Go to www.honda.co.uk/civic and click on Watch.

Watch the commercial and the rehearsal.

Via Betsy the AFL-CIO is demanding that the Democrats withdraw their 2008 convention from Denver because Governor Ritter (D) vetoed Colorado House bill 1072. The unions are losing membership. They want more members (more dues to spend). They are trying to get the state and federal governments to ease the voting rules for unionization.

WASHINGTON – National AFL officials seem determined to remove any remaining doubt in anybody’s mind that Gov. Bill Ritter did the right thing in February by vetoing Colorado House bill 1072. That hurriedly approved measure repealed a long-standing Colorado law requiring that, once a company’s employees approve a union, they have a second, secret-ballot vote on how dues will be assessed, with a 75 percent supermajority required for approval.
Why is the AFL-CIO so worried about an obscure Colorado bill? Because the vetoed measure was of a piece with the “Employee Free Choice Act of 2007” now being rushed through Congress by national Democrats, led by Rep. George Miller, D-Calif. That bill abolishes all secret ballot voting in union representation contests. Doing away with workers’ right to cast a secret ballot when voting on whether to unionize is the AFL-CIO’s top national priority because union leaders think it will help them reverse their decades-long slide in membership. Less than 10 percent of all private sector workers now belong to unions.

The main problem the unions are having is really that they are pretty much obsolete. Way back when, the unions got workers the 40 hour work week, better working conditions, worker safety, breaks, overtime pay for more than 40 hours, they got children out of the workforce.

Since then, however, the state and federal governments have legislated and regulated what the unions had previously negotiated. Employment of minors is regulated. Children must be a certain age and there are jobs that some children are not permitted to do. Your typical 17-year-old generally doesn’t work in the deli of the grocery store because that 17-year-old is not permitted to work the slicing machines. The hours a week a teen works are limited as well as the hours of the day. Some can work no later than 7 p.m., some no later than 9 p.m. Teens can also be required to obtain a work permit in order to work.

Go into any place of business and look at the Department of Labor posters (or just click the link and you can see the posters and regulations as to which are to posted where and by whom). These are mandated to be posted to ensure that all employees are aware of their rights. The law mandates overtime pay for work over 40 hours, the law mandates breaks. OSHA was established in 1971 ensuring (perhaps over-ensuring) worker safety.

There seems to be a general feeling that the unions have outlived their usefulness. Unionized employees are more difficult to fire, even for cause, than private employees. Private employees still have recourse if they feel they were fired unfairly. Private employees still have recourse if they feel they were unfairly treated or discriminated against.

Private employers, however, don’t have to keep nonproductive workers on the payroll such as the teachers in New York City who are paid to come in and sit in a “rubber room” all day because the system can not trust them with the very children they were supposed to be teaching.

In New York City, it’s “just about impossible” to fire a bad teacher, says Schools Chancellor Joel Klein. The new union contract offers some relief, but it’s still about 200 pages of bureaucracy. “We tolerate mediocrity,” said Klein, because “people get paid the same, whether they’re outstanding, average or way below average.”

Here’s just one example from New York City: It took years to fire a teacher who sent sexually oriented e-mails to “Cutie 101,” a 16-year-old student. Klein said, “He hasn’t taught, but we have had to pay him, because that’s what’s required under the contract.”

Only after six years of litigation were they able to fire him. In the meantime, they paid the teacher more than $300,000. Klein said he employs dozens of teachers who he’s afraid to let near the kids, so he has them sit in what are called rubber rooms. This year he will spend $20 million dollars to warehouse teachers in five rubber rooms. It’s an alternative to firing them. In the last four years, only two teachers out of 80,000 were fired for incompetence. Klein’s office says the new contract will make it easier to get rid of sex offenders, but it will still be difficult to fire incompetent teachers.

And the GM Job Bank where autoworkers come in every day and just sit around for $31 an hour.

Ken Pool is making good money. On weekdays, he shows up at 7 a.m. at Ford Motor Co.’s Michigan Truck Plant in Wayne, signs in, and then starts working — on a crossword puzzle. Pool hates the monotony, but the pay is good: more than $31 an hour, plus benefits.

“We just go in and play crossword puzzles, watch videos that someone brings in or read the newspaper,” he says. “Otherwise, I’ve just sat.”

