If Union Workers Currently Are Getting Such a Great Deal...

Wis. unions rush deals ahead of bargaining law - 14 Mar 2011 at 7:01pm - MADISON, Wis. -- School boards and local governments across Wisconsin are rushing to reach agreements with unions before a new law takes effect and erases their ability to collectively bargain over nearly all issues other than minimal salary increases.

... -- as the tea-partiers & other anti-union types seem to believe -- why would school boards & local governments be rushing to reach agreements with them before the new law takes effect?

In the News: Dec-02

N.Y. lawmakers set for final vote on gay marriage - 2 Dec 2009 at 2:47pm - The outcome of the vote, which could send the bill to Gov. David Paterson's desk for his signature, remains in doubt.

U.S. approves first "ethical" human stem cell lines - 2 Dec 2009 at 1:48pm - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government approved the first 13 batches of human embryonic stem cells on Wednesday, enabling researchers using them to get millions of dollars in federal funding as promised by President Barack Obama in March.

Big developing states reject Copenhagen climate plan - 2 Dec 2009 at 1:42pm - NEW DELHI/LONDON (Reuters) - China and other big developing nations rejected core targets for a climate deal such as halving world greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 just five days before talks start in Copenhagen, diplomats said on Wednesday.

Blackwater founder Prince feels thrown under bus - 2 Dec 2009 at 12:42pm - RALEIGH, N.C. -- The man who built Blackwater USA into one of the world's most respected and reviled defense contractors feels that he was thrown under the bus after serving the nation's security interests for years.

Thought for the day:
You can lead a man to Congress, but you can't make him think. -Milton Berle (1908 - 2002)

In the News: Nov-30

Obama sets new Afghan strategy - 30 Nov 2009 at 2:58pm - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Monday was prepared to announce he will deploy about 30,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan as part of a new strategy that will stress a U.S. intention to ultimately exit the country.

Sarkozy: French troops to stay in Afghanistan - 30 Nov 2009 at 2:25pm - President Nicolas Sarkozy said Monday that French troops will stay in Afghanistan "as long as necessary" to stabilize the country.

Obama gives order to begin new Afghan strategy - 30 Nov 2009 at 1:32pm - U.S. President Barack Obama ordered military officials to begin carrying out his new strategy in Afghanistan, two days before his speech to unveil a plan that includes the deployment of thousands of more troops.

Supreme Court rules to keep detainee abuse photos secret - 30 Nov 2009 at 1:28pm - WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court did all it could Monday to lock up forever some incendiary photos that show U.S. soldiers abusing foreign prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan.

U.K. to confirm 500 more troops heading to Afghanistan - 30 Nov 2009 at 12:42pm - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's office says he will confirm that 500 extra U.K. troops are heading to Afghanistan.

0.1% GDP growth signals recession's end - 30 Nov 2009 at 9:34am - The Canadian economy expanded 0.1 per cent in the third quarter, the first quarterly gain since the third quarter of 2008.

Thought for the day:
To go beyond is as wrong as to fall short. -Confucius (551 BC - 479 BC)

In the News: Nov-02

Congress extends benefits to military spouses - 2 Nov 2009 at 3:02pm - WASHINGTON -- Congress is sending to the president a bill that allows military spouses to claim residency in the same state as their wives or husbands.

Court rejects Pa. buffer law on abortion clinics - 2 Nov 2009 at 1:34pm - PITTSBURGH -- A federal appeals court has struck down an ordinance that created two types of buffer zones around medical facilities after a Christian legal group challenged the law on behalf of a nurse who protests abortions.

U.S. court denies Maher Arar's appeal - 2 Nov 2009 at 12:39pm - A U.S. court of appeal on Monday denied Syrian-born Canadian Maher Arar the right to sue the United States over his deportation to Syria, where he was tortured.

Karzai wins as Afghan run-off cancelled - 2 Nov 2009 at 7:53am - Afghan President Hamid Karzai was declared the victor of the war-torn country's presidential election as the election commission cancelled a run-off vote after his opponent withdrew.

Diplomat: US engaged in 'civil war' in Afghanistan - 2 Nov 2009 at 7:25am - WASHINGTON -- A Foreign Service officer who resigned in protest over U.S. policy in Afghanistan says America shouldn't be bogged down in "a civil war" in South Asia.

