Marginally more important stuff, then the playoffs!

(Marginally of course is in the eye of the beholder.)

First of all, the mother of my blog friend Monkey Butt passed away this week after a painful battle with cancer.  I thank God her suffering is over and can't wait to meet her in Paradise.  As for the cancer- add it to the long list of things you will suffer for, Satan.



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Second, soon (read: when I get it read) I will be doing a book review.  You see, with the magic of the internet, anybody with a talent can get a book published online.  One of those talents is my friend The Simple Dude, and if you hit the link above, you can get details on his book 101 Things To Do Before The Apocalypse.  He says it's pretty funny and I have no reason to doubt him, having already seen samples not only of this book but throughout his entertaining blog.  I hope to get a review done in the next couple of weeks, schedule allowing.  You see, we're in busy season and I work every day from the Friday after Thanksgiving till this Saturday, and start it all over again a day later.  And there's the blog, Scrappy, etc., etc., but it will get done in the next two weeks.  I think.


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Thirdly, and speaking of reviews, remember the Art contest I won over at Mynx's blog ?  Well, my prize arrived yesterday:

I will be getting a proper frame for it soon (see last entry), but in the mean time it gets to hang in a singular spot of honour- with the sketch I did when we first got Scrappy and the shadow box memorial Laurie made for Fred.  It is truly lovely- THANK YOU!!!


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Next, when you bash something as often as I do unions, it's nice to see one that actually tries to do it's proper function.  In particular, I am referring to the Sheet Metal Workers International Ass'n Local 237 at the Manitowoc Foodservice plant on Hadley road.  Manitowoc is moving the plant to Cleveland, and aren't being very nice about it.  I worked at a non-union plant that closed, and they gave us a week's severence for every year worked and our vacation and bonus.  For the Manitowoc workers who don't feel like paying their own way to Cleveland just to start back at the beginning of the pay and seniority scale (losing up to $5.50 an hour), the company is only offering "two weeks paid per person- if they meet aggressive production goals until the end of the year."  Local leader Mark Mettler is trying to get them more what we got.  Company officials wouldn't talk to the media.  Maniwotoc in Ft. Wayne made restaurant conveyor ovens, so there's little profit in screaming, "Boycott!" unless you have a client list. But keep the SMWIA and the soon to be former employees- and Mark Mettler- in your thoughts and prayers.  Because if there's no need for the BCGTM to have been ass nuggets, there's no need for Maniwotoc Foodservice to be, either.

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And now, on to the final week of the NHFFL season!  The Beagles, Aguas, and KCAs won their games, forcing a three-way tie at the top of the Purple division.  The Beagles beat the Rangers 30-20 when the Rangers offense could only manage a Calvin Johnson TD.   The Aguas drilled the Angels 51-22 behind two Arian Foster TDs and 15 points from Dez Bryant (hooray for Texas!).  The KCAs swamped the Greenwoods in the battle for the last playoff spot 61-20 with RGIII netting 18 Thanksgiving Day.  A three way tie gives the division championship (and a first round bye) to the Beagles, by virtue of their 3-1 record head-to-head with the other two.  Aguas get second by an 87-83 margin in the two games with the KCAs, and these two will play their rubber match this week.

In the Gold division, the Porkchops ended the season with a 5-game winning streak courtesy of a 57-29 win over the Ducks, which dropped them back into last place, because the Clock BBQs won!  That's right, they broke a 7-game losing streak with a 39-32 win over the B2s.    Defenses were the big thing in both games; the Porkchops got 19 from New England against the bumbling Jets, and the Clock BBQs got 23 from San Fran.  And in the battle for second, with Buzz needing a win to hold the spot... they didn't get it.  The Elks blasted them 56-17 behind 21 by Tom Brady (boy, the Jets helped everybody win except themselves!), and play them again next week in the first round game while the Porkchops watch and wait.



So next week it's KCAs/Aguas and Elks/Buzz!  Plus I'll announce the teams for the all-star game!

