Free Republic

Nobody has really understood this problem in Republican thinking: How do you resolve the duality between big government foreign policy and the small government-individual freedom Government Republicans have enshrined at home.

It is America's actions we are speaking of whether at home or abroad-do we not set the bad example for other nations that they too must expand beyond their borders in order to assure secure democracy at the cost of larger and larger governments at home? Are we creating a portable America-strong and big overseas with little involvement at home? How well can that portable America be controlled if not by a strong government back home?

How does small government fit in at all in this paradigm?

Why has Republicanism failed?

Republicanism has failed and will fail because of single of idea which America under President Bush has become fixated upon. The new idea and hegemony of Bush and America is the realization of freedom. It has been American’s claim to an absolute idea predicated on the absolute strength of such an idea in the world for other regimes to become and emulate. Is not” You are either with us or against us” a favorite slogan of this moment in history?

In no other time has an idea embodied and projected a world government such as now. Why does Republicanism fail? It fails because Republicans went along with Bush’s new hegemony-this new world government whatever the cost and did not limit its growth or power. How can the American public or the world take seriously the arguments for Republican smaller government when for the last eight years Republicans have worshipped with their President the largest hegemony in human history?

A hegemonic government is still a hegemonic even if dedicated to freedom and what does that say about America today? It says that those Conservatives to this day that warn us of impending take over of an out of control government taking over our lives deceive themselves and us that this has not already happened under President Bush. How are Republicans self-deceived? They are self-deceived in believing in the dual Republican message that an American world empire is ok while saying that an American empire-big government should be avoided at all costs because it may indeed get out of control. The image of such a dual message is not even grasped by most Republicans. If we are used to a larger empire nation as American citizens-what limitation can there be in its promise and growth? Rather than take government out of the way Bush and the Republicans have set us on a path to absolute nation state power that America has no boundaries in the years ahead… Is this freedom?

Distraught by congressional spending, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) said that Republicans have lost their courage to clamp down on waste and deserve to lose seats this year.

"Those people who are fiscally conservative, Republican or not, we don't have many years left that we better fix this, and we better be about it now," said Coburn on CNN Headline News Wednesday. "So [it's about] holding the Republicans accountable. And we're going lose some seats. There's no question about it. We deserve to."

Coburn, a first-term senator who has crusaded against government waste, said that most Republicans in Congress are fiscal conservatives and correctly vote against spending measures put forth by Democrats. But he decried votes by "a Republican portion" to go along with the Democratic majority.

"I think they've lost their courage," Coburn said. "And I think the focus has been on short-term benefits, rather than long-term leaders of the country. And I think they have to start acting like Republicans. And they either have to believe it or not. And if they believe it, they'll vote that way. And if they don't, they really aren't Republicans."

Coburn's harsh words for fellow Republicans come after his op-ed in Monday's Wall Street Journal in which he said that GOP efforts such as the K Street Project, which sought to foster ties between Republicans and lobbying firms, and "compassionate conservatism" backfired and weakened the party.

"The fruit of these efforts is not the hoped-for Republican governing majority, but the real prospect of a filibuster-proof Democrat majority in 2009," he wrote. He called for Republicans to focus on eliminating government waste before approving more spending.

Watch video of Coburn’s interview at The Briefing Room .

NMCEP will lead an event in early 2008 that will define the expectations of Americans that they be provided with reliable and competitively priced energy. This will be the first attempt to inject rural viewpoint into energy policy. Senator Pete V. Domenici is expected to deliver a major address at the event. Additional event details will be up soon.

About New Mexico Center for Energy Policy (NMCEP)

NMCEP is developing locally generated Energy Policy from a rural area where domestic oil and gas exploration and production drives the economy. Energy conscious leaders will provide policy recommendations recognizing that energy of the future must combine Fossil Fuels, Nuclear and Renewable energies

http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com

***** By Jennifer Skalka

The AFL-CIO is dropping a tough mailer in PA today noting that while John McCain's war service is admirable, his political views -- on the Bush tax cuts, NAFTA and overtime pay, in particular -- are out of sync with the needs and values of working Americans.

"John McCain? War hero? Absolutely," the mailer reads. "Voice for working families? No way."

The piece has been sent so far this cycle to more than 400,000 swing voters, notably those much-courted Reagan Democrats living in OH, WI, MI and MN. The mailer features a photo of Jim Wasser, a Navy vet who served with John Kerry in Vietnam and was active in 2004 in countering efforts to muddy the Democratic nominee's war record.

Continued on the blog ...

BRENTWOOD — Most Saturday nights, the warehouse facility owned by District Council #35 of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades sits empty, but this Saturday it reverberated with cacophony of a crowd in good cheer.

It was a capacity audience of more than 1,000 people to hear former President Bill Clinton make the case for Hillary Clinton’s candidacy.

Links

* New Hampshire Primary

“Of all of the candidates, Hillary Clinton best represents the concerns of the union,” said Bill Doherty, a business representative with District Council 35. “We had a national ballot sent out, and the choice among the rank and file for Democratic candidate was in favor of Hillary Clinton. She understands the importance of labor in this country, and we’re here to support her.”

Nicholas Sterling made the trip from Needham, Mass., a fact that hinted at his enthusiasm for the Clinton candidacy.

“Professionalism is what sets her apart, I think. She, more than any other candidate in the Democratic field, is prepared to sit down with Putin or Musharaff for meaningful discussions.”

Rows of folding chairs were spread out and a standing room only crowd began filing in as the 6 p.m. start drew closer. An 18-wheel flatbed Mack truck loaded down with casks marked as containing Old Mister Boston rye whiskey and crates of onions, oranges and other produce sat stage right. Union members perched on the truck in black and yellow union T-shirts and holding signs that pledged the union’s support of Clinton.

