Sunday, February 20, 2011

Mackinac Center Exposes Hypocrisy and Waste


1. The Mackinac Center for Public Policy discovers that the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters uses non-union labor to protest a Grand Rapids area businessman. What's worse, the union has even recruited demonstrators who frequent local homeless shelters, including a shelter which gets help from the very same businessman targeted by the union (see video).  (HT: Newsalert)


2.The University of California at Berkeley, facing a new round of state budget cuts this year, announced in January that it will eliminate 280 positions, 150 of them through layoffs and the rest through retirements or other means.

But at the same time the university was laying off hundreds of employees due to budget cuts, it was able to come up with $300,000 to hire former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm and her husband to teach two classes each at UC-Berkeley in 2011, according to documents released by the school to the Mackinac Center through a Freedom of Information Act request. In the offer letter to the couple, they were informed that "University policies will permit you to devote substantial time to outside consulting or other compensated activity, as well as your summers.”

6 Comments:

At 2/20/2011 12:20 PM, Blogger Jason said...

Perhaps UC-Berkley was able to raise the money from disgruntled residents of Michigan who were more than happy to unload Granholm and her husband and make them California's problem.

 
At 2/20/2011 3:46 PM, Blogger Ron H. said...

"Perhaps UC-Berkley was able to raise the money from disgruntled residents of Michigan who were more than happy to unload Granholm and her husband and make them California's problem."

Hmm. You may be onto something. They certainly couldn't be blamed, and $300k seems like a small price to pay.

The referenced Capitol Confidential article indicates that:

"Granholm will teach about state budgets, clean energy jobs and diversifying the economy at the Goldman School of Public Policy this spring."

I assume this means pointing out what NOT to do, considering how well her ideas worked out in that great Michigan experiment.

 
At 2/20/2011 3:57 PM, Blogger Ron H. said...

As for the first item about non-union pickets, I'm sure Walt G. can explain such a seemingly hypocritical action to everyone's satisfaction.

 
At 2/20/2011 5:42 PM, Blogger Jason said...

Hmm. You may be onto something. They certainly couldn't be blamed, and $300k seems like a small price to pay.

Ron H., I would have contributed money for her to leave. And BTW, you should have seen the revisionist media shills sent out in force as she left office.

Like: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/23/AR2010102302289.html

Or: http://domemagazine.com/skubick/sku070910

A clear and unfortunate example of the pervasive narcissism in American politics today.

And, perhaps most ironic of all, she left the state where she tried to create the "Cool Cities" initiative. But her legacy is none of the cities were cool enough for her when her term was over.

 
At 2/21/2011 2:38 AM, Blogger Ron H. said...

Jason

Your links don't work.

 
At 2/21/2011 10:28 AM, Blogger Rand said...

The links seem to work if you cut and paste them. The blog engine seems to have a problem with links and word wrap.

 

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