Heritage: What IS the state of our union?

January 25, 2012

Yesterday marked 1,000 days since the Senate passed a budget. What a fitting day to host the State of the Union address. Heritage experts immediately reacted to the progressive agenda that Obama presented last night in a Foundry blog post.  Mike Brownfield made careful note of several glaring omissions in Obama's remarks in today's Morning Bell newsletter.

Unions May Wipe Out Twinkies Forever!

Human Events researched the bankruptcy of Hostess, the maker of Twinkies, and discovered that $1 billion on union benefits are overwhelming the struggling company and forcing it to re-negotiate the labor contract or go out of business for good. Quite simply, the competing snack food companies use non-union labor and are much more competitive because of it.  As the debt Sno Balls we can only hope union Ding Dongs don't reject the labor contract concessions. Read the article by John Hayward to learn more.

A NEW Flat Tax Encourages Growth & Job Creation

The New Flat Tax replaces today's convoluted tax system with a simple, natural, and transparent tax system that will allow America to achieve its full economic potential.  Current high tax rates and an overly complex tax code discourage productivity, slowing the rise in wages and economic growth and making it difficult for businesses to compete globally.  Click here to read this Heritage Factsheet to get the details of the timely new proposal.

Labor Boot Camp Exposes What Unions Are Up To

Unions have proven themselves to be among the left's strongest special interests by waging high profile battles in Wisconsin and Ohio. What exactly are union leaders planning, and why should Americans be very concerned?

Labor expert James Sherk wrote a primer on current federal labor law issues for the Heritage "labor boot camp" seminar. See his work by clicking on an article below:

 • Who Pays for “Official Time” and Why Americans Should Be Concerned
• Understanding Mandatory Paid Sick Leave
• The Workplace Democracy and Fairness Act
• Rewarding Achievement and Incentivizing Successful Employees (RAISE) Act
• Why the Davis–Bacon Act Should Be Repealed
• Federal Compensation: Why Government Pay Is Inflated
• Extended Unemployment Insurance Benefits

Read Sherk's responses to a series of questions posed by The Insider magazine by visiting this blog post.

NFIB, NRTW, CDW Strike Back Against Illegal Recess Appointments

US Senator Chuck Grassley joins a growing number of constitutional experts who believe that the president's recent "recess" appointments to the National Labor Relations Board and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau are illegal and open to a court challenge. Now the National Federation of Independent Business, the National Right to Work Foundation, and the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace have joined forces to file suit to overturn those appointments in federal court. According to law professor Russell Weaver, if the suit prevails in court "it would be undermine everything that's done in the meantime." Read the NRTW press release and more at BigGovernment.com.

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