The SEIU’s persuasion of power appears to be wearing thin even within its own membership. Over the last several months, SEIU members have been asking questions about SEIU policies with respect to use of membership dues for politics, excessive executive compensation, member intimidation, misleading propaganda and election irregularities. A recent article exposes an SEIU training document (in place while Member Becker was that union’s Associate General Counsel) that encourages organizers to “steal, steal, steal.” Evidently, SEIU members in California feel this philosophy is being applied to its own membership. Mariam Noujaim a.k.a. “Mariam the Mighty” and Erica Soules are leading a group of  disgruntled SEIU members who are demanding the SEIU open its financial records so members can see how dues money is being spent through www.HelpSaveOurState.com. In fact, Erica took the fight national with an appearance on Fox Business News where she exposed the SEIU’s misuse of membership dues for political purposes.

These two ladies have also challenged recent raises the SEIU’s “big labor bosses” have bestowed upon themselves at a cost of $ 295,000 annually. Apparently, they feel overworked by these elected positions for which they voluntarily ran. They also challenged the SEIU’s strike fund, which had reportedly accumulated $10,000,000, when there was no provision for the SEIU to strike in the contract.  The  initiatives by these brave ladies, as well as the initiative led by member Ken Hamidi to allow members the choice to opt out of paying dues not germane to membership benefits (dubbed “Fair Share Fees”) have thrown a bright and unwelcome spot light on SEIU financial practices.

The SEIU  is no stranger to thuggery and doesn’t hesitate to use those tactics against anyone, including its own members. Much like they do during their Corporate Campaigns, the SEIU uses not only physical intimidation, but also psychological warfare through misrepresentation of the facts. Is this SEIU propaganda, lies or just carelessness? The SEIU also likes to distort the facts in addressing its own members on its labor television network.  These are all standard “playbook” tactics developed and used by the SEIU.

(more…)

As radical progressives continue to strengthen their grip on the #OccupyWallStreet mob, they’ve looked to activists of yesteryear to glean some advice and guidance.  The #OccupyChicago crowd has unsurprisingly turned to domestic terrorist-turned-university professor-turned huggable grandpa Bill Ayers.

Ayers appeared at a recent “teach in” at #OccupyChicago and regaled his audience with stories of meeting with the Vietnamese to tut-tut about his “American revolution.”

He theorized whether or not the police – you know, the pigs that protesters are attacking from coast-to-coast – are indeed a part of the 99%.  They’re not if they attack us, he mused.

But then, in typical leftist fashion, he wondered why we have jails at all.  “Let’s abolish the prisons. That freaks people out,” he told his audience.

“But then somebody immediately says, ‘What about John Wayne Gacy…?’ Okay, one cell.  Who else…who else.  Alright, I’ll give you George Bush,” he said to his giggling admirers.

The more the #Occupy crowd embraces radicals and retired terrorists, the less chance they have of being respected for anything they say.  But I honestly don’t think they’re seeking validity in the sense of a political debate.

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There’s a lot of chatter out there that the debt reduction “super committee” isn’t getting the results it should be, especially with the clock running out on their time to cut the requisite $1.5 trillion from the budget. However, I think we need to give credit where it’s due. The super committee has one truly Herculean accomplishment under its belt; it has managed to identify an issue that Americans of all political stripes – Republicans, Democrats, and Independents – all agree on.

The issue? It’s a proposal to ditch the dollar bill in favor of a new dollar coin being advanced by a pair of Congressmen from copper-producing states. The bill purports to save the taxpayers an estimated $5.5 billion…over 30 years. Even those miniscule cost savings were thoroughly debunked in a recent USA Today op-ed, which states that “[t]he GAO report itself admits that factors outside the scope of financial benefit to the government were not considered, including the impact on private businesses and banks, and the costs of transferring, distributing, storing, authenticating and managing dollar coins.”

