President Barack Obama's empty promises of unprecedented transparency have "won" him a federal lawsuit. His Department of Labor has for many months ignored a series of Freedom of Information Act (FIOA) requests that would let the American people know more about the close connections forged this year between the Department of Labor officials and Big Labor operatives.
Mark Mix, president of the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, discusses in today's Washington Examiner why the Foundation is pressing the Obama Administration to disclose its entanglements with Big Labor cronies using the Freedom of Information Act:
The foundation's concerns about possible conflicts of interest start right at the top with Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, who held a leadership post at American Rights at Work, a group funded by the AFL-CIO and the powerful Service Employees International Union.
The foundation is also seeking information on the role of former AFL-CIO lawyer Deborah Greenfield, now a high-ranking Department of Labor official. Before the election, Greenfield filed suit on Big Labor's behalf to stop the implementation of some modest disclosure requirements for union officials. Now she's in charge of gutting those same reporting guidelines.
In his first full day in office, Obama pledged that his appointees "will not for a period of two years ... participate in any particular matter involving specific parties that is directly and substantially related to their former employer." Yet Labor Secretary Solis was given a free pass, even though she helped oversee ARAW's intense lobbying program while serving as a member of Congress (itself a congressional ethics problem).
Meanwhile, as a lawyer with the AFL-CIO, Greenfield sued the Department of Labor over the very regulations she is now rolling back.
Understandably concerned, the National Right to Work Foundation filed a FOIA request for more information seven months ago, only to be stonewalled by Labor bureaucrats. Other than a few cursory status updates, Obama's Department of Labor has ignored the statutory requirement to provide disclosure. In short, it may be hiding information about whether Solis and Greenfield are coordinating their activities with union operatives.
...
After months of waiting for a response from the Department of Labor, Right to Work Foundation lawyers filed a federal lawsuit in U.S. District Court to force the Obama administration to fulfill its obligations under the Freedom of Information Act. Hopefully, this complaint will spur the Department of Labor toward greater disclosure.
The public at least deserves to know the extent to which union operatives are rewriting laws and regulations put in place to ensure minimal standards of union transparency and accountability.
To read all of Mark Mix's op-ed in today's Washington Examiner, click here.
Comments
Constitutional Convention
Obama is continuing violating the 10th amendment and totally ignored the Constitution “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”; the will continue until the Supreme Court stops them. The law suit filed to get information from the DOL is great, but won’t stop Obama taking over the country as long as congress backs him; the Congress is giving the Executive the power Obama needs to take power and we can’t trust the people to vote the Democrats out of office.
The only way to stop Obama is with Constitutional Amendments that limit the power of the Federal Government, clarify the Constitution and current Amendments and an Amendments that requires a every state legislature every 2 or 4 years Constitutional Convention or require every state to add it to their ballot every national election for the national election..
We all must start asking the Governors of all 50 states to have a conference to discuss the need for a Constitutional Convention as stated in Article V of the Constitution:
The Text of the Constitution, Article V
“The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress; Provided that no Amendment which may be made prior to the Year One thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any Manner affect the first and fourth Clauses in the Ninth Section of the first Article; and that no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate.”
We the people can demonstrate that in a Free Democracy that the people have control of our country, not a Chicago Thug with delusions of Dictatorship that has broken hid Oath of Office when he swore to uphold the Constitution of the United States.
Revelations... Not the Biblical Kind
Sooner or later, many truths will be revealed as evidence is accumulated & facts surface that show what is truth & what is not truth. While right now Congress is wrapped tight as a majority institution, the day will come when that stranglehold will be released. Eventually, the public will elect enough people from either the minority party or independents (real independents, not excessively liberal socialist Democrats), and many newly elected officials will begin to ask questions that administration officials can no longer ignore or erect roadblocks in front of.
Actions speak louder than words & actions to date show a visceral hatred of America & American ideals. We may not be perfect, but we have been & are the best last hope for free human beings. No other system offers every individual the opportunity to aspire to their own level of capability.
Perhaps most aggravating is the apparent intention & actual actions taken to limit or block access to information. Add what many call a sycophantic media complicity to the mess & what we have is a presidency where facts are whatever they manufacture them to be.
