Random Thoughts on TGIF

* The Toledo Police Patrolman's Association rejected contract concessions but the Firefighters approved them. According to media reports, the concessions included having the members pay 3% of their portion of the pension that the city is currently 'picking-up' as well as deferring overtime compensation until next year.

The overtime deferral will only buy the city and the Bell administration some time because, eventually, the money will have to be paid. This is part of the problem we have this year with a $48 million deficit - because former mayor Carty Finkbeiner and City Council accepted temporary concessions in 2009 knowing full well that the reduced levels would go back up this January...and they did.

In an interview on WSPD when I was hosting Eye On Toledo, I asked TPPA President Dan Wagner what I thought was a very pertinent question: Given the choice between keeping members employed by taking concessions or keeping existing benefits for only some members, what will the union do? His response was very telling. He said that, given his past experience, he feared they'd vote to keep existing levels and sacrifice the younger members (who would be the lowest in seniority and most likely to be laid off).

And given that choice this week, the TPPA did exactly as Dan expected. So much for unity and an 'all-for-one' approach.

* Erick Erickson at RedState.com has an excellent commentary on the fallout over the health care bill and the threats/violence directed against members of Congress:

Acts of violence against congressmen for behaving as congressmen are wholly inexcusable. We should be vigilant to police our own side because as we’re already seeing through a series of breathless and inaccurate reports, the press and Democrats are going to be quick to run most any story and the retraction will never be as significant as the initial report.

But let’s not act surprised. The only people surprised by the rage are the ones who refused to venture outside Washington to understand first hand what the voters were actually thinking before congressmen voted.

Frankly, after all the leadership threats and bullying against swing Democrats to vote for leadership, I think it is a bit ironic Democratic leaders are now decrying threats and bullying of swing state Democrats by their constituents who very clearly did not want them to vote as they did.

Full post

* It was a great debate last night that the Children of Liberty hosted for the GOP Congressional Primary. My compliments to the group for their format, their questions, their enthusiasm and the polite way in which everyone behaved.

* A quote on why our founders gave us the structure that has led to our long success as a nation:

"In questions of power, then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution." ~ Thomas Jefferson