videos, aired frequently on media outlets such as the Fox News Channel, depict similar situations in ACORN offices in Brooklyn and Washington, D.C. (more…)