Posted by UncleFred (anonymous) on March 28, 2009 at 7:59 a.m. (Suggest removal)

The problem with this bill is that it allows a union to be formed when a majority of workers sign an authorization card. If the vote is by secret ballot workers are free to vote their convictions. If a worker was not in favor of a union then one would have to refuse to sign an authorization card in front of union officials and fellow workers. There would definitely be an intimidation factor in the process. That is the complete concept behind this bill. The object is not to allow a secret vote so the union officials and workers who want to form a union can harass the others workers until they give in to the union. By the way, the problems with the Big Three automakers are 100% caused by the UAW.

Posted by sanemaninasylum (anonymous) on March 28, 2009 at 8:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Way to go Teresa. Enjoyed your letter. Everyone, AFLCIO.org website is a great place to find facts about EFC. Thanks.
http://www.aflcio.org/joinaunion/voiceat...

Posted by iamabookworm (anonymous) on March 28, 2009 at 11:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)

The intimidation factor goes two ways but the difference is that when it is your "boss" doing the intimidating that is something completely different than your co-workers and definitely would have the potential for a different outcome. Just look around here locally in Covington County, it is obvious that the people with union jobs generally make far more money and have better benefits than those without. Where would you rather work? I know where I would rather be!

Posted by ab4bama (anonymous) on March 28, 2009 at 12:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I don't guess Corporate Greed had anything to do with the trouble at the Big Three! The fact that the CEO of Chrysler made $19,231.00 per hour in 2007 had any affect. I think The Big Three showed their true colors when they flew the corporate jets to Washington. WAKE UP PEOPLE!!! CORPORATE GREED is 100% the problem. UNIONS are the SOLUTION!! thanks to them we have paid vacation, 40 hour work weeks, workers comp, the benefits go on and on. I guess you think Corporate America just gave us those things.. Yea, RIGHT!! Wake up and join us in the real world at middle class america, where we have seen our wages go down, our insurance cost rise to record levels.

If you want to fix the economy, fix the middle class!! After all we are the ones that pay 80% of the cost of government.

Posted by canon09 (anonymous) on March 30, 2009 at 7:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Amen Ab4bama & Teresa!
Well said. Greed (money) is the root of all evil! These big corporations have it made because they do not have to pay taxes! That is ridiculous as well as unfair! Some people have to decide if they should pay for their medicine or buy food, pay the mortgage, go to the doctor and on and on. It should not have come down to this. Something has to be done and fast!

Posted by alabamachris (anonymous) on March 30, 2009 at 10 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Ab4bama I see two things wrong in your response. First the, rich, pay 96% of the taxes in this country. I don't know where you got your 80% figure but it is contrary to all the news I watch. Second, insurance food, gas and electric has risen for everyone included us retired people. If Uniions are the solution why is it that the steel industry in PA. and the electonic manufacturing moved overseas. USA made products cannot compete in the global market IF the cost to build those units are higher then the total cost of a unit built with lower wage workers. And don't tell me that we retirees would just have to pay the extra to cover the higher wages because WE DON'T HAVE THAT KIND OF MONEY. One more thing, what is wrong with a SECRET ballot--is that not what our government people told Mexico they HAD TO USE in their labor negotiations. The real TRUTH is the UNIONS need the intimidation to get the Unions into work places today. Unions were great but like the steam engine they have had their day.

Posted by sanemaninasylum (anonymous) on March 30, 2009 at 12:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)

alabamachris, 96% wow. What "news" are you watching? Could it be NBC Universal that is 80% ownned by GE? The same GE that has an entire department dedicated to keeping Unions out of its plant? Lets face it Chris, the Media is owned by big business. And if thats the news you are "watching" then I can understand why you seem to be against the Union. As far as who pays the taxes, I can refer you to several web sites. I like www.taxfoundation.org. Lets look at this on the local level, Power Company, Post Office, Teachers and the Local Telco are Union. I know someone from each of those Crafts and most seem to be happy to be a represented member of a bargaining unit. Now lets take the non-represented companys, Sitel and Shaw.
I myself was employed for years with Shaw and was thankful to have the employment but its was just a job, a job where they told me when I would take my vacation and a job where I did not have a voice when it came to wage increases or benifits. I know several folks at Sitel who are not happy with the wages and/or benifits and I am sure that they do not have a voice. Chris, if you have not viewed the AFL-CIO's website, I urge you to look. The views you have toward Unions and the EFCA, while respected, are flawed.