Right to work- and why I’ve been silent

I just (finally) got around to researching this line in the sand known as right to work, and I found this fascinating study.  Basically, I kept silent because I wondered at the reasons RTW would help economically.  The info in this study, and the case studies therein on Oklahoma and Idaho, helped not only make it make sense, but gave empirical examples of its success.  I didn’t want to say anything until I knew the facts, and frankly I was too turned off by the democrats baby-crying on it to look before now.  But since GiaQuinta, Moses, et al finally did the state the great honor of actually showing up and doing their jobs, I figured I’d do mine.

John W. Cooper’s study not only showed facts as well as they could be deciphered, but demonstrated how both sides could manipulate the data to their own advantage.  He spotlighted other statistical surveys, noted their methodology, and drew his conclusions.

There is a net benefit in both hiring and new job creation for RTW states.  There is also evidence that in at least one RTW state (Oklahoma) that union membership ROSE after RTW.  This right here both gives the 2 main reasons FOR right to work and partially negates one of the reasons AGAINST it.  The other main reason against it, the so-called free ride, is an unassailable fact.  Under RTW, unions carry the bargaining load of those who opt-out.  However, let me now be controversial in why I don’t give a crap about that.

#1- Wasn’t the original idea of labor bargaining about improving conditions for ALL workers?  Somewhere along the line of legitimacy, unions developed the “I don’t care about the other guy” attitude that has resulted in “scabs” being injured, harassed, etc, for the crime of not being union.  When you treat fellow workers, who are also just trying to earn a living, like that, you lose my sympathy.

#2- If the labor movement hadn’t become an arm of the Democratic party, no one would even care about RTW.  Studies show that the percent of union dues going to political causes are 30% AND RISING.  Given average dues of $120 a year, that means I’d have to donate $40 dollars a year to a cause unrelated to my job and against my principles. 
#3- There was a 1988 court decision called the Beck decision that said that a union member cannot be forced to pay the portion of his dues that are earmarked for political contributions.  This, if complied with by the unions, would be enough to silence MY objections.  A study cited in Cooper said 32% of union employees disagree with the positions the unions support, so I think it is more than fair.  But do the unions?  From Cooper:

More recently, in 2001 the House Committee on Education and the Workforce’s Subcommittee on Workforce Protections heard a case on Mark Simpson’s experience with attempting to exercise his Beck rights. Mr. Simpson tells a very compelling tale. He starts out by saying he “used to be a union loyalist” and “was even a union shop steward” (Simpson). He then found out that some of his union dues were being used to support causes he did not believe in, so he tried to exercise his Beck rights. He gave notice to his union in June 2000 that he wanted to exercise his rights, and it took his union six months to respond to his request. Mr. Simpson testified that “Their response said that only 1.3% of their spending was eligible to be rebated. The other 98.7% were bargaining expenses, chargeable to me as agency shop fees even after my exercising my Beck rights. And if I didn't pay them, I was fired” (Simpson).

Big surprise- unions aren’t in the business of playing fair.

#4- The politicians in the union pockets.  One woman legislator said after the vote (and I sure wish I’d have been paying attention so I could’ve got her name) to the effect of, I see know who will work with you and who won’t.  I’ll remember this.  Gee, lady, 8 republicans worked with you, how many Democrats crossed the fence?  At the beginning of this I gave a sideways compliment to those who decided not to boycott the vote.  But the fact of the matter is that the legislators who stayed the whole time, opened the floor to debate, and passed a good law, were certainly more mature and more professional that the ones that stood outside the chamber and whined, blindfolded their followers into believing that the whole thing was about strip-mining the unions, and tried to win their argument by throwing out the fire marshall’s safety ruling and packing the outside of the chamber with protesters and ringers to try to disrupt the legal rule of law.

I’m sorry that I didn’t speak up sooner, that I didn’t research sooner.  But I didn’t want to color the decision I made by filtering it through the hopelessly dishonest hordes fighting against it, hordes that need to realize that IF they had ever been honest and EVER supported the RULE OF LAW vis-à-vis the Beck decision, NONE of this need ever have happened.

September sh... uh, er, stuff. Yeah, stuff is good...

Okay, guys, I have a lot to rant about and I'm getting hungry, so, hang on and let's go.

