Democrats to pay back Unions via tax exemption?

We've all heard the saying that "elections have consequences". Ever since the November 2008 election, I think Americans have seen that play out time and time again.

It's no surprise that the Democrats are bought and paid for in large part by the labor unions--or more precisely, the money the Union bosses pilfer from the workers. Now it looks like the Dems are going to sing for their supper-- exempting Unions from the proposed taxes to be levied on some health benefits paid by employers.

I'm always amazed that for the party that claims to be the champions of fairness and equality, their proposals are the most unfair to most Americans. Everything that this party does by way of supporting their special interest groups--be they the enviro-whack jobs, unions like the AFL/CIO or the NEA--or supporting programs like affirmative action or, most recently "cap and trade"--the Democrats seem hellbent on destroying America and the free market system.

I can't believe some of the rationale that's being given by supporters of this. Even if I tried to say some of this, I just can't do it with a straight face:

• Gerald Shea (AFL/CIO lobbyist) says things like this are "common thing when there is a big change in federal law".

So we should just accept Union exemption from anything that might cost them something through legislation? How do I get on-board with that so that when Obama raises my taxes, I can be exempt?

• Anna Burger (Service Employees International Union) says "workers have often traded salary increases for better benefits in agreements."

Clever play on words there I think. Where have you ever heard of a large collective bargaining agreement where there were not significant wage rate increases? One could perhaps say there would have been perhaps a larger increase without the benefits portion...but that to me is just the process of negotiation.

I think the quote from an actual retired CWA union worker really sums it up best though. Sandra Carter says “…I can’t afford the taxes I pay now…Why should I get taxed on a benefit that keeps me a functioning person?” Yes, Ms. Carter…we’d all like to know ‘why’.

Unions’ Health Benefits May Avoid Tax Under Proposal

North Korea stoking the flames again

North Korea saber-rattles with threats of nuclear warfare again. These days, this regime has been in the news a lot I guess, but it appears that they're stepping up the veiled threats even more with each "announcement".

I think these guys have a lot of leverage these days-- the UN Security Council is never going to sponsor any 'serious' resolution, especially with the 2 most pro-North Korean supporters with veto power--China and Russia. In addition, the fact that they've convicted the 2 US reporters for "serious" crimes, the North Korean regime now has yet another bargaining chip against the United States. On top of all this, I believe that they know that an Obama administration is far less likely to take any sort of meaningful action.

To be fair, I'd have to say that I doubt a McCain administration would be effective either--though I think Kim Jong Il (or I guess now Kim Jong Un) would probably take a threat of action from McCain with more seriousness than from Obama.

This puts a lot of pressure on everyone involved-- South Korea's economic recovery is put at risk; Japan's stability is put at risk; Russia and China are trying to talk out of both sides of their mouths; and the US must also walk a fine line because of its political and economic interests in all the parties involved. Difficult situation all around...

NKorea warns of nuclear war amid rising tensions

Introduction

Hello everyone. My name's Wan Kim... and this is my first attempt at "blogging". I've always thought about doing it in the past, but it seems to really take a big effort to keep up with posting on here on a regular basis.

I don't really have a specific theme in mind, but more than likely I like to vent/read/discuss current events in business or politics. Personally, I lean more conservative on most issues, but I'm always interested in hearing (sometimes debating) opposing points of view, of course.

I'm not really "qualified" in any particular topic or area of expertise; I'm just an average citizen trying to become a little more knowledgeable on things that are going on around me.

Overall, I hope you find this at least entertaining, if not interesting or informative. Please feel free to leave me any feedback you feel is relevant!

Thanks for reading...and I'm looking forward to virtually speaking to all of you at some point!