Union Liberal Worker Cartoons

Marc Thiessen: It's time to protect public workers from unions who want them to finance their liberal agenda

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) is ostensibly a public worker union. In truth, it is nothing more than an appendage of the Democratic Party. One hundred percent of its political contributions go to Democrats, and it works tirelessly to increase government spending and stop Republicans who want to reform state government.

Should AFSCME be able to force public workers who disagree with its liberal agenda to pay union dues and support it? That was the question before the Supreme Court this week, when justices heard oral arguments in Janus v. AFSCME, a case brought by Illinois child-support specialist Mark Janus, who argues that forcing him to contribute to union coffers violates his First Amendment rights by compelling him to support speech with which he disagrees.

Public worker unions cannot compel nonmembers to directly pay for political activities, but in states that have not passed "right to work" laws, they can force public employees to pay an "agency fee" to support the union's collective bargaining efforts. Of course, the union gets to decide what spending is political, and the fees are usually between 80 and 100 percent of union dues. Moreover, to stop paying for the union's political activities, workers must proactively object -- and then get a partial refund of what the union claims is the extent of its political spending.
This is a scam. The unions know that if they cannot compel workers to pay union dues, most will choose not to do so. In Indiana, when then-Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) signed a "paycheck protection" law barring forced collection of union dues, only 5 percent of state employees chose to continue paying -- and public worker union membership dropped from 16,408 in 2005 to just 1,490 in 2011. In Wisconsin, when Gov. Scott Walker (R) passed Act 10, which included paycheck protection, AFSCME membership fell by more than half -- from 62,818 in 2011 to 28,745 the following year. Other public worker unions faced similar losses in membership. And those losses have been sustained. According to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel analysis, by 2016 Wisconsin had "132,000 fewer union members, mostly teachers and other public workers -- enough to fill Lambeau Field and Miller Park, with thousands more tailgating outside." (Disclosure: I have co- written a book with Walker.)
Apparently, when you don't force workers to stay in a union, many choose to leave.
Janus wants the same freedom to choose. He argues that all spending by public-sector unions is political spending. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. seemed sympathetic to this type of argument in a similar case that deadlocked two years ago after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, noting that even negotiations over wages affect the state budget. "The amount of money that's going to be allocated to public education as opposed to public housing, welfare benefits, that's always a public policy issue," he said.
Justice Anthony M. Kennedy got to the heart of the matter this week, when he asked AFSCME lawyer David Frederick, "If you do not prevail in this case, the unions will have less political influence?" Frederick admitted they would. "Isn't that the end of this case?" Kennedy asked. Yes, it is. As Kennedy put it, the question before the court is whether states can "mandate people that object to certain union policies to pay for the implementation of those policies against their First Amendment interests."
Liberals say conservatives are trying to use the court to break the power of public-sector unions. But if the only way they can maintain their political power is through coercion, then they don't deserve that power in the first place. The reason so many workers quit when given the chance is because they know the unions use their power not to benefit workers but to enrich themselves. In Wisconsin, the teachers unions used collective bargaining to force school districts to buy health plans from union-affiliated insurers at inflated prices, when they could have gotten much cheaper insurance on the open market. Once the unions' coercive power was broken and school districts were able to open their health insurance to competitive bidding, they saved $404.8 million over five years -- money they were able to put into merit pay increases for teachers, and other classroom improvements.
Public union bosses want that money for themselves. They want to dictate spending decisions to state and local governments, and collect compulsory union dues to perpetuate their political power and line their coffers. The Supreme Court can end this unconstitutional coercion. The only way unions will be hurt by this is if the workers they claim to represent reject them. arc Thiessen is a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). Thiessen served as chief speechwriter to President George W. Bush and to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

Suspect in 'white powder' letter to Trump Jr. donated to Dems, posted anti-Trump rants on Facebook

Daniel Frisiello, of Beverly, Mass., is accused of sending five letters with white powder, including to Donald Trump Jr., in early February.  (Facebook)

The Massachusetts man who allegedly mailed a white powder to Donald Trump Jr. has previously donated to a Democratic political action committee and shared anti-Trump posts on social media, including comparing President Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler.

