Kennedy Demonstrates Lack of Principles to the Very End

Like I was sayin… what’s good for you now might not be good for you later.  Ailing Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy wants to roll back a law that he pushed for that removes the power of the state governor to appoint a replacement senator.

In 2004, he was concerned that John Kerry would win the presidential elections forcing then Republican Mitt Romney to appoint a replacement senator.  Kennedy was concerned that Romney would appoint a republican so he pushed for a law that required an election within five months of the seat becoming vacant leaving the seat vacant until the special election.

Now that Kennedy is ill and will most likely not finish out his term, he wants to restore the power of the governor to appoint a replacement.  Kennedy even went so far as to say that it is very important that the state have two representatives in the senate at all times.  Interestingly enough, there is a Democrat in the Massachusetts governor’s mansion now.  It seems that Kennedy’s principles are only as strong as the way the political winds blow.

If every there was a reason for term limits, Ted Kennedy’s over 40 years in congress is a strong reason limiting the political ruling class.

Democracy, Obama Style

Like I was sayin… let me make you an offer you can’t refuse.

One of the main themes of a democracy (yes, I know we are a representative republic) is the right of the individual to vote in free and open elections.  One of the things that we also hold dear is the right to keep our votes private.  This is important as it removes the threat of intimidation.  You can tell me who to vote for, but you don’t have a way to know what I truly believe as my vote is private.

I was reading earlier this year that Obama and democrats want to “strengthen” unions by allowing unions to have people sign cards stating that they want to belong to a union.  Once enough people have signed the cards, the union is then the representative of the workers.

Now this doesn’t sound so bad on the surface, but the unions will have the workers sign the cards in public in front of other workers and union reps.  Essentially, they will march employees up to a table and have them sign a card if they want to join the union.  Refusing to sign would mean that they don’t want to join a union.  However, don’t even think for a second that being surrounded by pro-union workers and union organizers will sway anybody to sign the card….

HR 800 removes the right of workers to vote to unionize through secret ballot.  The argument goes something like “you can only tell a workers true intent by having them vote in public in the open”.  However, this turns the idea of the secret ballot on its head by declaring that workers voting by secret ballot are somehow susceptible to intimidation.

The Heritage Foundation has a good article describing the bill.  In essence, the bill has three main goals:

First,it requires the National Labor Relations Board to certify a union after a majority of a firm’s workers has signed union cards, puttingan end to almost all organizing elections: “if the [National Labor Relations] Board finds that a majority of the employees in a unit appropriate for bargaining has signed valid authorizations…the Board shall not direct an election but shall certify the individual or labor organization.”

Second,the EFCA requires companies and newly certified unions to enter bindingarbitration if they cannot reach agreement on an initial contract after 90 days of negotiations. Neither companies nor employees could appeal the arbitrator’s ruling, and the contract would last for two years.

Third, H.R. 800 would dramatically increase the penalties for unfair labor practices committed by employers, but not unions, during an organiz­ing drive.

Those wishing to muddy the waters of the true intent of the bill indicate that after enough cards are signed, a secret ballot is then conducted.  However, the language of the bill seems pretty clear “if the [National Labor Relations] Board finds that a majority of the employees in a unit appropriate for bargaining has signed valid authorizations…the Board shall not direct an election but shall certify the individual or labor organization”.

President Bush has stated his opposition to the bill.  However, Senator Obama has made his intentions clear:

“We’re ready to play offense for organized labor. It’s time we had a president who didn’t choke saying the word ‘union.’ A president who strengthens our unions by letting them do what they do best: organize our workers. . . . I will make it the law of the land when I’m president of the United States. . . .” ~ Barack Obama

I can imagine a day in the not to distant future where a run away Democratic congress and a President Obama declare and end to stolen elections and voter fraud by having us vote with our friends and neighbors looking over our shoulder to ensure our vote matches our true intentions.  I hope for our sake “we the people” wake up and see the direction that we are headed as a nation.