What If Gaddafi Holds On?

From Bret Stephens, at WSJ, "Other regimes in the region will wonder just what, exactly, are the benefits of an alliance with a diffident America":

Top government officials and ordinary newspaper pundits are debating whether the U.S. and its allies should intervene militarily against Moammar Gadhafi, perhaps by establishing a no-fly zone. This is the wrong question. The right question is: What happens if Gadhafi holds on?

That possibility no longer seems remote, as the colonel and his loyalists keep a firm grip on Tripoli and start inflicting military reversals on the rebels. A society as brutalized as Libya's will retain a powerful fear of its dictator even in his hour of weakness. Many Libyans will recall how Saddam Hussein crushed the Kurdish and Shiite uprisings of March 1991. They will recall, too, that the first Bush administration—which included then-deputy national security adviser and current no-fly zone skeptic Bob Gates—stood aside as Saddam viciously struck back.

What happened next is one of the darkest chapters of recent memory. An estimated 60,000 Iraqis, perhaps more, were killed in the revolt. Two million fled the country. The Iraqi people had to endure another dozen years under Saddam. The U.S. spent billions enforcing a no-fly zone that was a case of too little, too late. The war that ultimately toppled Saddam's regime exacted another huge toll in lives, including those of more than 4,000 Americans.

Looking back, it's worth noting that all of this may have been avoided if only the U.S. had forbidden Saddam from flying his helicopter gunships, which proved decisive in turning the tide of revolt. So why won't President Obama run the comparatively minor risk of doing similarly in Libya? Does he think he needs the U.N.'s permission? Sadly, he probably does.

Should the conflict in Libya turn into a protracted civil war, it will mean more killing, more refugees, and even higher energy prices. And should Gadhafi's counteroffensive begin to show results, previously emboldened Libyan rebels could start to panic, and their reversals could quickly turn into a general rout.

Folks can see where Stephens is going with this. It goes without saying that the administration's waffling and timidity is sending powerful signals to the world's tyrants. Iran last year and Egypt last month. Tunisia went under the radar and was expected to be an anomaly by realists like Harvard's Steven Walt. But the message is clear: Don't expect democracy promotion from these amateurs. I like the idea of a no-fly zone, actually. Although I wonder how deep a military commitment the American public will support, particularly without presidential leadership? Not only that, a protracted civil war with massive humanitarian losses could trigger demands for ground troops, and I cringe at the thought of a ground incursion under Barack Hussein's command.

Side note: Bret Stephens is a treasure. He sounds more neocon than Charles Krauthammer. Cool!

The New Economic Club Will Produce Conflict, Not Cooperation

A great piece from Ian Bremmer and Nouriel Roubini, at Foreign Affairs, "A G-Zero World":

The recent financial crisis and global market meltdown have sent a much larger shock wave through the international system than anything that followed the collapse of the Soviet bloc. In September 2008, fears that the global economy stood on the brink of catastrophe hastened the inevitable transition to the G-20, an organization that includes the world’s largest and most important emerging-market states. The first gatherings of the club -- in Washington in November 2008 and London in April 2009 -- produced an agreement on joint monetary and fiscal expansion, increased funding for the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and new rules for financial institutions. These successes came mainly because all the members felt threatened by the same plagues at the same time.

But as the economic recovery began, the sense of crisis abated in some countries. It became clear that China and other large developing economies had suffered less damage and would recover faster than the world’s wealthiest countries. Chinese and Indian banks had been less exposed than Western ones to the contagion effects from the meltdown of U.S. and European banks. Moreover, China’s foreign reserves had protected its government and banks from the liquidity panic that took hold in the West. Beijing’s ability to direct state spending toward infrastructure projects quickly generated new jobs, easing fears that the decline in U.S. and European consumer demand might trigger large-scale unemployment and civil unrest in China.

As China and other emerging countries rebounded, the West’s fear and frustration grew more intense. In the United States, stubbornly high unemployment and fears of a double-dip recession fueled a rise in antigovernment activism and shifted power to the Republicans. Governments fell out of favor in France and Germany -- and lost elections in Japan and the United Kingdom. Fiscal crises provoked intense public anger from Greece to Ireland and the Baltic states to Spain.

Meanwhile, Brazil, China, India, Turkey, and other developing countries moved forward as the developed world remained stuck in an anemic recovery. (Ironically, the only major developing country that has struggled to recover is the petrostate Russia, the first state welcomed into the G-7 club.) As the wealthy and the developing states’ needs and interests began to diverge, the G-20 and other international institutions lost the sense of urgency they needed to produce coordinated and coherent multilateral policy responses.

Politicians in Western countries, battered by criticism that they have failed to produce a robust recovery, have blamed scapegoats overseas. U.S.-Chinese political tensions have risen significantly over the past several months. China continues to defy calls from Washington to allow the value of its currency to rise substantially. Policymakers in Beijing insist that they must protect their country during a delicate moment in its development, as lawmakers in Washington become more serious about taking action against Chinese trade and currency policies that they say are unfair. In the past three years, there has been a sharp spike in the number of domestic trade and World Trade Organization cases that China and the United States have filed against each other. Meanwhile, the G-20 has gone from a modestly effective international institution to an active arena of conflict.

I love this essay: It's short, to the point, and totally doomsday-ish!

Check back at the Foreign Affairs article and at the homepage. There's lots more coverage of global currencies, and I'll have some updates later ...

California's Public Pensions Crisis

From Steven Greenhut, at O.C. Register, "Pensions Pushing California to the Brink":

There's no getting away from the pension issue these days or from the fact that the state's pension system is on the brink of disaster unless pensions for state and local workers are pared back dramatically. The only people in denial these days are the Brown administration and the state's legislative leaders, as their response to a prestigious government report makes clear.

The well-respected and non-partisan Little Hoover Commission drew some conclusions that even many pension reformers have been reluctant to make – namely, that pensions must be reduced for current employees. The state's unfunded liabilities, or pension debt, is estimated as high as a half-trillion dollars. That is the amount taxpayers will owe to make good on pension for current retirees and employees. Most of the debate has centered on reducing formulas for new hires, but as Little Hoover explained, that won't put a dent in the problem.

More at the link.

I'll be heading to Sacramento if anarcho-communists stage an occupation of the state capitol. Of course, we've got Governor Jerry Brown, so lefties should be well taken care of. Still, some of the anarchists don't care who's in power, so that'll make things tough for the SEIU commie thugs, who'll end up beating on folks who're basically on the same side.

RELATED: AT LAT, "GOP senators claim 'impasse' in budget talks with Gov. Jerry Brown."