Supporters and detractors of Bill Clinton all agree as to his charisma, and when he entered the room, the explosion of applause was immediate, dramatic and sustained. New Hampshire House Speaker Teri Norelli spoke briefly, beginning her speech by saying, “I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for a change.”

The crowd responded with a college football style chant of “Hill-a-ry! Hill-a-ry!” When Norelli began to introduce Clinton by name, she fudged it a bit, saying, “I am proud to introduce Senator — rather President...”

The audience was in full guffaw, and before she even uttered his name, he gave a cheerful hug, so in fact, Norelli introduced the former president without actually saying his name.

Clinton began his remarks by thanking New Hampshire voters for being a “friend to my family for 16 years.” He touted New Hampshire’s first primary status, saying that it was important that the first primary be held in a small state, “where voters can look you in the eye and have a conversation.” He also praised New Hampshire’s independent spirit and political activism.

Clinton began his remarks with the economy, perhaps remembering James Carville’s theme from 1992: “It’s the economy, stupid.” He said that home foreclosures in New Hampshire have gone up dramatically since the subprime mortgage crisis, and that the stock market last week had its worst three day opening since 1932. He also criticized Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. “It’s time to choose again, and it’s an uncertain time to choose.”

“You must have noticed that about half the world or more is mad at us now. And I’m not just talking about Iraq,” he said.

Clinton went on to enumerate the current administration’s uncooperative attitude toward the Kyoto protocol, its insistence on its exemption from international courts, its resistance to complying with the Geneva convention, and other decisions that have diminished the esteem in which the United States holds on the world stage.

Clinton spoke of the Democratic field with great compliments, but stressed that “With this Democratic field you don’t have to be against anybody, but you do have to be for somebody.”

He spoke at length about global warming and congratulated Al Gore on having received the Nobel Prize for his efforts in that area.

The former president concluded his remarks on a personal note, talking about “a woman I have known for 36 years, not the cartoon that some her detractors talk about.”

He referenced her having worked in public service right out of law school with the Yale Child Studies Center when most of her colleagues were digging into their early careers.

“You need somebody rooted like a rock in helping people,” Clinton said.

He spoke extemporaneously without notes for a little more than 45 minutes, then fielded questions from the audience on the Supreme Court, transportation infrastructure, and his own potential role under a Hillary Clinton presidency.

This story is all over the local Radio talk shows here in DC this morning. Their spin is this tactic will lead to voter intimidation. The unions have their “card check” system replacing secret ballot elections for a union. Card check is where you have sign your ballot in the presence of a union organizer before the election-no secret ballot.I see this is more of a privacy issue that voter intimidation issue. Would the GOP not have the information to target voters in this case?

The Republican Party of Virginia has no interest in thoughtful voters. It only wants mindless party loyalists who will vote Republican no matter what.

That's the sad message of a new GOP policy for next year's presidential primary approved by the State Board of Elections this week. People who want to vote in it must sign a loyalty oath swearing their intent to vote in November for the party's nominee, whomever that winds up being.

A Republican voter might look at the primary contenders and conclude Mike Huckabee is the best choice. That voter might also decide he would never vote for Rudy Giuliani. Perhaps he would look for a Libertarian or independent alternative.

Or it could be just the opposite. Perhaps a would-be Republican voter finds Huckabee unsupportable, or Fred Thompson or Mitt Romney.

The oath precludes such careful analysis and leaves Republicans three options:

n Lie. Virginia's ballots are still secret; no one will know if you vote against the party nominee.

n Stay home from the Feb. 12 election and keep your options open.

n Commit to an unknown Republican candidate nine months before the election.

Honorable Virginians do not give their word lightly and will not lie, even under these obtuse circumstances. We hope, too, that they put candidates' ideas, character and experience ahead of party affiliation.

Honest, responsible voters therefore can only skip the primary.

That, obviously, was not the goal of the Republican loyalty oath. The oath is an outgrowth of Virginia's open primaries and a two-party system that prizes power over all else.

Democrats are susceptible to such electoral foolishness, too. In Roanoke, Democrats who want to help pick the party's city council candidates must vow to support the party's nominees.

Virginians do not register by party, so anyone, even a Democratic-leaning voter, can participate in the GOP primary and skew the results. Though there is scant evidence such crossover voting ever influences elections, political parties deserve the right to control who selects their candidates. They are private organizations, after all.

Anyone who needed more evidence that Virginia's election system is broken has it. Why bother having the election at all? Just count how many Virginians sign away their intent to cast an informed vote.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court intervened in a dispute between organized labor and management Tuesday, agreeing to decide the validity of a state law that limits employers' ability to weigh in on union organizing.

The case accepted by the justices comes from California, where a law passed in 2000 prohibits employers from using money they receive from the state to oppose or support unionization efforts.

The law, passed by the Democratic-led state legislature and signed by then-Democratic Gov. Gray Davis, was upheld by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals over the objection of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business interests. Those groups argued that federal labor law guarantees the free speech rights of employers and trumps state regulations in this area.

If the law is allowed to stand, the chamber said labor unions would seek to pass similar measures in other states and would gain an advantage over management in the fight to bolster union membership.

The Bush administration backed the business groups in calling for the court to take the case.

"California has adopted a policy of coercing certain employers to remain silent in response to union organizing efforts," the administration said. The law at issue "regulates employer speech that Congress intended to leave unregulated."

