C'mon Burt,

The fix is in!

The unions and orgs. like ACORN are now awash in stimulis billions.

We have no idea where $10 billion went in the parishes,bogs and swamps around New Orleans after Katrina. Stimulis loot has been plastered all around the country seemingly with no strings attached.

I suspect we'll see recall elections on Republicans for the next dozen or so election cycles. Hell, prudently invested, there'll be no end.

You are right, though, as to Obama's biting of the hand. A narcissist tends to surround himself with yes-men (given the names you pointed out those people may be evil but they're also not the sharpest tools in the shed) and that just might be his Achilles heel. He may be just too sure of a win.

Let's hope so. WTF indeed!!!

Burt,the reason Wisconsin had the recall is because the Governor went after the WORKING class.I'm a firefighter in Massachusetts but have grown tired of the Union party line.However,why did teachers,firefighters and cops become the enemy of the right when we are just like you and the rest of the working class? Why aren't the working railing against the non-working who sponge off the system?We are stuck here in Assachusetts with Obama's Aunt Zoonie and Drunk Unk.I do my job and see the waste every time I have to carry a non-tax-paying non-citizen out of a subsidized housing unit to a taxpayer funded ambulance where they are then transported to a hospital for "free" medical care.I also subsidize one of their 'free' government-sponsored cell phones 4 months out of the year every time I pay that 'universal fee' on my,my wife's,and my daughter's cell phone bill.So let's stop the public-employee bashing will ya? I grew up one of 8 kids to a carpenter father and teacher turned homemaker mom.I started working at age ten,bought my own clothes in grade school and didn't become a firefighter until age 35.I have been self employed and unemployed before.(I didn't ask for unemployment; i have too much pride).I paid double into Soc.Sec. when self-employed but only get to collect 40% thanks to the Windfall Provision Act signed by Carter.I lost 7 years off of my career thanks to Affirmitive Discrimination.So,stop lumping me in with the UNion hacks.I was willing to give up my business in the 80's making $2,000 net per WEEK to take a firefighting job that paid $12,800 a YEAR!

Burt,

It makes me sick to my stomach when I hear the words "President Obama". People say that they may not agree with him, but, he is still The President so he deserves our support. Bull! He has never been The President. According to The Presidential Oath of Office he is supposed to uphold and defend The Constitution of The United States of America. So far he has not done that. He is supposed to listen to and support the American People. His record for that doesn't look so good either. He is supposed to defend America. He's failed on that one too. So, he has not earned the respect to be addressed as The President of The United States of America. It's time for the wanna be Royal Family of the World to vacate the White House.

The Repubs should load Obama's own words and run them as ads incessantly.

Obama: If economy not fixed, one term:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmRgaKfWMPA

Obama's pledge to cut the deficit in half by the end of his first term:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ziiZFcWChg

Obama... constant liar:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRbpFLHd9VA

Republicans rightfully wail about excessive debt but the rhetoric condemning Obama for "gutting the military" needs to be re-evaluated. There should be a REAL evaluation of the necessity of every dollar spent. Fiscal Insanity must end. Soon.

Republicans frequently take the wrong stance on MILITARY spending, equating that with DEFENSE spending. They are NOT the same thing. With the TRILLION dollars a year we pour down the nation-building rat-holes in Iraq and Afghanistan, we could put that money instead on a true missile defense system to protect America from a rogue hitting the US with nukes.

It is NOT unreasonable to cut military spending on world policing and occupation. We need to focus the military spending on true DEFENSE and controlling our OWN borders (not the borders between Pakistan and Afghanistan). Duh!

We need to restore fiscal sanity and that requires focusing scarce resources on true defense. Without real spending cuts, the coming financial meltdown will make the current "worst economy since the Great Depression" look like the Happy Days of the 1950s.

Without a REAL change of course from the spending STATUS QUO, there will be no Future to Win...no future America period. We'll be a Chinese colony when they foreclose on the mortgage for debts we cannot repay. WTF, indeed.

Here's a video look at one possible future:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2rMnov4Ae8

Now he is apologizing for someone burning A BOOK in Afghanistan that has, so far, resulted in the deaths of 2 U.S. servicemen. HE APOLOGIZED TO THEM! Yet he demands that Catholics pay for killing infants. Your right Burt." Incompetence" doesn't cover it.

oops - should be 'stimulus'.

BTW- There's another name for biting the hand, it's called a shakedown. Chicago thugs are famous for it.

"Incompetence" may be one of the kindest words to use. May I also suggest "nincompoopence".