Posted by UncleFred (anonymous) on March 30, 2009 at 2:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I don't know who is putting the spin on what some of you are reading but in 2006 the top 1% of taxpayers paid 40% of all federal income taxes and the top 5% paid 60% of all federal income taxes. The bottom 40% paid about 3-4% of all federal income taxes.

Posted by iamabookworm (anonymous) on March 30, 2009 at 5:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)

UncleFred, I might go right back at you as to who is putting the spin on what YOU are reading? To truly get a clear picture of who is actually paying what, you have to look at the entire picture. For instance, hypothetical situation, if I make 30,000 dollars a year, I am probably putting nothing in the bank, all of my income is going to go toward necessities, that means that 100 percent of my income is going to be taxed, first by the fed, then by the state, then by local tax so I am actually being taxed FAR more than a wealthy person who uses only one tenth of their income.

Posted by alabamachris (anonymous) on March 31, 2009 at 10:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)

iamabookworm you are so right about that but... Your income does not creat a job--it does however help to maintain jobs. The "rich" invest a lot of their money and that investment allows companies to create jobs. More jobs=more tax revenue=less government outlay in jobless benefits. If you tax the "rich" more they invest less so less jobs will be created. Less jobs=less tax revenue=more government outlay for increased jobless benefits. I certainly wish that I had spent more of my youth in school getting a better education so that I could be one of the rich dudes but I didn't.

Posted by alabamachris (anonymous) on March 31, 2009 at 10:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)

sanemaninasylum thank you for that web site. Interesting. I did want to let you know that I do not watch NBC news. I do watch Fox news and would swear that I heard several times during the recent elections cycle that the rich paid 96% of the taxes. It is getting extremely hard to find a truthful source for information.

Posted by iamabookworm (anonymous) on March 31, 2009 at 4:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I read this commment and think it is relevant to the conversation, "Relying on the Fox News Channel as your only source of news is like using MAD Magazine as a legitimate source of news. The Fox News Channel's reporting style is so biased and skewed that trying to obtain any real information from a news report is quite challenging." Here at my house we call Fox News, the Faux News channel, LOL. Seriously, we only turn them on when we want to get a laugh! A great news source for everyone whether you call yourself Rep. or Dem. liberal or conservative is the weekly magazine called "The Week" I really recommend this magazine, they give you alot of differing opinions from different publications and then you can decide who is right. Their website is TheWeek.com. Check it out! :-)

Posted by sanemaninasylum (anonymous) on March 31, 2009 at 5:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)

AlabamaChris your post to iambookworm defines free market capitalism, trickle down economics, supply-side economics, and reaganomics all of which operate under a limited regulatory framework which is what I personally believe has helped destroy our economy. Which brings me back around to the original letter to the editor here, we need to do something different. If we strengthen our labor organizations (which EFCA would do)so that our lower/middle class citizens prosper they will spend/stimulate our economy. I know what you are thinking, when you bring unions in, companies are going to bail and take work overseas, there needs to be legislation in place to prevent or fine them for outsourcing. Trickle down hasn't worked, let's try trickle up.

Posted by LoyalAmerican (anonymous) on March 31, 2009 at 7:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I did not realize, until reading these posts, that people in this area are so union minded. I have never been a union member, but I have had employees that were members. I can only comment on facts as I know them. The union employees that worked for me literally broke the bank and ruined the financial statements for my division. Example: My female secretary made an hourly salary of $26. Her duty hours were 8-3. Her union contract required me to give her 30 minute morning break, 90 minute lunch, 15 minute afternoon break which meant she left the office for the day at 2:45. So I paid $182 per day for 4.75 hours of work. Her contract also gave her 4 paid holidays, double time for any overtime, 6 weeks paid vacation and 4 weeks sick leave per year, PLUS 2 years of maternity leave for which I had to continue paying her 80% of her salary for that entire time!!! The real kicker was that I had to hire a temp employee to do her job for 2 YEARS, adding to the financial burden!!!!! Multiply this X the 17 employees that had this contract. After 2 1/2 years that division could not maintan the expense and folded! However, I had to continue to pay those 17 employees (per union contract) for 1 year at 50% the wage they would have been receiving! It was total insanity! The 26 employees in a sister division were not union. The average hourly wage was $15, worked 8-4 , 2 weeks each paid vacation and sick leave, 3 paid holidays, time and half OT, 6 weeks paid maternity leave, dads included, two 15 minute breaks, 60 minute lunch This was fair and equitable. You can say BIG 3 greed all you want.......however greed is NOT limited to the bigwigs. That union contract crammed down our throats was sheer greed at its' finest! So much for the idea of trickle up economics also! Needless to say, unions left a very sour taste in my mouth. If unions come in and break the bank, companies WILL outsource. I would close my doors and lay everyone off before I would allow the GOVERNMENT to tell me I could not outsource!! Government has intruded ENOUGH in American lives!!

