Tag Archives: libertarian

Indy News Anchor Files Complaint Against Union

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WRTV-6 news anchor Trisha Shepherd is one of many American workers who believe she should actually receive the money she earns rather than a union she would prefer not to belong to. Most telling is her quote that she’s not trying to make a political statement, just trying to protect herself. While unions have every right to exist, how can forced membership be justified? The Indy Star reports:

A news program anchor for WRTV (Channel 6) has filed an unfair labor practice complaint against the union representing workers at the Indianapolis television station.

Trisha Shepherd, who anchors the evening newscasts, claims in a complaint to the National Labor Relations Board that the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists is illegally trying to collect dues or fees from her.

Shepherd’s two-page complaint, filed this week with the NLRB office in Indianapolis, has echoes of the controversy over right-to-work legislation that failed to pass the Indiana General Assembly.

Unions consider such laws to be politically motivated attempts to weaken the labor movement by cutting their ability to charge fees even to nonmembers who receive the benefits of collective bargaining.

Shepherd said Thursday that her complaint to the NLRB isn’t intended as a test case on right-to-work issues.

She said the controversy in Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin and other states did not motivate her complaint against AFTRA.

"This is not intended as a political statement," she said.

"I’m just like any other citizen trying to protect myself," Shepherd said.

The union has been trying to collect $1,032 as of April 18. It hired a Pennsylvania collection company to try to get her to pay, according to NLRB filings.

Ah, But Ain’t That America: A Journalist Deals with the IRS

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While I would argue government does provide many worthy functions in a civilized society, those who depend on its efficiency to help them solve problems have a tendency to be disappointed (read: enraged). Here’s the story of (former Reason magazine/soon-to-be Huffington Post) writer and native Hoosier Radley Balko and his dealings with the IRS this past year… and it sounds like he’ll get to relive this for years to come (warning: a little salty language, but you may have expected that):

So I never got around to updating you on my feud with the IRS. (See here, here and here.)

Quick summary to catch you up: Last year, the IRS rejected my tax return due to a “faulty Social Security number”. Apparently, someone else had also filed under my number. I then engaged in an increasingly frustrating series of letters and phone calls to try to get the damn thing straightened out. All on my own time, and at my own expense. But it wasn’t my mistake. The whole situation was complicated by the fact that I moved a couple weeks after filing, and no matter how many times I told them this, no matter how many times I asked them to change my address in their files, they kept sending all updates and notices to my old address.

After my last update, many of you suggested I call the IRS help line. I did. It was a really frustrating conversation. I explained the situation to the woman, who then replied, “Well what do you want me to do?”

I replied, “I’d like you to help me get my refund, and to get this corrected so I don’t have to go through it next year.”

To which she replied, “Oh, you’ll almost certainly have to go through it again next year.”

“Why?”

“Because if someone filed under your Social last year, they’ll probably use it again.”

“But that’s why I’m calling. Once I prove I’m the rightful person using that number, can’t they make a note to make sure that in the future, the return with my name on it is the only return they’ll accept under that Social Security number?”

“They can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

“Because they can’t.”

Pause, as I bite my lip.

“So what would you like me to do?”

“I want you to help me get my refund, and make sure I don’t have to go through this crap again next year.”

“Yes, but what do you specifically want me to do?”

“Well, I don’t know. I don’t know what you can do. I don’t know how the IRS works. Clearly they have my address wrong. I’d like them to change it. And I’d like them to make sure whoever filed under my number this year doesn’t do it again.”

“Yes, but what do you want me to do? You have to tell me specifically what actions you want me to take.”

“Again, how would I know that? You’re the taxpayer advocate. Aren’t you supposed to know that?”

These quotes are taken from memory. So they’re obviously approximate. But it went on like this, with me getting increasingly angry, she getting increasingly obstinate. I finally gave up. (I am proud to say I didn’t use a single, goddamned profanity during the entire conversation.)

A few days later, my refund came in the mail. It had been sent to my old address, of course. A former neighbor was kind of enough to forward it to me. Which means it had actually been sent before I called the taxpayer advocate. Yet it still wasn’t noted in whatever computer screen she was looking at. Or it was, and she didn’t tell me. This was last December. So it took eight months to get all of this straightened out. They also paid me about 15 dollars in interest.

