Fast Food

All across the nation (supposed) fast-food workers are agitating for higher wages (to at least $15 per hour) … and to be able to unionize. This is clearly a cooperative strategy between the Obama administration and the SEIU (Service Employees International Union) … see: Associated Press Story for the details.

Without going into all the pros and cons of this dust-up there is, to me, one clear consequence if this union has its way with the fast-food industry. And that is that there will be fewer entry-level jobs for our nation’s youngsters ... and maybe even older employees too. If this industry wants to continue to offer value-based fast food, then it will need to innovate its way out of the box in which it would be placed. It would be forced to automate even faster and further the delivery mechanisms for its product in order to maintain competitive pricing … see the following for one such possibility – burger robots: Business Insider Story.

Basically, increased productivity as a result of automation will be forced on these franchises even quicker than might normally occur. Although I am all for improved productivity, I don’t necessarily believe that the gutting of these entry-level jobs is really going to help things for our inner-city youths. Yes, the SEIU bosses will still be fat and happy … but at a serious cost to our society.

Crony Capitalism Redux

Halliburton* ... That's a name that, to most Liberals, typifies crony capitalism.  Dick Cheney was its CEO from 1995 to 2000 and the working assumption was that he directed unsolicited government business to it so that his stock would go up and he would unfairly prosper.  This may or may not be true, but what is true is that Halliburton is a large company that, because of its expertise, has received many federal contracts under both Republican and Democrat administrations.  It would be difficult to unravel whether there was any undue favoritism sent its way when Cheney was Vice President under George W. Bush ... but, so far, there has not been any creditable exposé.

However, the story under The Barry's watch is quite different.  I have previously written about crony capitalism instances here (see: Crony Capitalism.)  Now, below are four more examples of what government largess (crony capitalism) is directed to companies connected to our current administration:

- Siga Technologies, Inc, a Service Employees International Union (SEIU) connected company, has received a $443 million no-bid contract from the Obama administration for an experimental smallpox drug (see: Seedy Details).  Smallpox was eradicated worldwide in 1978.

- Fisker Automotive, a Finnish electric-car company connected with former Vice President, Al Gore, has received a $529 million loan guarantee from this administration's Energy Department to create zero jobs in the United States (see: Annoying Details). 

- Silver Spring Network, another administration butt-buddy, has had its connected utility companies recently given $560 million in grants ... again by the Energy Department (see: More Money to Friends).

- SolarReserve, a Nancy Pelosi-connected green-energy company, has been given a $737 million loan guarantee, once again by the Energy Department (see: Princess Nancy's Silk Purse).

And for even more, see John Stossel's comments on the Obama-friendly window company, Serious Materials (see: Stossel Spills the Beans).  And I'm reasonably sure that some more of this sewage will turn up before next year's election.

* Halliburton is not an oil company.  It is a project management and oil-well service company ...  it provides many services to oil companies (like putting out oil-well fires) and to many other entities ... such as the federal government.  Its biggest competitor is the French conglomerate, Schlumberger.

Afterward:  I was just listening to Senator Dan Coats on CSPAN about a $730 million Energy Dept. conditional loan to Severstal, a subsidiary of a Russian company, OAO, to produce high-strength steel for autos.  The problem, according to Sen. Coats, is that most of the rationales used by the Energy Dept. to justify this loan are fallacious.  I urge you to read the story on this loan at The Indiana Economic Digest.  The only thing missing from this analysis is ... exactly who is the administration's crony in this transaction.  But, given the looseness of the facts asserted by the Energy Dept., I'm reasonably sure that there is one.  Stay tuned.

Also $1.6 billion from the DOE to BrightSource Energy (a Robert F. Kennedy Jr. company) ... see: Another Biggie and $564 million of DOE money into a variety of biorefineiries including $25 million to Amyris ... see: DOE Honeypot  (major source: Throw Them All Out)

Long afterthought: Here is another link to a listing of Green Energy pork: Michelle Malkin

And: Another One Bites the Dust

The Joust

The teacher-benefit brouhaha in Wisconsin is escalating across the nation as left-wing groups are fulminating and flexing their community-organizing muscles. There are now sponsored protests occurring or planned today in most state capitals and many other major cities across the U.S. (see Organized Protests.) These demonstrations are corralled and paid for by MoveOn.org, the SEIU, the AFL/CIO and many other “progressive” organizations (see the impressive list in the above link) as a show of force to try to trample the rising populist revolution against the excesses of public-sector labor unions.

This is a tilting match that the Left has consistently won over the last fifty years … with the tacit support of many in the main-stream media. However, this time it might just be a little different. Many American citizens now recognize that public-service unions cannot continue uncurtailed because many states and even our nation teeter on the brink of financial ruin. The public-sector unions, some of their private sector brethren, and many fuzzy-headed youths have, over the last few weeks, been exhibiting unrepentant greed, anti-democratic scheming, and too-often outright thuggery.

This all-out attempt to silence the Conservatives and clear-thinking Moderates among us may well be a turning point in the politics of our nation. Last fall’s elections were the first indication that the Leftists may have overstepped their popular mandate. Yes, they are formidable and sometimes even a bit scary. But like most bullies, if you take their best shot and stay standing … or, to continue the jousting metaphor, stay on horseback, then you have a good chance of prevailing. And the strongest weapon, that the opponents of these goons have, is that they must eventually win if either combatant is to survive.

So SEIU Me

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