Obama Gives Union Veto Power on State Funds


When the unelected and unaccountable rule all.

When does an unelected union without legal governing powers get a say in what the federal government does with its dealings with a state? When a president that is more beholding to unions than he is to the Constitution and the people of the United States comes to office, that’s when. And now we have that in Barack Obama.

The L.A. Times is reporting that Obama allowed the Service Employee International Union to interfere in the relationship between the state of California and the federal government over the issuance of the “stimulus” funds coming out of Congress. Apparently, Obama gave the SEIU veto power over the “stimulus” funds that was supposed to go to the Golden State because Sacramento had voted for a wage cut for state workers that belong to the union.

But this is where we are in America today. We have people in high places that either have no clue about what the rule of law is, or they simply don’t care. We are either ruled by judges that think they have been anointed by God to rule from the bench with no interest in the actual law or we are being ruled by unelected activists like in this case with SEIU president Andy Stern’s manipulation of the Obama administration.

In this case we have a bankrupt state trying to stay alive by cutting the costs of government. Those cuts are in the exorbitantly overgenerous benefits and wages of government workers. Certainly these sorts of cuts are common in real life, that where business is ruled by the reality of economic forces, but here we are in the fantasy world of government where only an upward projection of wages and benefits is apparently possible despite any such silly thing as “reality.” And these self-interested unions are being given veto power over federal funds by a president that has no desire or interest to observe the Constitution or the rule of law.


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We the People

SoFiMil (Diary) Tuesday, May 12th at 7:26AM EST (link)

So Governors Palin, Sanford, and Jindal are not allowed to veto “stimulus” funds, but unelected union officials are granted this power? Then again, the MSM and the liberals will justify anything.

www.suvstrategery.blogspot.com

The SEIU isn't rejecting stimulus funds

bk (Diary) Tuesday, May 12th at 7:48AM EST (link)

just holding them hostage.

One wonders what comes next. Since the SEIU will take credit for “saving” CA $6.8B in stimulus funds, it only seems FAIR that they get a “finder’s fee” of oh I don’t know maybe 30% of it. That $2B can get put to good use in the 2010 and 2012 elections by the SEIU.

 
 

Under What Authority?

chipbennett (Diary) Tuesday, May 12th at 8:03AM EST (link)

Under what authority can Obama withhold stimulus funds from a State?

Congress passed the bill, and The One signed it.

He is The Leader. He won. (nt)

Neil Stevens (Diary) Tuesday, May 12th at 8:09AM EST (link)

RS contributing editor, technical administrator, and “a hardy variety of crabgrass.”
Read the RedState Posting Rules

Unlikely Voter: Poll Analysis, Election Projection.

“I rejoice that America has resisted.” – William Pitt, the Elder

 

Alternate answer

Neil Stevens (Diary) Tuesday, May 12th at 8:17AM EST (link)

No one’s authority.

Who’s taking Stimulus?

RS contributing editor, technical administrator, and “a hardy variety of crabgrass.”
Read the RedState Posting Rules

Unlikely Voter: Poll Analysis, Election Projection.

“I rejoice that America has resisted.” – William Pitt, the Elder

 

There must be some words in the Bill

jackbenimble (Diary) Tuesday, May 12th at 12:35PM EST (link)

Just about every article I’ve read on this topic has this paragraph in it almost if not exactly verbatim:

Schwarzenegger’s office was advised this week by federal health officials that the wage reduction, which will save California $74 million, violates provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Failure to revoke the scheduled wage cut before it takes effect July 1 could cost California $6.8 billion in stimulus money, according to state officials.

I’ve been too lazy to look for those “provisions” in the Stimulus Bill but it sounds like Obama claims he is acting on Nancy Pelosi’s and Harry Reid’s authority. You can bet that if California topples into bankruptcy he will be laying the blame on them too.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. It will take an agreement by 2/3rds of the California Legislature to reverse the wage cut and that might not be easy to achieve. I’m sure Nancy Pelosi heaped all kinds of goodies into the Stimulus Bill to bailout California. It would be funny and ironic if she outsmarted herself by putting in those words that were obviously meant to perpetuate the union gravy train. She might not be very popular in California if she ends up costing them $6.8 billion.

“I repudiate the idea of voting for a Democrat

 
 

Part of the Grand Plan

red4ever (Diary) Tuesday, May 12th at 10:29AM EST (link)

The stimulus funds are being used to close budget gaps this year, instead of actually stimulating the economy. This means, due to the nature of budgets, that this money plus more will need to be discovered to close next year’s budget gap. Which means another stimulus bill. Which means more dependency on a centralized government.

The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality.
Dante

 

At some point

ss396 Tuesday, May 12th at 10:52AM EST (link)

Texas Gov. Perry may have jumped the gun a bit by mentioning the dreaded word “secession”. But when are the States going to realize that they are not just administrative districts to the federal government?

Wishful thinking, I know, because the States have found it convenient to let the Feds raise taxes, and then scramble for their portions. Thus grants; thus earmarks; thus unfunded mandates; thus the explosion of federal employment; and on and on. The States were unwilling to make the tough choices locally, so they have allowed a remote federal government to do so on their behalf. That puts us all in the same mess, and makes it nigh unto impossible to identify the flows of responsibility and accountability, much less do anything about the regulatory and fiscal mess in which we find ourselves.

If you pay someone to sit on his butt, you can’t be surprised when he does.

 

Pay no attention

Lammo (Diary) Tuesday, May 12th at 12:50PM EST (link)

to the strings attached to the stimulus money. Maybe next time Pelosi will actually bother to READ THE FRAKKING BILL? Nah, that way she wouldn’t be able to change her story three times.

Don’t be so open minded that your brains fall out. (John Corapi, The Black Sheep Dog)

 

Its time for obama to go

bobojake (Diary) Tuesday, May 12th at 8:16PM EST (link)

before he destroys this Great Nationa and get the middle class hardworking taxpayers killed. Period.