Defending the law, the state said employers remain free to advocate vigorously against organizing campaigns. The only restriction the law imposes is that those businesses may not use money received from the state for that purpose.

Last term, the Supreme Court ruled against unions in a Washington case. The justices upheld a state law that limits public employee unions' use of fees paid by state workers who decline to join the union.

Arguments will be heard early next year in the case, which is Chamber of Commerce v. Edmund G. Brown, Jr., Attorney General of California, 06-939.

Take a look at this Bill introduced and supported by Senate Republicans handing Labor Bosses a victory-is it any better today?

Where did Reagan go away? Republicans help Labor unions to a major victory How could these Senate Republicans help labor unions to a major victory?

Call your Senator now to stop S.2123. The misnamed and egregious "Public Safety Employer-Employee cooperation act of 2007" was introduced by Senator Gregg on October 1 with enough Republicans (11 Republicans) to invoke cloture and pass the Bill.

The White House said it wanted flexibility on responding to Homeland security threats and was able to defeat the TSA screener amendment in the Homeland Security-9/11 Bill. The congress with S. 2123 is deciding that not all parts of NIMS under Homeland security can be flexible to meet a terrorist threat. Some parts of NIMS the Policeman and Fireman will be held to the break time and vacations that eliminate the very word "responder" from the American lexicon of our domestic security. Here is what the Bill says "

State and local public safety officers, as first responders, are a component of our Nation's National Incident Management System, developed by the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate response to and recovery from terrorism, major natural disasters, and other major emergencies. Public safety employer-employee cooperation is essential in meeting these needs and is, therefore, in the National interest."

How can the National Incident Management System even work with one of its most vital components out there in our local towns with its hands tied behind its back?

The bill S.2123 is an unfunded mandate on the states violating the 10th amendment. There was a man named Reagan who believed that smaller Government came about through devolution of Federal authority to the states not through this sham Bill thats take local power away.

Could it also be about union intimidation of Republicans? What Congressman Lynn Westmoreland saw directed against his own father?

"Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend from Florida for yielding, and when I came to the floor today, I didn't come here to speak; but, you know, my father was a fireman for 26 years for the City of Atlanta. In fact, he died in an alarm. I know what it is like for these firefighters to answer the alarms. He suffered a heart attack while turning off an OS&Y valve in a pit. It was 18 degrees that December morning. I know what it is like for those firefighters.

But, you know, my father never belonged to a firefighters union, and that is what this is. This is basically a union bill and payback to the unions. But, you know, Georgia is a right-to-work State. We have a 10th amendment to our Constitution. I was very disappointed to hear from the chairman that this thing passed out of committee 42-1. That breaks my heart. That really breaks my heart that those Republicans were on that side.I don't know what the majority thinks about the 10th amendment, but I believe very strongly in it. This has something to do with States rights. And I am sorry and I am very disappointed that this House will do this under suspension and there won't be any opportunity for amendments or this thing to be looked at.

I hope that the majority of the Members here will realize what is going on, oppose this suspension and bring it up under regular order."

Instead 98 Republicans voted for H.R. 980 the companion to S.2123 in the House.

It is a minute past midnight and we should not ever reward the Labor lords for their continued string of defeats in our workplace.

This Bill now stands to be passed by Congress and should be opposed by every free American who believes we should use all our resources in fighting the war to protect our homeland. Not one single Fireman or Policeman should be left behind.

Here are the 11 Republicans and 14 Democrats who co-sponsored S.2123 so far:

Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN-S2) Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE-S1) Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH-S2) Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY-S2) Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN-S1) Senator Susan Collins (R-ME-S2) Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT-S1) Senator Pete Domenici (R-NM-S1) Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH-S1) Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA-S2) Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA-S1) Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-CT-S2) Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL-S2) Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ-S1) Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD-S1) Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK-S2) Senator Patty Murray (D-WA-S1) Senator Barack Obama (D-IL-S2) Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR-S2) Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT-S2) Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR-S2) Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME-S1) Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA-S1) Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI-S2) Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK-S1) Senator John Sununu (R-NH-S2)

Again, call your Senator now and say no to S. 2123

This alert is sponsored by the National Alliance for Worker and Employer Rights http://www.freeworkplace.org

Governor Schwarzenegger Casts Veto of Harmful Card Check Bill in California, Reports The National Alliance for Worker and Employer Rights

The National Alliance for Worker and Employer Rights praises the good work of Governor Schwarzenegger who cast his of veto of SB. 180 on October 14. Schwarzenegger showed great courage in standing up for Secret Ballot elections for farmers.

For Immediate Release WASHINGTON, D.C./EWORLDWIRE/Oct. 17, 2007 --- The National Alliance for Worker and Employer rights praises the good work of Governor Schwarzenegger who cast his of veto of SB. 180 on October 14. Governor Schwarzenegger showed great courage in standing up for Secret Ballot elections for farmers in the California workplace. The Governor did not listen to the Labor lords who fought freedom through intimidation only to increase their membership by stripping secret ballot elections away. Rather, as Will Fine, executive director of the National Alliance for Worker and Employer Rights wrote in a letter to the Governor and other state legislators, that in this veto "you have heard the call of Californians affirming workers' rights will never be compromised to the labor mobs again."

The National Alliance for Worker and Employer Rights worked with the Governor and defenders of a free workplace to defeat SB.180 by reminding the politicians of farmers who work hard for their families, that their right to a secret ballot is always sacred whether they come to live or be born in this country. The Governor understood the needs of his people's freedoms stood above the "take away" politics of the unions was in the end his veto against card check.

