Short-Term Solidarity

The labor union movement has sounded the alarm for action as a result of the spark in Wisconsin. As the public sector groups protest the proposals of Governor Walker and the GOP, many private sector unions have chosen to join them as proof of “worker solidarity.” All over the nation public and private unions are linking arms to “prevent the exploitation of the working class.” Too late. The very fact that so many workers appear at these protests is evidence of their exploitation by their leaders…the union bosses. Many of us are familiar with the socialist/communist roots of the early labor movement. Based on Marx’s “workers of the world unite” and his proletariat revolution, the leftist leanings of the movement have been suppressed but never totally extinguished. The organized labor movement has arrived at a fork in the road in Madison, Wisconsin, and neither path promises a rosy outcome for the membership.

Across the country on Saturday and in many places around the globe, the labor movement has demonstrated that it will not tolerate any attempt to deny what it demands. Whatever the leaders of the movement fail to detect is that their loud and violent protests may lead to their further decline. Imagine if you will, that a snake lays an egg, and when the egg hatches, the newly emerged baby snake consumes its mother. Perhaps you prefer the praying mantis analogy. After breeding the female chomps the head off the male. Either of these illustrations could provide the scene that may occur when public sector unions overwhelm the private sector ones. Private sector unions have long promoted increasing government’s size and reach. Primarily through the electoral process they have supported candidates and issues that have been committed to a larger more intrusive public sector. For the world-wide Marxist movement the efforts have been incrementally successful, and the domestic unions—leaders and members—have advanced the agenda with gusto.

Rough estimates indicate that around 7% of the United States’ work force belongs to private sector unions. The decline in union membership and influence has been dramatic. On the other hand, the public sector union membership has been ballooning so rapidly that it now approaches the private sector number. Accelerated growth of government at all levels leads to a massive increase in public sector union membership and power. The erosion of the private sector unions has prompted their leaders and organizers to become more aggressive with their efforts to expand and organize the public realm. Common sense dictates that if you want union efficacy, you go where the jobs are being created…of government, by government and for government. Hmmm…sounds like a speech from dishonest Abe, patron saint of government control. Union leaders understand power and how to use it. Add to their awareness the historic purpose of the labor movement, and it makes sense for the union leadership to be supportive of public sector employee organizations. For private sector union members in the U.S the issues may not be so clearly defined.

The membership of the private sector unions are people, workers. They are taxpayers. It has been noted throughout the public union protests that the “goodie packages” for them are generally much better than for their private sector cohorts. In addition there has been an immense amount of pressure on the private sector units to concede some of their earlier gains in order for their companies to survive. As their membership dwindles and their benefit packages become less gaudy, the members see the public sector…the AFSCME members, the NEA and AFT members…clamoring for more and dismissing concessions as a strategy. On the one hand the private sector members may wish to encourage the public employees, but on the other hand the private sector members realize that it’s their taxes that pay for the government employees. It is their taxes that underwrite failing schools. Their tax payments provide the funds for the indifferent and impolite clerk at the DMV. They will comprehend that as the public sector becomes larger and more powerful, it will cost them a lot more money…and more liberty.

Many thanks to Fred LeFebvre of “Fred LeFebvre and the Morning News”, WSPD-1370AM, Toledo. Fred planted the seed for this column with a good-natured rant early Thursday morning February 24^th. Also many kudos to the columnists at www.LewRockwell.com  who have nibbled on the edges of this phenomenon. The private sector union leaders will forge on in the public sector, but their members will wise up and reject their nudging, pushing, threats and promises. The union label may be fading.

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Littlestuff Weekender-2-26-2011

For the past four Littlestuff Weekenders I’ve listed the enumerated powers from Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution. Today we’ll do a “quickie” analysis of some of them, and cover the remainder next week. As we go forward, we intend to follow a similar process with the Amendments and the other Articles.

Congress has the “power” to collect taxes. That is not a mandate. Duties (manufacturing fees), Imposts (tariffs, import and export) and Excise (Sales). There is no Constitutional provision for taxing labor or income. The 16^th Amendment was designed to change that. Also, the taxes levied shall be uniform throughout the nation…hmmm, might find some clinkers regarding this clause.

Congress has the “power” to pay the debts---it doesn’t say they can do it with ”funny money.”

Provide for the common defense—not aggressive offense, not selective defense.

Provide for the general welfare—progressives, and their judges, have been driving trucks through this clause. When you examine the discussions surrounding ratification, you discover that providing for the general welfare was specifically intended to limit congressional goodie-packaging to legislation that benefited everyone in every state. No picking winners and losers. No localized pork barrel spending. No coercive bribery grants to states who comply with unconstitutional mandates. Nearly all domestic expenditures by the federal government are in violation of the intent of this clause.

To borrow money. Yes, that one they understand.

To regulate commerce—foreign, domestic and with tribes: On the domestic front their purpose is to assure free flowing goods and services among the states. This clause, too, has been repeatedly misused to allow the federal to regulate everything.

