A Dash Through the News

Like I said in my previous post, there's a lot of items to go over
and only a little time to do it in, so let's get started.

ABC News recently changed its polling criteria re: the presidential
election which is now upon us. What they did was change their
polling percentages by increasing minority participation by 20%,
thus giving President Obama's approval numbers a bump upwards.
The fishy thing about all this is that most polling organizations
change their criteria in off years, or at least in the summer months 
in election years. ABC, however, made their switch just five weeks
before this most crucial election in many years, maybe ever.
Coincidence? Your skeptical Peasant thinks not. After all, several
polls have been seen to have oversampled Democrat voters,
and I would venture not accidentally. ABC has, like the other
networks in the lamesteam media has long been "in the tank"
for Obama in their reporting on this president; it would not be
a stretch for them to play cute with their polling concerning the
presidential race.

The Weekly Standard reported on union bullying of their rank-
and-file members in the Senate race in Massachusetts between
incumbent Scott Brown (R) and Elizabeth Warren (D). Interviews
with union members who had attended a recent debate between
the candidates revealed that they were threatened with $150 fines
if they refused to come to the debate. In 2021, when Brown ran for
this very seat upon the passing of Sen. Ted Kennedy, union mem-
bers said that their unions paid them $50 each to wear shirts sup-
orting Brown's opponent. A fine example of the best grassroots 
support that money can buy!

Although your favorite Peasant is not a fan of Ann Coulter, I do
commend her for her witty and astute observation re: the New 
York Times editorial page. Coulter remarked, "The New York 
Times editorial page is like a Ouija board that has only three
answers, no matter what the question. The answers are: higher 
taxes, restrictions on political speech and stricter gun control."
Your amused Peasant would add that the Times editorial board
is like a broken record in that they repeat these tired, stale 
nostrums so often.

Badger state left-wingers are trying every way they can think of
to overturn Act 10, Gov. Scott Walker's legislative initiative to rein
in compensation costs regarding state employees. What galls  
them is the fact that they are having to pay their fair share of their
retirement and health coverage costs, and because the new law is
working, it is very popular with the taxpayers of Wisconsin --- 
thus the lefties taking their fight to the courts. According to the
latest actuarial studies, it has been discovered that by 2019
Milwaukee Public Schools non-pension benefit liabilities
will have been reduced from $4.9 billion to $1.8 billion (!). Credit
Act 10 for this remarkable turnaround. The public union bosses 
and their their pals have been shopping around for a judge who
will issue a stay on Act 10 to "review" the law. What they are
really attempting here is to find (or make)
an excuse to declare Act 10 unconstitutional according to the
state constitution so that they can throw it out and reinstate the
old system of funding pensions and health insurance for state
workers. And sadly, they found such a judge, right there in
Madison (that figures!). But the Walker administration is
challenging this gambit quite vigorously. Stay tuned as this
story unfolds.

More political news and commentary to come!


MEM