By setting in place a "card-check" organizing process, SB 180 significantly changes the protections afforded to all of California's agricultural workers under the ALRA. This "card-check" process fundamentally alters an employee's right to a secret ballot election that currently affords them the opportunity to cast a ballot privately without fear of coercion or manipulation by any interested parties. This bill also limits the opportunity for employees to hear and consider other viewpoints on unionization.

Learn more about the work of the National Alliance for Worker and Employer Rights at http://www.freeworkplace.org.

HTML: http://www.eworldwire.com/pressreleases/17774 MOBILE: http://e4mobile.com/view_release.php?id=17774 PDF: http://www.eworldwire.com/pdf/17774.pdf ONLINE NEWSROOM: http://www.eworldwire.com/newsroom/307982.htm NEWSROOM RSS FEED: http://newsroom.eworldwire.com/xml/newsrooms/307982.xml LOGO: http://www.eworldwire.com/newsroom/307982.htm

CONTACT: Will Fine National Alliance for Worker and Employer Rights 122 c. st. suite 220 Washington, DC 20001 PHONE. 202-393-1185 EMAIL: wfine94268@aol.com http://www.freeworkplace.org

I might add this and agree with everyone these paybacks to the unions must stop now...

The bill S.2123 is an unfunded mandate on the states violating the 10th amendment. Yet why is this not a problem for the nine republicans? Once a man named Reagan believed that smaller government comes through devolution of federal power to the states not like this sham Bill.

How could these Republicans help Labor Unions to victory? Stop S.2123 now! Call your Senator

To all who read this: Copy and paste it and send it along to your family and friends.

Call your Senator now to stop S.2123. The misnamed and egregious "Public Safety Employer-Employee cooperation act of 2007" was introduced by Senator Gregg on October 1 with enough Republicans (nine Republicans) to invoke cloture and pass the Bill.

The White House said it wanted flexibility on responding to Homeland security threats and was able to defeat the TSA screener amendment in the Homeland Security-9/11 Bill. The congress with S. 2123 is deciding that not all parts of NIMS under Homeland security can be flexible to meet a terrorist threat. Some parts of NIMS the Policeman and Fireman will be held to the break time and vacations that eliminate the very word "responder" from the American lexicon of our domestic security. Here is what the Bill says "

State and local public safety officers, as first responders, are a component of our Nation's National Incident Management System, developed by the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate response to and recovery from terrorism, major natural disasters, and other major emergencies. Public safety employer-employee cooperation is essential in meeting these needs and is, therefore, in the National interest."

How can the National Incident Management System even work with one of its most vital components out there in our local towns with its hands tied behind its back?

The bill S.2123 is an unfunded mandate on the states violating the 10th amendment. It is also about the union intimidation that Congressman Lynn Westmoreland saw directed against his own father.

"Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend from Florida for yielding, and when I came to the floor today, I didn't come here to speak; but, you know, my father was a fireman for 26 years for the City of Atlanta. In fact, he died in an alarm. I know what it is like for these firefighters to answer the alarms. He suffered a heart attack while turning off an OS&Y valve in a pit. It was 18 degrees that December morning. I know what it is like for those firefighters.

But, you know, my father never belonged to a firefighters union, and that is what this is. This is basically a union bill and payback to the unions. But, you know, Georgia is a right-to-work State. We have a 10th amendment to our Constitution. I was very disappointed to hear from the chairman that this thing passed out of committee 42-1. That breaks my heart. That really breaks my heart that those Republicans were on that side. I don't know what the majority thinks about the 10th amendment, but I believe very strongly in it. This has something to do with States rights. And I am sorry and I am very disappointed that this House will do this under suspension and there won't be any opportunity for amendments or this thing to be looked at.

I hope that the majority of the Members here will realize what is going on, oppose this suspension and bring it up under regular order."

It is a minute past midnight and we should not ever reward the Labor lords for their continued string of defeats in our workplace.

This Bill now stands to be passed by Congress and should be opposed by every free American who believes we should use all our resources in fighting the war to protect our homeland. Not one single Fireman or Policeman should be left behind.

Here are the nine republicans and eleven Democrats who co-sponsored S.2123

Sen. Sherrod Brown [D-OH] Sen. Hillary Clinton [D-NY] Sen. Norm Coleman [R-MN] Sen. Susan Collins [R-ME] Sen. Christopher Dodd [D-CT] Sen. Pete Domenici [R-NM] Sen. Thomas Harkin [D-IA] Sen. Edward Kennedy [D-MA] Sen. Joseph Lieberman [I-CT] Sen. Mel Martinez [R-FL] Sen. Barbara Mikulski [D-MD] Sen. Patty Murray [D-WA] Sen. Barack Obama [D-IL] Sen. Mark Pryor [D-AR] Sen. Bernard Sanders [I-VT] Sen. Gordon Smith [R-OR] Sen. Olympia Snowe [R-ME] Sen. Arlen Specter [R-PA] Sen. Ted Stevens [R-AK] Sen. John Sununu [R-NH]

Again, call your Senator now and say no to S. 2123

This alert is sponsored by the National Alliance for Worker and Employer Rights http://www.freeworkplace.org

Friday, September 28, 2007 Labor bill ‘levels field’ for state public workers

By Priyanka Dayal TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF This bill is about leveling the playing field between labor and management.

Gov. Deval L. Patrick

MARLBORO— Gov. Deval L. Patrick yesterday signed a bill that will expand public workers’ rights to organize.

The Majority Authorization bill, signed during an appearance yesterday at the Massachusetts AFL-CIO’s annual convention, will allow public employees to unionize by garnering majority support in writing, known as the “card check” option, instead of going through secret-ballot elections.

The House passed the bill Sept. 18, and the Senate gave its approval Sept. 20.

