Comments for American Vision and Values Trust | Discovering American Exceptionalism

Comment on Shark Tank Demonstrates 3 Characteristics of a Good Business by AllPatriotsMedia » The TK Quick Six – Friday, February 17th 2012

AllPatriotsMedia » The TK Quick Six – Friday, February 17th 2012 — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 16:16:49 +0000

[...] – Some good business thoughts from TV’s Shark Tank (via [...]

Comment on “We the People” outdated? by Ardell Nagle

Ardell Nagle — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 03:52:09 +0000

The constitution will never be outdated that is like saying God is outdated!!! I think the Founders were inspired by our creator. If you study their writings you will clearly see that they knew the pitfalls a country would face if they let one branch control the other. That is also why the Said we the people not we the government!!!

Comment on “We the People” outdated? by erik Bronfman

erik Bronfman — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 06:05:35 +0000

We have an event that focuses on the question of “Is the Constitution Outdated?”, will be attended by 3000 in Houston, TX featuring several keynote speakers. Please see http://councilfordebate.blogspot.com for more information. Keep up the great work!

Comment on Unschooled: The Boston Tea Party by Cononial america | Totemicmusic

Cononial america | Totemicmusic — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 18:52:01 +0000

[...] Unschooled: The Boston Tea Party | Center for American Vision and … [...]

Comment on Profiles in Exceptionalism: Steve Jobs by Brandt Hardin

Brandt Hardin — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 21:38:33 +0000

Steve Jobs changed the entire world with his visionary
outset and revamping of wireless media and communications. He’ll be a name which rings out through
history for evolving the way we live, share and communicate. I was compelled to create a portrait of him,
now In Memoriam on my artist’s blog at http://dregstudiosart.blogspot.com/2011/08/end-of-era-steve-jobs.html

Comment on The American Boys of Summer by Allnavybaseballteam east coast | Bioya

Allnavybaseballteam east coast | Bioya — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 06:59:41 +0000

[...] The American Boys of Summer | Center for American Vision and Values [...]

Comment on Cool Cities Happen Organically by ferioloJernop

ferioloJernop — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 19:35:07 +0000

I hope, it’s OK

Comment on Public Union Reckoning by Melanie

Melanie — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 12:23:50 +0000

No update for March?

Comment on Public Union Reckoning by Donald Devine

Donald Devine — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 17:38:37 +0000

Erik, President Franklin Roosevelt would agree with you on public sector unions. In 1937, he said: “Meticulous attention should be paid to the special relations and obligations of public servants to the public itself and to the Government….The process of collective bargaining, as usually understood, cannot be transplanted into the public service.” “[A] strike of public employees manifests nothing less than an intent on their part to obstruct the operations of government until their demands are satisfied. Such action looking toward the paralysis of government by those who have sworn to support it is unthinkable and intolerable.” The first president of the AFL-CIO, George Meany, believed it was “impossible to bargain collectively with the government.” Congratulations on such a public interested spouse regarding her views on Michelle Rhee. With more like them American education would be the envy of the world.

Comment on Public Union Reckoning by Donald Devine

Donald Devine — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 15:05:44 +0000

It is a credit to Loyal Opposition that he received my article on unions so graciously. Actually, I do not oppose unions, only when they use the political muscle of government or outright force to obtain their goals. There was a period when the laws were biased to employers but the Wagner Act of 1935 biased them the other way, which was only partially righted by the Taft-Hartly Act of 1947. Today, unions still have the upper hand and President Obama’s National Labor Relations Board is threatening to sue states that require a secret ballot for union representation elections. President Obama is to be congratulated for freezing federal pay but his order does not affect within-grade increases, which are where most of the increases take place, or pensions which represent the real inequity. Loyal Opposition learned much from his days with the National Education Association with its claim that wage and benefit gains for all resulted from union benefits wrested beforehand. Unfortunately, this is myth. Actually, unions found it very difficult to organize because wages and benefits were high before Wagner and membership numbers only started up dramatically afterwards. Unions represented seven percent of workers before Wagner and wages were very high in the 1920s until Wilson’s Fed and Hoover’s interventions messed things up. Today, with all the advantages, unions are back to seven percent of the private sector where they started. Most early union leaders opposed organizing the government as unpatriotic. President Kennedy did so for the Federal sector by Executive Order rather than a law by Congress. As far as spending in elections as a result of the Citizens United decision, unions still outspent business in 2010 and unlike unions business was split between Republicans and Democrats. The biggest contributor was the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees at $87.5 million almost all to Democrats compared to second place U.S. Chamber of Commerce at $75 million, which did support some Democrats. Several other unions made up the top givers and LO need have no concern for the future. Now that public sector unions make up a majority of the union movement, self-interest—indeed survival—depends on pouring money into elections to assure their privileged status is maintained.