Unions and Coal Companies

Here is the fantasy the coal industry would like to sell the public.

Here is the reality of coal miners before unions.

Initiatives, Referendums, and Recalls

Since the Kentucky General Assembly is currently considering an amendment to the Kentucky Constitution, AN ACT proposing to amend the Constitution of Kentucky relating to hunting, fishing, and harvesting wildlife. I would like to suggest an amendment to the Kentucky Constitution to permit initiatives, referendums and recalls.

The three are summarized below with more information here.

Now the problem with getting something like this passed is that a majority of our existing Representatives, Senators and Governor would have to agree with it.

I fully realize this kind of amendment pales in importance when compared to shooting turkeys in Eastern Kentucky,but wouldn’t it be a novel idea to increase the say of the voters in their state government.

I’m pretty sure that there will be ice skating in Hell before our politicians in residence vote for initiatives, referendums, and recalls.

Initiative
In political terminology, the initiative is a process that enables citizens to bypass their state legislature by placing proposed statutes and, in some states, constitutional amendments on the ballot.

Referendum
"Referendum" is a general term which refers to a measure that appears on the ballot. There are two primary types of referenda: the legislative referendum, whereby the Legislature refers a measure to the voters for their approval, and the popular referendum, a measure that appears on the ballot as a result of a voter petition drive. The popular referendum is similar to the initiative in that both are triggered by petitions, but there are important differences.

Recall
Recall is a procedure that allows citizens to remove and replace a public official before the end of a term of office.

The Battle of Blair Mountain

The Battle of Blair Mountain was the largest open class war in United States history and was the second largest overall armed insurrection next to the American Civil War. For five days in late August and early September 1921, in Logan County, West Virginia, between 10,000 and 15,000 coal miners confronted an army of police and strikebreakers backed by coal operators in an effort to unionize the southwestern West Virginia coalfields. Their struggle ended only after approximately one million rounds were fired, and the United States Army intervened by presidential order.

Here are a couple of videos that bring together unions and mountain top removal. My Grandfather was one of the union miners on Blair Mountain.

Hypocrisy Meter

I know that most politicians don’t really have a very good Hypocrisy Meter. But when your best argument is “shame on you for doing what we have been doing for years” you would think the meter would register a little bit.

Today’s announcement that the Obama administration will stop defending the constitutionality of gay marriage bans has brought calls of wedge issue from the Republicans.

From the Associated Press:

Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., speculated Obama's decision was motivated more by political considerations: "It's only in the run-up to re-election that he's suddenly changed his mind."

(Speaker of the House John) Boehner's spokesman, Michael Steel, issued a statement faulting Obama for stirring up the issue "while Americans want Washington to focus on creating jobs and cutting spending."

The complete article is here.

You have to love it, Republicans complaining about someone using a wedge issue.

Bugger Off Baron

Sometimes my old country boy nature gets a little offended when the rich and entitled in other countries push their agenda on us, case in point:

A media outlet Newsmax.com who’s Chairman of the Board is Lord William Rees-Mogg, Baron of Hinton Blewitt, a right wing Brit Journalist, is attempting to influence events in Wisconsin.

There are reasons we don’t have Barons in this country and reasons we do have Unions.

So pardon me Baron, this Scots-Irish pro-union Kentuckian, prefers to think for himself.