Posted by sanemaninasylum (anonymous) on April 1, 2009 at 10:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)

LoyalAmerican, your septic tank is backed up! I dont believe that for one minute. Either this is a gross exaggeration or your Management has no bargaining skills what so ever. I have been Union for years and Bargaining power has always resided with management. We always bargain a fair contract, We always have bickering about language and such but we usually come from the table every three to four years shaking hands.If it is true what you wrote then you got hosed. Did Richard Shelby put you up to this?

Posted by LoyalAmerican (anonymous) on April 1, 2009 at 3:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)

sanemaninasylum: No I did not get hosed, WE got hosed as tax payers. And no, my septic tank is not backed up and no, I have not written one word that is exaggerated.The management/negotiator(s) happened to be our very own US government and involved the non-appropriated funds side of the house. The host nation hammered out the deal for their local nationals and the "Work Council" was their union. Then good old Uncle Sam bent over and accepted it as written. Then expected people like me to work magic AND make money for the coffers to pay for those asinine salaries. Perhaps your knowledge of unions is based solely on dealing with stateside issues. If so, I can understand that you can not fathom international unionized insanity that the USA negotiates. On a personal note, I probably could have swallowed the whole enchilada much more smoothly if the AMERICANS had made the $26 per hour. They were the $15 per hour group. And lastly no, Senator Shelby had nothing to do with my initial post. As I said, I stated FACTS as I KNOW them! Have a great day!

Posted by sanemaninasylum (anonymous) on April 1, 2009 at 6:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)

My apologies LoyalAmerican, your right, my knowledge of unions is based on what goes on here in my district here in the Southeastern portion of the US. I don't know anything about international unions or whatever your talking about, but I do have quite a bit of knowledge concerning what goes on with unions here in the US. My personal opinion is that EFCA will help the average joe, I personally have been represented and non-represented and I could go on and on with facts as I know them to back up my opinion but I guess it boils down to what experiences you have had in the workplace whether you are craft or management.

Posted by LoyalAmerican (anonymous) on April 2, 2009 at 7:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)

sanemaninasylum: No harm, no foul, and I thank you for your apology. My integrity is the foundation for my life! I wish you the best in your endeavors to help improve the quality of life for others.

Posted by Anne (anonymous) on April 4, 2009 at 9:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)

LoyalAmerican - we meet again.

You of course, know much more than the folks around here do about UNIONS.

This goes back to the anti-American Communist agenda in the 50's and 60's for UNIONS - that was exposed by the J.B.Society and a required course for graduating in the Florida (gov) Schools, amazingly enough, on Americansm vs Communism.

Ron Paul, our pick for President, knows all about UNIONS and gives fair warning, as you have, about the TRAP it sets up for both employees and employers.

GOVERNMENT, GOVERMENT AND MORE GOVERNMENT!

Look at the situation in the Government run schools. Check out what Soccermom, JoAnn Bulger is going through with AES and the School Board in today's newspaper Letters to the Editor. She needs a helping hand in this.

You are refreshing to read - continue educating.

Best thoughts

Posted by Anne (anonymous) on April 4, 2009 at 2:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)

LoyalAmerican:

The majority of people here DO NOT WANT UNIONS. It is obvious that Teresa Tolbert is a Union organizer and has her few underlings sending in blogs to make it look like everyone is eager for unions.

What she wrote pretty much came off the UNION press MACHINE.

BEWARE!

I apologize to you, Sir, for this misrepresentation by the Tolbert group.

