Maggie's Farm

Bird Dog’s electricity is out due to the hurricane storm, and he can’t pedal fast enough on his tricycle to get enough power to his computer. So, here’s some morning links.

The scoop from Right Scoop on President Obama’s (un)popularity ratings.

Removing curtains of Arab harems

Adam and Eve, the Muslim Version

An EPA Moratorium: Obama has the power to delay new rules that will shut down 8% of all U.S. power generation.

Even Beverly Hills can’t afford its government worker retirement benefits:

When Beverly Hills residents found out that many of their city’s 950 municipal and public safety employees were earning stunning salaries, 13 weeks of paid vacation, unlimited overtime and other tax-free retirement benefits, taxpayers were outraged and city officials rushed into closed-door sessions to figure out what to do….With a population of 34,000, Beverly Hills has one employee for every 34 residents, the highest ratio in California.

GOOD NEWS:

You did notice the healthy wheat crop, didn’t you?

How Anti-Semitism Prevents Peace

Reducing waste in wartime contracts

CNN Poll Also Shows Perry's Broad Appeal – And (heh, heh!) The Perils of Investigative Journalism...

Hurricane Irene Poll Results: ‘Anytime Something Happens in New York People Always Go Overboard’

Hells Angels Go After Designer, Allege Copyright Infringement

Senator “Bob” Smith: Some Thoughts on Presidential Debates

Gallup: Government is least liked industry

Next NLRB Assault On US Industry

Specialty Healthcare, in which the board is determining what constitutes an appropriate bargaining unit, is a full-frontal assault on long-established law.  With this case, the board is not only trying to discern what is an appropriate bargaining unit within the healthcare setting, it is using the case to apply its interpretation economy-wide.  It is expected the board will reach the conclusion that the traditional doctrine of “community of interest” will no longer apply and allow the establishment of “micro-unions.”

These micro-unions could be comprised of as few as two people and effectively cripple an employer’s ability to manage operations in an effective way.  Imagine trying to run a manufacturing facility with separate unions representing custodial staff, assemblers, fitters, fabricators, maintenance and others?  Each of those bargaining units would have the capacity to shut down production.  This isn’t a very efficient model and employers are justifiably worried about having such a model foisted upon them by an un-elected board.