The Art of Exaggeration

For the better part of the last month there has been a lot of comments misrepresenting and distorting the facts of House File 525. We have seen Democratic leadership as well as union leadership distort and misrepresent the bill for their own partisan political gain. I understand that this is the nature of the beast, but the opponents of the bill could have at least spoken about it accurately.

On March 3^rd Iowa House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy stated, and I quote, “It is our intent to have our voices heard and to make Iowans know the bill that’s moving forward ends our collective bargaining system in Iowa.” This is quite a statement from the leader of the Iowa House Democrats. On March 8^th South Central Iowa Federation of Labor President Mark Cooper also falsely asserts that HF 525 would end collective bargaining with this statement, “This is about the right for workers to be able to bargain in the workplace. That is what this is about. It’s not about economics.” Obviously both McCarthy and Cooper have never read the bill. If they had they would realize that this bill is not stripping away the rights of public employees to collectively bargain. All it really does is reform the law in a manner that eliminates some of the concerns that many Iowan’s have had with it. Of course there is the possibility that these two have read it, but are intentionally distorting and misrepresenting the facts of the bill for their own partisan political gain.

In an editorial in the The Daily Nonpareil Mike Hansen, President of AFSCME Retiree Chapter 61 wrote that House File 525 would “destroy mandatory arbitration, collective bargaining, unions, and the middle class.” Contrary to what Mr. Hansen would have you believe, this bill does not end mandatory arbitration. Instead what it does is enable the arbitrator to make an attempt to reach a compromise when the two parties in the negotiations reach an impasse. Furthermore it would prevent an administration from tying the hands of an incoming administration in the way that former Iowa Governor Chet Culver did after his November election loss. And contrary to Mr. Hansen’s assertions, I can assure you that House File 525 will not end collective bargaining in Iowa. The only thing that House File 525 would accomplish is to reform Iowa’s collective bargaining laws, some of which even organized labor and the Democrats have complained about. Rest assured that should the Iowa Senate pass this bill, and should Governor Terry Branstad sign the bill into law, organized labor will continue to exist in the State of Iowa. And another false assertion made by Mr. Hansen is that passage of this bill will destroy the middle class in Iowa. Again his assertion is that the middle class are union members. He doesn’t seem to consider the fact that the middle class has and will continue to exist with or without the help of organized labor. I can point to many members of Iowa’s middle class that are not represented by a labor union.

After the Iowa House passed HF 525 the Iowa House Minority Leader once again aired his ignorance once again by proclaiming that “Like Wisconsin, Republicans in Iowa will stop at nothing to take away rights from police officers, fire fighters , state troopers, teachers, correctional officers and other hard-working Iowan’s. This bill to end collective bargaining is worse than the bill approved in Wisconsin earlier today.” As I explained in my comments above, contrary to Representative McCarthy’s over exaggeration this bill does NOT end collective bargaining. Iowan’s collective bargaining will not end with the implementation of this bill.

You can see the impact all of this over exaggeration has had on the average Iowan when they themselves end up propagating the exaggerations and misrepresentations the Democrats and the union leaders espouse. Chrisina Manual of Des Moines remarked that, “It’s like, come on, don’t take everything away from us, all our rights.” Of course this sentiment is based on the extreme misrepresentation of people like House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

Ultimately I believe that the general population of Iowa can and will see through the distortions coming from opponents of HF 525. I believe that they will see opposition to 525 as nothing more than a desperate attempt to continue holding the state government hostage to public employee unions in Iowa. And I am confident that if Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal refuses to allow debate on the bill the electorate will hold him accountable in 2012.

 

Liberal Incivility

Over the last several months those of us that identify with the Tea Party have been harangued by the media, as well as many politicians that are ideologically opposed to us on the need to have a civil discussion. We have been told that we need to tone down the rhetoric in order to have a mature and logical discussion of the issues facing our great nation. For the most part the need for the Tea Party to “tone down the rhetoric” has been purely a manifestation of an overly fertile imagination. The Tea Party has been and continues to be calm and orderly. We have been entirely respectful of others right to express their ideas and beliefs. However as I look at reports coming from across the nation that call for respect and civility seems to have been missed by those opposed to us.

For instance, right here in Iowa last Tuesday we have a video that shows union members stepping off of a chartered bus. In the video we can hear a union member yell at the assembled Tea Partier’s to “go back to Arizona.” A few seconds later we see a union member walk off the bus and a few seconds later proceeds to extend her middle finger at that counter protestors.

 

And then in the video that you can watch here, we see that same union member located behind and to the right of Iowa Senate Majority leader Mike Gronstal. Senator Gronstal you sure do keep some classy company.

In fact videos like this one keep popping up over and over. Such as this one filmed in Atlanta, GA where a union supporter walks in amongst the Tea Parties only to get by shoving a counter protestor into a nearby fence. I have been informed that there was a police officer nearby that let the offender run away.