Posted by LoyalAmerican (anonymous) on April 4, 2009 at 3:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Anne: Thank you for your posts and observations regarding the possibility that a union organizer could be "setting up" all this blog activity. As I said earlier, I was very surprised to read all the pro union posts. Government has intruded into every aspect of our life. We now have a president that has become the CEO for an auto maker, a Treasury Secretary that will decide what salaries are acceptable, an administration that wants to take away the privacy of union voting and soon to follow will be privacy of voting for political elections. The days of big unionization are over, hopefully! Everytime I hear "union", I think of Jimmy Hoffa and the strong arm era. Union workers made fat cats out of a lot of people in the union hierarchy! Those hundreds of millions/billions of dollars SHOULD have gone into the WORKERS pocket! Bottomline? We are fast approaching a sad and painful time in America when all this debate will be a moot point. The green back is going to be SO devalued because of all the money being printed, people aren't going to have jobs anyway because the ones that create the jobs are going to pack it in because they CAN'T survive the taxes. One day, maybe not in my life time, I envision America resembling the old eastern bloc countries. Mile after mile of rectangular 6 story government apartment buildings (no more than 2 bedrooms...regardles of number in family), very few automobiles, very few doctors and long food lines for the average Joe! Just like in Moscow, the average Joe's did without, but the fat cats always had caviar and vodka flowing! Our Moscow is D.C. They will be the "haves" and you and I will be the "have not's". For the record, our congressional "leaders" have made SURE they have the SAME level of medical care at their disposal as the prez. But they are going to make us settle for universal care! If you are older and non productive....you will not get care, period! Obama and his ilk want the "notch" generation and baby boomers to pass on as quickly as possible. These two groups are the ones that made America GREAT. Ahh gee, I am getting so off point. Just suffice it to say.....if we don't take the power away from these radical thinkers and doers, freedom and rights in the work place will be a thing of the past and unions and any thing else you can think of will be nuetralized

Posted by iamabookworm (anonymous) on April 6, 2009 at 5:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)

LoyalAmerican you are totally misunderstanding the way EFCA would work!! Nothing would be taken AWAY, it would add to the laws already in place to make it easier to form a union. Currently, a majority of workers can sign up for a union, but the company can veto that decision and demand an election. This allows the company to fire or harass workers, and threaten that it will close the workplace, in order to coerce workers into voting against a union. Under EFCA, if a majority of employees sign cards indicating they want a union, the company has to recognize the union, as long as it is certified by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). It is really just that simple. This is America that we are talking about and American Workers, not host nations and foreign workers. I'm talking about our friends and neighbours, the people whom we see on the street everyday here in our town. Why would you not want them to have a better life? For instance Walmart, one of the most profitable corporations in America and yet their employees are paid wages that barely keep their employees out of the food stamp office! Does this not make you mad, it enrages me!!!! This is just one example, and do not even get me started on the "health care" that this corporation provides for their employees. Wal-Mart employees top the public assistance rolls for Medicaid, SCHIP and other programs. Actually did you know that Walmart Employees in China have union representation? What does this say about the United States? Again, Walmart is by no means the only coorporation but I think it is a prime example of the the people whom EFCA is meant to help. You talk about the radical thinkers and doers and how we need to be neutralized well I couldn't disagree with you more, we need radical thinkers and doers here in the US now more than ever before. The working middle class is the backbone of this great nation that we live in and if we can strengthen them then we will all be better off. Go back in history and read what Henry Ford did in the 20's for his workers in his factories. Until U.S. workers (white and blue collar) organize, strike, protest on a national scale for fair parity and force the establishment to take notice, the wealth gap will continue to grow deeper. Why when someone just shows empathy for their fellow citizens must there be some big conspriracy?Ahhhhhhhh Teresa Tolbert MUST be a UNION ORGANIZER she can't possibly just be a regular American, citizen of Covington County trying to do some good for her fellow citizens.

