Unions Just Have More Muscular Grandfathers Than The Rest of Us

The last time we checked in with Grandpa must have been about 30 years ago, when we wanted that sanctimonious mofo outta the boat and into piranha-infested waters:

Now here's a new reason to say feh on grandpas: Investors Business Daily reports that ObamaCare carves out special exemptions for unions that don't apply to, well, the rest of us all.

ObamaCare appears to have one grandfathered standard for labor unions and another standard for everyone else.

Unions that had a health plan under a collective bargaining agreement by March 23, 2010, can switch insurers as long as the collective bargaining deal is in effect and not forfeit the grandfathered exemptions from many ObamaCare provisions. But anyone else — large business, small business, individual — who switches carriers loses their grandfathered status.

IBD reported in Monday's issue that the administration estimates that most employers' health plans would lose their grandfathered status under draft regulations. The government has now officially released those regulations (pdf).

But unions don't have to follow the same rules.

RTFA here for examples of how screwy this all is.

Comments

[kinnath]

Some union leader somewhere must have a copy of Obama's Kenyan birth certificate.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Union leaders everywhere have a lock on a large contingent of reliable democrat votes.

[PapayaSF]

You don't need to blackmail someone who's already licking your boots.

[Max]

If it wasn't for the middle class that the union movement helped create and the fact that Gillespie is white, he would probably be the assistant manager of a convenience store somewhere instead of a shitty libertarian guru scribbler and tiresome asshole. Okay, he would still be a tiresome asshole.

[SugarFree]

HARGLE-BARGLE HARRUMPH! I SAY!

[Pro Dietertate]

Your story grows tiresome.

[Steve Nash Equilibrium]

Why just look at the burgeoning middle class in union strongholds like Detroit and Gary. If only the rest of the US would follow their example.

[JW]

No matter what reality you would occupy, you'd still be striving to raise your status from 'barely noticeable worm' to 'tiresome asshole' as a lifetime achievement goal.

[Enough About Palin]

Max Assworm works for me.

[Ska]

He's no Neil, that much is clear.

[Pro Libertate]

What I don't understand is this idea that an American middle class is something new. Our revolution is usually considered one of the few examples of a middle class revolution. Unions have jackshit to do with that.

[John]

Liberals have re-written history. There was no middle class much before FDR. Before that, society consisted of oppressed workers living in company towns and a few "robber barons" with top hats and monocles.

When you get your history exclusively from PBS documentaries, you start to think some pretty crazy things.

[Max, simplified]

ALL employees should be forced to join unions. Period. At threat of gunpoint, if necessary.

That's what will make America free!

[Patrick]

"Among all this terrible poverty were just a few great big beautiful houses that were lived in by rich men who had as many as thirty servants to look after them. These rich men were called capitalists. They were fat, ugly men with wicked faces, like the one on the opposite page. You can see that he is dressed in a long black coat which was called a frock coat, and a queer, shiny hat shaped like a stovepipe, which was called a top hat. This was the uniform of the capitalists, and no one else was allowed to wear it. The capitalists owned everything in the world, and everyone else was their slave. They owned all the land, all the houses, all the factories, and all the money. If anyone disobeyed them, they could throw him into prison, or they could take his job and starve him to death. When an ordinary person spoke to a capitalist he had to cringe and bow to him, and take off his cap and address him as "Sir."...

There was also something called the jus primae noctis, which would probably not be mentioned in a textbook for children. It was the law by which every capitalist had the right to sleep with any woman working in one of his factories.

[FAQ]

If it wasn't for the middle class that the union movement helped create and the fact that MAX is white, he would probably be the assistant manager of a convenience store somewhere instead of a shitty NUTJOB guru scribbler and tiresome asshole. Okay, he would still be a tiresome asshole

[WPW]

Early on, unions did in fact have some value. In the old days when the balance of power was with employers, unions did exert beneficial influence in such areas as safety, length of work days, etc. However, now that most of these kind of practices are controlled by law and enforced by the Government, the beneficial aspects of unions have been overcome by events. Now they are largely parasitical entities that have been given the upper hand by Government when dealing with management and use that advantage to bleed companies dry. (See GM, Chrysler).

[JW]

Oh, he's not done with us yet.

Obama Begins "Lifestyle Health Modification" Program, Mandating Behavioural Changes Within US Society

I'm sure that this order was drafted after ObamaCare passed is just a massive coincidence.

[Ska]

Where do I go with my bacon, cigarettes, and untapped sloth in order to show my disgust?

[Rhywun]

*puke*

[Michael]

The most infuriating thing about this is the utter disregard for the possibility that different people might pursue happiness in ways vastly different from one another.

[Michael]

The preceding is an excerpt from a much longer post I had typed out. I deleted the rest once I realized that Ska had already covered it from the bacon and smokes angle.