Unions had their place in our development. However, over the years Americans realized many unions were power grabbing & siphoning off huge sums of money for no purpose other than establishing union power over elected officials. This is not why people pay dues. The actions to push for bigger government have to do w/ increasing union membership rolls. They want more dues paying members & they want them to be public employees who cannot be fired, can always demand more money & will almost always get their way since their services impact every everyday action of all of us. Imagine a huge federal & state union employee action to demand even higher wages & benefits. Unions always want more & more & more. How will the public stop them if courts allow unions free reign to press for whatever they want. Arbitration is a joke since the unions always win big & consumers lose. Once they are federal & state employees, the taxpayers will lose. Everyone cannot work for the government, so those private sector employees will pay the most.
Vote in 2010 & make sure you push all your friends to vote. Its our last best hope at stopping this march to socialism.
I totally agree that they
I totally agree that they should be sued and also should not be owned by the union.
Obama made a statement when he was elected that the union helped him be elected and "HE OWED THEM' I do not know about you, but... that is showing favoritism of an antigovernment program of people. Standing against the Federal Law is an impeachable offence, sock it to em.... God Bless the Right to Work...
Also, he passed a law that ALL FEDERAL buildings and constracts for the FEDERAL had to be paid the same, this is taking away the right to work law in our STATES. This is an obnoxious and egregious kaw that forces our Right to Work States into a Federal law and disallows our own law in our state.
Take care, MISSED MANY McNERVOUS t.m.
sue this dictator
sue this dictator
I agree with this law suit.
I agree with this law suit. There is no transparency in this Obama administration. He lies about everything and cannot tell the truth on anything. This man is a shame to America and for what it stands for.
I agree 1,000 %
I agree 1,000 %
Freedom of Information Act (FIOA)
It's amazing that so many people bought Obama's lies about transparency and changing politics in Washington. Many people didn't bother to check on his Chicago politics that he was raised and educated in. Obama's administration is one of the most fraudulent, deceitful, anti-Amerian administration's this Country has ever seen. Everything being passed is based on paybacks for getting him elected. ACORN's voter fraud and fraudulent use of taxpayer funds has been ignored by Obama because they are his campaign machine.
If State and Local officials ignored our Public Information responsibilities like they are doing, it would be headline news, let alone serious ramifications of laws that are established to protect the public, which includes fines and worse. 2010 will be the year the American people take back our Country to keep him from strangling and killing the American spirit that has made this Country great. He may still hold an office, but we need to elect Congressional leaders who can't be bought or sold for the highest bid at our expense. If private companies or State and Local leaders bought votes or used bribery like they have in Washington the last couple of months, they would have been criminally charged and put in prison. Wake up those of you who are still a sleep and thinking he cares....this man has sold out America, our troops, he is treating terrorists like his brothers and doesn't care about the American people. He is nothing but a liar, cheat and taking the taxpayers for a ride by abusing his position to travel and live unlike anything we have ever seen.
Everything about Obama
Obama has lied to the american people from day one. He has no intention of helping this country, only destroying it . He wants power and control and will do whatever it takes to get it done. We the People better wake up or watch this great country go bye bye. I beleive Obama is a Muslim, If he weren't why won't he show all of us his Birth Certificate, not his certificate of birth. He has spent hundreds of thousands to keep hit all secret, to include his college transcripts, by the way at one college he received foriegn aid help. As a citizen of the US, you can't do that. Something needs to be done quick or our country which I love dearly and fought for will be gone.
ACORN
"ACORN's voter fraud and fraudulent use of taxpayer funds has been ignored by Obama because they are his campaign machine."
Not only that but ACORN just investigated itself and Congress held their own investigation and found absolutely no wrongdoing or questionable activities whatsoever. Who woulda thunk? They even have the courts declaring it is "unconstitutional" for Congress to cut off their funding once it has been approved. Congress put it on hold for 30 days after the "prostitution" tapes came to light but it was all quietly restored the following month when no one was watching anymore.
It's disgusting to know that taxpayer dollars are going to fund PARTISAN political activities through Congressional payoffs to ACORN and there doesn't seem to be a d*mn thing we, the citizens and taxpayers, can do about it. It doesn't matter which party is getting taxpayer money for their political activities. It's just plain wrong and unconstitutional!