Just when it seemed like this proposed legislation couldn’t make any less sense, recent polling shows that voters are nearly united against the idea of replacing a bill with a coin. A survey performed by Lincoln Park Strategies for Americans for George found that:

•76 percent of Americans oppose doing away with the dollar bill, with that number representing a fairly equal share of Republicans, Democrats and Independents and voters from all regions of the country.

•45 percent of Americans believe that phasing out the dollar bill will have a net negative effect on the economy, versus just 10 percent who believe it will have a positive effect.

•75 percent of Americans view the dollar coin as both unwanted and unnecessary. (more…)

[UPDATED]

[WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS THE NAKED HUMAN FORM... WITH HATS]

Just over a week ago, I arrived at the Occupy San Francisco tent city on Embarcadero and Market St. to what can be best described as a sea of hippie clichés.

The attendees: young adults, a smattering of way-too-tan middle-aged folks clinging to their youth, and hobos.  The smell: skunk weed.  The vibe: chill (bro).

OSF was so filthy you could feel it in your skin, and unlike Tea Parties, where the rallies tend to have a structure with speakers and musical acts, everyone at OSF was either sitting around, standing around, walking around, or naked-bicycling around:

The space at Pee Wee Herman Park was being jointly “occupied” by the protesters and a simpatico group of bike riders known as “Critical Mass,” who have used their facebook page to fund-raise for Occupy Wall Street and glorify those who dress in Occupy protest attire.  The combination was potent.

It was a few days before Halloween, so what apparently started as a run-of-the-mill Occupy tent city had become an ad hoc costume party… Or haunted house, depending on your point of view.

This guy couldn’t bring himself to occupy a pair of BVDs? (more…)

Today, in 1605, Guy Fawkes, a Catholic terrorist attempted to blow up the English Parliament in an attempt to assassinate King James I. Strangely, because of a comic book, Fawkes is now the face of the #Occupy movement. Speaks volumes about the state of education in this country.

Part of the purpose of Ohio Senate Bill 5 is to keep local government officials from giving away the store and costing taxpayers unnecessary funds.  This gets to the root of the main difference between who is negotiating with private-sector and public-sector unions.

Private-sector unions sit across the table from a for-profit business. A business has to operate on its profits or go out of business. They aren’t likely to give too much away, because they are in some way personally invested. On the other hand, public-sector unions are negotiating with elected officials. While most are good managers of the public’s money, some are not. Elected official have no personal stake at risk, no “skin in the game,” since they are negotiating with the public’s money–other people’s money. Unlike a private company, you need not have experience or success to earn that management position; you simply have to get elected. As we’ve seen only too well with President Downgrade, getting elected doesn’t make you a good leader.

Cincinnati.com did an investigation into public contracts in effect around Southwestern Ohio. What they found are some crazy provisions from an out-of-control system that is tilted towards the unions in Ohio. (more…)

Cross-Posted: TobyToons.com

Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) visited Heritage this week to give the annual B.C. Lee lecture, focusing on the importance of American leadership in the Asia-Pacific region. After his speech, he sat down for a wide-ranging interview.

In addition to fears about losing the additional security gained by the surge in Afghanistan, Lieberman expressed concerns with the signal a premature withdrawal might send to allies and enemies around the world.

(more…)

On the heels of new recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), that children as young as four years of age be evaluated for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a new study (funded by two agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services) has concluded that the drugs used to treat ADHD do not pose risk of serious heart problems to children and young adults. Currently, ADHD is the most commonly diagnosed neurobehavioral disorder in children, with about 10% of children having been labeled with the diagnosis, as of 2007. The highest number of parent reports of ADHD has been among those covered by Medicaid.