Photo Credit, "Anne Stausboll, chief executive officer for the California Public Employees Retirement System, testifies on the state retirement system during a legislative hearing at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, March 2, 2011," Albany Times Union, "Democrats cool to targeting workers' pensions."

Yo, Michael Moore ... Are We Broke Yet?

Glenn Reynolds has the video, "Are We Broke Yet? Michael Moore Says No, Reality Begs to Differ."

And from Serr8d's Cutting Edge, "Jabba the Filmmaker":

RELATED: from Domenico Montanaro (via Memeorandum):

Over the weekend, liberal communist filmmaker Michael Moore said the fight in Wisconsin has “aroused a sleeping giant” for union rights across the country.

But the fight may have aroused a different “sleeping giant” -- the activist liberal Wisconsin electorate, which was dormant in the 2010 midterms.

A poll out today by the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute shows President Obama’s and Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s approval ratings heading in opposite directions.

I discussed that poll yesterday and the numbers for the Democrats aren't that robust, actually. And speaking of not that robust, at CBS, "White House memo notes shortage of applicants for contest to have Obama to speak at high school graduation."

Maybe they'd settle for Jabba the Filmmaker. Not.

Islamic Supremacists and Pro-Terror Thugs Protest King Hearings in New York

Okay, here's an update to my previous entry, "Barack Hussein Works to Reassure Muslims Ahead of House Hearings on Homegrown Islamic Terrorism."

See the reports at Atlas Shrugs, "How about .... "I am an American!" Rally Islamic Supremacists and Useful Tools Protest Counter Terror Efforts," and Vigilant Squirrel, "Imam Rauf Rally Times Square."

Check Jihad Watch as well, "Useful idiots rally against King hearings," and "More protests on King hearings: Muslims feel "unfairly singled out" over jihadist terrorism."

Barack Hussein Works to Reassure Muslims Ahead of House Hearings on Homegrown Islamic Terrorism

Folks should be reading my friend Gary Fouse's blog, Fousesquawk. Gary teaches at UCI and his blog specializes in countering jihad on campus. Despite the backlash against Irvine's Muslim Student Association, the campus will once again hold Israeli Hate Week in May. I'm planning some coverage of that myself, which will augment my recent investigation into pro-terror Islamic radicalism at UCLA. It's never a dull moment with these thugs. Right here at home we have an anti-Semitic fifth column, and of course the White House is doing all it can to strengthen these forces and enable the progressive left's Islamization of America. At LAT, "White House seeks to reassure Muslims":

The White House took a preemptive step to defuse an emerging controversy Sunday, sending out a top aide to reassure American Muslims that the U.S. government doesn't see them as a collective threat.

Denis McDonough, deputy national security advisor to President Obama, addressed a largely Muslim audience days before congressional hearings into homegrown Islamic terrorism. The hearings, which sparked protests in New York on Sunday, will be led by Rep. Peter T. King (R-N.Y.), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee.

In his speech to members of the All Dulles Area Muslim Society, McDonough said, "The bottom line is this: When it comes to preventing violent extremism and terrorism in the United States, Muslim Americans are not part of the problem; you're part of the solution."

Earlier Sunday, King told CNN's "State of the Union" that Al Qaeda terrorists were "attempting to recruit within the United States. People in this country are being self-radicalized."

The Obama administration is clearly worried that the hearings, which begin Thursday, could open a rift with Muslim leaders, whose cooperation is needed to foil terrorist recruitment. A message from McDonough's speech was that the Muslim community is vital to a larger strategy of preventing the radicalization of American youths.

Leader of Wisconsin Senate Democrats Seeks Meeting With Gov. Walker

At Milwaukee's Journal Sentinel, "Top Senate Democrat wants meeting with Walker."

The leader of Senate Democrats hiding out in Illinois is seeking a face-to-face meeting with Gov. Scott Walker and the Senate GOP leader.

Senate Minority Leader Mark Miller (D-Monona) said in a letter sent out Monday that he wants to meet with Republicans "near the Wisconsin-Illinois border to formally resume serious discussions" on Walker's budget repair bill. Two other Democratic senators met with Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) last week in Kenosha.

Democrats have been holed up south of the state line since last month to block action on Walker's budget repair bill, which would end most collective bargaining for public employee unions in the state.

"I assure you that Democratic state senators, despite our differences and the vigorous debate we have had, remain ready and willing to find a reasonable compromise," Miller said in the letter.

Walker spokesman Cullen Werwie could not be reached immediately for comment.

On Monday morning, a small but dedicated group began to chant in protest of Gov. Walker’s budget-repair bill in the Capitol rotunda.

Outside the Capitol, there is little or no sign of the mass protests that have engulfed the Capitol square in recent weeks.

Yeah, Althouse shows that the progressive scumbag protests are winding down.

More later ...

Stephen Walt, Harvard's Israel-Bashing Political Scientist, Implicated in Libyan Influence-Peddling Scandal

While many supporters of Israel are well acquainted with Stephen Walt, who co-authored the wildly controversial attack on the Jewish state in "The Israel Lobby," my familiarity with the Harvard political scientist goes back to the 1990s. Walt's theories on realism and the balance of threat in strategic studies formed a basis for my dissertation work. I had no idea that Walt was a far-left wing crackpot until the controversy over "The Israel Lobby" burst out in 2006. Even then I looked at it mostly as a matter of scholarly differences within political science. But since Walt became a blogger at Foreign Policy a couple of years back I've really gotten a handle on his hatred of the Jewish state. I went back and read The Israel Lobby in book-length, and I assigned the essay from the London Review in my World Politics classes. So it's pretty fascinating that Professor Walt is deeply implicated in the Libyan lobbying controversy that's been in the news this last couple of weeks. David Bernstein writes on this at Volokh Conspiracy, "Stephen Walt on Libya." And in the comments there especially, from Gary Rosen:

Walt is just one more in a long line of Western hypocrites who make[s] a living demonizing Israel while winking at her enemies which are mostly bloody human rights hellholes. He and his ilk have been hugely responsible for enabling the repression that infects the region.

Walt lied, people died.

