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Politics : Liberalism: Do You Agree We've Had Enough of It? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (100567)	2/25/2011 2:16:28 PM
From: Ann Corrigan	5 Recommendations Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 224745

Government workers, however, don’t generate profits. They merely negotiate for more tax money. When government unions strike, they strike against taxpayers. F.D.R. considered this “unthinkable and intolerable.” Government collective bargaining means voters do not have the final say on public policy. Instead their elected representatives must negotiate spending and policy decisions with unions. That is not exactly democratic – a fact that unions once recognized. George Meany was not alone. Up through the 1950s, unions widely agreed that collective bargaining had no place in government. But starting with Wisconsin in 1959, states began to allow collective bargaining in government. The influx of dues and members quickly changed the union movement’s tune, and collective bargaining in government is now widespread. As a result unions can now insist on laws that serve their interests – at the expense of the common good. Above excerpt from nytimes.com First time in many yrs that they published something worth reading.

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (100567)	2/25/2011 3:22:49 PM
From: locogringo	3 Recommendations Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 224745

Deep freeze puts Baltic on track for record ice Following another extended stretch of sub-zero temperatures, ice coverage on the Baltic Sea is greater than it's been in nearly a quarter century, Sweden's meteorological agency reports. About 250,000 square kilometres of the Baltic Sea are now covered in ice according to the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI). The last time so much of the Baltic was frozen was the winter of 1986-87, when ice covered nearly 400,000 square kilometres of the sea's surface. SMHI warns that ice coverage on the Baltic could expand further in the coming days, possibly setting a new record. thelocal.se

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (100567)	2/25/2011 3:43:28 PM
From: chartseer	4 Recommendations Respond to of 224745

"The American people are stupid" Bill Maher. The election of Brilliant Barry proved that statement. I bet most American never realized he was just a Chicago Politician right out of the Daley Dumasarat Chicago Political Machine. You still don't realize it. citizen chartseer

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (100567)	2/25/2011 5:34:07 PM
From: tonto	3 Recommendations Respond to of 224745

One should always want a great leader. At least you recognize that Obama is not one, but it is clear that you do not want a great leader for whatever reason goes on in your mind.

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (100567)	2/25/2011 6:09:28 PM
From: CF Rebel	4 Recommendations Respond to of 224745

You don't have to be a great leader to be President. Bush proved that. You don't have to be a natural born citizen to be President as of 1/20/09. CF Rebel

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (100567)	2/25/2011 10:11:09 PM
From: Hope Praytochange	1 Recommendation Respond to of 224745

rushlimbaugh.com

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (100567)	2/25/2011 10:13:14 PM
From: Hope Praytochange	1 Recommendation Respond to of 224745

telepromper-in-chief odumba elected by dumb liberals like peabrained kennycanary

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (100567)	2/26/2011 8:29:13 AM
From: lorne	2 Recommendations Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 224745

Anti-Obama Meme of the Day: He Pals Around with Qaddafi By Elspeth Reeve \| February 24, 2011 theatlanticwire.com Why didn't President Obama mention Muammar Qaddafi in his speech condemning the violence against protesters in Libya Wednesday night? Maybe it was out of concern for American diplomats and their families who are still trapped in Tripoli after high winds kept their ferry from leaving, as The New York Times reports. Or maybe it's because Obama is really best buddies wth Qaddafi. Guess who's pushing that theory? Yes, today's new right-wing meme is that Obama and Qaddafi are secret allies. The Drudge Report even found an old picture:

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (100567)	2/26/2011 9:15:51 AM
From: chartseer	1 Recommendation Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 224745

You don't even need any life accomplishments anymore to be President. Especially if you have the Daley Dumasarat Chicago Political Machine behind you. citizen chartseer

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (100567)	2/26/2011 10:25:44 AM
From: chartseer	Respond to of 224745

Oh bummer confirms it! citizen chartseer

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (100567)	2/26/2011 11:57:24 AM
From: Hope Praytochange	1 Recommendation Respond to of 224745

Message 27197209

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (100567)	2/26/2011 12:18:57 PM
From: lorne	5 Recommendations Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 224745