Last night, Scrappy and I topped off our raccoon adventure with a walk that ended up having us turn a corner( on the woods trail) and run pretty much into our two deer.  They were off the trail about 50 feet or so away.  After we spent a few seconds just looking at each other ( and I tried to get my camera) and Scrappy actually obeyed my whispered command and just sat there, they bounded off to join their friends at the retirement home (yes, friends, they leave salt blocks on the property edge).  We also found a cap I thought might be a winner- a red-and-yellow job called "Cockta".  On looking it up, I found out that Cockta is a Slovenian invention, a soft drink flavored with dog rose hip- which is the hip (fruit) of a dog rose.  Not sure I ever heard of a dog rose, definitely didn't know any roses had fruit, and surely have know idea what a flavoring made from it would taste like.

Pat Miller was having a hard time with some democratic congresswoman from California, stretching the truth like silly putty to make her point.  "What district on this planet, " he asked, "would elect this woman?"  I guess Pat has forgotten the two rules of power liberalism (as opposed to sincere and relatively honest liberals like Dr. Tom Hayhurst): #1- truth is relative, and in some cases fluid, when confronted with proving a point; #2- Liberals can be elected in any district where there is a large enough concentration of one of their "constituencies" (i.e. LGBT, Welfare cases, illegal aliens, union members who use the newsletter to avoid thinking on their own).

Which brings me to another of his rants- Lil' Jimmy Hoffa calling the right wing half of this nation S.O.B.'s.  This doesn't merit that much comment; Hoffa is a) the leader of a dying organization who owes its continued existence to its symbiotic relationship with the democratic party; b) the son of a dead mobster that got his job on his daddy's coattails.  IOW, the man has the credibility of a global warming scientist.

The next on the list is more serious.  Due to obvious reasons, I'm not going to go into much details.  A local school district has given middle schoolers laptops to do homework on.  Not a big deal, but the second part is that they left Facebook and skype unblocked so that the students might use them to communicate about homework.  Still not a big deal?  Several young girls have been contacted by a sexual predator through these unsecured media.  Local police are investigating, but a "spokesperson" for the school has given the impression that the school thinks that that's just the price of technology in the modern world.  Obviously, in the "modern world", protecting the student's "rights" of "free speech" and "privacy" is more important than PROTECTING THE CHILDREN.  I swear to God, there is not one chance in hell I'd ever put a child in a public school ever again!  And as for these predators, my hope is a) that the lowest ring of Hell is ready and waiting for them; b) that the faithful will get a chance at the Judgement to boot a few of 'em over the edge, and c) that they bounce off of  liberal educators who think all of the above is a good idea on the way down.  Honestly, people, I do not understand how ANY PASTOR can teach "there is no hell" when slimebags like this are around just waiting to get there.

Okay, and now back to sweetness and light- or, a scam e-mail update.  Today I got two- the first from the English sounding (though not real good at writing it) Sir Mark James, who informs me that the Paris Club International has donated $1.5 million to me, but for some reason has left it in a Western Union office in..... Benin! The financial capital of the world, I should have expected that, I guess.  Then comes #2- Barrister Jim Mike (nifty name) who was kinda peeved that I didn't get down to.... Benin! to pick up the $6.5 million he owes me, so he packaged it up and left it at the Lagos Nigeria branch of Fed Ex in Benin. (so, let's get this straight- Fed Ex has a Lagos, Nigeria branch, and that branch has a branch in Benin?)  Now when I get there, I'll need to pay the FELNBB (Fed Ex Lagos Nigeria/ Benin Branch) the security fee.  Jim doesn't tell me how much that is, but according to Sir Mark, Western Union (which I think is a simple Benin branch and not a Lagos Nigeria/Benin branch) charges $175. 

I was going to do my FCS stuff tonight too, but I'm starving, it's already 7:08, and Laurie is shooting hair bands at Scrappy, probably because she is patiently waiting to get on Farmerama and is taking out her frustration on lower forms of life.  But I promise I'll try harder tomorrow.

To Paul Joyce of Harlan- Really?