Daniel Frisiello, 24, was arrested Thursday after authorities tracked him down following the examination of a “glitter bomb” letter sent to Stanford University law professor Michele Dauber. Investigators matched the text font from the letter to other threats sent to those seen on the letters of the white-powder envelopes.

Authorities said the letter included a threatening note that read: “You are an awful, awful person. I am surprised that your father lets you speak on TV. You the family idiot. Eric looks smart."
Trump Jr.’s wife, Vanessa Trump, opened the letter in the couple’s New York City apartment Feb. 12 and reported feeling nauseous and coughing. President Trump’s daughter-in-law and two other people were taken to a hospital in the incident.
The letter was postmarked in Boston on Feb. 7, had an American flag stamp and no return address. The powder was ultimately determined to be corn starch, the Associated Press reported.
Frisiello is accused of sending a total of five letters filled with white powder and faces charges of mailing a threat to injure the person of another and false information and hoaxes.
MAN ARRESTED FOR SENDING WHITE POWDER TO DONALD TRUMP JR.’S NYC APARTMENT
Frisiello’s Facebook account and other public information suggest strong hostility toward the Trump family and Republicans and sympathy toward Democratic causes, prompting him to even donate despite being reportedly unemployed.

Daniel Frisiello compares President Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler.  (Facebook)

In April 2016, he contributed $75 to ActBlue, a political action committee that works to raise money online for Democratic candidates and committees, according to the Federal Election Commission (FEC). The address on the contribution matches Frisiello’s home address. The donation lists him as “not employed.”
On social media, the man – registered as a Democrat – compared President Trump, whom he also branded as the “Dark Lord, at least twice to Adolf Hitler, sharing photos from hyper-partisan left-wing Facebook pages. In another instance, he called Trump an “Adolf Hitler wannabe.”

Daniel Frisiello, a registered Democrat, made a series of inflammatory Facebook posts.  (Facebook)

Another shared photo shows a Ku Klux Klan rally in Washington, D.C., in the 1920s, but is captioned “a sneak peek of Trump’s inauguration.”
Frisiello also takes an indirect shot at first lady Melania Trump, sharing a British newspaper article claiming Trump is a “mentally ill narcissist” and noting that this “Explains his kids and the women he chooses.”
On Dec. 16, 2016, the accused man also speculated that the unsealing of the Clinton email probe search warrant would show that “Russia, [then-FBI Director] Comey and Trump were in on this horrific act.”
But Frisiello also has posted bizarre rants against his own party. He criticized Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., after she said was disappointed that a father was prevented from punching Larry Nassar, the disgraced sports doctor accused of molesting more than 260 women and girls.
Stabenow was reportedly an addressee of one of the white powder letters.
“Good god now the democrats are going off the rails,” Frisiello wrote Feb. 8. “This is not the democratic means and I am embarrassed to be in part of the same party as her, because I am not her. I would be offended if anyone I know in the democratic party has the dame[sic] feelings and thoughts of this imbecile of a senator!”
Many social media users mocked Frisiello after it appeared that he shared a news story Feb. 12 about a his alleged crime of sending a threatening letter to Trump Jr. filled with white powder.
“Dude you actually posted about your own crime? Get help you,” one person commented yesterday below Frisiello post.
“Darwin Award,” wrote another person, referring to a tongue-in-cheek award recognizing people who have contributed to human evolution by selecting themselves out of the gene pool by their own actions.

Dow plummets 420 points after Trump announces steel tariffs

Stocks plunged Thursday after President Trump announced plans to slap tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.

The Dow closed more than 420 points down after the announcement. Trump said the tariffs will level the playing field for American companies and help them expand after plant closings in recent years.

Trump made the dramatic announcement after participating in a listening session with 15 representatives from the steel and aluminum industry. Following the comments, the Dow Jones industrial average dropped as much as 500 points Thursday.
"You will have protection for the first time in a long while and you are going to regrow your industries," Trump told the executives. "That's all I'm asking. You have to regrow your industries."