But, why are increasing numbers of children and adults being diagnosed with ADHD? Is it just coincidence that DHHS-funded research has recently concluded that it’s safe to give stimulant medications to very young children immediately after the AAP, a major supporter of Obamacare, has announced its recommendations for earlier screening? To be sure, many physicians and mental health practitioners believe ADHD is being overdiagnosed. MedPage Today, a service for physicians that provides a clinical perspective on breaking medical news, found that 80% of its readers believed the disorder is overdiagnosed. Similarly, psychiatrist Dr. Allen Frances states that ADHD has become an “epidemic” for several reasons: (1) Changes in the wording of the diagnosis in the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual), (2) heavy drug company marketing to doctors and advertising to the public, (3) extensive media coverage, (4) pressure from parents and schools to control disruptive behavior in children and (5) the use of stimulant medication (such as Ritalin) for performance enhancement.

In light of what appears to be a drive to diagnose more behaviors as “abnormal” earlier in life, Congressman and presidential candidate Ron Paul has reintroduced H.R. 2769. The Parental Consent Act 2011 prohibits mandatory mental health screening of students without the express written, voluntary, informed consent of their parents or legal guardians. The bill seeks to protect the fundamental right of parents to direct and control the upbringing and education of their children. With the passage of this bill, federal education funds cannot be used to pay any local school or government agency that charges parents, who refuse consent to permit mental health screening for their child, with child abuse or child, medical, or educational neglect.

A major concern is that daycare providers and teachers are the main referral sources for ADHD screening. The types of behaviors many of these individuals may view as “problematic,” in a classroom setting, such as fidgeting, distractibility, inattention, interrupting, and lack of organization are very much consistent with a normal four-year old’s stage of development. While some adults may view the children’s behavior as a “problem,” the real issue may be that adults are expecting young children to function, without disruption, in an institutional setting.

(more…)

When they aren’t taking $54 from every member for an anti-reform smear campaign, Ohio Education Association (OEA) bosses pass the time by fighting with their employees. Is it weird that Ohio’s largest government union hawks expensive “solidarity” to teachers while its managers can’t even get along with its staff?

“Bad Faith + Bad Management = Consequences” …not if union bosses have anything to say about it!

In the past two years alone, OEA has seen a “No Confidence” vote against the union’s executive director and a $3.75 million settlement with union retirees whose health benefits were pulled out from under them by the union. OEA employees have described union bosses as “rife with hypocrisy,” “no better than the scabs,” “every bit as bad as the worst boards of education across the state,” and “hell-bent” on forcing a strike. Do these sound like descriptors you would expect for people who take millions from public employees to fight for workers’ rights? Without Issue 2, OEA bosses have more power than our elected officials when it comes to the local services our tax dollars fund. Is it any wonder school districts across the state projected huge deficits back when Ted Strickland was governor, due largely to outrageous OEA demands?

(more…)

Americans are familiar with the favors that Eric Holder’s Justice Department extended to Jerry Jackson and the New Black Panther Party.  The voter intimidation case against Jackson and two other defendants was dismissed and the inside story is the subject of two chapters of my book Injustice: Exposing the Racial Agenda of the Obama Justice Department.  What most people don’t know is that Eric Holder’s DOJ appears to be extending special favors to New Black Panther Jerry Jackson still – namely keeping him out of jail for violating federal firearms laws.

Jackson has a long violent criminal history.  He is also a Democratic Party elected official in Philadelphia, not that those two facts have anything in common, of course.  He was elected in May 2010 to a seat on the Philadelphia Democratic City Committee in the 14^th Ward.  No word if he will be in Charlotte for the 2012 DNC convention.

It is illegal under federal law (18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1)) for any felon to possess a firearm.  As one federal prosecutor told me, “these cases are among the simplest to win.  It’s like taking candy from a baby.  Did a felon hold a gun, or not?  Period.”  It matters not if the gun was loaded, or even works.

Did New Black Panther Jerry Jackson possess a firearm?  Behold:

King Samir Shabazz (L) and Jackson (R)

(more…)

From the Associated Press:

Europe failed to get the leaders of the world’s wealthiest economies to help out with its debt troubles, but everyone left a G-20 summit Friday relieved that at least they forced the Greek prime minister not to hold the world hostage with a bailout vote.

