Spark It Up!!!: Is Union Money Clean? Can we trust Lablanc?

This post is long, I apologize.

Waldo, in his investigation of AG Bob McDonnell is asking questions now. As far as I can tell he has not found anything yet. Remember the Willie Mae Kilgore investigation that was pounded home during the Kaine campaign? Waldo had this. Raising Kaine had this. Brian Patton had this. To this day not one indictment has been issued against her. Now Waldo wonders why tobacco companies gave to McDonnell. It couldn't be because we grow tobacco here, manufacture tobacco products here, and tax the shit out of tobacco here could it? Is there not legislation now trying to ban smoking everywhere? He is asking about gambling companies giving money. We have horse racing and off track betting don't we? Is there not a movement to make Internet gambling off limits in Virginia? Damn those Party Poker players anyway! I know off hand of some dirty money Tim Kaine and other democrats proudly accept. The name has came up recently with Kaine's nomination of ex AFL-CIO president Daniel LeBlanc as Secretary of the Commonwealth. The name is UNION. Here is a little about LaBlanc's AFL-CIO.

The first documents received from unions in the Labor Department's demand for detailed financial disclosures, for the first time strictly enforcing the 1959 Landrum-Griffin labor reform act, suggest embarrassment by organized labor when the information is made public next month.

Early reports show the AFL-CIO spent $49 million (27 percent of its total annual budget) on political and lobbying activities but only $30 million (or 16.5 percent) to represent its members. That gap contributed to the breakaway from the AFL-CIO of the Teamsters, the Service Employees and other unions. Link.

The Redstate blog digs deep into AFL-CIO here. Let me add this about unions in general.

71% of union members said the government ought to do more to protect union members from corrupt union officials, and that unions should be required to give detailed reporting of union finances to discourage abuse, according to a 2004 Zogby International poll.

According to the FBI, four of the last eight Teamsters presidents have been criminally indicted.

Nearly 50% of the U.S. Department of Labor Inspector General's labor racketeering investigations involve pensions and employee welfare benefit plans.

"Schemes involving bribery, extortion, deprivation of union rights by violence, and embezzlement used by early racketeers are still employed to abuse the power of unions," according to the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General. Link.

And don't forget the United Mine Workers. Besides the AFL-CIO is their any other group that has more charges filed against them or a history so rich in violence? I remember 1993 and Eddie York. Richard Trumka was with the UMW then, now he is AFL-CIO.

West Virginia miner shot dead for working during a strike

On the orders of the United Mine Workers (UMW), 16,000 miners went on strike in 1993. One subcontractor, Eddie York (who was not a UMW member), decided it was important to support his wife and three children and crossed picket lines to get to his job. He was shot in the head as he left the job site to go home. UMW President Richard Trumka (now Secretary-Treasurer at the AFL-CIO) told The Washington Times that "if you strike a match and put your finger in, common sense tells you you're going to burn your finger." UMW strike captain Jerry Dale Lowe was found guilty of weapons charges and conspiracy in York's death, and York's widow Wanda sued the union for her husband's wrongful death. The UMW fought the lawsuit for four years, but settled with Wanda York only two days after federal prosecutors announced that they would share evidence from the criminal trial with York's attorneys. Link.

We all know how Lablanc loves to tell how he was arrested protesting here with Trumka and the UMW. It is easy to put the Lablanc-Trumka kinship together. We are not talking fraud here, we are talking murder. I remember a bombing at McClure Virginia also...A Pittston boss shot in his drive way, in front of his wife and kids. This man in no way represents Virginia. So if you are really wanting to know who the crooks gave money to, money made with the blood and sweat of workers you can check out unions here. Union money and endorsements are not always what they seem to be. Unions could be the most law breaking group in America. They pay out millions in fines every year. You don't get fined if you don't break the law. I am sure you will notice Waldo will leave this out of his reporting. I challenge anyone to Google Trumka and see what comes up. Look at the violations and laws the unions break year after year. Then, like me, sit back and wonder why the Democrats are so proud of Union endorsements and money.