The uniform rule of naturalization was included to assure that a legal immigrant who met the federal criteria would be considered a citizen of the United States in every state.

Uniform bankruptcy laws may soon be tested for their application to states and other local governments.

Our analysis is a mere one quarter of the way through one section of the Constitution, and it is extremely difficult to discover just one enumerated power that is currently implemented as the Founders designed it.

We’ve added some additional outlets for our columns. We can now be found at the Campaign for Liberty and the Tea Party Nation. Here are the links:

www.campaignforliberty.com/usa/OH/

www.teapartynation.com/profiles/blog/list

Over the course of my life, I’ve had friends who were public sector employees and teachers. Years ago they were vastly underpaid when compared to most of corporate America. The times have changed. The public sector is no longer the poverty-stricken stepchild. Their pay and benefits are far more favorable than are those for their private sector cohorts. That’s not good enough these days. Because the public sector has been unionized by some of the most leftist organizations in the nation (and world), they’ve gone from underpaid public servants to greedy, demanding, socialistic and threatening mobs. Their fanaticism will lead to their demise. Rather than assuming a reasonable posture, their strident demands and threats of violence will force many states and local governments to dissolve the contracts and begin anew (please re-apply for your new non-union job). Their incessant cries of “union busters” will become self-fulfilling prophecy as they whine, moan, groan, scream and holler about every little concession in these dire economic circumstances. They will over play their hand, and they will lose.

So, is it intimidation or theater? The goings-on at our various state capitols are dramatic. Can they be serious?

There is a great program coming to Cincinnati on March 5^th sponsored by the Tenth Amendment Center and co-sponsored by Ohio Liberty Council, Cincinnati 912 Project, Cincinnati Tea Party.

                                Nullify Now! Cincinnati

Saturday March 5^th, 6:00pm at the Harriet Tubman Theater,

50 East Freedom Way, Cincinnati, OH, 45202

Speakers include: Thomas E. Woods, Jr., Jacob Huebert, Maurice Thompson, Michael Boldin and more

Harold Thomas and Jeremiah Arn will be attending, and we hope to see you there, too. Go to the website of one of the sponsoring organizations for tickets.

Never take your liberty for granted, or someone else will take it away.

Here’s a short essay by Frederick Bastiat that I suggest you read.  “The Law” You can get a download here.

http://fee.org/wp-contents/uploads/2008/11/thelaw-2008.pdf

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Border Line

Today’s column addresses an issue that I haven’t previously written about on these pages…our southern border. As a Libertarian, I support, in the purest sense, the notion that restricting borders is antithetical to liberty. True freedom includes the right to move about without constraint as long as an individual respects the lives and property of others. Aha! There’s the rub. As a Libertarian, I believe that an individual owns his/her own life, labor and property…otherwise identified as free will. Libertarians also subscribe to the foundational precept that the initiation of force is an anathema. We do not oppose a  fast, furious and final response when we are threatened or assaulted, but we adamantly oppose the use of force to impose one’s will (see IRS, ATF, DEA and a host of others).

To get our arms around the situation on our southern border (and northern, too), I’ll arbitrarily identify four groups of illegal border crossers. The first represents those Mexicans, Central Americans and South Americans who risk arrest to enter the United States for employment and opportunity. We’ll call them…the ants. The second cluster of people sneaks into our country to take advantage of the generous social welfare system. We’ll label them …the roaches. A third element of illegal immigration includes smugglers and their mules—drugs, guns, any contraband. These are multiple lawbreakers and are potentially dangerous. (We’ll deal with the drug issue in a later column). We’ll identify this group as the tarantulas. A final group includes those from all over the world who enter the United States with the sole intent to do harm to our citizens and their property. They are the scorpions.

Now we have the new border crossing taxonomy for illegal entrants into the United States. We have two insects and two arachnids, but because they all look like bugs, that’s close enough. You’ll note that the “ant” has historically been identified as a worker whereas the cockroach is a dirty disease carrier that avoids the daylight. The tarantula and the scorpion possess lethal capacity and are never to be trusted…or fondled. For the moment I’d like to concentrate on the overview of the issue.

First, because of the tarantulas and scorpions, it is vital that our borders be secured. No “ifs, ands or buts.” For decades the federal government has been derelict in its duty of providing a national defense. When borders as large as ours are so porous that nearly anyone can sneak into the country, the Congress, the Executive branch and the federal judiciary have committed impeachable offenses given the tenor of the times. Instead, the government has focused its efforts on the general population at large by severely restricting OUR freedoms through such devices as the Patriot Act and overzealous body groping by the TSA. Clearly the government is more willing to control our citizens than it is committed to limiting the access of nefarious killers who would do us harm. These priorities must be addressed and reversed. When any of these dangerous characters is apprehended, justice should be swift and firm.

