It's All About "Pay to Play" in DC & the Chicago Way Still Rules

It's increasingly becoming more and more difficult for the general layman not associated with one of the political heavy weights who continue to keep a stranglehold on American politics to get his hat in the ring, his own voice heard without selling his soul. And on March 26th, 2014 the [American] Supreme Court made it clear that is the way they like to keep it. On the 26th the Justices (in a 5-4  decision) voted down a decades-old cap upon which (tried) to control on how much an individual can contribute in a two year election cycle. Citing Free Speech Issues. Seeming a political victory for the Koch Brothers and the Citizens United -- Citizens United who brought about the challenge of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (aka: the McCain-Feingold Law) that limited what is termed as soft money in campaign financing by prohibiting national political party committees from raising or spending any funds not subject to any funds not subject to the federal limits on both state and federal levels, and prohibited the running of advocacy ads mentioning a federal candidate within 60 days of a general election that is paid for by a corporation (including non-profit issue organizations) and unincorporated entities using corporate or Union treasury funds-- much to the (faux) chagrin on the Left side of the aisle who cried foul at the ruling. All-the-while, however, the Left side began to ramp up its own fundraising, calling out their own versions of the Koch Brothers who have deep pockets all their own.

The Bleeding Heart Honkies would like us all to believe that it is simply a right-side-of-the-aisle issue when it comes to rich donors. As it turns out, it seems that the left has pretty much outpaced the right with 1 % (Percenters) forking over multimillion dollar checks. Just a couple weeks ago Obama hosted (along with his old buddy Mayor (Emperor) Rahm Emanuel) two dinner parties in Chicago the cost of which was in the tens-of-thousands a plate. And with the current regime's policy of transparency the press wasn't invited to the big one with the real deep pocket donors. According to finical reports the left has raked in cash at a 3-1 pace against their rivals. And both PAC entities are set to rack up around a billion dollars for their efforts by the time the election gets into full swing.

Once again we find that if you don't have big backing money, well, you're are just not needed to come play in the hollowed hallways of government that is Washington DC. But if you think that it's only at the federal level you are going to be sorely disappointed. Both Political Parties are increasingly stuffing money into campaigns on many state levels as well as the march of the billionaire greenbacks finds its way to city halls and usually meaningless state races.

Where do we go from here? How does a (truly) Independent Candidate not get lost, pushed out of what is supposed to be By the People for the People style of electoral government? The Libertarian is pretty much a joke on the political stage and if you have your own deep pockets the Bleeding Heart Honkies combat you with their ads linking you to the right, the right cries that third parties just steal their votes. In truth, it's time for new revolution. And by that I mean a voter revolution. We need to stop listening to the propaganda that both parties shove down our throats on a daily basis and sweep out every single one who is up for reelection; stop voting party lines because neither party really has our interest at heart. And keep doing it until we the people finally get the government the America needs. Not the long term, professional jack-holes that plague the system we have now. Only then will we really see Hope and Change.              

There is No Reason to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse if There are No Twinkies

Where will we be without the ever present Twinkies  There will be no reason on the zombie hordes that are destined to come for us in one form or another without the reward of the golden caked, creamed filled goodness at the end of a long day of kicking ass and taking no names. Alas, twilight must descend on all of us (and things) at one time or another. The fall of Rome comes to mind… no, not really. But it does spell the end of an era that has lasted for close to a century as Hostess Brands plan to close their doors saying that they do not have the resources to weather an on going strike with their bakers and union.


Hostess was acquired in 1995 by their now parent company Interstate Bakeries after emerging from 4 years of bankruptcy but only to end up back in Chapter 11 (filed earlier this year) after the company reportedly lost over $300 million dollars last year. The hopes were that the company could reorganize their finances, principally cutting down their labor costs. Those plans, however, were hamstrung with a labor dispute with the BCTGM (Bakery, Confectionery  Tobacco Workers, and Grain Millers) Union as they called for a work stoppage hereby effecting two thirds of Hostess’s factories across the nation.

Hostess drew a line in the sand and publicly (and privately, I am sure) stated that if the strike was not solved by Thursday (November 15th) that Hostess would seek from bankruptcy court a motion to liquidate all assets and in fact would mean the loss of 18,500 jobs. BCTGM called the concessions demanded in the new contract offer “outrageous”. Bakers’ Union President, Frank Hurt, said on Tuesday that their members where on strike because they have had enough and where not willing to take the draconian wage and benefit cuts that were on top of the concessions they made back in 2004 giving up their pensions so that Wall Street vultures and capitalists in control of the company could walk away with millions. All of this stems as the Teamsters Union narrowly took the deal of reduced wages and benefits while the bakers firmly rejected it. BCTGM Union representatives also claim that Hostess was already planning the closure of bakeries in the Seattle, St. Louis, and Cincinnati areas cutting 627 jobs. In fact Hostess sought to throw out it’s collective bargaining agreement with the Teamsters in court although the union fought back and won ensuring that Hostess could not unilaterally make changes to working conditions, allowing Teamster Hostess members to decide their own fate through voting. (53% of the Teamster Hostess members voted to approve the final offer) The new contract that is in dispute cuts salaries across the company by 8% in the first three years of the five year agreement but then get bumped back up 3% in the next three years ending with an additional 1% increase the final year. However, it also includes reduced pension and health and benefit obligations.

Twinkies debuted in 1930 during the American Great Depression as a cheap tasty treat and in their 82 years has survived countless diets, recessions, increase competition, and other labor disputes as well as other bankruptcies. But does all this mean the ACTUAL end of the iconic cake along with Wonder Bread, Ho Ho’s and the like? Probably not. The truth is that most of, if not all will be purchased by other companies but it does spell problems with the union as they will more than likely not wan to honor anything -contract wise- that Hostess offered their members and in the end will in no doubt all contracts to be seen re-negotiated if they even use those bakeries at all.

Hopefully. I for one love the taste of Hostess cakes. And while there are a plethora of rip-offs and copycats the just do not seem to add up to my standards of what Twinkies and Ho Hoes taste like.

Cited Sources:

Teamsters Union
New York Times
Seattle Times
Seattle pi
NBC Broadcasting