“This bill is about leveling the playing field between labor and management,” the governor said in a statement. “It affirms the commonwealth’s policy of supporting workers who should be able to bargain collectively for fair wages, decent health care and on-the-job protections.”

Republican lawmakers tried to block passage of the bill this year but were unsuccessful.

State Rep. Karyn E. Polito, R-Shrewsbury, said in an interview yesterday that she opposes the bill. She called its provisions heavy-handed.

“I feel a private, secret ballot is the democratic, fair, open process of voting, and that should not have been compromised,” she said. “I understand the place for unions. However, I feel that when a group wants to unionize, all members of that group should know about the move to unionize. These new provisions … may influence employees to vote a certain way, when, in fact, a secret or private ballot may protect them.”

Massachusetts AFL-CIO President Robert J. Haynes lauded Mr. Patrick’s signing of the bill as a protection of the rights of workers to organize.

Mr. Patrick was one of many Democrats to speak to labor-union members at their convention this week at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel.

U.S. Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr., a Delaware Democrat who is running for president, participated in a presidential candidate debate in New Hampshire on Wednesday night and was slated to give a luncheon address at the AFL-CIO convention yesterday.

But Mr. Biden ended up skipping the convention and returned to Washington early for a Senate vote. In his stead, he sent his sons, Beau and Hunter Biden.

Beau Biden, the attorney general of Delaware, tried to drum up support for his father by portraying him as the most union-friendly Democrat running for president.

“Not many Democrats are proud to say they were elected because of the unions,” he said. “My dad was with you before it was cool to be with you.”

Mr. Haynes called Sen. Biden a foreign policy expert who would make a great secretary of state or president.

Secretary of State William F. Galvin also spoke to union members, calling on them to endorse Democrats and to set the agenda for next year’s presidential election.

“Organized labor is in a commanding position to set the agenda for 2008 and influence debate after that,” he said.

Contact Priyanka Dayal by e-mail at pdayal@telegram.com.

AFL-CIO antes up $53 million

The AFL-CIO leadership just put a number on its commitment to the general election: $53 million, the federation is set to announce.

That's money that can be used for unrestricted "member-to-member" communication in House, Senate, and presidential races around the country.

That's up from $50 million the group spend in the last presidential cycle, 2004, and $40 million in the 2006 midterms.

“Today the AFL-CIO is sending a powerful message that we are going to change the course of our country in 2008 by electing a president and candidates at all levels who are committed to restoring the promise of America to working people,” says AFL President John Sweeney in a statement. "America’s workers are more energized than ever before. They are determined to create an historical political realignment in Washington that will work to rebuild our ailing middle class and restore hope to the millions of workers who have been left behind by seven years of Bush Administration corporate-friendly policies.”

AND: As Marc Ambinder notes, there's just no Republican counterpart.

The Massive Scope Of The AFL-CIO's Political Program

21 Sep 2007 01:38 pm

By Marc Ambinder

Remember: all of this -- almost all of this -- goes to help Democrats.

Later today, the AFL-CIO will announce that its executive board approved a $53 million budget for its 2008 political program, the largest ever sum for a political cycle.

AFL-CIO political director Karen Ackerman will oversee the deployment of more than 200,000 volunteers to 23 priority states, including Ohio, pennsylvania, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Five house seats in "union-dense" districts and six Senate seats will be targeted.

In Ohio, where union households comprised 28% of the vote in 2006, the AFl-CIO plans to reach out to more than 1.4 million voters.

The labor federation will partner with other groups and use reams of consumer data to market precise political messages neighborhood-by-neighborhood.

"Our members are building an army to make more calls, knock on more doors and turn out more voters than ever,” said AFSCME President and AFL-CIO Political Committee Chair Gerald McEntee. “We're going for the Trifecta: the House, the Senate, and the White House.”

In total, the AFL-CIO unions will spend about $200 million on Election 08 efforts, according to AFl-CIO estimates.

Virtually all of that money will be used to help Democrats.

Republicans have nothing like the AFL-CIO. And for the first presidential cycle in recent memory, the Democratic Party institutions will have a financial edge.

And there's more: next week, the Change To Win labor federation will meet to sketch out its political program. One CTW union -- the SEIU -- plans to spend in excess of $30M by itself.

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The summer that shook the American workplace

The new threat and hidden agenda of Labors new Government

By Will Fine, Executive Director National Alliance for Worker and Employer Rights

This summer has been the summer that shook the foundations of the Employee -Employer relationship as no time has in nearly thirty years. While our national security is being defended overseas, our domestic security has become imperiled by governmental transformation at the hands of Labor Union Central Command that has deployed a government it can control. The credibility of Congress is at stake to defend a free workplace.

The summer began when our National Security and the American People were the victors in the Senate. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Joseph Lieberman caved into Republican and White House opposition to a provision in S.4. The Homeland Security Bill granting collective bargaining rights to TSA screeners. The Bill, without the provision, moved forward on a unanimous consent agreement. Senate Republicans were on guard against the Labor Unions hidden agenda.

For the Pro-labor Democrats the plan was to tie the hands of the Bush Administration through collective bargaining in two ways: (1) -the labor contract would limit the President's flexible response to national emergencies by establishing certain hours and definitions of who could work the emergency contrary to the Presidents assessment and call up of resources for that emergency; (2)-the labor contract above that of the demands of the crises would prevail. What about certain vacation and snack breaks that would happen even in times that potential Terrorists might be getting through our defenses? The snack breaks and vacations would continue and could not be changed. Indeed, collective bargaining is nothing but a dangerous risk in the time of national security crises and war. The defeat of this provision puts the American people first.