So true, although Walt's precise location within the Libyan lobby is sketchy. He took a recent junket to Libya at the invitation of the Gaddafi dictatorship "to give a lecture to its Economic Development Board ..." The nature of the financing or compensation is unknown, but given that a number of other well-connected academic have previously traveled in these footsteps, it's obvious that Libyan lobbying efforts in the U.S. are paying off. And there's a detailed analysis at Elder of Zion as well, "Stephen Walt and Gaddafi's Libya." Following the links there takes us to a killer piece from Martin Peretz at The New Republic, "The Qaddafi family didn’t lack for Western allies." Folks should just click the link and RTWT. Peretz provides a beautiful background to some rather ignominious writing Walt's done recently on his Foreign Policy blog. Walt predicted that the Tunisian revolt wouldn't spread to the rest of the Middle East. Big mistake, obviously, and Walt offered a sort of apologia sometime later, at "What I got wrong about the Arab revolutions and why I'm not losing sleep over it." Peretz makes mincemeat of it all:

Smart man, this Walt! But spread, the revolution did, to Egypt even before it went elsewhere, which now makes it almost everywhere in the Arab world. Barely a month later, Walt had to admit in Foreign Policy, the journal that routinely carries his enormous mistakes in fact and in judgement, “What I got wrong about the Arab revolutions and why I’m not losing sleep over it.” But his was not just an evaluative error. It was a basic misunderstanding of Egyptian realities: “I underestimated the degree of internal resentment” in Egypt, which is the basic fact about Egypt, isn’t it? This is like a doctor saying, “I thought it was a common cold. I’m sorry; it turned out to be pneumonia.” The physician, if a person of conscience, however, did lose some sleep over his bungle, as Walt is proud to tell us he did not. Apparently, Arab life is cheap not only to the collapsing regimes but also to this Kennedy School professor. One thing is for sure, and it is that there’s no wisdom in taking his classes.

No, no wisdom there at all.

RELATED: "Libyan Opposition Leaders Slam U.S. Business Lobby's Deals With Gaddafi."

Ha! Fleebagging Democrats to Return to Madison!

At Wall Street Journal, "Democrats to End Union Standoff":

Playing a game of political chicken, Democratic senators who fled Wisconsin to stymie restrictions on public-employee unions said Sunday they planned to come back from exile soon, betting that even though their return will allow the bill to pass, the curbs are so unpopular they'll taint the state's Republican governor and legislators.

The Wisconsin standoff, which drew thousands of demonstrators to occupy the capitol in Madison for days at a time, has come to highlight efforts in other states to address budget problems in part by limiting the powers and benefits accorded public-sector unions.

Sen. Mark Miller said he and his fellow Democrats intend to let the full Senate vote on Gov. Scott Walker's "budget-repair" bill, which would also limit public unions' collective bargaining rights. The bill, which had been blocked because the missing Democrats were needed for the Senate to have enough members present to consider the bill, is expected to pass the Republican-controlled chamber.

He said he thinks recent polls showing voter discontent with Mr. Walker over limits on bargaining rights have been "disastrous" for the governor and give Democrats more leverage to seek changes in a broader two-year budget bill Mr. Walker proposed Tuesday.

Andrew Welhouse, a spokesman for Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, said the short-term budget-repair bill can no longer be amended. He said when Democrats return they will be able to speak on the bill, "but we plan to pass it as soon as possible."

Right. Disastrous. That's why Gov. Walker laughs it off at the piece:

Mr. Walker said he would not be swayed by the polls.

"If I governed by polls I'd still be in the state Assembly," Mr. Walker said on Friday. "I won reelection twice as county executive in an area of the state that went two-thirds for President Obama by identifying a problem, telling people how I was going to deal with it, and then moving forward with the solution."

RELATED: At Gateway Pundit, "Fleebagger Smackdown! Greta Van Susteren Embarrasses AWOL WI Dem Lena Taylor."

Now at Memeorandum.

Supporters Rally for Scott Walker's Budget Plan at Alliant Energy Center in Madison

At Milwaukee's Journal Sentinel, "Pro-Walker Bus Tour Ends in Rally in Madison":

Madison — A bus tour around the state of Gov. Scott Walker supporters ended Sunday in Madison with several hundred coming to the Alliant Energy Center holding signs that said "Collective Bargaining is Not a Right" and "Remember November? Wisconsin Majority Stands with Gov. Scott Walker."

Joe the Plumber, who rose to national fame during the 2008 presidential election, told the group that many workers in the private sector don't have lifetime job guarantees.

"The state of Wisconsin is in dire straits along with a lot of other states," said Joe, who's full name is Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher. He added that union members had "had a guarantee most of their life."

Nancy Mistele, a former Madison school board member, said Walker has been "demonized" for trying to balance the state's budget and she took aim at the 14 Democratic senators who fled to Illinois to avoid a vote in the Senate.

"They instead attempt to nullify our November election by running away," Mistele said of the 14 Democrats.

The crowd cheered when Americans for Prosperity state director Matt Seaholm said Walker is making good on one of his campaign promises.

"Gov. Walker said I'm going to balance the budget without raising taxes," Seaholm said.

The video above's from Newly Conservative, "Quick report from Pro-Walker Rally and Capitol Cleanup." And I love this:

The rally was great! Joe “The Plumber” was there and gave a nice little speech. It was great to finally be around conservatives in this town! I wish I could say the same for the cleanup. Apparently the liberals found out the Tea Party was planning on cleaning today so they cleaned up most of it yesterday. I still went with a trash bag and cleaned up a bit, and found myself hassled by numerous protesters.

Yep, it's a pigsty, like I've been reporting all along. Progressives got word that tea partiers were taking the trash out, and they cleaned up before the video cameras could roll.

Asshat THERS = DOUCHE has been editing the links to my comments at Whiskey Fire, so I saved another one and will post it later. Progressives: Liars, cheats, and thugs. Scummy too.

Until then ...

Fire the Fleebaggers!

Well, here's this from the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute: "HIGHLY POLARIZED WISCONSINITES SPLIT OVER WALKER PLAN" (via Memeorandum). Actually, a bare majority of 51 percent supports the GOP budget proposals, and on public pensions --- much of the basis for Gov. Walker's get-tough approach to unions --- eight in ten favor "requiring public employees to contribute to their own pensions ..." That said, there's a lot of resistance to Gov. Walker's specific proposals. Significantly, two thirds of those polled somewhat or strongly oppose laying off state workers. Not mentioned are the fleebaggers themselves, who'd be fired if Gov. Palin was on the job. At The Daily Caller:

"When times get tough, the tough get going … or they go on Fox News.

On Saturday’s “Justice with Jeanine” on the Fox News Channel, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin weighed in on the turmoil in Wisconsin. Her solution: fire the senators standing in the way of Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s budget proposal":

Bwahahahaha!! THERS = SELF-DOUCHE Got Da Althouse Fevah!!!

An update to my previous entry, "Clean Up in Madison Today — UPDATE!"