It took a public berating of Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, and Greece’s politics are in upheaval as a result, but the shaky bailout plan appears back on track for now.

Investors had been hoping the Group of 20 nations would lend the struggling eurozone a helping hand—but the G-20 leaders said Europe needs to help itself first. They said the International Monetary Fund could be beefed up to help more, but not for at least three more months.

(more…)

Yesterday, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky compared the Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee who voted to subpoena White House documents relating to the Solyndra bankruptcy scandal to “birthers.”

She apparently did not appreciate her collegues’ reasonable demands to see relevant documents pertaining to the White House’s involvement in the scandal.

As could be expected, the congresswoman who never shies away from ad hominem name-calling or metaphorically disparaging anyone who thinks differently than she does, went on the attack again.

The Hill reports:

“I doubt that anything the White House would have agreed to yesterday would have been sufficient. This is a majority that won’t take yes for an answer,” Schakowsky said Thursday ahead of the committee vote.

“And while you are at it why don’t you ask for more documents relating to the place of his birth, or as some members want, his school grades, and why not from kindergarten through law school,”

So Jan believes that elected officials who seek answers relating to a $535-million bad loan, with a trail that goes all the way up to White House, is just as silly as demanding to see the president’s birth certificate?

(more…)

The latest mainstream media narrative designed to push a Republican candidate out of the presidential race is the idea that Texas governor Rick Perry was somehow drunk or incoherent when he gave a stirring speech in New Hampshire a week ago.

Unfortunately, some of Mitt Romney’s supporters have piled on, such as Michigan’s Republican National Committee representative, Saul Anuzis, who told Politico that Perry was “unpresidential” and could seem “incoherent.”

After watching highlights of the speech, I was puzzled. The only thing that stands out about it is how good it is.

Perry seemed more relaxed than we have seen him in any of the presidential debates. He had wit and rhetorical flair. He related well to his audience–uncharacteristically well.

As a former professional speechwriter, I was impressed. He was exciting to watch. “Where has that Rick Perry been?” I wondered. (more…)

BG contributor Charlie Gasparino in The New York Post:

Jon Corzine appears to have committed more than a few sins in the runup to the demise of MF Global, including possibly using client money to pay for the risky trades that forced his brokerage firm into bankruptcy over the weekend. But possibly his biggest sin was his steadfast belief in the power of government.

The former New Jersey governor and Goldman Sachs chief executive went wrong by assuming that a government bailout would somehow turn his firm’s bet on some of the worst investments in the world — the sovereign debt of Italy and Spain — into gold. That absurd faith has doomed many chief executives — Dick Fuld of Lehman Bros. chief among them, just a little more than three years ago.

And, more than any of the other shenanigans that may have taken place during the ill-fated firm’s final hours, it’s what did in Corzine and MF Global.

(more…)

Tune in today and watch more Occupy protesters being arrested. Our own Occupy rap sheet continues to expand.

At least 15 Occupy Wall Street protesters were arrested Thursday after marching on Goldman Sachs to deliver an “indictment” of the financial giant.

It seems the #Occupy crowd in New York has already jumped the shark and overstayed their welcome. The local neighborhood “Community Board”, which had last month fawned over the protest is losing patience:

“It’s a crime scene down there, and it’s attracting all of the worst people in this city,” said a board member. “We’re hearing reports of rapes, assaults, violence, drug use. The mentally ill are assembling. It’s a public hazard.” There is also concern for businesses. “At this rate, they’re not going to make it through the Christmas season,” the chair of the Small Business Committee said, bluntly. He mentioned Mark Epstein, owner of the Milk Street Café, by name. “This is a new business and he’s not going to make it. It’s an outrage. After all of the economics problems with the loss of the World Trade Center, this is too much to take.”