Burt, Truth is the only explanation to your queries.

Truth #1: The Republicans in Congress are a bunch of disingenuous, egotistical cowards who have forsaken honesty and integrity in favor of personal gain.

Truth #2: As demonstrated recently by the abrupt career changes of Pat Buchanan, Peter Schweizer, Glenn Beck, The Judge, and, almost, the highly principled, wimpy apologist, Cal Thomas, credible journalists/reporters – not really an oxymoron, more like morons on Oxy - are terrified to write the truth for fear of reprisal by their employers. [My favorite LA scribe excluded, of course!]

Truth #3: “Politics is a team sport.”, Santorum blurted out, I’m sure inadvertently, at the debate last night, revealing not only the truth of how Congress operates and why accountability to constituents is the most important change needed in government, but, also, the best reason yet why he should not be the Elephant candidate.

Truth #4: It pays well to work in government if one is a criminal, devoid of morals and ethics with no conscience, and even better after retiring to the private sector. And, it really feels good to be at the top of the fraud chain, knowing that no one will ever challenge you, and, even if they do, you will never be prosecuted.

Truth #5: As witnessed during the Clinton administration, murder is a tool often employed by Democrats to solve problems. Consequently, the brains of those in authority to make necessary changes to the process are so addled and afraid, that their mouths will not open to speak truth. Honor is absent in Washington, but there are multitudes of “Honorables”.

As far as prom dates go, it seems unlikely that Mitch McConnell would dump wife Elaine Chao, former Secretary of Energy, just to chow down on Barbara Boxer, which, by the way, is classified as a self-hate crime in Fog City.

Thanks for the censorship Burt!

The censorship comment was posted by me and then miraculously my comments that I posted 3 hours ago appeared.Hmm?

I originally intended only to congratulate Burt on another great column, but listening to the whinings of Mark, I feel I must respond although I'm sure that burt will do a better job when he gets around to it. Why on earth Mark would you give up a business that got you $2000.00/week for one that paid 12,000.0 a year? Someting's wrong my friend, disengenous? Illegal? No one is complaing about first responders unless they start rioting ie. Wisconsin and the bottom line is that we can no longer afford the pensions and perks.

Sorry I'm so late to the party. Geoff, you asked the question of Mark that I had on my list. Why, indeed, would anyone give up a business that netted him $104,000 a year for one that paid only $12,800. While I'm sure that Geoff joins me in fully respecting the work done by firemen, it makes no sense to have made that particular switch.

Mark: As to why I'm attacking members of public sector unions, it's because civil servants should never have been allowed to unionize. The way it used to work is that being a civil servant guaranteed steady employment and a reasonable pension. But once you folks unionized and politicians realized they could buy your votes by caving in at contract time, suddenly you people were getting paid far more and receiving far fatter pensions than the people whose tax dollars paid for all that gravy.

Jonathan: Like you, I am offended whenever I see or hear Obama referred to as President. I have tried to avoid combining those two words for over three years.

Steve: I agree with you. The only presence we should ever have in the Middle East is on battleships in the water, lobbing shells, or in the air, dropping bombs. One, we should never interfere when one group of Muslims is busy killing another group; two, we should never pay a dime to rebuild anything we found it necessary to knock down in the first place.

Holmes: Thank you for excluding me from your hall of shame.

Mark: I have nothing to do with censoring anything. I am only responsible for my articles and my comments. I assumed you would be aware of that fact.

Burt

And you guys say Democrats are dumb? I became a firefighter for all the right reasons.The least of which was money.However,I pay into the system and get a pension much like other people pay onto 401K's.I'm not whining Geoff I'm tired of Far-right wing know-it-alls jumping on public employees instead of trying to solve the problem of people who DON'T WORK.Burt,do you really consider writing a column as work? I'm all for the Republican ideals but I'm trapped in the middle because you guys don't think public employees are any more worthy of a pension than an illegal is for getting section 8 housing.Geoof,you sound likie a guy here in Mass. who works for the 3rd party insurer for the ncities and towns.His name is Geoff and he too would like to see me get zip for the work I do.What,exactly is it that you do for employmen? I can't wait to hear this one.

Geoff,I was born in this country,worked from the age of ten and enjoy being a firefighter.Money is not everything but I paid in to the system and want my fair share.Try actually reading the part about "Windfall Provision Act".FYI I pay over 10% into my pension and only hope to live long enough to collect it.I don't sit at a nice warm desk writing op-eds.