A couple weeks later, I got another notice from the IRS. This one was sent directly to my new address. Hey, they got it right! What did it say? It was a reminder that on my 2010 return, under penalty of law, I am required to report and pay taxes on that 15 dollars I “earned” in interest while the federal government held my refund.

Here’s the punchline:  I just learned tonight that my 2010 return has again been rejected due to a “faulty Social Security number.”

Which I guess means I’ll now get to do this all over again.

If you’re looking for a bright side here, the “taxpayer advocate” did correctly warn me that the IRS would once again screw up this year. So if nothing else, I guess federal employees are at least pretty competent when it comes to predicting the incompetence of other federal employees.

“Atlas Shrugged” Film to Hit Theaters Around Tax Day

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I’m assuming many of the readers of this blog are Ayn Rand fans, or at least are aware of her work. While the idea has been kicked around for years — and likely decades — a film version of "Atlas Shrugged" is slated to hit theaters on April 15.

While I don’t personally subscribe to her entire philosophy of Objectivism, or her seemingly blanket rejection of any sort of a "collective," I do think her themes and warnings of overarching state abuse and its impact on the business community are noteworthy for our purposes.

The film will be released in three parts. And its fan site busts a few myths about its production, as well. Watch the trailer and let us know if you’re enthused:

Judge: Supreme Court Voice Needed on Health Care Reform

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The Florida judge who declared the federal health care reform law unconstitutional "updated" his own ruling yesterday and urged that "the sooner this issue is decided by the Supreme Court, the better off the entire nation will be."

On January 31, 2011, U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson (Pensacola, Florida) determined that the “individual mandate” provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is unconstitutional and declared the remainder of the Act void because it was not severable.  The defendants (the Obama administration) filed a motion to clarify with the court, suggesting that there would be adverse consequences from an immediate halt of implementing the Act given that many provisions are now in effect and that several other district court judges have upheld the law.

Yesterday, the judge stated that while his original order “was as clear and unambiguous as it could be, it is possible that the defendants may have perhaps been confused or misunderstood its import.”  He did however, treat the clarification as a stay from his original order and as such granted it.  He conditioned the stay upon the defendants filing their anticipated appeal within seven days of his order, either in the Court of Appeals or with the Supreme Court. He chastised the administration that it had been more than a month since his order and the defendants had not filed their notice of appeal.

Twenty six states, including Indiana, are party to the lawsuit. On Wednesday at the Indiana Statehouse, a joint meeting took place with the House and Senate Insurance and Health Committees. Attorney General Greg Zoeller commented on PPACA and offered his view that in those states that were party to the suit the Act was unenforceable. Those comments do not apply a day later as Judge Vinson’s stay to his original order was granted. 

Northeast Neighbors Vie to Add RTW

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A right-to-work delay in Indiana doesn’t mean it’s not the right time for RTW in other states. The New Hampshire House has passed legislation and Maine Gov. Paul LePage says "we’re going after" right-to-work.

The New Hampshire bill passed the House 221-131 (what the heck they are doing with 350-plus House members in one of our smaller states is a question for another day). The Deputy House Speaker was quoted as saying:

"New Hampshire would be the first state in the Northeast to pass right-to-work legislation and would help us become a haven for employers seeking a pro-business environment,” Pamela Tucker said.

“Freedom is a core New Hampshire belief, and freedom of association and choice is a fundamental right of every NH citizen.”

In Maine, the governor made his intentions known while in Washington for the National Governors Association meeting. His comments to Politico:

"I believe if an individual wants to join organized labor and work under a union contract, they should have the legal right to do so," he said. "At the same token, a person who does not want to work under organized labor and wants to work should have the ability to do so without the threat of having to join and having to pay dues to organized labor."

"It’s that simple," he said. "It’s all about freedom and liberty."

RTW, of course, is on hold in Indiana. It was originally cited as the reason for the House Democrat walkout, but that was quickly proven not to be the case. Legislative leaders said RTW would not return in any form prior to a possible summer study committee, but nearly all the Democrat caucus remains in an Urbana, Illinois hotel, now citing education reform as the reason for their discontent.

The Chamber simply made the case for the advantages of right-to-work in a January 31 study and accompanying press release. We look forward to the debate resuming at a later time on this issue — and now for the other important bills before the General Assembly. 

Economic Freedom: Where We Rank

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Everybody: "We’re number 9! We’re number 9!"