The president said he decided on tariffs of 25 percent for steel and 10 percent for aluminum.
“So steel and aluminum will see a lot of good things happen,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We're going to have new jobs popping up."
TRUMP SAYS HE WILL ORDER TARIFFS ON STEEL, ALUMINUM IMPORTS NEXT WEEK

“I remember when I was growing up, U.S. Steel -- that was the ultimate company. And today you have so many closed plants.”

Trump also said his decision to impose tariffs is because "we need great steel makers, great aluminum makers for defense.”
Trump said he hoped it will lead to more “vibrant companies,” though told the executives “the rest is going to be up to management to make them truly great.”
“I remember when I was growing up, U.S. Steel -- that was the ultimate company,” Trump said. “And today you have so many closed plants.”
The announcement, though, faced pushback from some Republicans, including usual allies.
“Tariffs on steel and aluminum are a tax hike the American people don’t need and can’t afford,” Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said. “I encourage the president to carefully consider all of the implications of raising the cost of steel and aluminum on American manufacturers and consumers.”
Increased foreign production, especially by China, has driven down prices and hurt American producers. The Commerce Department calls the situation a national security threat.
However, any action to impose tariffs is likely to escalate simmering tensions with China and other U.S. trading partners. Critics of such a move fear that other countries will retaliate or use national security as a pretext to impose trade penalties of their own. They also argue that sanctions on imports will drive up prices and hurt U.S. automakers and other companies that use steel or aluminum.
But Trump claims he's looking out for American jobs.
He said he's taking action because the North American Free Trade Agreement and the World Trade Organization has been “a disaster for this country.”
“It has been great for China and terrible for the United States,” he said.
Trump has been facing a pair of April deadlines to make a decision on the imports. Administration officials gave mixed signals earlier Thursday about what the president would decide.
Trump, though, gave a window into his thinking when he tweeted about the industries Thursday morning.
“Our Steel and Aluminum industries (and many others) have been decimated by decades of unfair trade and bad policy with countries from around the world. We must not let our country, companies and workers be taken advantage of any longer. We want free, fair and SMART TRADE!” he wrote.
Participants in Thursday’s closed-door meeting, arranged by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, represented industry companies Arcelor Mittal, U.S. Steel Corporation, Nucor, Evraz, JW Aluminum, Century Aluminum, Chester Roush, Timken Steel, United Aluminum and AK Steel.
The Commerce Department has recommended tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports, higher tariffs on imports from specific countries or a quota on imports.
Trump last year ordered an investigation into whether aluminum and steel imports posed a threat to national defense.
The rocky day on Wall Street extended a weeks-long run in which the stock indexes have whipsawed, leaving investors flumoxed.
Industrial companies were hardest hit by the developments. Heavy equipment maker Caterpillar fell 2 percent and aerospace giant Boeing gave back 4 percent.
Big exporters like Apple and drugmaker Pfizer, which would suffer if trade tensions picked up, also fell.

Trump, Pence 'don't want gun control,' NRA's chief lobbyist says after meeting

Just one day after putting the NRA on the defensive with stunning televised comments, President Trump has signaled in an Oval Office meeting that he doesn't want gun control, according to the NRA's top lobbyist. 

Chris Cox, the executive director of the NRA's Institute for Legislative Action, tweeted late Thursday that "POTUS & VPOTUS support the Second Amendment, support strong due process and don’t want gun control."

About an hour later, Trump appeared to endorse Cox's version of events with a tweet of his own: "Good (Great) meeting in the Oval Office tonight with the NRA!"
On Wednesday, Trump shocked observers during a televised discussion with bipartisan lawmakers by appearing to endorse extreme gun control measures.
“Take the guns first. Go through due process second,” Trump said. “I like taking the guns early.”
JUDGE NAP: TRUMP'S COMMENTS ON DUE PROCESS ARE WHAT GUN OWNERS, NRA FEAR THE MOST
Trump, who has publicly changed his mind on other key issues, also urged Republican lawmakers not to be "afraid" of the powerful gun lobby and openly entertained more gun restrictions.
The NRA had reacted quickly to Trump's comments, even before Thursday's meeting.
NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch said Wednesdsay that Trump’s meeting with lawmakers “made for good TV” but “bad policy.”
She said the organization is “in lock step” with the president on protecting children, but wants to “respect due process.”