So Burt,what you are saying is it's not right for civil servants to be in a union but it's okay for Hollywood writers like you to be in a union? That's quite hypocritical,don't you think?I guess hanging around all those Liberal Hollywood types pissed you off enough to become a right-wing cheerleader and rant about working class people.I'll bet you never had to sully your hands with a day's worth of dirt in your life.Wake up and smell what your shoveling.I'm still voting for anyone with an (R)though!The (D)was hijacked by Liberal-Socialist-Facists a long time ago.

BTW- The WSJ is the one paper that had anything on how successful Scott Walker has been in Wis.

I don't think I've heard that much even on FOX.

Burt- The GOP's not going to shell out anything for any recalls anytime soon...

I do wonder why the GOP doesn't question where all that stimulus money went and what it's being used for.

Maybe I'm just being a little skeptical but I can't help believing a bunch of that PORKULUS (better word) is going to be used in Obama's campaign chest.

When was the last time, if ever, you heard a Republican Big Shot (you can't call them leaders) say Barry is a communist or call for his impeachment? Has any of them called for Ginsburg's impeachment (she has no use for the U.S. Constitution)? Dole said the Senate should vote for Ginsburg. The vote was better than 90 senators for her. I don't remember there being 90 democraps in the Senate. Orin Hatch's best friend was the Hero of Chappaquiddick. Remember when the Senate could not throw kommandant klinto out as President? Did McRINO ever question Barry's patriotisim? This time I think I will vote Whig. What they became irrelevant and no longer exist! Could that be what will become of the god Owful Party?

Burt, great column as always! Wow! I have always been in favor of lists and debunking myths directly with facts.

Obama truly is a traitor to his oath and thus a man without any shred of honor. He should have been impeached long ago. One has to wonder how it is that these bozos did not understand the message sent in the 2010 vote: shrink government!

You are correct about the friends comments: they are not. Even if you wanted them to be, every time your give an inch the bend you over and take twenty miles. If these people approached me on the street I would put one hand on my wallet for sure.

rod: One hand on your wallet, the other going for your concealed rod, Rod.

Burt

The fact that there has been no concerted action by the GOP tells me that they are all in bed together. Our country is lost. Perhaps, someday, somebody will take a rifle and start solving the problem.

Mark: Nobody objects to your getting paid or receiving a pension. The problem is that public sector unions have a sweetheart relationship with the politicians who use tax dollars as bribes. As a result, the public sector unions, even more than the overall economy, have bankrupted towns and cities all over California. Make that all over America.

I'm glad you wanted to be a firefighter, but you never did say what you were doing prior to that when you were netting $2,000-a-week. Geoff asked you that questions several hours ago, but instead of telling him you got on my case. For one thing, if you think writing three articles a week or writing TV scripts or books is so easy, I suggest you give it a try. On top of that, I reply to these comments and dozens more that come to me directly from readers here, at other sites and my own blog, BurtPrelutsky.com.

For another thing, if you wish to write for TV, you have to join the WGA. But it is not a public sector union. We actually had to go on strike against the producers, the networks and the studios; we weren't dealing with a bunch of pushovers who were happy to cave in to our demands because they knew you folks would contribute to their re-election campaigns.

Burt

Mark,

Thanks for the work you do. I believe that police, fire and Ems folks should be paid well for the work they do. They are professionals in a risky business and should be paid very well. Nobody has a problem with your pay. The problem is with the endless benifit packages which , in most locals, particularly big cities, are far more generous than most private sector plans.

It is my understanding that the Wisconsin law does NOT limit collective bargaining on wages. The problem is the excessive benifit packages that have been used by successive politicians as a means to mantain union support. Those benifit packages are not sustainable now or into the future. The solution for these public servants is to address compensation thru wages ( not benifts )- and that is still an issue for collective bargaining.

The unions in Wisconsin are lying when they claim that their rights to collective bargaing have been removed. Any loss of perpetual benifits can be adressed by negotiotions on wages - which are accountable in real time - not future decades.

As a private sector businessman before you became a fireman, you probably recall that nobody matches or pays the medical or retirement benifits of the millions of independent businessmen - like me - who must fund thier own retirement and pay for their own health insurance. I think you should be paid very well for the work you do -- but you should not expect the public to cover all your expenses with tax money doled out by politicians trying to gain favor. Be safe..

Dr. Timms: We agree, except that I would never have allowed Civil Servants to unionize. Some consequences are unintended, others are inevitable.

Burt

A quick note to Honest Abe: My own word there would be "nincompoopery," which I've used on more than one occasion as regards our present president's role-playing.