The Heritage Foundation released a list of the best and worst countries on the economic freedom scale. For more on the actual criteria, see the full post. But here are the top 10 lists:

Most Free

  1. Hong Kong (1st)
  2. Singapore (2nd)
  3. Australia (3rd)
  4. New Zealand (4th)
  5. Switzerland (5th)
  6. Canada (6th)
  7. Ireland (7th)
  8. Denmark (8th)
  9. United States (9th)
  10. Bahrain (10th)

Least Free

  1. Timor-Leste (170th)
  2. Iran (171st)
  3. D.R. of Congo (172nd)
  4. Libya (173rd)
  5. Burma (174th)
  6. Venezuela (175th)
  7. Eritrea (176th)
  8. Cuba (177th)
  9. Zimbabwe (178th)
  10. North Korea (179th)

Wanting the ‘Wait’ to be Over

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Indiana business owners and operators are saying it. The Indiana Chamber continues to weigh in on their behalf with the same message. It extends beyond our state to most of the rest of the nation.

It, and the message, is that uncertainty is threatening all businesss (particularly small companies) and that Washington has to get its act together.

Let’s try a different approach here, with a video parody that will hopefully drive the message home. The ‘Wait and See’ video is brief (just over two minutes) and makes its point in an entertaining manner. Watch it, share it with others (including your representatives in Washington and Indianapolis) and keep up the good fight.

Freedom Takes a Hit

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The good news is that the United States ranks eighth out of 179 countries in the 2010 Index of Economic Freedom. The bad news, according to John Stossel (via Reason Magazine), is that the U.S. ranks behind Canada and that policies (both past and current) are threatening that freedom even more.

For the past 16 years, the index has ranked the world’s countries on the basis of their economic freedom—or lack thereof. Ten criteria are used: freedoms related to business, trade, fiscal matters, monetary matters, investment, finance, labor, government spending, property rights, and freedom from corruption.

The top 10 countries are: Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Switzerland, Canada, the United States, Denmark, and Chile.

The bottom 10: Republic of Congo, Solomon Islands, Turkmenistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Libya, Venezuela, Burma, Eritrea, Cuba, Zimbabwe, and North Korea.

The index demonstrates what we libertarians have long said: Economic freedom leads to prosperity. Also, the best places to live and fastest-growing economies are among the freest, and vice versa. A society will be materially well off to the extent its people have the liberty to acquire property, start businesses, and trade in a secure legal and political environment.

Bill Beach, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Center for Data Analysis, which compiles the index with The Wall Street Journal, says the index defines "economic freedom" to mean: "You can follow your dreams, express yourself, create a business, do whatever job you want. Government doesn’t run labor markets, or plan what business you can open, or over-regulate you."

We asked Beech about the U.S. ranking. "For first time in 16 years, the United States fell from the ‘totally free’ to ‘mostly free’ group. That’s a terrible development," he said. He fears that if this continues, productive people will leave the United States for freer pastures.

"The United States has been this magnet for three centuries. But today money and people can move quickly, and in less than a lifetime a great country can go by the wayside."

Why is the United States falling behind? "Our spending has been excessive. … We have the highest corporate tax rate in the world. (Government) takeovers of industries, subsidizing industries … these are the kinds of moves that happen in Third World countries. …"

Beach adds that the rule of law declined when the Obama administration declared some contracts to be null and void. For example, bondholders in the auto industry were forced to the back of the creditor line during bankruptcy. And there’s more regulation of business, such as the Dodd-Frank law for the financial industry and the new credit-card law. But how could the United States place behind Canada? Isn’t Canada practically a socialist country?

"Canada might do health care the wrong way," Beach said, "but by and large they do things the right way." Lately, Canada has lowered tax rates and reduced spending.

More Fun with Campaign Commercials (Bluegrass Edition)

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Our neighbors to the south in the great state of Kentucky have a serious contest on their hands for an open U.S. Senate seat, pitting Rand Paul (son of Texas Rep. Ron Paul) up against Attorney General Jack Conway.

Following a debate this weekend, Paul refused to shake Conway’s hand. While that may seem like a classless gesture, it was in response to this gem from the Conway campaign (below). To quote Napolean Dynamite, "What the heck would you do in a situation like that?"

Why, Rand Paul? Why must you worship the Aqua Buddha? (And if that’s some slang term for something dirty that I’m not cool enough to know, I apologize for posting it on our blog.)

Yes, my friends, the silly season is upon us.