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Will Public-Sector Employees Win the Right to Choose?

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The oral arguments have been heard by the Supreme Court Justices in Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association. The case pits public sector employees against their unions, which they have no choice but to join and pay dues to. Here The Cato Institute’s Ilya Shapiro breaks it down: The conventional wisdom is that Justice Scalia is the swing vote in Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, but he gave no indication at this morning’s argument that he was anywhere but on the plaintiffs’ side. Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Kennedy – other potential defectors from the pro-workers, … [Read more...]

Turn $200 into $7 million

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A client shared this story with me last week: In 1935 Grace Groner purchased three shares of company stock in Abbott Labs. 75 years later, thanks to the power of compound interest, her three share purchase was worth $7 million. Grace Groner lived nearly her entire life in Lake Forest, Illinois, about 45 minutes north of Chicago. After graduating from Lake Forest College in 1931, Grace was hired as a secretary at Abbott Laboratories, where she worked for more than four decades. Grace never earned an amazing salary as a secretary. According to the Los Angeles Times, she got her clothes from … [Read more...]

Your Right-to-Work

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The Supreme Court heard arguments yesterday in Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association. The case centers around 10 teachers (Friedrichs et. al) challenging a state requirement that they pay dues to a union (California Teachers Association) that takes political positions teachers may disagree with. This case “would be a huge victory for workers’ rights, the First Amendment, and educational freedom – and probably the most important ruling this term,” says Cato Institute scholar Ilya Shapiro, co-author of Cato’s amicus brief. Shapiro concludes: CONCLUSION “First Amendment values are at … [Read more...]

What Thatcher's Fall Can Teach the GOP About Change

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Is the GOP ready for a big time change? I think so, but this from Peggy Noonan is sticking with me this morning. In her column Noonan writes about the fall of Margaret Thatcher: In 1989 Thatcher moved to impose a change in the British tax system. This caused resentment and then unrest. She wouldn’t back down, and the next year she fell. Years later she told me what she’d learned. People are afraid, she said; they live closer to the margins than we understand. When you propose a big change you can leave people feeling as if the rug is being pulled from under them. That’s a big thing to learn, … [Read more...]

UPDATE: Gun Laws Protect Criminals

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On Monday night (1/4/2016) a 65-year old grandmother from New Hampshire shot a would-be robber in the chest after he followed her into the parking lot of her apartment complex and tried to grab her as she walked home. More here from Boston.com.  Gun laws do not protect you from those seeking to do you harm. Terrorists aren’t going to follow the law, for example, if there’s a ban on high capacity magazines. And yet those who might benefit from a high capacity magazine to defend themselves are left out in the lurch as vulnerable prey. “The persons who have the most need for actual … [Read more...]

America’s #1 Gun Salesman

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And the winner once again as America’s #1 gun salesman is: President Obama. I had the pleasure of speaking with a friend this week who owns a gun shop, which does custom work (a huge biz by the way), and also has a range on site. I wanted to get his take on Obama’s executive orders on gun control. I’ll sum it up like this: “Every time the President opens his mouth about gun control we see a huge spike in sales. Why would we want to stop our #1 salesman?” The Wall Street Journal writes: Every President struggles to stay politically relevant in his final year in office, but someone should … [Read more...]