Even as the TSA screeners provision defeat was a victory for America's National Security; The House of Representatives votes to imperil states and first responders again.

The House voted with 98 Republicans in tow to reward those who threatened our domestic security by weakening our defenses through the granting of collective bargaining rights to both Firefighters and Police. The House turned its back on the valiant Senate defense of the American people and passed it its own version of the "Pearl Harbor" Bill to support the Labor Lords H.R. 980". Does this vote suggest the first responders of public safety, -- the Police and Firefighters of America, are unlike the TSA Screeners protectors of our domestic security and not as important to Congress? Let those who voted for H.R. 980 know that more workers who protect us will now serve under the shadow of the Union's coercive will.

Nor did the defeat of the TSA screener and Employee Free Choice Act alter the drive of Labor Unions exerting more power to coerce our Government and, through their intimidating version of government, the American People. Unions are transforming themselves into a new form to offset a historic decline. This new form puts the union on a collision course with our Democracy and National-Domestic Security. The recent debate over EFCA reflected the ill- intent of a union- controlled government through the exclusive lens of an EFCA- like world. Like the Orwellian 1984 party slogan "slavery is freedom," the clear illogic of our government under union's control is both broken and good. The method of mind control in Orwell's 1984 was never to connect the past with the present day nobody in "1984" could. In fact, the true past was edited everyday so that nobody could tell the difference between truth and falsehood of history. In the present day of "1984", there is no history at all but the "official" one. The official union history is a long story of how unions "fixed" both a broken and a working government.

Since no one can fix both a broken and good government, today's labor battles clearly show the difference between those who really know the past and those who seek "mind control". Labor Unions have more to loose in their past and far greater desire to control. The greater frequency under this Democratic Congress to improve Labor's position over workers is growing to "1984 proportions by creating an "official" history of those battles that continues to fool even some Republicans into doing the wrong thing.

Why would the Union bosses of today, in turn, mention to the rank and file the continuum of their true historical defeats both on EFCA in 1978 and H.R. 980, which in a previous political cycles is a variation on the postal bill battle of the 1960's-70's? Postal battles that began with unionizing postal workers at a Federal level now are mandated at the state level with fire-fighters and police being compelled today to join the union ranks. Many times have labor unions failed to turn the American workforce into a Gulag of labor bondage. Does this free telling of labor history and conflict not remind the union rank and file of labor's thousand broken promises to them? And that their Labor Boss leadership knows the land of EFCA-- the prelude of Gulag and Socialist Europe-- so well because they already are there.

The Employee Free Choice Act introduced and reiterated the idea that Government ought to perform like an agent for the unions as binding arbitration became synonymous with a rank and file sellout of collective bargaining good faith agreements. If you are a union rank and file member you should be worried that the purpose of binding arbitration and card check is" Big Government" in the form union controlled elections (card check) and special courts (binding arbitration). This form of "Big Government" through third party agents is making decisions at odds with the will of the working man. So why pay dues at all to the unions if the power to make decisions for you are going entirely to the "Big Government" agents themselves?

The establishment of collective bargaining rights for first responders under H.R. 980 is the first advance to a collective government spreading its wings into our lives. As H.R. 980 distorts the time- honored relationship between the state and federal domains by mandating to the states what level collective bargaining rights they should follow. Unmistakably, Labor Unions are doing this to impose TSA collective bargaining amendments and bills to compel government itself into moving their way. This then is the Union's dream of a new form of government. This is labor unions survival, all right, with our American political system in its own image.

If so, what EFCA proved about the new Labor image is that the unions claim the use of "Big Government" in multiple ways with its agents. Their reward for this work, for all of us to see, is paid in forced dues while the government not the unions does for workers what the unions desire. In other words, the unions are getting dues without doing anything for the working man. The government would not split its revenues and taxes with the union: however, through forced dues workers would be paying twice to the government and to the union or they would loose their jobs. None of the union dues money would go to the Government in the end.

Yet, despite this Union threat to our American way of life, some House Republicans completed the Senate EFCA defeat with a major Union victory on H.R. 980. Members, including those Republicans, inexplicably swept this legislation through committee by a 42-1 margin and passage in the House of Representatives. Indeed, one could argue that Speaker Nancy Pelosi who brought up H.R. 980 under suspension of the rules on 7/17/07 did so because of the Republican capitulation in committee. She recognized this collective bargaining bill, with its Republican consent, as no different than all the other non-controversial bills that are normally debated during suspension of the rules.

Now we see how Republicans on the committee capitulated to Pro- Labor Democrats handing the unions a victory for their brand of collective government.

"I am hopeful that this legislation will be modified during the legislative process to strike a more appropriate balance on behalf of public safety officials and the states and local communities they so ably serve. With that in mind, I do not plan to oppose the measure today, as it is marginally better than the bill introduced earlier in this Congress. And should it continue to be improved along the way, I may be able to provide a more vigorous endorsement. I cannot do so right now, however; but in the interest of moving the process forward and in light of the Chairman's willingness to make thoughtful adjustments to the legislation, I will support the measure advancing for consideration by the full House." Congressman Howard Buck McKeon, Press Release ED & Labor 6/20/07

Republicans on the committee should know better than to put their stock in a hope for a better legislative deal with the Unions and Democrats that never came to be. In the end, they should hear and remember these brave words of a man's real struggle than not to make the pernicious deals which shatter hope:

"I know what it is like for those firefighters. But, you know, my father never belonged to a firefighters union, and that is what this is. This is basically a union bill and payback to the unions. But, you know, Georgia is a right-to-work State. We have a 10th amendment to our Constitution. I was very disappointed to hear from the chairman that this thing passed out of committee 42-1. That breaks my heart. That really breaks my heart that those Republicans were on that side."

