Obama Flexes for Unions. Big Time.

If you had any lingering doubt about Obama being the Union instrument of destruction, let it go people, let it go. The debate is over.

Contemporaries of NOfP describe Obama as Lucky Lefty, and he is likened to the Godfather, in many ways. This should not be surprising given his roots and those that raised funds for him.  (Yes organized crime has a long and sordid history with unions. Recall that On the Waterfront was made in 1954.) 

Obama favors card-check, a proposal that would drastically expand union rolls. Even his most ardent supporters, like the Sage of Omaha, object to eliminating secret union ballots. You know, if unions are so great, why don't we 'export' the unions to China? It would not only improve our trade imbalance, but our productivity.

Let's see how else Obama has fared with unions in just the first few months of his presidency.

Barack Bullies Bankrupt California to Fund Union-Favorite Program

Bully is too weak a word for this. He made them an offer they cannot refuse.

California is neck deep in budget woes, primarily because Arnold raised spending from $100B when he took office in 2003 to over $145B last year. That is a 45% increase in five years. (Sigh...) One of the measures the California legislature passed was to cut a "whopping $0.074B" from $5.4B home care program.

Well, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) dropped a dime and Obama threatened to pull $6.8B in TARP funding from California if the state didn't put that $0.074B back. He's flexing for the largest and fastest growing union in North America after all... and he owes them big time. The SEIU spent $18,818,358.97 in 2008 helping to elect Obama.

Mind you, this home care program is broken. Even the ultra-left Los Angeles Times says it is infected with fraud. And this is exactly the kind of broken program that Obama promised to eliminate in his inauguration speech. After lecturing us on restoring the 'vital trust' he broke his promise within a few couple months.

Obama Cancels anti-Union DC School Choice Voucher Program

Obama cancelled the DC School Voucher program because the National Education Association, a teachers union has been on a mission to end the program. Never mind that kids were getting a better education in a private school. Even the WaPo thought so. Never mind that the $7500 per pupil cost was about half of what the DC government spends per pupil (on a program that has one of the worst failure rates in the nation).

Obama does talk a good talk, in his first prime time news conference he said "There are areas like education, where some in my party have been too resistant to reform, and have argued only money makes a difference.” But apparently reform only means pumping more money into the failed public schools system. Obama demonstrates hypocrisy and negates his (now worthless) inauguration promise in one swell foop.

Why couldn't he kill the housing choice voucher program instead?

Obama Threatens Chrysler Investors and Moves UAW Ahead

Obama strong armed Chrysler investors then put the UAW in first position anyway over secured debt. As noted by George Will: "The administration proposes that Chrysler's secured creditors get 28 cents per dollar on the $7 billion owed to them but that the United Auto Workers union get 43 cents per dollar on its $11 billion in claims -- and 55 percent of the company. This, even though the secured creditors' contracts supposedly guaranteed them better standing than the union." Also see GW's take on this at WolfHowling:

Then there is Obama's well blogged (though anything but well publicized in the MSM) extortion of Chrysler secured bond holders. It is a charge the Obama administration first categorically denied. Now, after others have verified the story, the White House simply refuses to answer questions on the topic . Obama strong-armed the secured creditors to give up their property rights - rights protected both in bankruptcy law and the Constitution - so that Obama could reward the UAW on a grand scale. It is government theft - stealing from innocent investors to give to his union supporters. The Obama administration threatened to destroy the bondholders in the press if they did not comply. Obama excoriated the bond holders as "speculators" at his 100 days press conference - an absolutely outrageous act. There were anonymous death threats made to the bond holders. And to put the icing on the cake, the bankruptcy court ordered exposure of the bond holders.

It is Official -- Obama is the Union Enforcer

So there you have it. Obama abused TARP funds (he diverted from purchasing troubled assets) and blackmailed California into kow-towing to Unions. He strong-armed Chrysler investors in favor of the UAW Union. A union teacher in DC flirts with him and he cancels the DC school voucher program without even breaking a sweat.  It doesn't matter if the programs work or not, whether or not they are riddled with corruption, or saddled with overpaid and underachieving fraudsters. The unions are using Obama as the muscle in forcing a socialist re-distribution of wealth.

When unions control politicians, we all coulda been contenders. We coulda been somebody. Instead, we'll all be bums.