Commission recommends rolling back pensions for current state, local workers By Jon Ortiz Published: Friday, Feb. 25, 2011 sacbee.com California's state and local governments should roll back pensions for existing employees, dump guaranteed retirement payouts and put more of the burden for pension benefits on workers, a bipartisan watchdog commission said Thursday. Any attempt to reduce pensions for current workers would prompt a legal battle royal. Still, the 12-member Little Hoover Commission concluded that government pension funds are in such dire financial straits that they'll never right themselves without cutting into benefits for those working now. The proposal wouldn't affect benefits drawn by current retirees. "This is one of the toughest issues that we've taken on," said Chairman Daniel Hancock shortly before the commission unanimously approved the 100-page report and its recommendations. Sacramento politicians had anticipated the moment. While Democrat Gov. Jerry Brown has proposed a mix of taxes and cuts to close the state's estimated $26.6 billion deficit, his budget doesn't explicitly address pension changes, which would anger unions and would not save money immediately. Republicans have criticized that as a glaring oversight. Senate Republican leader Bob Dutton of Rancho Cucamonga has said his caucus would offer some pension-reform ideas once the commission released its report. "I'm probably going to lean pretty heavily on taking their recommendations," he said. Public employee unions counter that guaranteed pensions make up for government's generally lower wages. They say the Little Hoover report and politicians like Dutton overstate the pension problem to pursue an anti-union agenda and undercut collective bargaining. Six unions representing about 170,000 state workers have already agreed to contracts that offer lowered retirement benefits for new hires and increase what employees pay toward their pensions. "Our members – who are taxpayers, too – bargained in good faith and reached an agreement including key pension changes and concessions," said Brady Oppenheim, spokeswoman for the California Association of Psychiatric Technicians. "If there is a call for further concessions, it should come through the collective-bargaining process and be taken to the bargaining table." The report caps a year's research and a series of hearings that included testimony from actuaries, union officials, pension reform activists, retirement board members, labor union leaders, public employees and others. It notes that the state's 10 largest public pension systems, including the California Public Employees' Retirement System, the California State Teachers' Retirement System and the University of California pension fund reported in 2010 a collective $240 billion spread between their obligations and assets. "In another five years, when pension contributions from government are expected to jump 40 to 80 percent and remain at those levels for decades in order to keep retirement plans solvent, there will be no debate about the magnitude of the problem," the report says. Pension fund investment returns are supposed to cover the bulk of payments to retirees, but most haven't yet rebounded from Wall Street's meltdown in 2008. CalPERS says investment earnings account for 64 cents of every dollar it takes in, while employers kick in 21 cents and employees pay 15 cents. The commission recommends the employer/employee share be split equally. Since reducing pensions for the next generation of employees won't cut costs in the near term, the commission recommended the Legislature pass a measure that lets state and local governments freeze the pensions of current workers and move them into a less costly hybrid system. For example, a 20-year government employee planning to retire in 10 years at age 63 with 2.5 percent of salary for each year of service would keep the money built up under that formula. But once the pension is frozen, the employee would move into a three-legged program that keeps a much smaller guaranteed pension, a professionally managed 401(k)-style savings account and Social Security benefits. Some public employee retirement plans already include all three. Plans for current state workers and retirees vary – some receive Social Security and can invest in personal retirement accounts. The conventional wisdom is that public pension benefits are untouchable, constitutionally protected property that government has a contractual obligation to provide. A state law that says otherwise would set off a legal firestorm, said Sacramento-based labor attorney Tim Yeung, since the sanctity of public pensions has never been tested in the courts. Private companies can freeze pensions and lower their promises, he said, "but whether government can do it has never really been tested." Still, the Little Hoover report buoyed pension change advocates such as Marcia Fritz, president of the California Foundation for Fiscal Responsibility in Citrus Heights. Her group, which gained national attention with a database that lists state and local government retirees with six-figure pensions, wants to put a measure on the 2012 ballot to freeze pensions for all civil service employees and lower the benefit prospectively. "This is amazing," Fritz said after reading the report. "It just validates everything we've been saying for years."

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (100567)	2/26/2011 2:48:23 PM
From: locogringo	6 Recommendations Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 224745

VIDEO: Union Thugs Say Gov. Christie Will ‘Shoot Them’ Like Gadhafi At a rally in New Jersey, we see more teachers that don’t deserve to be allowed near children for their ignorance of history, their wild-eyed hatred, and their outright stupidity. In this video we see “teachers” who don’t feel bad about parading around in the streets while their children are left without teachers. Worse, we see this historically ignorant, fact starved fools that think that Governor Chris Christie will start murdering them in the streets like Libyan strongman Muammar Gadhafi has been doing in Libya. People like this should be immediately fired. There is NO comparison between the current anti-union sentiment being evinced by the majority of Americans today and the murderous oppression being perpetrated by Islamicists in the Middle East and northern Africa. A so-called teacher that equates Gov. Christ Christie to a Gadhafi-like monster is too stupid to be allowed to teach our children. publiusforum.com

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (100567)	2/27/2011 11:33:16 AM
From: Hope Praytochange	4 Recommendations Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 224745

kennyboy has been working day shift as door greeter and as custodian in the evening to fill up gas tank and black label johnny walker

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (100567)	2/27/2011 1:26:48 PM
From: Hope Praytochange	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 224745

Portraits From a Job-Starved City Photographs by ALEC SOTH. Interviews by MICHAEL CATANO. Few American cities have suffered as acutely as Rockford, Ill., where unemployment reached nearly 16 percent last summer. A photographic tour (with audio interviews) through its stores, factories and offices. (Related Article \| Comment Post a Comment \| The Lens Blog)