Ignoring labor union fraud
August 31, 2007 | By Nathaniel Ward
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“Lawmakers have finally found a bureaucracy they don’t want to expand,” writes Heritage Foundation President Ed Feulner. But is this good news? Not really.
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The federal agency in question is the Office of Labor-Management Standards, a branch of the Department of Labor which investigates fraud by labor union leaders.
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“Why would lawmakers take on OLMS?” Feulner wonders. “Probably because union leaders don’t like to be investigated, and they’ve got powerful allies on Capitol Hill.”
OLMS protects workers by keeping tabs on fraud and other criminal behavior by big labor, Feulner continues. “Union leaders and their political puppets may not appreciate its efforts, but the rank-and-file should be cheering its watchdog activities this Labor Day.”
Hundreds of arrests have stemmed from OLMS investigations. Feulner gives a few of the more egregious examples:
- In April, Jorge Aponte-Figueroa was convicted of 12 counts of embezzlement. A past president of the International Longshoreman’s Association Local 1740 in Puerto Rico, he took part in a conspiracy to steal $1.9 million in union funds.
- In January, John T. Daley, former chief financial officer of the New York State Nurses Association, admitted to stealing more than $1.1 million in union funds. He’ll spend at least three and a half years in prison.
- Last October, Cheryl Martin was sentenced to four years probation for her role in embezzling almost $4.6 million from the Washington Teachers’ Union. She’ll also pay restitution of $650,000.
“Union leaders have fought past efforts to increase transparency, and now they are using their political influence to cut federal spending on union oversight,” explains Heritage labor researcher James Sherk. “Congress should reject these self-interested appeals and restore funding to the OLMS. America’s workers deserve better.”
An ‘F’ for No Child Left Behind
As Congress considers whether to renew No Child Left Behind for another five years, Heritage Foundation experts have given the program a failing grade.
“So, after five years, how should parents and taxpayers grade NCLB?” asks Heritage education expert Dan Lips. He grades the program in six areas:
- Constraining federal spending: F
- Streamlining bureaucracy and red tape: F
- Maintaining meaningful state testing: C
- Giving parents information and choices: D
- Restoring state and local control: F
- Improving academic achievement: Incomplete
NCLB merely continued a failed forty-year experiment in Washington control of education, Lips concludes. “By now, one thing should be clear: When it comes to fixing America’s public schools, Washington doesn’t have the answer.”
The right solution to the I-35 bridge collapse
After the Interstate 35 bridge collapsed in Minnesota earlier this month, lawmakers in Washington and around the country were quick to call for more spending. But throwing more money at transportation isn’t the way to ensure our bridges and highways are safe, researcher Alan Pisarski and Heritage expert Ron Utt write.
All of the proposed solutions, from a gas-tax hike to a new “infrastructure bank,” “endorse the presumption that the collapse occurred because of funding deficiencies and that the nation is in the midst of an infrastructure crisis. The available facts suggest otherwise.”
Vast sums are spent on “transportation,” they write, but little of it has to do with highways or bridge safety. Instead, governments use taxpayer dollars on such boondoggles as “economic development, employment, regional equity, transportation choice, sidewalks, trolley cars, earmarks, hiking trails, national parks and forests, Appalachian poverty, universities, environment, Mag-Lev railroads and truck parking lots.”
The real question, then, is how to prioritize the existing pool of money to be more effective. “What’s needed are performance-based transportation programs to help state DOTs distinguish between the important and the trivial.”
How the death penalty deters crime
“The death penalty saves lives” by deterring criminals from committing murder, Heritage crime expert David Muhlhausen told a Senate committee earlier this summer.
“Over the years, several studies have demonstrated a link between executions and decreases in murder rates,” Muhlhausen said. “In fact, studies done in recent years, using sophisticated panel data methods, consistently demonstrate a strong link between executions and reduced murder incidents.”
He urged policymakers to “ensure that its implementation rigorously upholds constitutional protections, such as due process and equal protection of the law.” But he also cautioned against blocking its lawful imposition. For example, he noted that there is little rigorous evidence that racial discrimination plays a role in capital cases.
In other news
- An activist Iowa judge has thrown out a state law reiterating the definition of marriage as between a man and a woman and ordered Polk County to issue licenses to same-sex couples. County officials say they intend to appeal the decision to the state’s Supreme Court.
- The U.S. economy grew at a four percent clip between April and June. That’s a continuation of the economic growth that new census data credits with reducing the poverty rate.
- Major industrial countries debating an extension to the Kyoto protocols have dropped requirements for massive cuts in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. Radical environmentalists said that by arguing against mandatory draconian cuts—which would inevitably have tremendous economic costs—nations like Japan and Switzerland were “voting for the apocalypse.”
- A number of cities around the country recently announced plans to provide low-cost, citywide wireless Internet access. But the AP reports that many municipalities are now reconsidering the projects as taxpayer costs soar.
- A federal judge has upheld Arizona’s requirement that voters provide proof of citizenship before voting, saying the rule is constitutional and complies with state and federal law.
Coming up at Heritage
To attend these or any other Heritage Foundation events, RSVP at Heritage’s events website. Or you can watch these events live online at Heritage.org. All times are Eastern.
- On Wednesday, September 5 at 11:00 a.m., Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO) and author William Murray of the Religious Freedom Coalition discuss the Founders’ intentions for the role of religion in America.
- On Thursday, September 6 at 11:00 a.m., former United Nations Ambassador John Bolton will speak on whether the U.N. advances or impedes the cause of freedom internationally.
- On Thursday, September 6 at noon, Rep. John Shadegg (R-AZ) and former Medicare and Medicaid administrator Mark McClellan discuss the merits of free-enterprise health care and the downsides of government-run care.
Nathaniel Ward is the Editor of MyHeritage.org—a website for members and supporters of The Heritage Foundation.
