Senate Democrats are going to be working over the Christmas break to deliver a lump of coal to the American people in the form of a radical changing of the Senate’s rules.  This is a naked power grab by liberals in the Senate pure and simple. 

The National Journal reports that Senate Democrats are laying the groundwork to chip away at the filibuster on January 5, 2011.  They are going to push the idea that a simple majority of the Senate can abolish the filibuster rules, or radically change the rules, in a new Congress. 

All Democratic senators returning next year have signed a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., urging him to consider action to change long-sacrosanct filibuster rules.  The letter, delivered this week, expresses general frustration with what Democrats consider unprecedented obstruction and asks Reid to take steps to end those abuses. While it does not urge a specific solution, Democrats said it demonstrates increased backing in the majority for a proposal, championed by Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., and others, to weaken the minority’s ability to tie the Senate calendar into parliamentary knots.

They are angry that they could not railroad through the Senate legislation imposing Card Check, a Public Option for ObamaCare and Climate Change.  Now it is pay back time. 

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In light of the NLRB’s attacks on business this week, this this little piece is striking, as it is the epitome of why the economy still sucks unemployment remains high.

The U.S. Department of Labor, which has become akin to the Ministry of Workers’ Councils, regularly issues a newsletter via e-mail and posts it on the Ministry’s website. This week, among other items touted, was this little gem on union bosses meeting with President Obama to discuss growing the economy and the government-union partnership.

[Screenshot below the fold just in case...well, you know.]

Obama, Solis and Labor Leaders

President Obama, Secretary Solis and key White House staff met last week with a dozen leaders from several national labor unions to discuss ways to work together to strengthen the economy. The group talked about creating good jobs for the American people, and how the partnership with labor unions is essential to growing our economy and continuing our recovery. The president and the labor secretary also highlighted critical steps that the administration has taken and pledged to continue to work closely with organized labor in the coming months on important economic issues.

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In the grand spirit of Christmas, Congress has seen fit to shower themselves with gifts from us. In continuing with their Holiday enthusiasm, and following in the footsteps of such great Christmas poetry like “‘Twas The Lame Duck Before Christmas,” I have assembled a video that you can share with your friends and family so that they know what they got their benevolent Congress, President & local governments on this joyous occasion.

Enjoy! And Merry Christmas!

Some people who aren’t religious are content to leave it at that. Others feel the need to attack religion aggressively. Those people tend to get pretty egotistical, to the point that there’s a whole movement of them that calls themselves “Brights.” Because they’re smarter than you. Get it?

One of the “Bright” activists is Richard Dawkins, a mediocre popular science writer who promotes unfalsifiable theories of macroevolution. One “Bright” project he’s helped fund is the Atheist Bus, an ad campaign on buses in England. The ads read “THERE’S PROBABLY NO GOD. NOW STOP WORRYING AND ENJOY YOUR LIFE.”

When I saw these ads, I thought they didn’t go far enough. If we want people to stop worrying, we should let them stop worrying about other critical issues.

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On today’s edition of Coffee and Markets, Brad Jackson and Ben Domenech are joined by Francis Cianfrocca to discuss the biggest stories from 2010 and some predictions for 2011.

We’re brought to you as always by BigGovernment and Stephen Clouse and Associates. If you’d like to email us, you can do so at coffee[at]newledger.com. We hope you enjoy the show.

Related Links:

Ricochet Podcast #49: A Ricochet Christmas
Lessons Learned from Europe’s Financial Crisis
Barney Frank: Straight Soldiers Must Shower With Gays, But Not Women With Men
‘Spider-Man’ Cancels Wednesday Matinee After Actor Is Injured

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[See footnote below with regard to the GM/Toyota NUMMI plant in Fremont, California.]

Because they’ve done so well with General Motors, Chrysler and Ford, the union known as United Auto Workers (or Union of Ailing Workplaces) wants to help spread some union love to its competitors working in foreign-owned U.S. factories.

According to reports, the UAW’s President Bob King has determined that the UAW will begin its assault on the workers of BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes, Nissan, Toyota and VW in January, but is keeping his first target a secret.

Source: American International Automobile Dealers via Christian Science Monitor

As the UAW’s membership has fallen from 1.5 million members in 1979 to around 350,000 members today, the UAW’s King has little alternative but to attempt something…anything to rebuild the union’s membership and its finances.

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Tech at Night is starting a little later tonight than I planned. I ended up showing my brother The Greatest American Hero on Netflix. Oddly enough I had no trouble with that despite the Net Neutrality framework not having taken effect.

But yes, the big story is that the FCC voted to regulate the Internet. This has been coming for a long time, but now that it’s happened, our side is motivated like never before. Here’s a roundup.

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Both Andrew Malcolm and Allahpundit are looking somewhat… askance… at President Obama’s apparent “evolution” on same-sex marriage (SSM).  I put “evolution” in scare quotes because there’s no real evidence that he’s actually changed his official opinion on the subject in any way that matters: which should have been apparent from the fact that precisely zero action towards legalizing SSM has been proposed by the President.  Congress did pass a DADT repeal*, but there’s been no push for SSM.

And there’s a reason for that:

Bluntly?  While the population in general has shifted to disapproving of SSM only within single digits, African-Americans remain opposed to the policy by a two-to-one margin.  The President simply does not dare offend that particular demographic. If that means lying - which the President is doing - so be it.

Moe Lane (crosspost)

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As hard as it is to believe, there are unions that would rather see people unemployed than have them work at a company that the union doesn’t like. The Teamsters is apparently one of those unions.

In Visalia, California, a company would like to build 500,000 square-foot medical products distribution center in an industrial park. The company had reached an agreement with the City to build the DC in 2009. It is properly zoned, so that is not a question. However, none of this matters to the Teamsters’ union, which is trying a last-ditch attempt to block the project.

Although California’s unemployment rate is among the highest in the nation at about 12.4%, Visalia’s unemployment is actually higher than the state’s average with nearly 16% of Visalia and the surrounding area unemployed. So, one would think that a union like the Teamsters would welcome the 200 jobs that would be created by adding a 500,000 square-foot DC in the area.

After all, building a 500,000 sq. ft DC would employ concrete workers, cement-truck drivers, laborers, carpenters, electricians, drywallers, painters, and more—not to mention the hundred or so lift operators, warehouse and office workers and managers that would be employed at the DC after it is built. You would think the Teamsters would want all those people to have jobs, right?

Apparently, that’s not the case:

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I’m filling in for Herman Cain on WSB tonight from 7pm to 10pm ET. You can listen on 750AM in a lot of places around the country (it comes in well at night) and also 95.5 FM in Atlanta.

I’m declaring tonight Wide Open Wednesday and opening the phone lines. The call in number is 1-800-WSB-TALK.

You can listen live online at http://wsbradio.com or at http://www.hermancain.org/.

Consider this an open thread.

Rig Maintenance Supervisor Bill Masters of Trout, LA lost his job with Seahawk, a shallow water rig contractor, last June 23. After 38 years on the rigs, Masters hoped to go back to work fairly quickly; that’s the way it had always happened before.

But not this time.

Seahawk has laid off 300 workers. Only three of 20 rigs in its fleet are currently working. (One of them is expected to be working for my company within a few weeks.)

Bill Masters is one of thousands who may never work the rigs again.

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