Wussification Of U.S. Navy

For days now we’ve head the story about Somali outlaws that pirated a boat with 4 Americans on board. The Americans were trying to live out their retirement sailing off of the East coast of Africa, and passing out bibles along the way as missionaries. As an aside, merely having bibles can get you killed in Islamic extremist circles.

While being shadowed and finally approached by the U.S. Navy, the Somalis shot and killed all of their hostages several hundred miles south of Oman.

Here’s where the plot thickens. According to The White House . . .

President Barack Obama was awakened to news of the deaths at 4:42 a.m. Washington time Tuesday. He had authorized the military on Saturday to use force in case of an imminent threat to the hostages, said White House spokesman Jay Carney.

And the headlines are US condemns pirate killings, Navy holding suspects. And Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a statement that the killings were “deplorable” and that they underscored the need for international cooperation on fighting the scourge of piracy in waters off the Horn of Africa. Like that’s going to have any consequence.

The remains of the four were taken aboard the USS Enterprise, as were 15 suspected pirates now facing charges in the deaths.

What’s wrong with this picture? If the Navy was authorized by the Commander In Chief to use force, why would there be 15 ‘suspects’ in custody? After all the history of these pirates, using our military to be constables is an abuse of the military. Forget the ‘suspected pirates’ angle, they are confirmed murderers on the high seas.

Just another case where President Obama cares less about protecting and defending Americans than the Islamic goons who murdered them. The Navy should let those prisoners go immediately. And I don’t mean in a boat. Take no prisoners. For their crimes, letting them go 600 miles out at sea is the best place for them.

It’s Not Union Busting, It’s The Budget And The Market

The line from the labor unions and their supporters over Wisconsin’s attempt to get rid of their over 3 billion dollar deficit is that it is ‘union busting.’ Not really. More correctly the unions are busting themselves. Here’s why.

The labor unions are an industry and in business just like any other business. Like all businesses, they have a product of some sort. In this case, it is labor. In a free market, customers have choices. The State of Wisconsin is a customer. They can buy from supplier A or B, or hundreds more.

Currently, Wisconsin is running a deficit and needs to make cuts somewhere. Their constitution demands it. They have a balanced budget requirement. Obviously, they need to cut costs wherever they can do it safely.

The Wisconsin labor unions excluding public safety (police & fire) have a choice to make. They can choose to suffer the firing of however many of their members it will take to reach a manageable point. OR, they can renegotiate their medical and pension plans, with a guarantee of no firings, and accept collective bargaining on wages and salaries only. That is what Gov. Walker’s bill would do.

Currently, these Wisconsin labor union members affected pay 9 percent of their health care costs. Private sector employees in Wisconsin pay 23 percent. Walker’s bill asks for 12.6 percent. The labor union employees currently contribute nothing toward their pension plans. A good private sector plan is a matching, 50/50 plan. That’s what the reform bill asks for. No more than the average benefit package in the private sector.

Democrats can cry union busting all they want. And they are. Why should they care you ask? Because BIG LABOR’s money supports Democrats. Also in Gov. Walker’s reform bill is giving union members the option to opt out of paying dues. Obviously, if the union members liked belonging to the union and believed it is truly representing them, and did not feel that they have to be members in order to work, there would be no hesitation in having such a clause. Their objection to the ‘opt out’ option tells a different story as to their motivation. So it’s not hard to figure out why President Obama and Democrats are on the side of the unions instead of the people of Wisconsin. It’s not because union workers work better than non-union workers. It’s because the labor unions contribute to their re-election, whether their members want them to or not.

Bottom line, the taxpayers in Wisconsin are the buyers. They are the one’s paying the salaries and benefits. When push comes to shove, and that’s where we are right now, and not only in Wisconsin but everywhere, there is simply no justification why the taxpayers should pay more than they have to for government labor. If the labor unions refuse to compete in the labor market, then they will be busting themselves.