Here's my commentary at Whiskey Fire:

Bwahahahaha!!!

THERS = EPIC SELF-DOUCHE COMMIE SCUMBAG.

Oh god, thanks for the lulz!!

I'm going with the double entendre, LOL! Progressives are trash! Thanks for that link, Thers. You da best, bro. Citing the "demented" Althouse as an authority at my thread and then in your very next post smearing her husband as a source for the next "Internet tradition." You gotta love the obsession. Ann calls that the "vortex." And man, you got da fevah!!

Hey, you are too fuckety, fuck fuck fucking good!

Bwawahahahahahaha!!!

*****

OMFG!!

More hilarious Thers self-douchbaggery!

Not only does THERS = SELF-DOUCHE cite Althouse on how "clean" the Capitol is, he posts in the next thread on Althouse's husband Meade, who responds there to the disputed $7.5 million clean up claims: "'Don't believe the widespread reports about "$7.5 million" in damage to the Capitol, either.' Personally, I would charge twice that to correct the damage I saw done to the historic building'."

Bwawahahahahahaha!!!

Don't change, Thers. YOU DA FUCKETY FUCKING BEST!!

Again, pardon the F-Bombs. That's a parody of Thers' liberal progressive profanity usage.

Anyway, it turns out that Abe Sauer at The Awl posted on Meade's coverage of Gov. Walker's speech last Tuesday. The Capitol was basically in lockdown, but somehow Meade got press credentials, and apparently this is evidence that Althouse and Meade are among the Wisconsin power elite: "Class War: Who Were Those Folks at the Madison Budget Address? Ann Althouse's Husband, For One." That's the thread where Meade rebukes skepticism about the $7.5 million in damages, saying, "Personally, I would charge twice that to correct the damage I saw done to the historic building."

And now we have Althouse's video update from Meade's visit to the cleaning at the Capitol building, "Meade encounters the cleaning crew scraping stickers off the marble at the Wisconsin Capitol." From the second half of the annotation:

At 3:00, we see the use of fingernails to scrape off the stickers that have been moistened with something from a spray bottle that is referred to as "fresh water" (at 5:06) but produces foam.

At 4:00: A middle-aged woman says to the supervisor: "They're filming that really well and that's what everybody in America thinks this is about — how much work it is to clean up after us." With narrowed eyes, she looks at Meade and nods a few times. We then see another woman who is photographing Meade. He asks her if she's a protester, and she says, "I'm a citizen," and Meade says, "So am I," an answer she seems to find quite unsatisfying.

At 5:28, there's some camaraderie between Meade and the worker who's doing the cleaning, and we learn some details about the difficulty of removing different kinds of tape from the "polished marble." "Scotch Tape is the worst."

8:46: Meade asks, "So, is it just water?" and the supervisor intervenes. Meade inquires whether they are doing anything that they think they should hide. Supervisor: "This is something that he does every day." Worker: "Only not in such great multitude."

9:34: Meade asks, "When did they catch on to the idea that they should use blue painter's tape?" Worker: "I'm not sure." Supervisor: "Just don't give him any comments... probably not the press, because he's no credentials, but just another one of the bloggers."

"No credentials"?

Yeah, because that's all part of the devious Koch-hatched plan. Meade somehow manages to get into all of these Capitol events, and who knows if he's got credentials or not? Seriously. To read that Awl thread is to understand the conspiratorial mind of the radical progressive leftist. And as for THERS = SELF-DOUCHE, hey no damage to the building, man, no damage at all! Clean as a whistle, and no trash either!

Yet another fail!

Bwahahahahahahaha!!

Green Energy Plan Wastes Millions at L.A. Community Colleges

I've been busy and meant to post on LAT's series on the bond program boondoggle at the Los Angeles Community Colleges, but this one's too good to postpone. See, "Colleges Green Energy Plan Proves Wildly Impractical; Blunders Devour $10 Million":

Larry Eisenberg had a vision. "Amazing," he called it. "Spectacular."

The Los Angeles Community College District would become a paragon of clean energy. By generating solar, wind and geothermal power, the district would supply all its electricity needs. Not only would the nine colleges sever ties to the grid, saving millions of dollars a year, they would make money by selling surplus power. Thanks to state and federal subsidies, construction of the green energy projects would cost nothing upfront.

As head of a $5.7-billion, taxpayer-funded program to rebuild the college campuses, Eisenberg commanded attention. But his plan for energy independence was seriously flawed.

He overestimated how much power the colleges could generate. He underestimated the cost. And he poured millions of dollars into designs for projects that proved so impractical or unpopular they were never built.

These and other blunders cost nearly $10 million that could have paid for new classrooms, laboratories and other college facilities, a Times investigation found.

RTWT. The incompetence is astounding.

And the full series is here: "Billions to Spend: Complete Coverage." And columnist Steve Lopez has this: "Times community college investigation unearths shameful waste."

The district's bond program had incentives for corruption built in from the beginning. There was literally no independent oversight from outside citizens' groups. See the intitial report, "The price of poor planning, weak oversight." Years ago, when my college got its bond program approved by the voters, the administration ended up going with a new contractor after just about a year. I heard all kinds of stories of lush spending with the bond money, for food and Starbucks coffee, and it was probably worse, but should news like that get out to the community there'd be hell to pay. As it is my college's South Quad complex is often ridiculed as the Taj Mahal amid state budget cuts that have put student needs on the backburner. As for the Los Angeles District, it's like an early-20th century big-city machine --- and a Democrat thing, dontcha know! The Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley held fundraisers for board member Miguel Santiago: "Reelect Miguel Santiago--Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees." And the L.A.'s Democratic Party & Courage Campaign endorsed longtime board member Mona Field: "March 8 Election Recommendations from Pacific Palisades Democratic Club." And get this, Mona Field's got a long record of corruption: "Incompetence and Corruption at LA Community College District Must End":

We have lived through an era where public officials and union leaders lost – indeed gleefully destroyed – their moral compass. The cities of Los Angeles, Inglewood, and others teeter on the brink of bankruptcy because elected city officials and public unions have engaged in years of “mutual money massage”.

The public unions commit funds and campaign resources to “friendly” candidates and those candidates, when elected, have given away the public treasury in the form of outrageous pay hikes and rich pension plans no longer seen in the private sector.

And "LACCD Board President Mona Field Admits to Misuse of Bond Funds."

Added: "Candidates for L.A. Community College District board urge greater scrutiny of system."

Kinda like Chicago and the Obamacrats.

