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Rep. Allen West, [an impressive and rising Conservative] who received a derogatory letter with mysterious white powder in it last week, has some stern words for his menacing critics.
[In an email letter to constituents] West wrote, “This incident, is just another in several incidents that have occurred over the last couple of years and, have put me in quite a bad mood.”
He offered the example of a “liberal blogger publicly stating that he wanted to ‘skin me alive,’ ” and a protest outside his office led by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) “castigating me as a ‘misogynist.’ “
“I find it interesting that in all of these instances, the media simply dismissed the incidents,” West said. “One might wonder — is it open season on a principled black conservative?”-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Las Vegas Review-Journal reports: Federal transportation officials are moving to add air traffic controllers in Reno and at 26 other towers nationwide after an air ambulance carrying a critically ill patient was forced to land without guidance from a sleeping air traffic controller at Reno-Tahoe International Airport early Wednesday.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said he is "totally outraged by these incidents. This is absolutely unacceptable.
"Only in the federal government would you double up on workers, averaging $161,000 per year in salary and benefits, that aren't doing their job," Mica said. "This increase in staffing, when there is little to no traffic, also misdirects our resources and focus away from congested air traffic control facilities." http://www.lvrj.com/news/air-ambulance-lands-at-reno-airport-while-air-traffic-controller-sleeps-119778219.html
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World Net Daily reveals: A Facebook page set up to promote homosexuality to children through the "Day of Silence" organized by the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network – which was founded by President Obama's Office of Safe Schools chief Kevin Jennings – has scrubbed its site of links to pornography after several Web-savvy organizations revealed the offending offerings.
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Yahoo News writes: SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people would be added to the lengthy list of social and ethnic groups that public schools must include in social studies lessons under a landmark bill passed Thursday by the California Senate.
If the bill is adopted by the state Assembly and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown, California would become the first state to require the teaching of gay history. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110414/ap_on_re_us/us_gay_history_calif_schools
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The Blaze writes: How do the CA Teachers Association members plan to pressure California lawmakers on the tax extensions? With an allegedly $1 million budget and a 10-page action plan. You can read the organization’s full list of possible activities, but we present to you this snapshot (hat tip Hot Air):
* Target the businesses of legislators in their home districts.
* Circle the offices of “problem legislators.” Target them with various actions.
* Picket/rally in front of legislators’ offices/homes.
* Follow targeted legislators for the entire day.
* Have students and parents do informational picketing for one hour outside their school site.
* Have parents and students camp in front of schools all night.
* Have teachers being laid off contact parents and other CTA members.
* Make phone calls on Parents’ Day. Call parents to tell them how their child is doing and then talk about the budget cuts and invite them to attend the rallies.
* Turn fire/earthquake drill into crisis response drill to the budget cuts (involve students and the community)
* Attempt to close a major artery into town/cities
* Have celebrities involved in the demonstrations
* Statewide “A Day with No Teachers”
Fiscal decisions aren’t made in the Capitol. Decisions on spending and taxation are made by formulas, laws and constitutional amendments that were long ago approved — mostly by voters themselves. [Not only do the teachers unions want to put their message out there, which is fine, they are quite willing to actively involve our impressionable children in their cause. I wouldn't be surprised to learn the students get extra credit for their efforts.] http://www.theblaze.com/stories/calif-teachers-union-gives-shocking-protest-instructions-harass-legislators-shut-down-roads-co-opt-fire-drills/
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[Since 1990, labor unions have contributed around 90% of their collected campaign dollars to Democrats.] American Institute for Economic Research reports: Unions have contributed $6.5 million to the 2010 elections, and $6 million [went] to Democrats, according to the Center for Responsive Politics in Washington, D.C.
In the $787 billion stimulus spending bill passed in February, $90 billion has been earmarked to help cover the tax shortfalls in state and local government budgets due to the economic recession. Most of this money will be used to maintain or increase jobs at these levels of government, since those in political office are apparently unwilling to reduce expenditures and cut public payrolls in the face of decreased tax revenues.