[Robob]

Nobody asks cows if they would like to pursue happiness in different ways. Well, actually, it seems some of the liberals who want the comfort and banality of livestock living for people don't think livestock should be subjected to it. Suddenly when it's cows, freedom becomes important.

[objector]

I guess this is what he's been up to, while neglecting to figure out whose ass to kick for the BP oil spill.

[Retardo]

I think it's pretty cool that the first two members of that Council are the Secretaries of Agriculture and Labor. Kinda says a lot.

[Steff]

They aren't even trying anymore, to hide the corruption and stupidity.

[anti Max]

Neither is Max.

[?]

Some union leader somewhere must have a copy of Obama's Kenyan birth certificate.

Even if it existed, that wouldn't be a strong enough hand for blackmail. No one would be found by any court to have standing to un-President him, and his voters would be energized to in-yo-face the Constitution again in 2012.

If Stern has a b.c., it's the missing Hawaiian one for some Irish honky named Barry.

[P Brooks]

ObamaCare appears to have one grandfathered standard for labor unions and another standard for everyone else.

Imagine my surprise.

[P Brooks]

"Union-wage-ape-ocracy" not same as "middle class".

[ChrisO]

The thing to remember is that the average union member works for the government, now.

The old face of the unions, Joe Lunchpail, is retired and living in Florida, and his kids either went to college and became government workers, or they work as greeters at Wal-Mart.

[James Ard]

So when they say equal protection under the law, they really mean equal for everyone except union members?

[Chinny Chin Chin]

James,

Dont'cha know that the progressive definition of "equal" is "some get more than others".

[High School Dropout]

You forgot Congressmen and Senators

[Colin]

I always liked that commercial. Funny how I remember it as being a Mormon commercial.

[Tim]

"Some animals are more equal than others"

[Episiarch]

Hey Obama supporters, please come and defend this so we can beat you down so hard the room is going to stink.

[JW]

All the real ones have left, haven't they? All that remains are sock-puppet trolls.

[John]

I have a few liberal friends on facebook. And by extension, a access to a ton of posts by all of their liberal friends. When Obamacare passed, they were all posting in tears about how wonderful it was.

Now not a peep out of any of them. In fact, several of my liberal friends have put up posts in recent weeks bemoaning the politicization of facebook and how it is a social site not a political site and they think everyone should leave their politics at the door. Odd, in 08 and 09 when they were in full Obamamania, they thought politics to be perfectly appropriate.

Liberals literally are just pretending none of this is going on.

[JW]

Are you sure you just haven't hidden them on FB as I have?

[John]

Positive. I see the posts where they harassed with things like this and whine about politics has no place on facebook.

[JW]

No, no, you've got it all wrong. There's no room for any politics, other than their own leftist politics.

I mean, c'mon, you can't have too many bitchy, whiny posts about how bad BP is or hey!, look at this sign posted at a BP gas station! Gosh, isn't that ironic?

[John]

this just in. Dave Weigel is still a douchebag.

http://althouse.blogspot.com/2.....words.html

[Paul]

Am I being unfair if I say that I've never seen such naked corruption when it comes to the relationship between Obama and Unions?

[ChrisO]

It's the Chicago Way.

[ay]

Obama is Guilty White Liberals' Black friend.

[objector]

Can you just imagine the uproar if a Republican politician assaulted a citizen who asked a question on the street? Hey, they already call them "Rethuglicans."

[Stick]

Unions spent $400 million to get Obama elected. Now the payoff.
1. Chrysler & GM stolen from the stockholders and given to unions who DID NOT take a pay cut.
2. They get a pass on Obamacare
3. After spending millions to get Obama elected, they are asking to have their pensions bailed out by taxpayers.

Unions, community organizers, & trial lawyers - legalized extortion all.

[replica watches]

high quality

[COMMANDER]

TO THE WEAK-KNEED REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRAT----Wake up america!!!! This goverment is the most corrupt we have had in years. The good old boy network is very much in charge.Mr. obama and pelosi are the puppet masters.How many of their good friends benefited by the agreement " what a farce. All of the u.sSenators voted for this. I am ashamed to say I voted for the these corupted self serving politicians.With good reason they picked an out of towner to be president.All u.s departments need an overhaul. We need to rid ourselves of the puppet masters and the dept heads that bow down to obama and pelosi.I am sick of the lip service I have been getting from these dummies over violations, their friends are getting away with.in the goverment . Barack Hussein Obama , threatens friends and bows TO Mmslim.
INPEACH OBAMA ,GOD OPEN YOUR EYES.///For us there are only two possiblities: either we remain american or we come under the thumb of the communist Mmslim Barack Hussein OBAMA. This latter must not occur.THE COMMANDER.REPOST THIS

[grandfather]

Obama is Guilty White Liberals' Black friend.