Video: UPS vs. FEDEX: Ultimate Whiteboard Remix
Here is a great video from the creative geniuses at Reason TV.
You may have heard the UPS is in quite the political fight with FEDEX. Though both are package-delivery companies, they’re governed by totally different federal labor rules. As a result, UPS’s workforce is much more heavily unionized than FEDEX’s—and more than twice as expensive.
So now UPS is trying to get FEDEX reclassified under federal law as a way of screwing a competitor. That’s horrendous, but it also makes a sick kind of business sense. And it also reveals the real villain: A government that is big enough to absolutely, positively guarantee it can screw any business. Overnight.
“UPS Vs. FEDEX” was produced by Meredith Bragg and Nick Gillespie (who also hosts). Approximately two minutes long.
This video is based on “Using Unions as Weapons,” by Mercatus Center economist Veronique de Rugy, which appeared in the October 2009 print edition of Reason. Read that article at http://reason.com/archives/2009/09/28…
For downloadable version of this and all other Reason.tv videos go to http://reason.tv
Gun ownership could soon cost you $1million
Rep. Kenneth Dunkin (D-Chicago)
If you’re an Illinois resident, you didn’t read that wrong.
Should a bill that was recently introduced by State Representative Kenneth Dunkin, a Chicago Democrat, be passed, all gun owners in the state of Illinois would be required to maintain a liability insurance policy of at least $1,000,000.
Here is the synopsis of this ridiculous piece of legislation from the Illinois General Assembly website:
Amends the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act. Provides that any person who owns a firearm in this State shall maintain a policy of liability insurance in the amount of at least $1,000,000 specifically covering any damages resulting from negligent or willful acts involving the use of such firearm while it is owned by such person. Provides that a person shall be deemed the owner of a firearm after the firearm is lost or stolen until such loss or theft is reported to the police department or sheriff of the jurisdiction in which the owner resides. Provides that the Department of State Police shall revoke and seize a Firearm Owner’s Identification Card previously issued under this Act if the Department finds that the person to whom such card was issued possesses or acquires a firearm and does not submit evidence to the Department of State Police that he or she has been issued in his or her name a liability insurance policy in the amount of at least $1,000,000 specifically covering any damages resulting from negligent or willful acts involving the use of such firearm while it is owned by such person. Effective January 1, 2010.
While my first instinct is to say that it’s safe to assume that this bill will be killed by the Republicans in the legislature, this is Illinois, so you can never be too sure.
Video: Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the New Deal (1933)
It’s sickening how many parallels have been observed between President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Barack Obama. As the video below shows, even the tone Obama is using now is almost exactly the same as Roosevelt’s.
It doesn’t pass the smell test: Richardson, Geithner, Killefer, Daschle… is Gregg next?
And the honeymoon is over. For anyone who is keeping count – that’s five failed or badly botched nominations in two weeks for President Obama (you may only be able to count to four, but guess which new nominee’s Senate staff is being investigated for their strong ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff).
Obama’s winning line up:
First was Bill Richardson who had been nominated as Commerce Secretary but pulled out because he is facing a grand jury investigation (remember when he was running for President? Oh how things can change…)
Next up was Tim Geithner for Treasury Secretary. He wants to lead the United States out of its overwhelming economic crisis, but he can’t figure out how to pay his taxes. He paid $34,000 in back income taxes and we confirmed him because his late payment gave our economy a boost – thank you Mr. Secretary!
In the middle we have Nancy Killefer who wanted to be Obama’s Chief Performance Officer, or “Performance Czar” as the Obama Administration likes to call the position. The Performance Czar does not require a Senate Confirmation, but Deputy Director of the OBM does, and when everyone discovered that Nancy doesn’t pay her “help” at home, she withdrew her name and crawled back to McKinsey & Co.
Batting clean up was the left’s shinning star Tom Daschle. Daschle had lost his South Dakota Senate seat to John Thune in 2004 (49% to 51%) and was looking for a way to redeem himself in national politics, his plan was to hand out “free” health care to everyone and just charge the bill to America’s credit card. How hard is it to take a former Senate Majority Leader down? Apparently it’s pretty easy, especially when he doesn’t pay $130,000+ in taxes. My question is what is Daschle so afraid of? Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said that “[Daschle] is like a brother to me,” and Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee Max Baucus said he was “shocked” to hear that Daschle was dropping out.
Apparently there is more to the story because with Reid and Baucus backing him, Daschle should have been confirmed despite his tax blunder. Senator Ensign has said Daschle’s situation “doesn’t pass a smell test,” and I agree. Senator Thune’s seat is up for re-election in 2010 – maybe Daschle will get back in the race then.
And wait, we just went into extra innings – pinch hitter Judd Gregg maybe in trouble. Senator Obama’s pick to replace Richardson as the Commerce Secretary, has some trouble brewing of his own.
A former congressional aide to Commerce Secretary-nominee Judd Gregg, Kevin Koonce, is now caught up in an investigation into a Capitol Hill lobbying scandal involving notorious lobbyist Jack Abramoff. How close was Koonce to Senator Gregg? He was his Legislative Director (that’s the #2 job) for Gregg’s Senate office from 2002-2004. Koonce is accused of taking tickets to hockey and baseball games from Abramoff’s former deputy Todd Boulanger in exchange for “received favors” in spending legislation. Now it’s up to Obama to ask Gregg if he’s a sports fan.
Read more about the possible Gregg scandal here: http://www.koat.com/politics/18640535/detail.html
Let’s hope Gregg didn’t resign that Senate seat just yet.
On the day the House votes on the stimulus, DC gets covered in ice. Coincidence?
Photo of yesterday's snow - Washington Post
As a native Wisconsinite, I’ve always found the reaction of those in DC to insignificant amounts of snow humorous, and sometimes even pitiful.
However, this morning was a bit different. After a few inches of nice snow, followed by a few hours of sleet, capped off with an overnight shower of freezing-rain, the entire DC-metro area is now one giant sheet of ice.
While ice storms aren’t new winter occurrences, I couldn’t help but chuckle at the timing of this storm.
Not only will thousands of DC-metro area residents face near-death experiences while slipping on their walks to the Metro, but today is also the day that the House is to vote on the $825 billion stimulus package:
From this morning’s Huffington Post:
President Barack Obama’s expansive and expensive plan to jump-start the economy is all but certain to clear its first hurdle when the Democratic-controlled House votes on a $825 billion version that melds new spending and tax cuts.
While I do find it funny that DC has literally become a “slippery slope” on the day that the Democrats are going to exhibit their biggest usage of political capital since they took control a few weeks ago, this is even better:
From this morning’s Politico:
Former Vice President Al Gore is joining President Obama’s push for a $900 billion economic stimulus, heading to Capitol Hill on Wednesday and e-mailing his list of more than 2 million to urge pressure on Congress.
The former vice president arrived by Amtrak in the icy, snowy capital to testify on the topic of, “Addressing Global Climate Change.”
That’s right! The same day that Al Gore throws his support behind this massive package, citing the need to address climate change, DC is hit by a significant (yet common) winter storm.