Pool is one of more than 12,000 American autoworkers who, instead of installing windshields or bending sheet metal, spend their days counting the hours in a jobs bank set up by Detroit automakers and Delphi Corp. as part of an extraordinary job security agreement with the United Auto Workers union.

The jobs bank programs were the price the industry paid in the 1980s to win UAW support for controversial efforts to boost productivity through increased automation and more flexible manufacturing.

Add in the defined benefits programs that the unions still insist on even though defined benefits programs can bankrupt companies (and governments).

Unions are obsolete. The market does a good job of setting wages. If someone doesn’t think they are being paid enough, they can go for another job, or learn new skills to get a better paying job. Like WalMart, if people didn’t want to work there they wouldn’t apply. WalMart would have no workers and would go out of business.

LGF has the entire UK Channel Four documentary.

UK Channel Four’s Official Great Global Warming Swindle Site.

Today would have been his 73rd birthday. Here he is with my mother, my sister and I about 40 years ago (I’m the one in the red shirt).

Miss you Daddy.

I heard this on Fox News today and I was flabbergasted I tell you, flabbergasted!

Jon Scott: Take you to the Nation’s Capitol now as we look live at the White House. That building is reeling after the conviction of Lewis (Scooter) Libby the former Chief of Staff to Vice President Dick Cheney. This, along with the Walter Reed Army Medical Center Scandal and investigations into the mass firing of U.S. Attorneys, how will the Bush Administration handle all of this intense scrutiny? Joining us now, Jane Fleming, she is a Democratic strategist and Executive Director of Young Voter PAC and John Hancock, he is a Republican strategist. Welcome to both of you.

Jane Fleming: Thank you.

Jon Scott: John, dark days at the White House?

John Hancock: Well every administration goes through its trouble and this is a troubling time at the White House but I will tell you that the President has responded very effectively, particularly to the Walter Reed situation, putting the bipartisan commission together is a very good move and the I think you’re going to see this White House come out of this much more stronger and ready to lead our nation.

Jon Scott: Jane, Mary Matalin says only in this day and age could a guy like Sandy Berger stuff documents in his socks, walk out, you know, get busted for it and wind up with no jail time. And Scooter Libby winds up facing maybe a few years for getting, in her words, “confused about when he told stories to certain reporters.”

Jane Fleming: He didn’t get confused. Karl Rove knew about this, Dick Cheney knew about this, and Scooter Libby, who was the highest ranking White House official, he’s at the assistant to the President, [ed note: She has misspoken, Scooter Libby was with the Vice President’s office, not the President’s office and how can an assistant be the highest ranking White House official?] knew about this. It is a major problem. He outed a secret service agent [ed note: Secret Service Agents are part of Treasury, not CIA] and he put lives at risk. Not only hers, but others as well.

Jon Scott: But Fitzgerald said that the outing of the agent was actually done by Richard Armitage, a guy who was, although he was in the administration, was an opponent of the Iraq war.

Jane Fleming: That’s actually not true. And I know that that is a talking point that’s out there now, but that’s actually not true. [ed note: What!?! Bob Novak, the recipient of the outing says that Armitage did the outing. Armitage says Armitage did the outing. Is she perhaps referring to Scott’s statement that Fitz said Armitage was the leaker? Doing a Google search on fitzgerald armitage plame we find many articles stating categorically that Fitzgerald knew that Armitage was the actual leaker, he may not have come out and said it, but this only applies if she was stating that Fitz saying it was not true. If she’s saying that Armitage wasn’t the leaker then where’s her proof? She just states “That’s actually not true” and that’s it. No more. Ms. Fleming: You need to back up statements like that. Mr. Scott: Why didn’t you call her on that?] Most important is how Bush is reacting to this. He actually told an aide when he heard the news to put out a statement expressing sadness for Libby. What the statement should be saying is condemning his behavior and living up to the word that Bush said months ago when this story first broke, that he would make sure that anyone that had anything to do with this leak would be fired and brought to justice. He has not done that. [Ed. note: He didn’t have to fire Libby, Libby resigned. Libby was tried and convicted. Armitage is no longer with State and will not be charged. What more does Ms. Fleming want? Oh, I know, she wants the Vice President and Karl Rove fired and tried as well. Not gonna happen lady. Fitz said yesterday that he doesn’t see any more charges coming out of this investigation.] He should condemn the behavior and make sure to get to the bottom of this case.

