A series of puny protests against the now Republican-controlled North Carolina General Assembly and governorship were perpetuated the last few months thanks to coverage by a compliant local media, but now threatens to grow as liberal groups from outside the state ship in additional forces.
With previously powerful NC Democrats now shunted to the sidelines, Republican political leaders have undertaken ambitious overhauls including the reduction of unemployment benefits, tax reforms, budgeting changes, voter ID, elections adjustments, and health care. Especially drawing liberal ire was the refusal to expand the Medicaid rolls because North Carolina’s system is wasteful and broken, and because the federal government only promised support for a few years before the state would have to bear a greater burden.
If there were any doubts that the oft-used term "comprehensive immigration reform" is a stalking-horse for amnesty, 
On March 22, Rufino Sanchez, former president of National Association Government Employees (NAGE) Local R3-10, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York to one count of mail fraud resulting in the loss of $18,565 in funds from the union, formerly based in Ronkonkoma, N.Y. Sanchez had been indicted last July on 22 counts of mail fraud relating to the theft of $15,723 in union funds and arrested in August. NAGE is an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union. The indictment, arrest and guilty plea follow a probe by the Labor Department's Office of Labor-Management Standards.
On February 27, Sofia Gonzalez, former bookkeeper for Service Employees International Union Local 95, was charged in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington with bank fraud and embezzlement of $40,087 in funds from the Seattle union. The charges follow a probe by the U.S. Labor Department's Office of Labor-Management Standards.
When is a union not a union? Apparently, it's when members say it isn't. Yet a change in terminology can't alter reality. Over the past several years, hundreds of organizations, known as ‘worker centers,' have established a presence in the labor movement, targeting retail and restaurant chains for organizing and picketing. While they don't like being called unions, for all practical purposes they operate as such. And they have the advantage of being outside the jurisdiction of labor law. At least one is a reconstituted key affiliate of the defunct radical network, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN).
Despite all evidence to the contrary, Tyrone Freeman (see photo) was convinced he was innocent. It proved less a conviction than a delusion. This past Monday, January 28, 
The increasing overlap of labor and political activism is an insidious form of public corruption in this country. It enables union officials to deemphasize their role of representing workers at the bargaining table in favor of advocating policies to socialize the economy, building incestuous relationships with politicians, and fattening their bank accounts. This tendency was heavily felt in 2012, a presidential election year. Union leaders recognized the need to re-elect their ally and benefactor, President Barack Obama, over someone who was a wealthy Republican with a strong business background; i.e., someone they truly could despise. They got what they wanted. In the process, they further built a political infrastructure. Yet union leaders also experienced reversals of fortune at the state level - most of all, in Michigan - where they had been used to getting their way.
"The unbridled growth of crony unionism and government corruption will destroy the United States as we know it." This statement may strike many as sheer hyperbole. But its author, Mallory Factor, a political scientist at The Citadel, knows whereof he writes. His new book, 
On September 13, Kevin Threat, former president of National Association of Government Employees (NAGE) Local R3-84, was sentenced in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland to 60 days of home detention and five years of probation, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $15,505 for embezzling funds from the Alexandria, Va.-based union. Threat is a Maryland resident, hence the reason for the case prosecuted in that state. He had been charged early in March and pleaded guilty later that month. NAGE is an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). The actions follow an investigation by the Labor Department's Office of Labor-Management Standards and Office of Inspector General.
On July 31, Rufino Sanchez, former president of National Association of Government Employees (NAGE) Local R3 10, was indicted in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York on 22 counts of mail fraud relating to the theft of $15,723 in funds from the Ronkonkoma, Long Island (Suffolk County), N.Y.-based union. A couple weeks later, on August 16, he was arrested and arraigned. NAGE is an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union. The indictment and arrest follow an investigation by the U.S. Labor Department's Office of Labor-Management Standards.