Meanwhile, there seems to be little doubt which direction Greece is ultimately going – down. The questions are, how far, how are they going to get there and how long will it take?

ATHENS — Facing a no-confidence vote on Friday after a tumultuous day of political gamesmanship, Prime Minister George A. Papandreou has called off a referendum on Greece’s new debt deal with the euro zone after winning a measure of support from his opposition and managing to repair, at least temporarily, a major rupture in relations with Europe.

(more…)

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On today’s edition of Coffee and Markets, Brad Jackson and Ben Domenech are joined by Francis Cianfrocca to discuss the October unemployment report, the high jobless rate among young adults, and a piece that says the left and the right are both wrong on how to fix the economy.

We’re brought to you as always by BigGovernment and Stephen Clouse and Associates. If you’d like to email us, you can do so at coffee[at]newledger.com. We hope you enjoy the show.

Related Links:

Boehner on supercommittee: Tax increases are out, revenues could be in
Economy Wobbles to 80,000 New Jobs, Rate Slips to 9%
October Unemployment Report
U.S. Stock Futures Fall as Europe Funding Concern Offsets Jobless Rate
Tight Budgets, Loose Money: Why Both Liberals and Conservatives Are Wrong About How to Fix the Economy

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From baking brownies to providing legal, medical and organizational support, the US’s largest Marxist group Democratic Socialists of America, and its youth wing Young Democratic Socialists,  is heavily involved in “Occupation” actions  across the country.

To keep D.S.A.’s more than 6,000 members abreast of events , the organization has set up a dedicated webpage, to monitor and report  on  the “Occupy” activities of more than 30 socialist locals from Boston  to San Diego, Hawaii to Alaska.

The Occupy Wall Street protests have invigorated the American Left in a way not seen in decades, and DSA has long emphasized the important role social movements play in improving the quality of life of ordinary people. So we have urged our members to take an active, supportive role in their local occupations, something many DSAers had already begun doing as individuals, because they believe that everyday people, the 99%, shouldn’t be made to pay for a crisis set off by an out-of-control financial sector and the ethically compromised politicians who have failed to rein it in.

This page contains examples of DSA members and members of our youth section, Young Democratic Socialists, participating in the Occupy Wall Street protests, including news articles, videos, and pictures featuring DSAers and DSA honorary chairs taking part in the protests, and personal accounts and analyses from DSAers themselves.

In Atlanta Georgia, several DSAers have been active in Occupy protests, while comrade Elizabeth Henry serves on the occupation’s medical committee. DSA aligned Georgia State Senator  Nan Orrock has been very vocal in support of the local protestors (which include her son), while anther DSA connected State Senator Vincent Fort was arrested during  an  Occupy protest on October 25.

In Colorado, Boulder DSA comrade Dave Anderson is involved in the movement, while Denver DSAer  Charles Nadler is using his position in the once Communist Party led National Lawyers Guild to provide legal support for the protesters.

(more…)

The city of Lancaster, Ohio recently closed one of its firehouses after laying off 13 firefighters.

Jess Lanning/Eagle-Gazette

LANCASTER — Engine House 3 has been shut down indefinitely, and Lancaster will have just two firehouses covering a city of 18.84 square miles and more than 37,000 people.

“It’s going to be a very fluid situation with all these changes going on,” said Lancaster Fire Assistant Chief Dave Ward.

The layoffs took effect on Monday. Engine 3 and Medic 3 are being stored at Engine House 3, 1596 E. Main St.

A huge tarp was put across Engine House 3, saying it was closed and that if you have an emergency need, call 911.

But Mayor David S. Smith is asking for an increase in the city’s income tax.

City officials are asking voters on Nov. 8 to approve a 0.25-percentage-point increase in the city income tax for five years, raising it to 2 percent. The increase would generate $2.5 million annually to help balance next year’s budget, Smith has said.

“It’s critical,” Ward said. “If this doesn’t pass, I anticipate city hall having to lay off more firefighters.”

(more…)