I saw a letter to Sunday's Urinal Gazette from union man Paul Joyce. He claims that republicans need to "earn" union votes, and thus union contributions. Here is that letter:



GOP needs to earn union contributions
I just finished the letter “Unions need to donate more to Republicans” (March 3) and was initially angered. Why would someone suggest that an organization that fights for working-class Americans, union and non-union alike, contribute to a party that fights for corporate interests, foreign and domestic, at the expense of the working class? Thousands of workers have shown up on their state capital doorsteps, not only to protest the assault on labor, but the assault on our children’s education as well. We need to applaud these workers and the politicians who that have their interests in mind for continuing to fight for what is just. What is going on today is nothing short of class warfare, the haves versus the have nots.
I challenge all of you, Democrats, Republicans, and independents: If you believe that your politicians should favor your interests over corporate interests and you believe that it is wrong to close public schools in favor of under-performing charter schools, go to the Statehouse and let your voices be heard.
As for contributing to Republicans, I am all for it. We shouldn’t waste time writing it into a bill, sending it through committees, and then sending it on to the governor’s desk, that takes too much time away from more important legislation. Here is my proposal for Republicans to get their contributions: Govern with working-class Americans in mind!
PAUL JOYCE USW 715L member Harlan

Really, Paul?I won't waste time telling you that I don't feel that the democrats are so pristine as you seem to think in "fighting for the working class". I won't expound on The fact that you, as a union member, seem to either think that a) you represent me, who am working class but non-union, and b)being a union member, you should expect that the sacrifices that REAL working class Americans have to make shouldn't apply to you. Look at my paycheck once and see who's a have or a have-not. Yes, there is a class war going on- you just don't see that as long as you're not in high management or politics, you are on the poor side and all of them are on the other- including your precious union management and their geisha-masters, the Democrat elite. What I will point out to you is this little article:

“State Rep. Nick Milroy is the Democratic state representative from Wisconsin’s 73rd assembly district.” He was on the radio. One of the hosts “pointed out that union membership was split by their votes in 2010, 49% for Democrats and 47% for Republicans, nearly an even split.” But, despite the fact that union members vote almost 50-50 Republican-Democrat, “unions donated 93% of their total contributions to Democrats.” Only 7% to Republicans, yet half of the union members vote Republican. So there’s quite a disparity. Union members vote 50-50, essentially, but 93% of their dues goes to Democrats. “The question was asked if the assemblyman could understand why Republicans were not in favor of having tax payer funded dues go to fund Democrat campaigns? The assemblyman contended that public employees can opt out of the unions. But when pressed about how even those that opt out must pay union dues, the assemblyman suggested that those people that didn’t want to be part of a union could find other work.

So, Paul, tell me again that if the GOP bent over to your demands that the contribution picture would change. Union management does not even listen to the votes of THEIR OWN PEOPLE!!
And if you disagree, you should either grin and bear it, or come join me in non-union labor. Or perhaps run off to Illinois with the traitors like Moses and GiaQuinta.

I don't disagree with your premise of the GOP being elitist. That is the one thing more than any other that will cost us 4 more years with Obama. But if you don't think that the Democrat powers-that-be are just the same, or that your beloved union's leadership isn't just as bad, you are deluding yourself.

My dad was union. In the heart of the worst slowdown in the economy (until now) since the depression, they went on a months long strike and cost Fort Wayne its biggest supplier of jobs. He told me when I first registration to vote that "we always vote democrat". I registered independent and said, "I'll make up my own mind, thank you." Paul, you should try that sometime. Spouting the union line when the leadership is living better than you'll ever see just ain't all that bright.

Thoughts for today

Or "more February flotsam", if you prefer.

1. The situation In Christchurch, NZ. I send my prayers along with grief over "the darkest day in New Zealand". The CBS News report is running behind me right now.