Freedom of Information Act
Well said Scarlet4America!
This president(ha,ha) doesn't even care how blantant the corruption is. Arrogance and dishonesty are the only thing that is obviously transparent in this administration. He hates the rich but yet has not one bit of compassion for the poor. He is living the high life and yet I have not seen one ounce of goodwill toward any Americans who might be suffering. I continue to be puzzled on whether he is tryiing to destroy America on purpose or if it is that this man is so unqualified that he honestly doesn't realize just how bad his decisions are. And...if I hear one more time about it's George Bush's fault, I'm going to scream. Even the haters have to think that is getting pretty old. I can't even begin to imagine the destruction this man could cause in three more years. It scares me to no end.
God Help us!
freedom of information act
Why do we need to wait for another three years for his term? We can file for impeachment now, we the people is the one who put him there and so we the people has the sole power to put him out. He did a lot of damage to this country already. Three more years will be too much. He can't even prove his legitimacy as a POTUS. If you ask for his birth certificate, you'll be branded as birther. Well, I'd rather be a birther than a lier. Wake up America.
IMPEACHMENT REQUIRES A MAJORITY OF CONGRESS
NO WAY this will happen with the rubber stamp Congress in office at present. President Obama has - in fact - repealed the Constitution by simply ignoring it. I have heard some talk of immediate legal challenges if the OBAMACARE passes and he signs it
into law.
Some experts in Constitutional Law say Congress has no legal authority to pass a bill with the things OBAMACARE has in it. What Congress and the President choose to ignore may come back to bite them in the 2010 elections. Hopefuly the United States will still be recognizable in January 2011.
impeachment
if the President ends up not being a US citizen the Impeachment is mute. Ask yourself why no one can remember the President when he attended Columbia University in Harlem in the years 1981-82-1983.
You would think that he would have to live some where within walking distance because he was to be so poor & being the 1st African American President surly some one would remember seeing him.
Also ask yourself why not one coffee shop, grocery store, drug store, clothing store,restaurant,sub-way or church remembers seeing him. That's because he did not attend Columbia University. You come to your own conclusion, because I not saying & I have a good idea where he was.
Not one of his professors or students can remember him. No year book photos in 3 years 1981, 1982, or 1983, not one photo or any mention of him.
Dr. Khalid Al Monsour asked the great Percy Sutton along with Congressman Charles Rangel to pull some strings for our President to attend Harvard Law School. Columbia University was just a set up for the President. Look for your self if you do not believe me go on Columbia's web site & fill in all the questions. The results you will find, a statement saying "return to the Alumni page"
Branches and Empty Spaces
Put a bounty on that birth certificate.
Freedom of information act
Amen
"WE THE PEOPLE" Demand Accountability! This November Remember!!
Dear Congressman, Senators,
cc: Sen. Alexander,Sen. Corker, Rep. Roe
Your Oath of Office to Protect and Defend the Constitution has been Usurped by this Sitting President.
Your Rights and Ours have been made Null and Void for and By this Action and Executive Order 12425 and Violates My Civil Rights, In accordance with; The Constitution of the United States and The Bill of Rights Amendments, And the Tenth Amendment Rights of the States.
The latest action by President Obama is unconstitutional and a treasonous offense.
In My Opinion This Actually Falls Within High Crimes Against;
“WE THE PEOPLE” And the Constitution!
When Does The Impeachment Process Come into this For Actions Against The American People? And, A Clear Violation of The Oath of Office?
Obama's executive order has done more to weaken civil liberties than the much maligned Patriot Act.
The silence in the mainstream media on this issue should scare all freedom loving Americans.
The Silence from Our Representatives, Is Even More, Frightening.
It, Is Tantamount to Collusion with and aiding and Abetting this Administration to Dismantle our Constitution and Bill of Rights.
Obama just signed away parts of our precious legal protections.
In My Opinion and With Others Who Also Feel By This Action;
HE “HAS COMMITED TREASON” to the Constitution and His Oath of Office!
As A Constituent and Voter For Our State, For Myself and My Children and Grandchildren, and The Constitution of The United States!