Or there is this video from Sacramento, CA where another union supporter uses his bullhorn to berate the assembled counter protestors. Then this same protestor attacks a member of the counter rally when his verbal bludgeoning doesn’t scare the protestors away.

Or here is a video shot in Ohio of a rather foul mouthed and apparently ignorant union member. I would like to point out that not all union members are hotheaded idiots. Many of this man’s colleagues attempted to calm the man down and to get him to shut up. But alas, he had already done the damage.

Or there is this little gem shot in Chicago that shows a union supporter that is quite obviously not stable.

Then there is the video of the Democratic Congressman Mike Capuano. During a union rally in his home state Congressman Capuano informed the assembled union members that “sometimes you have to “get a little bloody.” Talk about inciting violence.

These are just a few of the videos that have surfaced on the internet of union members or supporters getting violent and abusive with those that disagree with them. It seems to be that President Obama and the media need to take the time to inform their own supporters that civility is a two way street.

 

Union Leaders Lie

Tuesday afternoon I was among the one hundred patriotic Iowan’s that attended a counter rally on the Iowa State Capital grounds. We were there to counter the propaganda driven rally held by the AFL-CIO and their membership. In attendance were Iowa’s from all walks of life. We had the elderly, we had the young, we had successful businessmen, we had average laborers, we had non-union members, and we had past and present union members. We were a true representation of Iowa’s population. These Iowan’s drove themselves from all corners of Iowa, not as a part of a highly organized drive, but as a loose collection of individuals that truly represented a grassroots movement in action.

We weren’t bussed in. We didn’t have fancy pre-printed signs. Each sign held aloft by these patriots were handmade, designed to drive home the same point. Our state can no longer afford to continue to engage in contracts that provide lavish benefits far above what the general public enjoys.

Early in our rally we allowed one of the union presidents to have an opportunity to speak with us. After all, what we really want is to have a civil discussion about what the proper role organized labor has in public service. Among the many platitudes that this president mentioned was that they too wanted to have a civil discussion. Unfortunately he seemed to forget to tell the union membership this. For as the union members debarked from their chartered transportation it was common to hear curses, rude comments, and generally uncivil phrases hurled at us. Another frequent sight was the rude gestures emanating from the union members climbing the steps on their way to the propaganda rally at the top of the hill. And while we did not hear it ourselves, some members of the media overheard the union members at the top of the steps mention that they wished that they could shoot us. Once again, the left’s desire for civility only means that they want us to be civil, not their own supporters.

Here is a short video shot by one of the members of our rally as some union members step out of their chartered bus. Pay close attention to the African-American woman near the end of the video. Apparently she is telling us that we are number one.

 

Upon reviewing the media coverage of the “dueling rallies” I find a lot to be desired. For instance O. Kay Henderson, a reporter for Radio Iowa, commented that she witnessed union members yelling at our assembly. On the other hand Jennifer Jacobs, reporter for the Des Moines Register that I have openly criticized for overly biased reporting, apparently was wearing blinders. In her article detailing rallies makes no mention of any sort of uncivil discourse. I am absolutely positive that she would have included it if it had originated from any member of our rally.

By the end of the rally there were a number of things that were plainly clear. It was extremely clear that if it had not been for the union members that arrived by bus, our little rally would have outnumbered theirs. It is also supremely clear that it is our side, the side that wants fiscal responsibility, which has the desire for civil discussion. Without any encouragement from anyone the counter protesters that comprised our group were civil and respectful from the beginning. And it is supremely clear that despite the claims of the union leadership, they have no desire to speak openly and honestly to discuss our differences. It appears that it is their desire to shout down and threaten anyone that voices dissent for their positions. Makes me proud that I am no longer part of a union.

 

“We Surround Them”-Iowa Tea Party Rally

Our nation and our state are at a critical juncture in our history. Our nation is trillions of dollars in debt and our state has a budget that is far too large. And yet we there are some among us that view the tax money collected as nothing more than their own personal checking account. I am talking about public employee unions. And while most public employees are truly in public service simply because they want to leave the state better than they found there are others that simply see dollar signs. People like SEIU head Danny Horman. It is abundantly clear that Mr. Horman views it as his right to demand more from Iowa’s tax revenue.

Now is the time to tell Mr. Horman and his cohorts that our pockets are not his personal piggy bank. Join with your fellow patriots as we assemble to counter the corrosive and corrupt influence of Mr. Horman and his union thugs. Join us for the “We Surround Them” Iowa Tea Party Counter Rally. Join patriots from across Iowa as we oppose the radical agenda of the AFL-CIO and the public employee unions.

What: “We Surround Them” Iowa Tea Party

When: 12:00 PM Tuesday February 22, 2011

Where: Across the street from West Capital Steps