Posted by LoyalAmerican (anonymous) on April 6, 2009 at 9:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)

iamabookworm: Regarding my previous post, last line or two; I was not referring to any union worker as a radical thinker or doer. I was referring specifically to Obama and his cabinet. My point is that no matter what the unions or anyone else tries to do to improve the lives of workers, business owners, tax payers, Americans in general, our efforts WILL BE neutralized by the Obama administration. I NEVER want to see ANY private citizen neutralized; that smacks of communism. I totally agree that the working middle class is the backbone of America. I clearly understand the issue at hand involves American workers and American unions. However, as stated in my initial post, my ONLY dealings with any union workers has been on foreign soil with foreign workers. Their particular contract was destructive to the overall success of the business and eventually cost them their jobs. If the local nationals would have been satisfied with the same benefit package as the Americans, they would probably still have a job today! I draw a parallel between losing their jobs and American companies moving oversees because the cost of doing business is too expensive. American businesses need incentives to stay in America and not go oversees.
You reference Walmart having a union in China. Did you also know that Walmart was in Germany also? Walmart ran into the same situation as I did; you can not turn a profit with outlandish and asinine wage/benefit contracts.
Walmart sold their stores and left Germany, overhead did them in! I have a few remaining questions; Will the workers have the right to vote by secret ballot for or against forming a union? If not, that borders on a form of intimidation! If we did not have the right to vote in privacy in political elections, I would find it VERY unsettling to have someone looking over my shoulder and single me out if I did not vote the way they thought I should!
Last thought; What if Walmart starts closing stores in our area? What will people do? A bird in hand...........

Posted by Anne (anonymous) on April 7, 2009 at 9 a.m. (Suggest removal)

And what if Shaw does likewise? Can you imagine all the auto repos, etc.?

By the way, I would like to know how iamabookWorm was able to send me a personal to MY EMAIL ADDRESS? Is this person working at the Star News or has friends working there?

LoyalAmerican, you did well to remind us about Communist Moles, with their supporters working 24/7 who show up in the local landscape PUSHING FOR CHANGE. I think Clinton, Obama, et al now call it PROGRESSIVE Movement. Same ideology - same tactics: ridicule and label anyone using Communist/Facist/Liberal/Super Race.
How does it feel, iam, when you have to hear it?

Which reminds me of those poor Germans MARCHING TO THE TUNE OF HEIL HITLER! HAIL TO THE MASTER - THE SUPER RACE...Obama calls it Super Class. Our nightmares are in our face, folks.

The one change we do need is AN UPDATE OF THE COVINGTON COUNTY SCHOOLS' HANDBOOK OF RULES.

As the old hippie saying goes "Peace, Brother! Oh wait, that kind of Peace means NO CONFLICT FROM THE CITIZENS!

Posted by sanemaninasylum (anonymous) on April 7, 2009 at 12:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)

WalMart did sell in Germany. They had 85 stores, sold to Metro Group which has 550 stores in Germany and Metro has a long history of working close with the trade unions and have a great reputation for respecting workers rights. Wal Mart is the big loser in Germany, not the workers. They are far better off with Metro Group. WalMart resorted to thier typical bad employer behaviour in Germany and lost. I always enjoy your post iamabookworm. However I do think you and I both maybe wasting our time here arguing with the typical south alabama cultural conservatives. We will never change the old, lets focus on the new.

Posted by LoyalAmerican (anonymous) on April 7, 2009 at 4:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)

sanemaninasylum: I am not a huge supporter of Walmart. I am glad they can employee millions, but I hate to see the "mom and pop" stores die because of the aforementioned corporate giant. However, I disagree with your statement that Walmart, in Germany, "resorted to their typical bad behavior and lost". Walmart's mistake was not knowing the animal they were dealing with in Germany! Someone in Walmart Corporate offices DID NOT do their homework! Germans operate with a totally different mindset than we Americans. German management style is 180 degrees from the style of Americans. The downfall of Walmart in Germany was due to issues concerning ethics, local customs, American buyers instead of German buyers and high labor costs, to name a few. I was in Germany when Walmart opened and I was there when Walmart closed. I shopped in Mannheim almost every week. I can vouch for the hurdles Walmart had to overcome. Just getting German employees accustomed to the idea of Customer Service was a milestone of monolithic proportions! So, in this case, it is deceptive to accuse Walmart, in Germany, of a bad boy image.