PHOTO CREDIT: "The clock tower at East Los Angeles College was built crooked. It cost an additional $157,000 to fix. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times / November 3, 2010)."

Madison is Only the Beginning! Communist Michael Moore Calls for Revolution at Wisconsin Protest

More (Moore) "imaginary communists."

At WTAQ News Talk, "Michael Moore Joins Thousands in Capitol Union Rally":

Moore told the crowd, which was smaller than it has been the last two weekends of the ongoing protests, that the nation was awash in wealth, concentrated in the hands of a few, but the public has been cowed into not standing up for itself.

"Madison is only the beginning," Moore said. "The rich have overplayed their hand.

"There was no revolt, until now here in Wisconsin," he added.

At Gateway Pundit, "WORKERS OF THE WORLD UNITE!… Communist Michael Moore to WI Protesters: Let’s Start a National Revolution Against the Rich."

Clean Up in Madison Today — UPDATE!

I reported earlier that Wisconsin's GOP Senator Glenn Grothman "went on MSNBC last night and rebuked the filthy dirtbag protesters as a bunch of slobs" (video here). That was a response to progressive cobag Thers at Whiskey Fire, who claimed, after an anarchist mob nearly lynched Grothman, "that this is a damned disciplined protest." Well checking over at Firedoglake last night, it turns out that cobag Thers, one of Hamsher's Henchmen, took another dishonest dump on conservatives with this screed: "At Least We’re Not the Ones Trashing, You Know, The Planet..." Look, you gotta give it up for Thers just for the lulz. What's always interesting with Thers and the FDL demons is how liberal the F-Bomb is thrown around as a source of neo-communist authority. Of course, I've smacked down Thers mercilessly, in his own comment thread, after he self-douched himself with some lame attempt at debunking the progressives' big lie. But here's the gist from last night, in any case:

In a fascinating yet idiotic development, the “Wisconsin Tea Party” has decided that they are going to descend upon Madison and “Take Out the Trash.” You see, the tea-morons are convinced the labor rights protesters are filthy disgusting hippies who have littered the capitol with discarded Marijuana Roaches and used Kotex products. The reason the tea-morons believe this is that they are nitwits who not merely believe inane Fox News propaganda, but masturbate to it.

And in a fit of crazed neo-communist self-congratulation, Thers cites Ann Althouse as an authority on how "clean" the progressive scumbags have kept the Capitol, only to turn around and slam her as demented:

Hell, even noted wingnut-celebrated birdbrain Ann Althouse says there’s no trash, contra the Kotex-mongering of a certain famous hard-right slob of a junkie sex-tourist deejay. And Althouse is opposed to the protesters to the point of dementia! (Though dementia is, of course, the mental region she typically inhabits anyhow.)

Right. Thers is fail.

Senator Grothman nailed it when he called these freaks out as a bunch of pigs. And Chicks on the Right sums up:

Those idiots in Madison took SHARPIE MARKERS to the marble in the statehouse, you guys. What a bunch of freaking animals.

Anyway, Althouse just updated. Meade's been to the Capitol and we should have some fresh reports out of Madison shortly. Look for updates:

UPDATE: Athouse updates, "What the hell is "It's Time to Take Out the Trash Day"?":

I assume "take out the trash" is intended as a double entendre, and the person who named this group intended to call the protesters "trash." They are not trash. They are people you disagree with, who have chosen a means of expression that you disagree with.

Now, it's a great idea for Tea Party folk to come down to the Capitol to express themselves and to pick up any litter that they find around the place, inside and out. That doesn't take any special expertise. But if you believe the place is strewn with litter, you are just plain wrong. Meade and/or I have been down there every day for the 2+ weeks, and we're not seeing trash. I have been blogging about this for many days, after a picture of mine showing litter on one of the first days went viral on the internet. The protesters got the message and were extremely diligent picking up trash after that point. Not knowing that makes you look ignorant.

It'd be nice to be in Madison for a direct report, but I'm going to disagree slightly with Althouse. Fact is the double-entendre works perfectly for me --- the protesters are trash. Senator Grothman nailed it initially when he hammered the anarcho-commies as scumbags and slobs. Frankly, they probably wouldn't have been cleaning up their junk had not Althouse called them out in the first place. What's even better, though, is getting cobag Thers all riled up. I mean, for someone who always calling out tea partiers as, if you'll excuse my language, "fuckety, fuck fuck fuck fucked," you gotta love how the douche cites Althouse in a fit of righteousness:

Fail yourself, dumbass. "But if you believe the place is strewn with litter, you are just plain wrong."

The Althouse pictures you post are from February, though above them you take care to say she "just updated."

You're even a bigger clown than Althouse. Congratulations.

Hey, you gotta love it. Citing a demented clown to attack an even bigger clown who's got your number.

Man, that's gold!

THERS = EPIC SELF-DOUCHE COMMIE SCUMBAG.

The best!

UPDATE II: I've got a new post, "Bwahahahaha!! THERS = SELF-DOUCHE Got Da Althouse Fevah!!!"

Planned Parenthood Hijacks Girl Scouts

A mom knocked on our door last weekend with her daughter asking if we'd like to buy some Girl Scout cookies. My son answered the door himself, and I asked him what kind he liked and he picked the peanut butter patties and the thin mints. The woman's daughter, in her brown Girl Scout outfit, was smaller than my son, probably about 7 or 8 years old. Then last Monday, walking out to the parking lot from my college, a young man had a big wagon filled with boxes of Girl Scout cookies. I asked him if I could buy a couple, and after I paid him he called his daughter over. She was rolling down the grass hills out in back of the administration. He wanted her to say "thank you" for buying some cookies. She ran over and said thanks then galloped back over to frolic on the lawn. She was also about 7 or 8 years old. This is what I have in mind when thinking about the Girl Scouts. But apparently the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts has been distributing "Healthy, Happy and Hot" brochures sponsored by Planned Parenthood. These were sent out as part of a U.N. panel on Commission on the Status of Women.

Way to go progressives! Sex guides for little girls. It doesn't get more morally bankrupt than this.

The Stand Firm page has a report, "Girl Scouts Distribute Planned Parenthood Sex Guide at UN Meeting."

Also, at The Other McCain, "Forget the Thin Mints: Now Girl Scouts Learning to Be ‘Healthy, Happy and Hot’."

