"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be
the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under
omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep,
his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own
good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience."
- C.S. Lewis (1898-1963)
- Governor Calls For Day Of Prayer For Gulf Coast – This Sunday, June 27
- Stopping the Slick, Saving the Environment
- More than Half Won't Be Able to Stay in Their Employer Health Plan
- Superintendent Takes $80,000 Pay Cut
- Why is Big Labor Prone to Corruption?
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GOVERNOR CALLS FOR DAY OF PRAYER FOR GULF COAST – THIS SUNDAY, JUNE 27
Historically in America, whenever there has been a crisis, our civic leaders have called our cities, states, and even our nation to prayer, asking for God's help and guidance. They understood that help would come only through calling out for God's intervention. Today, Mississippi and the other Gulf Coast States face a crisis with the oil spill that has threatened health, homes, jobs, wildlife, and natural environmental barriers.
Governor Barbour has issued a proclamation calling for a day of prayer THIS SUNDAY, June 27, for the people and the environment of the Coast area. Gov. Bobby Jindal (LA), Gov. Bob Riley (AL), and Gov. Rick Perry (TX) issued similar calls to their citizens to pray.
We encourage you to print the proclamation and take it to church with you this Sunday, encouraging your congregation, friends and family to join with others in this critical time of prayer. David Barton of WallBuilders has offered these suggestions for specific prayer: comfort for the families of those killed in the initial blast; success in stemming the flow of escaping oil; mitigation of further damage; strength for the hands of clean-up crews; sustaining grace and provision for those whose livelihood is directly impacted by this tragedy; preservation of the health of citizens in the coastal regions; comfort for all citizens, reminding us that He is a strong refuge in times of trouble; wisdom for our civil leaders and Divinely inspired solutions to the many complex problems associated with this disaster; and the prevention of future recurrences. We would add: protection from hurricanes or other storms that would take the oil into the atmosphere and spread it over land.
You'll find the proclamation here: http://www.governorbarbour.com/news/2010/jun/Day%20of%20Prayer.pdf
STOPPING THE SLICK, SAVING THE ENVIRONMENT
In offering a roadmap for solving the current crisis in the Gulf of Mexico and establishing a proper framework for the federal government’s role in disaster response, the Heritage Foundation recommends these first steps:
- Recognize that offshore oil drilling is still an important national priority. If the United States stopped drilling offshore, even more oil would need to be imported, which would require more tankers, which in turn involves its own risks and costs.
- Reject efforts to hijack the public policy debate. Global warming legislation would do nothing to improve cleanup or to prevent future spills, but it would dis¬tract from the very efforts to clean up and stop the oil that must be the top priority now.
- Don't impose new regulations without a clear, compelling assessment. Current regulations must be adequately enforced before new ones are piled on for the sake of political expediency.
- Embrace a rational, market-based liability system for dealing with private actors, enforcing the responsibility of private industry with to finance the problems they create, not to put the expense on the backs of taxpayers.
- Empower rather than hamstringing state and local governments and free enterprise.
Source: Nicolas Loris et al, Stopping the Slick, Saving the Environment: A Framework for Response, Recovery, and Resiliency, The Heritage Foundation, June 16, 2010.
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MORE THAN HALF WON'T BE ABLE TO STAY IN THEIR EMPLOYER HEALTH PLAN
If you listened to the rhetoric during the 2008 election and the recent health care debate, you could be forgiven for thinking that health reform would mainly mean insuring people who cannot afford insurance on their own; in the process there would be no tax increases or benefit cuts for the middle class; and, as President Obama repeatedly stated, "If you like the plan you are in, you can keep it!"
Turns out, the reality is 180 degrees different, according to many observers, including the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA). Things are likely to change least for low-income people. About 18 million of them will be herded into Medicaid. But with few new doctors or nurses, they will find it more difficult to access care than ever before and will likely show up at hospital rooms in increasing numbers.
Middle-class families who already have insurance will see the biggest change. Within the next few months, Medicare Advantage plans will begin to be cancelled, and those that remain will see premium increases and benefit cuts. By September, one-to-two million Americans with limited benefit insurance will lose the coverage they do have, because their insurance doesn't comply with the "no lifetime limit on benefits" reqirement in ObamaCare.
According to the Administration, some health plans would be grandfathered and, therefore, spared from onerous, cost-increasing regulatory burdens. Unfortunately, the news isn't good on that front. Under a "mid-range" estimate, more than half of all workers will not be in grandfathered plans within three years. Small businesses will be especially hard hit and as many as 80 percent will lose their grandfathered status by 2013.
So, what's the bottom line? Because of ObamaCare, the United States could experience a complete restructuring of the economy, with firms dissolving and emerging solely based on government subsidies. Of course, that will means that millions of American workers won't be able to keep the plan they have now.
Read More:
http://www.ncpa.org/pub/ba709
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405274870388
0304575236602943319816.html
SUPERINTENDENT TAKES $80,000 PAY CUT
Montabella Michigan Community Schools Superintendent Ron Farrell figured the district provided him with a good living for the past 39 years. He offered to a school board committee to work for free. But the board didn't want to cut his entire $95,000 salary. "They're probably going to give me a little," he said. "But the savings to the district will be $80,000 or better."
The school system needs to cut about $750,000 in spending to break even. The biggest single source of savings: the district will employ about 10 fewer teachers next year, the superintendent said. "One piece of my legacy that I would never want ... is that while staff people were taking reductions and making concessions, the superintendent kept, so to speak, flying high with his wage," Farrell said.
Source: Tony Tagliavia, Superintendent Takes $80,000 Pay Cut, May 24, 2010, WoodTV.com, Grand Rapids, MI.
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WHY IS BIG LABOR PRONE TO CORRUPTION?
Corruption is usually the main topic of news stories about American labor unions, says the Capital Research Center (CRC). One reason is that labor law gives unions monopoly power. Collective bargaining gives unions a way to tap into employers’ and workers’ pockets, and a compliant U.S. Department of Labor looks the other way.
An associate editor of National Review, writing for CRC, has looked at labor law in other countries for possible ways to cut down on union corruption in the future. He concludes that ending union corruption is an achievable goal. But that will require reform of U.S. labor law, changes in unions’ internal management and culture, and stronger enforcement of RICO and other laws. Full disclosure of union revenue and expenditures, for example, is a commonsense measure no reasonable person should oppose.
Until these changes are made, American unions will continue to be an ideal target for criminal enterprise.
Source: Robert VerBruggen, Unions on the Waterfront: Why is Big Labor Prone to Corruption?, Labor Watch, Capital Research Center, June 3, 2010.
Read the report
Mississippi Center for Public Policy's mission is to advance the ideals of limited government, free markets, and strong traditional families by influencing public policy, informing the media, and equipping the public with information and perspective to help them understand and defend their liberty.
Mississippi Center for Public Policy's vision is for Mississippi to be a place where entrepreneurs are free to pursue their dreams, parents are free to direct the education and upbringing of their children, government functions according to the principles that enhance freedom, and all Mississippians are free from dependence on government for their daily needs.
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