Floor Statement 7/17/07 Congressman Lynn Westmoreland

Going into autumn and beyond, the collective bargaining Bill for so- called Public-Safety goes to Senate where again it will be Republicans who will likely lead both the fight for and against it. H.R. 980 political appeal is nothing less than another Big government-labor agent strategy not unlike the Employee Free Choice Act's outside calling upon Judges as union agents to settle Labors binding arbitration disputes. Business organizations and other groups who rightly opposed the Employee Free Choice Act with its attack on collective bargaining in favor of EFCA's binding arbitration must ask themselves this question: Is H.R. 980, if passed upon the public sector, really about collective bargaining for the unions or about a new vehicle and unchecked precedent for further Congressional violations of the 10th amendment in Labor's name? If H.R. 980 is an "unchecked agent" for the unions in the states, then the so- called "crises" of collective bargaining and its presumed failure in the private sector might become the next best means for public sector increases in Big Labor's over all appeal to Congress to save the House of Labor from its own demise.

Will Fine is Executive Director of the National Alliance for Worker and Employer Rights

National Alliance for Worker and Employer Rights Demands Governor Schwarzenegger Save Secret Ballot Elections for Workers in California urges veto of Senate Bill 180 robbing our workplace freedom

S. 180 is a bill denying civil liberties to the most vulnerable people in California - those who work the farms of the state. Farm workers deserve better than to loose their hard earned rights to the schemes of the labor bosses.

For Immediate Release

WASHINGTON, D.C./EWORLDWIRE/July 19, 2007 --- National Alliance for Worker and Employer Rights demands Governor Schwarzenegger save Secret Ballot Elections for workers in California, and it urges veto of Senate Bill 180 robbing the public of workplace freedom that many have died to keep.

S. 180 is a bill denying civil liberties to the most vulnerable people in California - those who work the farms of the state. "Farm workers deserve better than to loose their hard earned rights to the schemes of the labor bosses," says organization Executive Director of the National Alliance for Worker and Employer Rights Will Fine. "Under this bill, labor bosses would be allowed to unionize through intimidation farmworkers to gain more members and their forced dues. Under threats of job loss these workers would be compelled to sign the 'card checks' in their homes. It does not matter that these workers do not often know what they are signing or that union thugs coerce them untill they get their cards signed."

"It is obvious under these harsh conditions for workers why the United Farm Workers Union looses more than half of all elections through Secret Ballot Elections. There is no doubt that SB 180 is a payoff to the union to save it by increasing membership at the expense of workers rights. Passing S.B. 180 means the State of California would allow more workers to loose their election rights to the labor unions. How long would all Californians be free when every voter did not have the right to a secret ballot election in private and force was used to control the outcome of every vote?"

"Do not listen to the calls and schemes from labor bosses on card check, Governor Schwarzenegger. Close your ears and turn away. Listen instead to the Americans that have sacrificed their lives to come to California to live in freedom. Why should S. 180 be forced on farm workers to make them give up their right to an election that should be private and free? Say no to these union shock troops that hold farmers hostage through Card Check, Governor, and veto S. 180. In vetoing this Bill, you send a message across the country; workers rights can never be compromised to the labor mobs again," said Fine.

S.B. 180 is likely to pass the California Senate soon and move onto to the Governor for a veto. The Governor has not yet stated a position on the Bill.

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CONTACT: Will Fine National Alliance for Worker and Employer Rights 122 c. st. suite 220 washington, DC 20001 PHONE. 202-393-1185 EMAIL: wfine94268@aol.com http://www.freeworkplace.org

SOURCE: National Alliance for Worker and Employer Rights

WASHINGTON, July 20 (UPI) -- Technology to draw oil from rock in Rocky Mountain states and other unconventional sources is getting another look from companies and the government as the demand for energy increases and supply tightens, especially in the United States.

Oil was more than $78 per barrel Friday, nearing an all-time high. According to a National Petroleum Council report, commissioned by U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman and released this week, demand will exceed supply by 13 million barrels per day by 2030.

One potential major source of domestic oil is found in shale rock in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming. Interest and experiments rose and fell with the oil price spikes during the 1970s to early 1980s and have risen once again.

"It's an enormous resource," said Daniel I. Fine, an MIT research affiliate. The area was protected for the future with the creation of the Naval Petroleum and Oil Shale Reserve in 1912. "It was understood that one day we would use it at a time when the technology and economics would be right," Fine added.

The oil found in these rocks is called kerogen, organic matter containing hydrocarbons that must be converted to oil and gas. It's unclear how much oil may eventually be produced, but the United States holds 60 percent of the world's shale.

On-site experiments to heat and extract the kerogen are starting on 160-acre tracks leased by the Bureau of Land Management. The 10-year research development & demonstration leases are intended "to test and demonstrate what are considered state of the art methods of recovering shale oil," BLM spokeswoman Heather Feeney said. They can be converted to commercial leases for oil shale after demonstrating commercial production capacity and a BLM review.

Shell is probably the leader in the field, said Jeremy Boak, project manager for the Colorado Energy Research Institute at the Colorado School of Mines. Shell expects to extract from 3.5 to 5 barrels for each barrel of energy used, Boak said, by heating the rocks underground for three or four years, after which the oil seeps through cracks so it can be pumped out. It's relatively efficient, he explained, because it partially refines the kerogen underground and brings it to the surface as fuels requiring little processing: naphtha, diesel and kerosene.