Calls for Dismissal of Professor Bassam Frangieh at Claremont McKenna

I'm just learning of this huge dust-up at Claremont McKenna College over the extremist views of Bassam Frangieh, Professor of Modern Arabic Languages. Frangieh is a signatory to a 2006 statement of solidarity for Hezbollah. The statement is another classic in the global genre of anti-Israel exterminationist propaganda. It's also signed by Omar Barghouti, the top spokesman for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanction (BDS) Campaign Against Israel, and Norman Finklestein, the former DePaul University professor and Israel-bashing terrorist enabler.

It turns out there's been a growing campaign in the Claremont McKenna community to get the university's administration to rebuke Professor Frangieh, and some letter-writers are working for a dismissal on the grounds that Claremont McKenna is sponsoring outspoken supporters of international terrorism. See for example, "An Open letter to Claremont McKenna President Pam Gann":

I have written several emails to both you, President Gann, and Professor Frangieh asking you (or him) to refute these charges; - defend yourselves. I've done that because here in America, unlike under the rule of these terrorist groups Frangieh apparently supports, you are innocent until proven guilty. People here have the right to defend themselves. Over the course of more than a month, the only response I received from CMC (and by the way from neither you or Frangieh) was an email from an administrator saying that this is a "difficult situation." Simply put, it's hard to assume that these accusations are indeed anything but true when they are never publicly denied by your Office or Frangieh himself. Sadly, President Gann,it appears under your leadership Frangieh's hate-speech will continue to spread to the CMC students and faculty. In my last still unanswered email, I respectfully asked you to respond to just two things:??" 1) Does CMC support Mr Frangieh's endorsement and support for terrorist groups- Hamas and Hezbollah?? 2) If the man feels that these charges are unwarranted, why does he not do the school a favor and publicly denounce the Hamas and Hezbollah? "

I again received no reply ...

I will ask you again, if these accusations against Professor Frangieh are indeed lies, please come out publically in his defense. Have Frangieh publicly denounce these terrorist groups-immediately. Put this issue to bed! Otherwise you leave reputation of all the Claremont Colleges at risk and the Claremont community questioning your ability to keep CMC as a premier institution of higher education.

If these claims are false defend them publically. If they are true remove this man from campus!

Respectfully,

Leon Corcos
Tuition-paying Parent

The full letter is at the link. (Hat Tip: Gary Fouse.)

Folks should also check the Claremont Conservative, where author and Claremont McKenna student Charles C. Johnson is doing an heroic job in exposing the university's spineless submission to moral bankruptcy.

Andrew Breitbart's, Righteous Indignation: Excuse Me While I Save the World!

Available for pre-order, at Amazon.

Click on the image to enlarge:

And from Andrew at Big Government:

I can think of no better way to upset the lefties in your life – and please the inner you – than pre-ordering my forthcoming coming-of-rage® book, Righteous Indignation: Excuse Me While I Save the World. Learn how I went from left to right, then decided to take on the world and become an unexpected culture warrior.

Public Sector Collective Bargaining

Via Nice Deb:

Queers for Palestine Party to End Apartheid!

Talk about FUBAR. It doesn't get more screwed than international Israel Anti-Apartheid week, but New York's Israel-bashing clowns have the goods on the new low of lows. Turns out that tonight was supposed to be an epic anti-Israel night at NYC's LGBT Community Center. But the gay Jew-bashers got cancelled. The center's director, Glennda Testone, issued a statement: "MESSAGE FROM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, GLENNDA TESTONE ON DECISION TO CANCEL SIEGE BUSTERS WORKING GROUP ROOM RESERVATION":

Upon receiving feedback from a number of Center members and constituents with a variety of opinions on this event, the Center had to consider how renting space to this particular group was interfering with our primary focus of service to the LGBT community. The group is not LGBT-focused, nor was the event focused on LGBT people or issues. As a non-LGBT issue began to distract from our core mission, we asked the group to move the event. As for the status of the group going forward, we have decided not to rent space to the group for the same reasons.

So now the "Seige-Busters" Anti-Apartheid organizers are holding a protest against the LGBT Center itself:

WHOSE SPACE?! PROTEST the LGBT CENTER'S DISCRIMINATION.

• Stand up for anti-Occupation queers, Palestinian queers and self-determination!
• Stand up for the right to organize against the Israeli occupation!
• The LGBT Center belongs to all of us. Safe space for queers and ideas, not for donors!

Bring noise and glamor to take back our community's home

There's background at Gothamist, "Pro-Palestine Group Protesting Outside LGBT Center," and Village Voice, "'Party to End Israeli Apartheid!' Still On at Gay Center, Activists Vow, But With Picketing, Not Dancing."

I'll check for news of the protest, but seriously, I guess progressive Jew-hating homosexuals have to act up just to act up! Ironic how they're not protesting the real anti-gay governments of the Mideast:

Wisconsin Protests: It's an Occupation, Not a Sleepover

From the anarcho-communist Burnt Bookmobile, "We call for the further occupations of workplace, university and government buildings."

It's amazing sometimes how little real reporting the lamestream press is doing on Wisconsin. Althouse has had the most comprehensive coverage by far --- and she's fair too, being a good person and all. Progressives are not good, of course, and they continue to hold protests in Madison, defacing and destroying public property, and costing taxpayers tens of thousands (if not millions) of dollars. Tea partiers are planning a big clean-up tomorrow, and hopefully Gov. Walker will get a budget passed and progressives can clear the hell out. They'd stay longer if they could, since their ideological program is an end to property rights and private morality. This clip from the MacIver Institute really captures what anarcho-communists are all about.

"Inevitably, the time will come when we will have to leave this space. But if that wasn't so, would you ever leave?"

RELATED: At New York Times, "Wisconsin’s Legacy of Labor Battles":

The protesters who camped out in the Wisconsin Capitol building in Madison for nearly three weeks hung a handwritten placard over the marble bust of Robert La Follette, the state’s titan of progressivism.

“What Would Bob Do?” it begged, a plaintive appeal to recall the state’s history on the forefront for workers’ rights as the protesters try to fend off Scott Walker, the new Republican governor, who insists that he will not compromise in his bid to all but eliminate collective bargaining for public unions.

What would La Follette do? Interesting. Discover the Networks has this:

Many who today call themselves "progressives" sincerely trace their political roots to the Progressive Parties of Teddy Roosevelt, Henry Wallace or Robert La Follette, Sr. But many others on the left nowadays call themselves "progressives" as a deceptive euphemism for more precise, less popular words that describe their real political objectives and ideology --- words such as "socialist," "Marxist," or "Communist."

And "anarcho-communist."

Majority of 53 Percent of Americans Describe Democrat Agenda as Extreme

Well, yeah.

These people are freakin' commies.