Burt: Civil servants never should have been able to unionize. There is no good reason why any government worker should need a union for representation when it has the whole of the U.S. government for that representation.

As the offspring of a civil servant -- my father -- who served many moons ago, I was able to see firsthand that the government treated him very well indeed, both before and after his retirement. There's no reason to believe retirees these days could possibly be treated better.

Several times today the clip of Gingrich going after our overly-apologetic so-called president. While Gingrich is not my favorite by a long shot, it was endearing to see and hear the imposter-in-chief get the dressing-down he so richly deserves.

Gingrich did everything but accuse the I-I-C (pronounced "Ick") of curtsying. I suppose that'll be next. Ick just hasn't thought of it yet.

Jeannette: Our only disagreement is over whether retirees could be treated any better than your father was. They are certainly being paid better and receiving fatter pensions than he would have ever imagined. Of course the public sector unions are on a collision course with reality. They already have the golden goose on the chopping block, just waiting for the economy to bottom out entirely, as in Greece.

Regards, Burt

Burt: Again, I've found I'm muddying the waters when I try so hard to write clearly. (And, yes, to whom it may concern: writing is not a task for the faint of heart. Writing is WORK!)

I think what I wanted to make clear was that my father, as a retired civil servant, was treated very well, even without having had a union.

Things should be no different today. Civil servants should be treated no differently -- and certainly no better -- than my dad was, but because of unions, these guys are practically livin' off the fat of the land.

Jeannette: I quite agree with you. Also, I appreciate that you are one of the few to whom I respond who actually takes the time to respond back to me. Sometimes, I feel that the readers would rather just argue with each other and regard my own comments as rude interruptions. Sort of the way that Bill O'Reilly regards his various guests on The Factor.

Burt

Burt: Sometimes I have a tendency to take things too literally; it has made for a few comic occasions in my lifetime.

As to your readers arguing with each other, I believe there is a tendency on occasion to unravel perceived misconstuctions. We want to feel we're a part of the "conversation," as it were.

As to Bill O'Reilly's treatment of his guests, I agree. He sometimes seems to regard their comments as rude interruptions -- even when it's obvious that he agrees with them.

As to responding to your comments, you should know that many of your readers, if they're at all like me, feel constrained about showing too much enthusiasm -- and we don't want to wear our our welcome.

While the man in the White House is "incompetent" for the Office he occupies, he is certainly proving to be quite competent doing the bidding of his handlers whose money bought him the title.

Burt and Jeanette,I'm so glad we live in a country where all our opinions matter.As for what I did before Burt,I had a canteen truck(you know,the roach coach).As for my Union...If it wasn't for the Union sticking up for my rights I would be out of a job and homeless.I was injured on the job with a vertabra fracture,ruptured disc and compressed nerves.The city said it was "pre-existing".Funny,how could I be a firefighter for 15 years with a broken back?Long story short: I had to wait 5 agonizing months for surgery,was forced back to a desk job 6 weeks after that and waited 18 months to recoup my vacation time,sick time and accumulated personal days after the city knew they would lose in court.I should have sued them and the b**** in human resources who denied my claim which they said was denied after a "broad,computerized search"showed no reason to overturn the initial denial.Their denial came 3 weeks BEFORE they got my previous hospital records upon which the denial was made.How do you do that one?Jeannette,I'm glad your dad had a good career and retirement.Obviously he didn't work for the ahole city I work for.Burt,I would be on welfare and voting for Obummer if the Union hadn't stuck up for my rights.Hope you enjoy your retirement someday!Meanwhile,I'll continue to read your column for it's honesty and although I stick up for my union it doesn't mean I always agree with their stance.I would do the job even if I didn't have the union.I love the job!

Burt,F.Y.I. public unions cannot strike in Massachusetts.The Boston Police went on strike in 1919 or there abouts and were all replaced by then- Governor Calvin Coolidge.That's why we have collective bargaining.My city's pension liability is 93% funded.Most of the public pensions in Massachusetts are above the 90% threshold in prefunding and are very solvent.Pension reform is a fact as new employees won't get as much as older workers already collecting.The problems in this country are mostly from Wall Street greed and too many liberal policies.We are sinking under the weight of illegal immigrants,Federal Gov't.largesse,and defending against the Islamic threat.Imagine if you had to write for Jack Warner and there was no SAG!Also,I apologize for thinking that writing is not hard.I remember trying to write term papers in college and that was probably a breeze compared to trying to make Radar and Hawkeye funny every week.That show was awesome!