Jon Scott: John, what’s your reaction to that?

John Hancock: These people are amazing. The double standards the Democrats employ are absolutely amazing. Where was this rhetoric when Bill Clinton was committing perjury? Where was this rhetoric when Sandy Berger was stuffing those documents into his clothing? The reality here is that it is important to find good people to work in government and the President, by and large, has done a tremendous job bringing highly capable, qualified, professional individuals into this government…

Jane Fleming: {interrupting] Katrina, that’s high…

John Hancock: …that’s why you see our economy doing… it’s why you see our economy…

Jane Fleming: {interrupting} Katrina’s a great example. He does bring in the people who have the knowledge they need to make sure… look at Abu Ghraib, look at Katrina, look at the Walter Reed scandal. There are [sic] scandal after scandal that the White House has got to respond to that they don’t.

Jon Scott: John Hancock and Jane Fleming…

John Hancock: This White House is responding effectively.

Jon Scott: We have to say good-bye. Thank you both.

Comments?

Breaking….

Libby verdict to be read at noon Eastern, 11 Central…

Guilty on four of five counts, the Cooper charge (Count 3) not guilty.

Fitzgerald’s Libby site.

He will appeal for sure.

Tom at JustOneMinute has lots and lots – scroll down…

Pelosi:

“Today’s guilty verdicts are not solely about the acts of one individual.

“This trial provided a troubling picture of the inner workings of the Bush Administration. The testimony unmistakably revealed – at the highest levels of the Bush Administration – a callous disregard in handling sensitive national security information and a disposition to smear critics of the war in Iraq.

Fitz doesn’t see any further charges being filed in this matter.

I’m looking for Harry Reid’s press release on this. Found it.

“I welcome the jury’s verdict. It’s about time someone in the Bush Administration has been held accountable for the campaign to manipulate intelligence and discredit war critics. Lewis Libby has been convicted of perjury, but his trial revealed deeper truths about Vice President Cheney’s role in this sordid affair. Now President Bush must pledge not to pardon Libby for his criminal conduct.”

It’s Casimir Pulaski day and here in Illinois the kids are off school. I didn’t get this day off school when I was a kid, this one’s new…

Casimir Pulaski was a Polish Cavalry general who is widely considered the “Father of the American Cavalry” (source) He worked with General Washington to train up the American Cavalry. Casimir Pulaski’s birthday was March 4th and his birthday is celebrated on the first Monday in March.

Chicago has the largest Polish population outside of Poland and honoring a Polish Revolutionary War Hero here makes sense. Chicago also has a major road named after him.

One thing I noticed, here in Illinois his name is pronounced Poo-lass-key but in New England I noticed that the name is pronounced Poo-lass-sky. How would you pronounce it?
**changed the pronunciation “words” to make it clearer**

Linked by Basil’s Blog. Thanks.

To all our Jewish friends, Happy Purim!

From the Purim on the Net website:

Purim is the most festive of Jewish holidays, a time of prizes, noisemakers, costumes and treats. The Festival of Purim commemorates a major victory over oppression and is recounted in the Megillah, the scroll of the story of Esther. Purim takes place on the fourteenth and fifteenth days of Adar, the twelfth month of the Jewish calendar. This year (2007) Purim begins at sundown on the 03rd of March

We’re watching For Your Consideration this evening, a movie about the Oscar buzz surrounding three actors in the film Home for Purim, a 1940’s period piece…

My sister’s mother-in-law, “S” is in the hospital. She had breast cancer, and was in remission, but the cancer has returned and metastasized. It is now lurking everywhere.

Please pray that “S” remains comfortable and can finish all her business in her remaining time with us.

Via the “magic” of the Inline Trackback and Pingbacks plugin (works with WP 2.1) by Slobokan of Slobokan’s Site O’Schtuff trackbacks show up right on the front page of a post here at Musing Minds.

Link to this post from yours and send a trackback ping to

http://musing-minds.com/2007/03/02/friday-open-trackback-party/trackback/

and lets have a party!

I’ll feel really bad if there isn’t even one trackback….