My remedy for the issue of southern border leakage is to first SECURE THE BORDER. If we would close the bulk of our military bases in some 140 countries around the world and bring those troops back home, they could be deployed with the respective state guard organizations. The re-deployed regulars could be sent to theater (another column), and the guard could come home. With the guard as the primary lead force on the border, posse commitatus ceases to be the major legal concern. Also the wall/fence/barrier must be built. Plant land mines, if necessary.

Stop the benefits…immediately. Understandably if individual states and communities wish to continue providing benefits for “undocumented aliens,” they can do so…without any federal assistance whether direct, indirect or fungible. The responsibility must remain wholly within the entity that chooses to subsidize illegals. Also, the anchor baby program should be abolished along with the ability to invite extended family members. These measures should go a long way toward addressing the issues of the cockroaches.

Finally, wait a reasonable length of time…perhaps a year or so. At that point we should re-examine the situation. If we continue to have twelve to twenty million illegal aliens in country, then more stringent measures may be necessary. If, on the other hand, the illegal population becomes much smaller and the vast majority of those here are productive contributors, then a legitimate and restrictive pathway to citizenship could be devised. The ants would be given an opportunity to participate as citizens in our free-market country.

This is not a perfect solution. In fact if government were to adopt it, they most certainly would do it imperfectly. Government is incompetent and thoughtless. But if they were to implement this plan, we might be somewhat safer and the costs for our social services could be somewhat lower. Perhaps.

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Pleasant Dreams

Saturday evening while I was doing some organizational work around my office, studio and man cave, I had RFD-TV on the big screen. They were showing an old black and white “Porter Wagoner Show.” His musical guest was Tex Ritter who sang his classic “Hillbilly Heaven.” That was my inspiration for this column: “Pleasant Dreams.”

I dreamed I was there in Political Heaven

With people who did great things.

All were believers in liberty

Though none were wearing angel wings.

There in the far corner

A redhead was giving a narration,

About a steamy Philly summer

And writing the Declaration.

To his side an elderly gent

Sat with spectacles askew

He was there at the formation

Of a republic so new.

Into their presence

Strode a diminutive man

Of mighty stature and demeanor

With a Constitution in  hand.

Two Yankees sat at a table

Doing what cousins normally do.

One was writing “Dear Abby,”

The other thinking of a brew.

Another bloke was grousing.

Was told “Don’t be a pain.”

He said he couldn’t help it

‘cause that was his family name.

Another Yankee walked in the place.

A merchant with wealth untold

Who gave it up for liberty

And signed his name so bold.

The first state to ratify

Had a little Caesar.

He was a freedom fighter

And a sickly geezer.

In the door came Patrick.

Very alive, you see,

For he favored death to come

If there were no Liberty.

A tallish man rose up,

And out the door he went.

In one voice the assembly said,

“Farewell, Mr. President.”

Then, something happened.

I lost the glory I’d found,

As my body started sliding

Through the floor, then down.

Disoriented I kept falling.

Down and down I fell.

When I landed with a thud

In hot political hell.

There to greet me was Alex.

A bastard and banker was he.

He loved central banking

And its ties to tyranny.

Telling a story to the side

The Rail Splitter was animated.

He violated so many freedoms

That he’s constitutionally constipated.

Across the way stood Teddy

Looking “bully” in his olive drab.

He increased the reach of government

With his progressive wilderness grab.

Ole’ Woody was there

With his nez pierce glasses.

He and his power wife

Treated us all like asses.

“I’m Franklin,” the patrician said,

“Four times the people selected me,

And if weren’t for my death,

I’d serve through eternity.”

“You’ve done enough, FDR,

To ruin our blessed land.

You should have listened to

A little lady named Rand.”

He didn’t like my retort.

He was angry, I could see.

His feelings may be hurt,

But he stole my liberty.

Looking around the room

I saw the Texan, LBJ.

His massive Great Society

Stole more freedoms away.

Tricky Dick was there

Looking grim and sour.

His awful EPA and OSHA

Increased the government’s power.

Then I saw the Bushes two,

The father and the son.

The younger was forty-three,

The other was forty one.

Despite their words about

The government would not grow.

They never took the chance

To tell the Congress “No.”

I looked around the room

Puzzled by what I did not see

Where’s the current president?

Isn’t this where he should be?

“Oh no,” said the elder Texan,

“He’s not doing so well.

He tried to get in here,

But he’s too bad for hell.

The Devil locked the door

When Obama was on his way.

He sent him further down

To his eternal pay.”

“Whoa, wait a second,”

I caught myself thinking.

The Bushes remain alive.

What have I been drinking?

That wasn’t heaven

And this cannot be hell.

Who will believe this story?

Who is it I can tell.

Just that very moment

My alarm began to ring,

 I woke from my vivid slumber

Trying to remember everything.

I dreamed I was there

In political heaven, pray tell.

I also descended below

To overcrowded political hell.

I tell you this, my friend,

With no attempt at mirth,

Those S.O.B.’s in Hades

Have given us hell on earth.

Now we must endeavor

For a new Freedom’s birth,

And make their eternal agony

More hellish as we celebrate on earth.

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