2. The next thing on the news- Quaddaffiduck and the Libyan situation. Its hard to take much amusement out of such a catastrophe, but... The original nut job has stated A) the rebels are just youths who've been paid in drugs (Gosh, if that was possible, just think of all the fun they'd be having in Mexico. Cheech and Chong: Lethal Weapon); B) that they were "taking your children and getting them drunk ( man, he's got a thing about intoxication, don't he?) ; and C), the one I reeeeeally love, being a history buff, that "we will not let the Italians and the Turks take over our country." I like living in the past, too, but I generally don't go clear back to 1911.
I never mouthed off about the Egypt affair because I was too concerned about the aftermath, and am still waiting on that one. But here? Quaddaffiduck says he will die a martyr for Libya. I think that one's going to be arranged before the week's out.

3.My two cents about the pirates that killed those Yachters. ANY pirate ship should be blown to atoms, no questions asked.

4. Annnnnd now, the Wisconsin thing. I would like, without really debating the bill, to comment on two points.
First, my take on unions. I have watched at more than one place while unions let good workers hang while getting every break possible for the scum of the earth. I have watched as what once were proud American organizations become absolutely nothing but Democrat PACs. And I have watched while union workers who really aren't any more skilled or doing jobs that are any more important than mine make 2 and 3 times the pay that I do. And now, when they should be leading the fight to rein things in, make our government and our economy better, they have the nerve to say, "not out of MY wallet." They don't even want to take collective bargaining for pay away from them, just benefits. Meanwhile, these same people who are either being led by the nose or living with a sense of entitlement that says they're better than I, are on the warpath in Indiana too, because they are afraid to compete with non-union shops. I pity the poor people who will work in right-to-work shops in Indiana if we get them, because I'm sure they will do any inhuman thing to make them miserable if they decide not to be a union "brother". So, yeah, for all these reasons, I have utterly no problem with seeing all the unions hang. Since you are all about "what's in it for me", I'm sure you'll excuse me if I act the same.

Second, I think any teacher who isn't in the classroom should be terminated at the end of the year. The kids should be the important thing; the politics is what you pay your dues for union management to take care of. And any legislator too gutless to stay in the statehouse and fight for his position should find himself unemployed after the next election. Of course I realize that Wisconsin has been pseudo-communist for over a century, so that won't happen there. But I will put every state and National legislator from my district on notice: I don't care if you are Republican, Democrat, Tea Party, or George Freaking Washington- if you flee the state to avoid a vote on ANYTHING, I will NEVER, EVER vote, support, or say anything nice about you ever again. I cannot properly express my contempt for these cowards. And like I said on the unions, if you feel that absence makes the heart grow fonder, you won't be upset if I express my fondness when you need my vote.

Rant over, time to make supper.

Teacher- good; Union- bad

At first I was just going to moan about how we are so busy at work, the cutters have been put on 12-hr days and 6-hr Saturday this week. But here's something much more entertaining.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie refused to back down Tuesday from his demand that teachers take a pay freeze and start contributing to their health care benefits as the state teachers union declined to take action against a local boss who prayed for the governor's death.
Christie, a first-term Republican, told Fox News that he met with New Jersey Education Association Chief Barbara Keshishian on Monday to discuss the schools funding formula and an e-mail sent by Bergen County Education Association President Joe Coppola that mocked the governor.
In that e-mail to union leaders, Coppola proposed a plan of action to protest Christie's budget proposals, which call for teachers to take a one-year pay freeze and pay 1.5 percent of their salary toward their medical, dental and vision benefits.
At the end, he included the statement: "Dear Lord, you've taken away my favorite actor Patrick Swayze, my favorite actress Farrah Fawcett, my favorite singer Michael Jackson and my favorite salesman Billy Mayes. I just want you to know that Chris Christie is my favorite governor."
Keshishian apologized for the memo but refused to oblige Christie's request that Coppola be fired.
"If a member of my staff ... had said something like that about her, they'd be demanding his resignation. But you know what? They wouldn't have had to wait because I'd have fired him,' Christie said. He said Kershishian responded to the request by saying no.
"And she left my office, in a huff," he added.

Chris' take, and feel free to apply this everywhere: the best thing Obama could do to save this country's educational system would be to invalidate the charter of each and every teacher's union in this nation. Much like any other union, they have all strayed from their original purpose and now serve no purpose other than perpetuating the lazy in their jobs and make the executives rich at the expense of the rank and file (and, in this case, our nation and our children).