Cheney FBI interview: 72 instances of can't recall - 2 Nov 2009 at 6:34am - WASHINGTON -- Federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald famously declared in the Valerie Plame affair that "there is a cloud over the vice president." Last week's release of an FBI interview summary of Dick Cheney's answers in the criminal investigation underscores why Fitzgerald felt that way.

Thought for the day:
When a man says he approves of something in principle, it means he hasn't the slightest intention of putting it into practice. -Otto von Bismarck (1815 - 1898)

In the News: Oct-30

Obama lifts U.S. entry ban for those with HIV - 30 Oct 2009 at 1:44pm - President Obama said Friday the U.S. will overturn a 20-year-old U.S. travel ban against people with HIV early next year.

Ottawa's Omar Khadr legal costs top $1.3M: report - 30 Oct 2009 at 2:21pm - The Canadian government has spent more than $1.3 million in its legal fight against Omar Khadr, according to a published report Friday.

White House backs Clinton's Pakistan remarks - 30 Oct 2009 at 1:18pm - WASHINGTON -- The White House is standing behind Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's blunt suggestion that Pakistani officials know where top terrorists are hiding.

Intelligence spending rises again to $49.8 billion - 30 Oct 2009 at 11:15am - WASHINGTON -- U.S. spy agencies spent $49.8 billion in fiscal year 2009, $2 billion more than in 2008 and the second such multibillion-dollar increase in as many years.

Thought for the day:
Idealism is fine, but as it approaches reality the cost becomes prohibitive. -William F. Buckley Jr.

In the News: Oct-29

Feds: Chinese drywall reports still inconclusive - 29 Oct 2009 at 2:41pm - WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Federal studies released Thursday cannot yet definitively link imported Chinese drywall to health problems or corrosion of pipes and wires that thousands of U.S. homeowners have been reporting for nearly a year.

House unveils $894 billion healthcare bill - 29 Oct 2009 at 2:36pm - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives unveiled a broad healthcare overhaul on Thursday that would transform the insurance market, create a government-run insurance plan and levy new taxes on the rich.

Obama restores private intel board's key power - 29 Oct 2009 at 11:59am - WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama has restored an independent intelligence advisory board's authority to tell the attorney general if it thinks an intelligence agency has broken the law.

Recession unofficially ends as economy grows 3.5 percent - 29 Oct 2009 at 9:22am - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. economy grew in the third quarter for the first time in a year, beating market expectations, as consumer spending and new home-building rebounded, signaling the end of the worst recession in 70 years.

U.N. condemns Cuba embargo by U.S. - 29 Oct 2009 at 7:59am - The United States found itself up against virtually the entire world Wednesday as country after country at the United Nations denounced the nearly 50-year-old trade embargo against Cuba, which the island government says is as strong as ever under President Barack Obama.

Iran wants big changes to draft atom deal with powers - 29 Oct 2009 at 7:22am - TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran will seek major revisions to a U.N.-draft nuclear fuel deal, including shipping abroad its low-enriched uranium (LEU) in stages rather than all at once, a pro-government newspaper reported on Thursday.

Obama considering scaled-down Afghan war plan - 29 Oct 2009 at 6:47am - WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama is considering a scaled-down version of the war plan advanced by his top Afghanistan commander, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, U.S. officials say.

Thought for the day:
An economist is an expert who will know tommorrow why the things he predicted yesterday didn't happen today. -Laurence J. Peter (1919 - 1988)

In the News: Oct-28

House Democrats prepare to unveil health bill - 28 Oct 2009 at 1:56pm - House Democrats have all but finalized a sweeping health care bill that would reshape the medical system, requiring nearly everyone to purchase coverage and creating a new government insurance plan for the middle class.

New home sales drop, durable goods orders up - 28 Oct 2009 at 2:03pm - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sales of new U.S. homes unexpectedly tumbled in September, their first drop in six months, underscoring the hazards to an economic recovery even as businesses appeared to be stepping up investment.

Military suicides rise in 2008 - 28 Oct 2009 at 8:49am - More Canadian soldiers killed themselves in 2008 than the year before, but the overall suicide rate has remained steady throughout the war in Afghanistan, says a military study.

Thought for the day:
Now and then an innocent man is sent to the legislature. -Kin Hubbard (1868 - 1930)