The Power Struggle: Part Two - Big Government, Big Labor, Big Business
Sunday, March 6, 2011 - no video this week
Archive: Publications, Weekly Wrap
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| Diane W. Collins |
Congress reconvened and addressed a two week temporary resolution cutting $4B from the failed 2011 budget of the 111th Congress. Originated by Republicans in the House, the temporary resolution was designed to include many of the cuts President Obama has called for in the past making it difficult for the Left to refute or oppose.
The strategy worked with H.J. Res. 44 being passed in the House and Senate this week. President Obama signed it on Friday. The spending cuts included in the resolution are in step with the percentage of spending the Republicans have set out to reduce. However, the larger battle looms... cutting spending for the rest of 2011. Three approaches to the problem seem evident: reduce the budget through "a thousand cuts" using multiple temporary continuing resolutions; or pass a CR that addresses what's left of FY 2011; or both. Circumstances will dictate results. You must have lawmakers in agreement to pass anything. The question is how long will it take for the Left to come to reality and to hear the voice of the people calling for an end to wasteful spending? That call is becoming harder for the Left to to ignore as each day passes.
An example of this is the Government Accountability Office (GOA) report covered by The Hill on March 1st. The report " found 34 major areas of wasteful spending that one senator says could help save the federal government $100 billion or more." That senator is Tom Coburn, (R-OK) who stated the cuts in spending identified by the GOA would not produce cuts in services and would address waste and duplication. In our Weekly Wrap video report of 12-5-10 we called for this type of action reminding Conservatives to ask themselves, "What do you win, when you win?" Consider the price we pay for the "horse trading" currently going on in Congress. Why debate compromise when $100B in waste and duplication is staring you in the face? Start there!
Additionally, as we predicted on 2-20-11, House Republicans announced this week they will bring forward a budget for 2012 that addresses Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. We applaud this as realistic and courageous and reiterate our conviction. "We understand the threat the deficit presents. We understand social programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security thoughtfully and properly adjusted can benefit all. It is a sad case when the people stand ready to make the hard decisions: to address the debt, to cut the spending, to rebuild the American Dream... and their President ducks." We are grateful that House Republicans will take the lead and move forward on getting the job done.
On the local stage, governors in the Midwest including Wisconsin, Ohio and Indiana continue to fight the bosses of organized public unions. Governor Scott Walker (R) of Wisconsin is pushing forward with what is required of him by law... layoffs. According to Reuters, Governor Walker sent layoff warning notices to at least thirteen unions on Friday. Saturday organized labor stepped up protests. The fourteen Wisconsin Democrat absentee lawmakers continue to thwart the duly elected progress of the budget legislation. It is almost impossible to believe these representatives are not in the pockets of the union bosses when you realize what Gov. Walker has proposed. The legislation actually increases " payments for health care and pension benefits for public workers" but strips their unions of most of their collective bargaining rights. Herein, lies the crux. As we mentioned last week, it is the collective bargaining for unrealistic pensions by public sector unions that is holding the electorate captive and placing states in a position of insolvency. Remember, union dues are used to elect public officials and representatives. Those same elected officials and representatives are the very ones who make the decisions (vote) on public pensions and benefits. And, this unholy alliance extends far beyond our states as does its agenda. Union members need to address their union bosses calling for elections that make leadership more representative of their members views.
On another local matter, we took notice of the continued progress on state legislation, HB 628-FN, as reported by WMUR in New Hampshire this week. The bill would make unreasonable, invasive searches performed by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents "sexual predation crimes," putting the names of said agents on sexual predator lists. Other states are expected to join with similar legislation even as the opposition declares federal jurisdiction over the matter.
It has been our position that the TSA performs these searches in violation of the Constitutional rights of United States citizens. Profiling, such as that employed by Israel should be used rather than subjecting the general populace to humiliation. This is common sense. The TSA and Homeland Security are using prescriptive means to subject the public will to a manner that desensitizes Americans to the invasive practices of this Administration. It smacks of totalitarianism and needs to be addressed with strong legislative consequences. We will continue to follow this as well as any group that stands to gain financially from the implementation of scanners and / or TSA procedures.
See you next week.
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