Chevron has partnered with the Los Alamos National Laboratory to recover oil from shale formations in Colorado's Piceance Basin. Fine explained that it will use explosives underground to fractionate the shale, then inject a critical fuel, which creates a hot gas and allows extraction. The need for water and on-site production will have a heavy impact on the environment, however.

Raytheon, known for numerous military technologies, has developed the use of radio frequency, or RF, technology with contributions from partner Critical Fluids Technologies.

John Cogliandro, program manager for Raytheon's oil from shale technologies program, said the new technology is powerful and environmentally responsible. Since it doesn't use steam or heat the actual rock, there's no residue that might enter groundwater supplies, he said.

RF heats much more uniformly and quickly through radiation that targets the hydrocarbon molecules. Cogliandro added that critical fluids release and move the oil, so that the oil seeps through cracks in the shale and is pumped to the surface.

Fine said Raytheon's technology is an advance over earlier microwave feasibility tests -- dating back to the 1980s -- because it heats the shale rock more quickly and it is easier to control while deploying smaller, cost-effective equipment.

Global Resource Corp. uses microwaves to extract oil from shale. While previous microwave tests didn't experiment with different wavelengths, GRC is using a continuing microwave system with variable frequencies. Operating in a vacuum, the microwave frequencies gasify, then condense the hydrocarbons, which turn into gas and liquid oil, said a GRC spokesman.

GRC is using the technology to reinvigorate older wells as well as draw oil from tires, petroleum-based plastics and automobile shredder residue. The company has patent-pending numbers for seven different technologies, and both the U.S. Energy Department and the state of Pennsylvania have given GRC a capped well for experimentation.

GRC CEO Frank Pringle said interest is growing, despite skepticism about the technology: "I know what my process can accomplish, but there's a lot of prejudice against us."

Raytheon is seeking to license its know-how to energy companies that are better able to apply the technology in the field. Oil companies experimenting with shale have shown significant interest in Raytheon's technique, but Cogliandro doesn't think they'll abandon current approaches.

"You'll see a lot of pilot projects out in the field being tested. They're going to find where certain technologies work best and then they'll analyze the economics of each," Cogliandro said.

Cogliandro has also received samples of oil sands, or "heavies," from Oklahoma and Texas on which to test the technology. Raytheon's methods had been tried successfully with Canada's tar sands and should work with the heavier oil sands, he said.

Both Raytheon and GRC say their technologies use one barrel of oil's worth of energy to produce 4.5 barrels of shale oil compared to one barrel for 3.5 barrels using older methods.

Boak said these technologies will have to prove how they can do as well or better than the newest techniques in the field.

"The big question for shale oil and heavy oil processing is how far you can make those waves reach out into the rock," said Boak. He emphasized the importance of field tests given the uncertainty in geological formations. GRC said the microwaves can be used as far down as can be drilled.

If the technology leads to commercial viability, only limited investment in refinery extensions and pipeline spurs will be needed because the industry can make use of existing regional refineries.

Honorable Members United States House of Representatives Washington, D.C.

Dear Representative,

You are currently considering H.R. 980, the Public Safety employer-Employee Cooperation Act. This ill conceived legislation would expand federal power into the area of local labor relations in an unprecedented and dangerous manner. We, the undersigned organizations, call on you to do everything in your power to defeat this blatant pay-off to organized labor.

H.R. 980, and the Kildee Substitute, fail as positive public policy on a number of counts. First, and foremost, the legislation would interject the heavy hand of the federal government into one of the most vital public services offered by local governments. Public safety employees and employers are, today, working in cooperation. A large portion of public safety employees currently bargain collectively with their employers. Others, at the discretion and decision of citizens on the local level, do not. It is a clear violation of the very concept of separation of powers and the concept of local control to now mandate a standard alien to the local desires or needs.

Second, H.R. 980 amounts to an unfunded mandate by Congress on state and local governments. Inevitably labor policies dictated by federal bureaucrats will increase costs. These costs, not now deemed relevant or appropriate at the local level, will be bourn by taxes paid at the local level with no financial support from Congress. It is patently unjust for Congress to impose this burden on local taxpayers, especially when there is no need to do so.

Finally, it is the height of hypocrisy for Congress to dictate local labor policies for public safety employees when it is law that numerous federal public safety employees are

expressly prohibited from engaging in collective bargaining. Congress has no moral right to impose higher costs, diminished local control, and inflexibility on local governments while it operates in a completely opposition manner.

H.R. 980 is not legislation dealing with public safety or security. It is a raw, blatant pay-off to union officials. Failing to attract members on their merits, unions have turned to their allies in Congress to have government impose them on workers.

We call on you to publicly declare your opposition to this destructive legislation. If, through whatever circumstance, you are listed as a co-sponsor of H.R. 980, we urge you to remove your name from this travesty and join the overwhelming majority of Americans who support the right of localities and states to determine their own labor policies free of the dictates of union officials or the federal government.

Sincerely,

Will fine Executive Director National Alliance for Worker and Employer Rights

Grover Norquist President Americans for Tax Reform

Ryan Ellis Executive Director Alliance for Worker Freedom

Paul M. Weyrich National Chairman Coalitions for America

Richard Falknor Executive Vice-President Maryland Taxpayers Association, Inc.

Jim Martin President 60+ Association

Colin Hanna President Let Freedom Ring

Dan Tripp Director of Government Relations Americans for Limited Government

Tim Phillips President Americans for Prosperity

Chuck Muth President Citizens Outreach

Mike Chmura* Americans for the Preservation of Liberty

Amy Ridenour* President The National Center for Public Policy Research

*Organizations listed for identification purposes only