At Rasmussen, "Just 32% See Democrats' Agenda as Mainstream":

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely Voters shows that just 32% describe the agenda of Democrats in Congress as mainstream. Most (53%) say it is more accurate to describe that agenda as extreme, down slightly from 57% last August. Another 15% are undecided.

Tea Party Group to 'Take Out the Trash' at Wisconsin State Capitol

Upstanding Americans are getting tired of the scumbag anarcho-communists defacing, destroying, and polluting the public realm. On Facebook, "It's Time to Take Out the Trash!" And Gateway Pundit comments:

Wisconsin tea party members are planning a “It’s Time to Take out the Trash Day” at the Wisconsin State Capitol to clean up after the smelly slobs who defaced the capitol building during their two weeks of protesting and sleepovers.

Americans Support Making Public Employees Pay More for Benefits and Retirement Programs

There's been a lot of buzz surrounding public opinion polling on Wisconsin. The New York Times earlier showed that 3 in 5 respondents favor the rights of union members to collective bargaining. Plus, with Rasmussen showing that Gov. Scott Walker's approval has dropped to 43 percent, the progressives have gotten excited. One result here is a stepped up left-wing advertising blitz in Wisconsin. Greg Sargent reports, "New ad turns up heat on Wisconsin Republicans as Walker's poll numbers sink." The ad's sponsored by the neo-communist Greater Wisconsin Committee, "Stop Walker's Budget!":

No doubt the standoff has emboldened progressives, and some of the polling trends may be helpful to Democrats. Yet I'm still not convinced that progressive fleebagging and thug protests are winning the battle for public opinion. While Americans are hesitant to restrict collective bargaining rights, there's huge support for greater employee contributions to public sector benefit and retirement programs. See the recent Wall Street Journal poll:

The poll shows 68% of the respondents would like public employees to contribute more for their retirement benefits and 63% want these workers to pay more for their health care.

And Quinnipiac University National Poll, "Democrats, Republicans Divided On Gov't Worker Pay."

The McCain-Collins Institute for Therapeutic Breast-Staring

While Scott Eric Kaufman is wallowing in progressive self-loathing, the boys of the babe-blogosphere have reached a consensus: The science of breast-staring has been settled.

See The Other McCain, "My Health Secret, Revealed!" And Dan Collins at POWIP, "Announcing the McCain-Collins Institute of Therapeutic Breast Staring."

And if anyone's not feeling well this morning, head over to Sports Illustrated for a pick-me-up with "Kate Upton Bodypainting."

Mike at Cold Fury recognizes the achievements: "We all owe a great debt to the Collins-McCain Institute for their fine work in this exacting and exciting field of study."

RELATED: Instapundit has the research: "STUDY: Staring At Breasts Increases Heart Health. I’m pretty sure this is just the same bogus report that resurfaces every couple of years. But why take chances?"

Sarah Palin on Fox News March 4th, 2011

She talks entitlements in this snippet from O'Reilly Factor. And at Conservatives for Palin, "Governor Palin Talks to Bill O'Reilly":

But see The Blaze, "Palin Swipes Christie: There's No Courage in Spending Cuts When You're Broke" (from a Fox Business News interview).

Chris Matthews' Gay Love Obsession Man Crush on Barack Obama

At Bare Naked Islam, "Is Chris Matthews’ ‘man crush’ on Obama turning into a gay love obsession?":

Regime Change Libya?

GrEaT sAtAn"S gIrLfRiEnD gets the neocon-crazy photo-credit, at "Libyavention."

But see Wall Street Journal, "U.S. Wavers on 'Regime Change'"

WASHINGTON — After weeks of internal debate on how to respond to uprisings in the Arab world, the Obama administration is settling on a Middle East strategy: help keep longtime allies who are willing to reform in power, even if that means the full democratic demands of their newly emboldened citizens might have to wait.

Instead of pushing for immediate regime change—as it did to varying degrees in Egypt and now Libya—the U.S. is urging protesters from Bahrain to Morocco to work with existing rulers toward what some officials and diplomats are now calling "regime alteration."

The approach has emerged amid furious lobbying of the administration by Arab governments, who were alarmed that President Barack Obama had abandoned Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and worried that, if the U.S. did the same to the beleaguered king of Bahrain, a chain of revolts could sweep them from power, too, and further upend the region's stability.

The strategy also comes in the face of domestic U.S. criticism that the administration sent mixed messages at first in Egypt, tentatively backing Mr. Mubarak before deciding to throw its full support behind the protesters demanding his ouster. Likewise in Bahrain, the U.S. decision to throw a lifeline to the ruling family came after sharp criticism of its handling of protests there. On Friday, the kingdom's opposition mounted one of its largest rallies, underlining the challenge the administration faces selling a strategy of more gradual change to the population.

Administration officials say they have been consistent throughout, urging rulers to avoid violence and make democratic reforms that address the demands of their populations. Still, a senior administration official acknowledged the past month has been a learning process for policy makers. "What we have said throughout this is that there is a need for political, economic and social reform, but the particular approach will be country by country," the official said.

Right.

A learning process. Frankly, White House foreign policy is FUBAR, as Niall Ferguson noted a couple of weeks ago at Newsweek. A U.S. carrier group off the Egyptian coast might have sent a signal for Mubarak to step down a lot sooner than he did, and a Marine landing at Suez might have bolstered the opposition, and perhaps crushed forces loyal to the Muslim Brotherhood. Of course, anything along those lines could have led to a long-term U.S. occupation and an intense outcry around the Arab world. What's interesting is that despite all of these dangers, folks keep raising the prospects of U.S. military action in the region. See Micah Zenko, at Foreign Policy, "No-Go: A No-Fly Zone Over Libya Will Not Be Easy or Painless." And the roundup at New York Times, "Should the U.S. Move Against Qaddafi?"

Mike Huckabee Walks Back Natalie Portman Criticism

Huckabee screwed up.

The Other McCain has the story, "Huckabee: ‘Hey, Maybe I Shouldn’t Have Trash-Talked Luke Skywalker’s Mom’" (at Memeorandum and Politico):

We have no reason to believe that Natalie Portman became pregnant with any intention of “making a statement” or “pushing the envelope.” If Huckabee, the former Baptist minister, wishes to condemn fornication and bastardy, or to talk about the societal impact of our nation’s epidemic of fatherlessness, OK. But why drag the Star Wars star into this argument? Portman was already catching grief from the feminist ax-grinders for having declared motherhood “the most important role of my life.”