We Demand Our Sovereignty Not Be Taken From US by “Fiat Accomli”, with This Stroke of His Pen!
Nor By Unaccountable Czars or Appointees to Political Office By Unions SEIU or ACORN Who Obstruct and Obfuscate to Circumvent the Law!
The American people demand you take action to stop this latest action against America.
Quote:
Obama Executive Order Alters Your Legal Protections
Floyd and Mary Beth Brown
Friday, January 01, 2010
With the signing of an under-publicized amendment to Executive Order 12425, Barack Obama has fundamentally altered your constitutional rights.
His actions are undermining your rights to protect personal privacy from a foreign internationalist police agency named Interpol.
A one-paragraph executive order may seem inconsequential to many, but this action has far reaching implications and threatens the sovereignty of America.
Obama's secretive Executive Order amended an order issued by President Reagan in 1983.
Reagan's order recognized Interpol as an International Organization and gave it privileges and immunities commonly extended to foreign diplomats.
Reagan opened the door to allow Interpol to operate in partnership with the U.S. but with significant constitutional safeguards.
Specifically, Interpol's property and assets remained subject to search and seizure by American law enforcement, and its archived records remained subject to public scrutiny under provisions of the Freedom of Information Act. Interpol had to answer to the FBI and U.S. courts under Reagan's order.
These safeguards were stripped away by Obama's action the week before Christmas without debate or explanation.
Obama picked the holiday season to make this radical change to minimize media coverage.
This order marks a significant change in federal policy and usurps the constitutional power of our government by yielding it to an international organization.
Michael van Der Galien writes, "This foreign law enforcement organization can operate free of an important safeguard against government and abuse.
Property and assets, including the organization's records, cannot now be searched or seized.
Their physical operational locations are now immune from U.S. legal and investigative authorities."
Obama has given an international organization unsupervised freedom to investigate Americans on our own soil without recourse or the supervision of our own government.
Andy McCarthy writing for the National Review asks some very significant questions:
"Why would we elevate an international police force above American law?
Why would we immunize an international police force from the limitations that constrain the FBI and other American law-enforcement agencies?
Why is it suddenly necessary to have, within the Justice Department, a repository for stashing government files which, therefore, will be beyond the ability of Congress,
American law-enforcement, the media, and the American people to scrutinize?"
Interpol is the enforcement arm of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The United States never signed onto the Rome Treaty which created the ICC because of the potential for abuse by foreign interests.
Obama has signaled he may sign the treaty over these objections and subject Americans to prosecution overseas in the ICC.
This is harmful for two reasons.
First, the U.S. Constitution clearly states that it is the supreme law of our land and allowing the ICC to supersede the U.S. Constitution violates America's sovereignty.
Second, the War on Terror is unpopular with Europeans and the ICC may attempt to prosecute heroic American soldiers with trumped up war crimes.
Obama is putting brave American men and women at grave risk.
An added wrinkle to this executive order is that Interpol's operations center for the United States is housed within our own Justice Department.
Many of the agents are Americans who work under the aegis of Interpol.
This order has potentially created the new civilian security force that Obama proposed during his campaign.
This group of law enforcement officials is no longer subject to the restraints enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.
The order guarantees that Interpol officers have immunity from prosecution for crimes they may commit in the United States.
Ironically, some Interpol nations are attempting to try American intelligence agents for their work abroad in the War on Terror.
This order shows blatant disregard for the U.S. Constitution.
While Obama is extending due process rights to terrorists he is weakening those same rights for American citizens.
If a citizen were to be prosecuted by Interpol their newly granted immunity would interfere with the discovery process.
Since Interpol files are immune to disclosure, a citizen could be denied his right to see the information used to prosecute him or her.
By removing language from President Reagan's 1983 Executive Order 12425, this international law enforcement body now operates;
Emphasis Added – “Now Operates” - on American soil beyond the reach of our own top law enforcement arm, the FBI,
And is immune from Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) requests.
End Quote:
I Would Request Again, You Respond to My Specific Requests, and Do Not Send Form Letter!
I Do Not Believe you Have "Our" Interest in Mind with a Rote Response to Generic Concerns.