Your statement that you "may be wasting time arguing with typical south Alabama cultural conservatives" is perplexing. I never thought of these posts as being an argument with anyone. I enjoy reading different points of view. I am not going to write anyone off if they don't agree with me. We all have our own life experiences and we are all interesting in our own unique way. I don't know what your definition of "typical" may be, but I do know that I am further from "typical" than probably anyone you know. Sometimes it is those whom have never been outside their comfort zones are the ones with a closed mind! I have core values that are not up for discussion. These values define me as a person. However, when it comes to nit noid issues or even some major issues, I will listen to different points of view, and if you can make your point intelligently, with proof, I have an open mind and have been known to change my mind. I am grateful that I have been afforded the opportunity to experience many different cultures, living in many different countries. The one thing my traveling adventures in life have taught me is; America is the greatest country on earth!! We are so blessed and need to cherish our Constitution and all that America truly stands for.

Posted by iamabookworm (anonymous) on April 7, 2009 at 6:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Wow, I don't where to start, thanks for the compliment saneman. Anne look there is no conspiracy here, all you have to do is click on a person's username follow the prompts and you can send something to me also without disclosing any personal information. The Star News has a computer program that forwards the email to the appropriate registered account, so relax, again there is no great conspriracy :-)
LoyalAmerican, I'm not sure that you and I are going to be able to agree but, hey your right, the point here is to spark thought provoking discussions. I'm not sure how you can say that Obama & his cabinet are not trying to improve the lives of workers in America when Obama is the most pro labor president that we have had in years, case in point his appointment of Hilda Solis as labor secretary. However it is going to take time to rectify the blows that labor has seen over the past years with appointments of conservatives to the NLRB. As to your question will workers have the right to vote by secret ballot for or against forming a union, YES, again EFCA will not take anything away from workers desiring to form a union but will just give them another way to get there.The EFCA would take away EMPLOYERS' present right to decide whether to use only the card-check process or to hold a secret-ballot election among employees in a particular bargaining unit, and instead give the right to the employees to choose a secret-ballot election in cases where less than a majority of employees has chosen to unionize through card-check. This is contrary to what has been put forth by anti union propaganda financed by big business. They are constantly saying that they are taking away your secret ballot but this is just not true. You can research this on the web yourself. I realize that there is heaps of conflicting info out there but how about this neutral site, wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Employee_Fr...

Posted by iamabookworm (anonymous) on April 7, 2009 at 6:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)

As to Walmart, this is a a corporation that reported profits of 12.73 billion dollars at the end of fiscal year 2008. This company could well afford to pay it's employees a "living wage" but they don't. Which brings me back around to why we need EFCA, you seem to have some degree of negativity concerning unions but without unions employees at places such as Walmart are at the mercy of said employers. As to Walmart leaving, Hah, if all the Walmart stores in America unionized, I don't believe there would be a single store that closed. Bird in hand? Are you saying that its better to work for peanuts than not have a job? Are you saying that we should never rock the boat and try to make things better? Could you make it on the average associates wage of $8.23 per hour? Think about when gas was $4.00 dollars a gallon this past summer, wow that would really stink. I know personally that all I would want is what is fair and that sure doesn't seem fair to me and I see that situation multiplied over and over again in this country. I don't think that unions are perfect organizations and sure there is corruption in some of them but imperfect as they are they are the best chance that hourly employees here have for a safety net. There are many corporations that won't do what is right and fair without being forced and that is just the way it is. I have enjoyed talking with you and thank you for taking the time to read my viewpoints. I'm sure we will run into to each other again here on the forum, :-), hey, maybe there might even be a topic that we can agree on!!!!!

Posted by Anne (anonymous) on April 8, 2009 at 12:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Loyal American,
I very much admire the core values that define you as a person that you allowed us to read, and how much you love our Country and its freedoms through our Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

How refreshing and good.

I too have my core beliefs that have formed me in marriage and motherhood that I have been able to impart to my many children and grandchildren, without interference from government schools. Deo Gratias!

Independent thinking with a properly formed conscience is truly a gift from God for all of us, if we choose to make the effort to use this gift.

When you read the postings from the Union folks for instance, along side yours, to me it is like night and day - light and dark.
I don't believe they understand as yet just who Obama is and how he is leading us on a path of GLOBAL money, justice, religion workers, etc. with all nations under ONE BANNER.

Whether he succeeds or someone else does, the Maastract Treaty and European Union will spread to our Continent, and catch those who supported the change to our Freedoms with their pants down. It'll be too late, once this evil brings its darkness over us.

CONSPIRACY? This is history that is right in our face!

Thank you for sharing with us your knowledge.