Two of the most important results
from last Tuesday's primary have been
drowned out by the coverage of other races.
Voters in Chula Vista, CA passed measure
by a 56 to 44 percent margin while voters in
Oceanside, CA passed measure
by a 54 to 46 percent margin.
These measures prohibit
discriminatory "project labor agreements"
(PLAs) on city-funded construction projects.
A project labor agreement forces contractors
to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement
before starting work.
In practice this means that work
on PLA-covered projects goes to
union members at union rates -
nonunion workers need not apply.
Unsurprisingly unions love PLAs
and use their political influence to
attach them to as many government
construction projects as they can.
Of course paying union rates
and shutting down competition
from the 85 percent of construction
workers who are not union members
raises costs.
The Beacon Hill Institute estimates
that PLAs increase construction costs
by 12 to 18 percent.
Taxpayers face a hefty tab
when the government sets
construction projects aside
for union members.
On Tuesday voters in Chula Vista
and Oceanside decided enough was enough.
By banning discriminatory project
labor agreements they required their
cities to spend their tax dollars wisely -
no matter how much unions lobby
for a sweetheart deal.
If only the Federal government would do the same.
When President Bush took office he signed
an Executive Order banning the use of project
labor agreements on federal construction projects.
This saved taxpayers
between $1.6 and $2.6 billion in 2008.
However, President Obama repealed this
directive almost as soon as he took office
http://blog.heritage.org/2010/06/14/voters-reject-union-favoritism/
Just as opposition was building in the House to the
unconstitutional and burdensome DISCLOSE Act,
which is intended to help Democrats in the November
election by stifling the political speech of corporations
and many non-profit advocacy organizations
(but not unions), the National Rifle Association
has apparently sold out.
Politico and others are reporting that the NRA
has reached a deal to withdraw its opposition
to the bill in exchange for an exemption for the
NRA from its disclosure provisions.
The exemption would apply to "organizations
which have qualified as having tax exempt status
under section 501(c)(4) of the tax code for each
of the 10 years prior to making a campaign-related
disbursement, that had 1 million or more dues-paying
members in the prior calendar year, that had members
in each of the 50 states, that received no more than
15 percent of their total funding from corporations
or labor organizations, and that do not use any
corporate or union money to pay for their
campaign-related expenditures."
There aren't too many organizations
that will fit within this exemption, but I
understand the NRA thinks it is one
of those that will.
This exemption
will not apply to small, less powerful
501(c)(4) organizations, which will be
hit the hardest by the onerous, burdensome,
and expensive disclosure requirements of the
DISCLOSE Act, but it will apply to the large,
well-funded and well-connected NRA.
So, the NRA may end up providing
the lobbying grease that allows this noxious
and partisan piece of legislation to slide through
the House, something that I seriously doubt most
of the individual members of the NRA (who
are strong believers in the First Amendment
as well as the Second) would agree with
http://blog.heritage.org/2010/06/15/the-disclose-act-and-the-nra-some-bad-news/
The Commie Saboteurs Cloakroom
http://blog.heritage.org/tag/cloakroom/
The Communist Hell Care Coups
http://blog.heritage.org/category/health-care/
The Commie Energy and Environment Coups
http://blog.heritage.org/category/energy-and-environment/
The Commie Coups Against
Domestic Free Enterprise
http://blog.heritage.org/category/enterprise-and-free-markets/
Opposing The Commie
Coup Against The U.S.A.
http://blog.heritage.org/
Exposing The Enemies
Of Domestic Free Enterprise
http://thefreeenterpriser.blogspot.com/
Expose Oppose Protest Resist Defy & Defeat :
The Anti Constitutional Anti Republic
Anti Capitalistic Unconstitutional Treasonous
Criminal Satanic Commie Hell Care Whores
& Satanic Globalist Commie Liberal Progressive
Stateist Corporate Unionist Ponzi Schemes,
Lies, Liars, Frauds & Saboteurs