Public sector unions as a whole have given around $160 million to Democratic candidates between 1990 and 2008, with donations of $6 million in 2008. [If you have the time, scan the list below. I question how the SEIU International would be allowed to contribute to an American Presidential election... Reading the list will help in understanding just why the unions and our President are so invested in supporting unions at all costs.]
| Leading Union Political Campaign Contributors 1990-2010 | |||
| Democrats | Republicans | ||
| American Fed. of State, County, Municipal Employees | $40,281,900 | $547,700 | |
| Intel Brotherhood of Electrical Workers | 29,705,600 | 679,000 | |
| National Education Association | 27,679,300 | 2,005,200 | |
| Service Employees International Union | 26,368,470 | 98,700 | |
| Communication Workers of America | 26,305,500 | 125,300 | |
| Service Employees International Union | 26,252,000 | 1,086,200 | |
| Laborers Union | 25,734,000 | 2,138,000 | |
| American Federation of Teachers | 25,682,800 | 200,000 | |
| United Auto Workers | 25,082,200 | 182,700 | |
| Teamsters Union | 24,926,400 | 1,822,000 | |
| Carpenters and Joiners Union | 24,094,100 | 2,658,000 | |
| Machinists & Aerospace Workers Union | 23,875,600 | 226,300 | |
| United Food and Commercial Workers Union | 23,182,000 | 334,200 | |
| AFL-CIO | 17,124,300 | 713,500 | |
| Sheet Metal Workers Union | 16,347,200 | 342,800 | |
| Plumbers & Pipefitters Union | 14,790,000 | 818,500 | |
| Operating Engineers Union | 13,840,000 | 2,309,500 | |
| Airline Pilots Association | 12,806,600 | 2,398,300 | |
| International Association of Firefighters | 12,421,700 | 2,685,400 | |
| United Transportation Workers | 11,807,000 | 1,459,300 | |
| Ironworkers Union | 11,638,900 | 936,000 | |
| American Postal Workers Union | 11,633,100 | 544,300 | |
| Nat'l Active & Retired Fed. Employees Association | 8,135,400 | 2,294,600 | |
| Seafarers International Union | 6,726,800 | 1,281,300 | |
| Source: Center for Responsive Politics, Washington, D.C. | |||
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CNS News writes: Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who waged a tough political battle with government union employees in his state earlier this year, told CNSNews.com that collective bargaining is not a basic human right. http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/gov-scott-walker-collective-bargaining-n
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Free Republic reports on the bias of our Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis: [she] has taken her gloves off in the ongoing war within the states. And her supporters are aching for more. In a speech before a partisan audience at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C. last Saturday, Solis proclaimed solidarity with Wisconsin public-sector unions and their supporters who have all but shut down the state legislature in protest of Republican Gov. Scott Walker's proposals to curb public spending.
Speaking before the closing session of the Democratic National Committee winter meeting, she urged her troops: "The fight is on. We work together. We help those embattled states right now where public employees are under assault." Such comments won her standing ovations. But they also underscored the extent to which the current administration views "labor" and "organized labor" as interchangeable.
Solis wasted little time justifying her supporters' hopes. During the first few months in 2009, she rolled back expanded financial reporting requirements for financial reporting forms LM-2 and LM-30, drawn up and finalized during the Bush administration. These requirements came about because her immediate predecessor, Elaine Chao, saw a real need to combat widespread union corruption. With the help of another radical Obama appointment, Solicitor Trisha Smith, Solis also created a program to hire union members and allied volunteers to monitor potential private-sector wage and hour violations. And she's launched a new DOL program, "We Can Help," that seeks to stop private-sector workplace exploitation, but which, as Solis herself hastened to announce, covers all workers regardless of immigration status. "Admittedly, I am a little biased," she told the audience. "I come from a union household." http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2682606/posts
The UAW agrees: www.uaw.org/node/3134
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