4-25-13 EAGNews.org Updates

By Kyle Olson

Bill Clinton calls AFL-CIO leaders the ‘best businesspeople in America’

Back in 2011, union leaders announced a plan to use pension dollars set aside for union retirees to fund real estate development. The New York Times reported the AFL-CIO in particular wanted to work with banks and pension systems to come up "with hundreds of millions of dollars to retrofit large commercial buildings." Such investments, of course, are risky. And the unions are clearly willing to risk their members’ retirement benefits to fund these projects. Could taxpayers be left holding the bag if things don’t work out and retirees need their pension funds suddenly restored by the government? This week, the AFL-CIO walked the talk by announcing that it will retrofit its own building to make it more “green.” Officials didn’t announce how much pension money will be needed to complete the job. Former President Bill Clinton was on hand to herald the announcement.  [more...]

Sequester jester: Taxpayers fund trombone festival, project on Ukrainian wedding rituals

Budget problems? What budget problems? While airline passengers prepare to stand in multi-hour security lines and Iowa 6th graders are blocked from touring the White House, arts groups are laughing all the way to the bank. The National Endowment for the Arts has released its latest round of grants, this one totaling $26.3 million. [They include...] The full list can be found on the NEA Web site.

Chicago activist teacher group circulates two-week ‘lesson plan’ on school closures

Is this what Common Core-compliant school lessons are going to look like? Activists with the Chicago group “Teachers for Social Justice” have produced a two-week lesson plan to teach students about Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s plan to close 54 schools in the city. While the lesson plan will supposedly be balanced in the way it addresses the issue, it was produced by activists staunchly opposed to any school closures, regardless of the validity of the reason. Does anyone really expect a group that has been at the forefront of the effort to stop school closures to give students a lesson that isn’t politically-charged? [more...]