Outside the Beltway

Recent events in Wiscosin seem to undercut the hypothesis that public sector unions have undue political influence.

The Democrats appear ready to come home (or, as per the update, maybe not).

Two new polls reflect the extent to which public attitudes on same-sex marriage have changed dramatically over the past twenty years, and it’s only a matter of time before that’s reflected in the law.

As the standoff in Wisconsin drags on, there is no sign that the public accepts the argument being made about public sector unions by Governor Scott Walker and other Republicans.

At what point does the legitimate right to demonstrate cross the line into infringing on the rights of others?

Why can’t the Wisconsin Stand-off end in compromise?

Labor and management are not simply adversaries at the negotiating table; they represent two very different cultures, if not social classes.

Scott Walker’s attempt to crush the Wisconsin public employee unions may be the first wave in a fight to elect Republican governors in 2012.

A former Democratic state attorney general thinks Wisconsin’s Republican governor may have violated state ethics laws while on a prank phone call.

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker did not campaign on the union-busting package he’s proposing now.

Federal laws designed to protect unions add yet another wrinkle to the Wisconsin standoff.

There are a lot of issues on the table, so to speak, in the WI situation. Here I try to entangle them a bit.

A new national poll suggests that moves to restrict the collective bargaining rights of public sector unions are not popular with the public at large:

Should public schoolteachers make more money than the people paying their salaries?

Of the 314 police and firefighter unions in Wisconsin, only four endorsed Scott Walker.

Why not include police, firefighters and state troopers in the ban on collective bargaining?

Either Andrew Breitbart controls the entire media complex or Crooks & Liars jumped the gun. “Figure it out.”

It’s time to end the ability of public sector labor unions to hold taxpayers hostage.

Republicans won the right to govern Wisconsin. What does that mean for Democrats?

In the Middle East, protesters are marching for democracy. In the Midwest, they’re protesting against it.

Facebook has come up with new settings to meet the needs of users in same-sex relationships.

Neither side is covering themselves in glory in the battle over the Badger State budget.

TSA screeners will now have the right to join a union. Or at least a union that can’t actually negotiate much of anything.

Once again, it looks like efforts to reform the Senate’s filibuster rules have fallen victim to that old devil politics.

The Pelosi Estates Edition OTB Caption Contest^TM is now over.

Streets in New York City like this one on Staten Island went unplowed for days thanks to a work slowdown by sanitation workers, which raises the question of what Public Sector Unions should be allowed to do.

A capsule look at the world situation as 2010 draws to a close.

The repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is a sign that the political ground is shifting. Will the GOP take notice?

Judicial activism doesn’t mean “reaching a decision I don’t like.”

Citibank is helping the US catch up to the rest of the world with free, easy wire transfers.

Is President Obama’s Federal pay freeze a sign that he’s moving to the right, or just pointless symbolism?

The U.S. Postal Service is warning Congress that it could run out of cash next year without a government bailout. Meaning that this is the perfect opportunity to reform an organization that has been out-of-date for a decade now.