Good rule of thumb in politics: Find out what side of the issue feminists are on, and get on the other side. (If feminists ever bothered to denounce Islam’s brutal oppression of women, I might have to consider joining the Taliban. But feminists are too busy whining about “pay equity” to notice that Muslims are still stoning women to death under sharia law and forcing girls into arranged marriages.)

More at the link.

And for the "feminist ax-grinders," check Mary Elizabeth Williams, at Salon, "Is Motherhood Natalie Portman's 'Greatest Role'?"

Big Labor's Lies: Richard Trumka's Bald-Faced Falsehoods on Wisconsin's Budget Stalemate

The transcript's here, from PBS NewsHour last night, "AFL-CIO's Trumka: No American Should Face Choice Between Rights, Job." But it has to be seen to be believed. In a response to Judy Woodruff's questioning, Trumka issues a series of categorical falsehoods regarding the budget negotiations and political situation in Madison:

Here's the key passage, from the transcript:

JUDY WOODRUFF: You know, Rich Trumka, the way he and other governors frame this, though, is they're saying, this is an argument between all of the citizens of the state, in this case Wisconsin, versus the public workers. And he said, when it comes down to that balance, public workers should be willing to give some.

RICHARD TRUMKA: Well, you know, they have been.

He asked for cuts, and they agreed to all the cuts that he asked for. Remember this. Those public employees are citizens as well. This is a concerted campaign by a number of Republican governors to vilify public employees.

They first -- this governor, Walker, first said that Wisconsin employees are paid too much. Well, now we know from study after study that the public employees are paid less than private employees. And then he said it's about the pension plan. And then we find out that his pension plan is nearly fully funded, 100 percent of assets versus liabilities.

And then he says, well, I need these cuts. And they agreed to them. And then, again, the most outrageous thing that he did was say that to these employees, I'm going to lay you off unless you give up your rights.

Now, no American should be subject to that. We ought to be doing more to build the middle-class, not less. And what he's trying to do is take away nurses, firefighters, EMTs, snow plow drivers, their ability to come together to make their way into the middle class.

Now, debunking Trumka's claims one-by-one.

First, Trumka claims Gov. Walker is unwilling to negotiate on the budget, but according to a Wednesday report from Reuters, "Wisconsin governor says open to budget negotiation":

Wisconsin's Republican Gov. Scott Walker said on Wednesday his proposed two-year budget was open to negotiation, but only if absent Senate Democrats end a two-week standoff over a bill that reduces the powers of public sector unions.

Senate Democrats left Wisconsin on February 17 to avoid a vote on Walker's proposals to eliminate collective bargaining for most public sector workers and require annual votes of workers for the unions to exist.

Frankly, it's the fleebaggers who've refused to negotiate, and have become a laughingstock throughout the deadlock.

Second is Trumka's dishonest response on Wisconsin's public sector compensation. The state's workers make more than those in the private sector, and to evade the point Trumka suggests that "we know from study after study that the public employees are paid less than private employees." But according to a Tuesday report from USA Today, "Wisconsin one of 41 states where public workers earn more":

Wisconsin is one of 41 states where public employees earn higher average pay and benefits than private workers in the same state, a USA TODAY analysis finds. Still, the compensation of Wisconsin's government workers ranks below the national average for non-federal public employees and has increased only slightly since 2000.

So again, Gov. Walker's right about union pay relative to Wisconsin's private sector compensation.

And on the state's public pension system, Trumka claims that public workers' pensions are "nearly" fully funded but neglects to mention that the state pensions are 100-percent tax-payer funded and that current projections show they'll be unable to make expected payouts to retirees. See, "Public worker retirement system sputters with market":

By most accounts Wisconsin has one of the best public worker retirement plans in the country. Established in 1951, it has grown into the nation’s 9th largest public pension fund and the 29th largest pension fund of any kind in the world. Nearly 560,000 current and past public employees are covered — everyone except Milwaukee city and county workers, who have their own pension fund.

The WRS offers a variety of payout options for retirees under a complex set of calculations. But basically, public employees in Wisconsin can retire with full benefits at age 57 after 30 years of service. Protective services employees like firefighters or police can retire at age 53 after 25 years on the job.

The goal, according to Dave Stella, secretary of the Department of Employee Trust Funds, is to replace 75 to 80 percent of income in retirement through a combination of a state pension, Social Security and personal savings. The average payout for WRS participants is roughly $1,900 per month.

“The system has served the state well,” says Stella. “You’ve got to give some credit to the Legislature for setting it up like it did.”

Taxpayers in Wisconsin currently cover virtually all pension plan contributions for employees, a benefit gained through contract negotiations that workers say makes up for lower pay in the public sector.

All told, taxpayers across 1,469 units of government paid an estimated $700 million in 2009 to meet required retirement contributions for their public workers. That figure, which is recalculated each June, is expected to climb as the state spreads investment losses from the pension over the next several years.

But a faltering stock market has put pressure on pension plans to meet their investment targets. Recent reports estimate public pensions nationwide are underfunded to the tune of $1 trillion, although Wisconsin is considered one of the best funded.

If the stock market does not begin to produce better results, the state could be left with three difficult choices:

• Future retirees could be forced to accept reduced payments.

• Governments, or their employees, could have to increase their contributions.

• Retirement ages for active employees could be pushed back, although not for those who’ve already reached their retirement age and are still working.

“Any of the above would be outlets for bad news,” says Keith Bozarth, executive director of the State of Wisconsin Investment Board, which manages the pension fund.

Given that analysis, it's easy to see why Big Labor Thug Richard Trumka is reduced to lies and distortions. Gov. Walker's plan eliminates collective bargaining over pensions because state worker plans are not only bankrupting the state, but have created a public-sector aristocracy with many state workers able to retire at phenomenal benefit levels while in their 50s. This is the nation's public sector crisis in a nutshell. Union benefits and power are too costly and harmful to state interests, so progressive thugs resort to lies to defend them. As Daniel DiSalvo has indicated, "Showdown in Madison":

Traditional democratic theory holds that elected officials, carrying out the will of the people as expressed in competitive elections, should determine public priorities and how public policy is carried out. But if elected officials must bargain with unelected ones—the representatives of permanent government employees—to get anything done, voters turn over decision-making power to people whom elections cannot hold accountable.

Furthermore, public-sector unions reduce government effectiveness. Collective bargaining over working conditions makes government more rigid and rule-bound. It limits the discretion of elected officials, reducing innovation and experimentation. Government unionism also has a ratcheting effect on salaries and benefits, causing them to increase in ways largely detached from broader economic conditions. The result is long-term structural debt, which crowds out spending on other priorities.