“Andy Stern” on The Daily Caller

It has become clear that this Congress is not going to be one that passes fundamental tax reform. Anything that would pass the Democrat Senate or be acceptable to President Obama would be a net tax increase, and that is unacceptable to the House of Representatives and their 237 Taxpayer Protection Pledge signers. Attempts thus far at tax reform — the Simpson-Bowles commission and “Gang of Six” efforts come to mind — have been tax increases disguised as rate-cutting tax reform. Nevertheless, that does not mean that a significant opportunity isn’t there on an aspect of fundamental tax reform — namely, doing another round of low-tax repatriation of foreign corporate profits. (more)

An emerging conservative criticism of the debt reduction plan released by President Obama’s commission this week is that it would represent a massive tax hike. (more)

President Obama’s debt commission Friday received support from 11 of 18 members, falling short of the 14 votes needed for what would have been more of a symbolic passage than anything else. (more)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI and the Labor Department are investigating prominent labor leader Andy Stern in a probe of corruption at the Service Employees International Union, according to two people who have been interviewed by federal agents. (more)

Little does he know, but Hef has a D.C. doppelganger: former Service Employees International Union (SEIU) President Andy Stern.  While one sports the union bug and the other a Playboy bunny (or three), these big-time bosses have more than just gray hair in common. (more)

One week from Tuesday, 18 men and women will begin an attempt to fix, in eight months, what is possibly the country’s greatest problem: the federal budget deficit, national debt and runaway entitlement spending. (more)

Writing at the Awl, Natasha Vargas-Cooper, formerly of the SEIU, complains that Andy Stern wasn’t ‘brutish’ enough to reform the mega union: (more)

1.) Coming soon to a walk-in clinic near you: Nancy Pelosi — “Imprecise” and “confusing” language in the health care bill may bring an end to congressional participation in the federal employees health care program, writes the New York Times. Apparently, there is an “assumption” in the health care bill “that lawmakers should join many of their constituents in getting coverage through new state-based markets known as insurance exchanges.” Oh lawdy, won’t that suck! Such analysis comes courtesy of the Congressional Research Service, which exists for exactly one reason–to make people feel dumb about the life choice they just made. Writes the Times, “If they did not know exactly what they were doing to themselves, did lawmakers who wrote and passed the bill fully grasp the details of how it would influence the lives of other Americans?” HAHA, of course not! (more)

Even as Congress is away for the Easter recess, the Obama administration and Congressional allies are busy working to reward union bosses at the expense of working families and small businesses. (more)

As if the Obama administration hasn’t given union bosses enough “payback,” it is poised to give them even more – only this time the gift is as dangerous as Big Labor’s other agenda items such as the Employee “Forced” Choice Act, and will result in more job loss. (more)

Longtime Democratic strategist Pat Caddell on Wednesday blasted the Obama White House for creating “a world in which there is no dissent,” following his banishment from Colorado Democrat Andrew Romanoff’s campaign for Senate. (more)

Democrats on Wednesday tried to parse the chaotic fallout from Tuesday’s landmark election in Massachusetts, straining to discern whether any path toward health-care reform remains open to them. (more)

Unions tentatively struck a deal Tuesday to exempt collectively bargained health care plans from a tax on high-cost plans expected to be used to help raise revenue for the health care overhaul. (more)