This is a Foundation of the Constitution and Our Rights to Life, and Liberty and to be Secure in our Person and Property.
Be Specific, and Tell Me Yea or Nay, You Will Not Impeach Because,
" Then State Your " Reason!
If You Believe You, Are Exempt, Like Mr. Obama Obviously Does, Then My Vote is For You To: Also Be Impeached!
"WE THE PEOPLE" Have Voiced our Objections to This Action and Congress and the Senates Actions Throughout this Last Year and in December; To This Administrations, AGENDA!
“YOU DID NOT” AND “WOULD NOT” LISTEN THEN!
Now We Will Vote this Year for “You” or Against “You” for Cause, and Malfeasance in Office!
Time is Running Out for this Administration And At Least We Will, Have Some of You Removed “From Your Office”,
and “WE THE PEOPLE” will Put in; Someone “WHO” Will Follow Our Wishes and Uphold Our Values!
And Our Constitution and Their Oath of Office!
To “Implement - The Impeachment Process” to Reverse this Usurpation of Our Rights!
Kerry L. Marvin/USN/DAV/68-77.
2010! Never Again! 2012! With Resolve!
Obama;s total disregard for the constitution
The elitist,narcissistic,closet Muslim,America hating,socialist,arrogant,lying weasel currently infesting the white house,Barak Hussein Soetero/Obama and his cronies in congress do not care about the constitution,to them our constitution is a hindrance to their agenda.An agenda that seeks to install a one party government,a democratic form of government run by and for liberal/socialists.The republican form of government,which our founding fathers installed does not fit into their plans,IE:blanket immunity and automatic citizenship for illegal aliens currently residing in the U.S..Illegals historically vote liberal/democrat,and with an estimated 11-30,000,000.00 more liberal voters they hope to have a lock on government by sheer numbers alone.They hope to lock up control of future congresses by inserting an amendment into the health care bill preventing any future congress from ever repealing any section of the health care bill.Constitutional?,no,but who will take these termites in the house,senate and white house to task for failing to adhere to their oath's to "protect and defend the Constitution of the United States of America".This latest act of Obama's is just more proof that he is contemptuous of the constitution and American citizens who oppose his rush to socialism.As stated in the article Obamas executive order in essence place a foreign entity above our constitution and American law enforcement agencies as well as precluding oversight by any congressional body.Safeguards for American sovereignty?,none.What Obama and his socialist co-conspirators seem to forget that "we the People"on the conservative side are practitioners and adherents of the second amendment.Should some foreign Interpol agent/s knock on my door and demand that I do anything for him/them,I will politely tell him/them ONCE that as an American citizen and protected by the constitution and our bill of rights I am not required to assist him in any way,then close the door in his/their face/s.Should this agent/s persist I will introduce him/them to one of my three friends,mr 12 gauge Saiga clip fed semi-automatic assault shotgun,mr.44 lever action carbine and last but not least mr 45/70 lever action rifle.I live in Alaska and we take our freedom seriously and Our law enforcement agencies feel the same way.NOT ON OUR WATCH,NOT IN OUR COUNTRY !!
Wild Bill
Alaska
'.
Very impressive letter!! I
Very impressive letter!! I plan to share it with all family and friends. I guess I'm not surprised to see that you're a vet. God bless you for your service, and thank you for all you sacrificed to safeguard the freedoms of all Americans (unfortunately,even those currently trying to undermine the greatest and freest country in the world!)
Your Voice is America's Voice
To Floyd and Mary Beth Brown and Kerry L Marvin:
I could not even come close to saying it any better. Thank you for saying these things on behalf of Freedom-loving souls.
Terry
What is REALLY scary.......
What is really scary is the obvious blind eye that the congress and senate are allowing Obama.
How can OUR elected representatives be so casual about ALL of the laws and regulations and bias that is being afforded Obama.
This guy is obviously and blatantly violating Constitutional LAW and nothing, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, is being said or done about him and his administration.
WE MUST, as a people of this country, collectively show our disdain of this administration by voting in 2010 to oust ALL current elected representatives and let them know that we are sick and tired of the status quo, allowed by THEM against our national Constitution.
WE THE PEOPLE must stand up, once and for all, lest our nation fail.