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Why Americans Have Grown to Hate Congress
AFL-CIO ^ | 12/23/2013 | William Spriggs

Posted on 12/23/2013 4:31:49 PM PST by mdittmar

Congress has itself to blame for its low ratings among the American people. Policymaking is all about choices; it is the calculus of weighing costs and benefits and the distribution of those costs and benefits. In theory, there are lots of policies that can make everyone better off, but they can only be accomplished by redistributing the gains of the policy.

(Excerpt) Read more at aflcio.org ...


TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 113th; 2013polls; aflcio; cultureofcorruption; jobapproval; mostethicalever; pelosicongress; polls; uniongoons; unions
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William Spriggs serves as Chief Economist to the AFL-CIO.
1 posted on 12/23/2013 4:31:49 PM PST by mdittmar
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To: mdittmar

OTOH: My opinion of Congress is a hell of a lot higher than my opinion of the AFL-CIO.


2 posted on 12/23/2013 4:33:40 PM PST by FlingWingFlyer (Merry Christmas to all my fellow Americans. "Whatever" to everybody else!)
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To: mdittmar

Congress’ motto should be ‘Do no harm’


3 posted on 12/23/2013 4:34:45 PM PST by griswold3 (Post-Christian America is living on borrowed moral heritage)
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To: mdittmar

congress is all democrat party power.

democrats control the staffers.

democrats control the bureacrats

there are a few conservative republicans

there are RINOs who vote with democrats when the voters are not looking.

what is there to like?


4 posted on 12/23/2013 4:35:29 PM PST by longtermmemmory (VOTE! http://www.senate.gov and http://www.house.gov)
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To: FlingWingFlyer

my opinion of the AFL-CIO.

Why, they rank right there beneath dog snot
and anal gland excretions.


5 posted on 12/23/2013 4:35:34 PM PST by tet68 ( " We would not die in that man's company, that fears his fellowship to die with us...." Henry V.)
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To: mdittmar

The unions got a lot of stuff from Baraq, but the regime got too busy with Obamacare and didn’t pass card check before the Republicans retook the House.

Without that, private sector union membership continues to fade away.


6 posted on 12/23/2013 4:36:34 PM PST by nascarnation (Wish everyone see a "Gay Kwanzaa")
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To: FlingWingFlyer

Is that on the line of sticky dog poo versus crusty dry non-stick dog poo?


7 posted on 12/23/2013 4:38:14 PM PST by Axenolith (Government blows, and that which governs least, blows least...)
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To: griswold3

Congress’ real motto is “I make market crushing returns via insider trading”.


8 posted on 12/23/2013 4:38:54 PM PST by nascarnation (Wish everyone see a "Gay Kwanzaa")
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To: mdittmar

It doesnt seem worth clicking on the link.


9 posted on 12/23/2013 4:48:00 PM PST by sickoflibs (Obama : 'If you like your Doctor you can keep him, PERIOD! Don't believe the GOPs warnings')
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To: nascarnation

Ding, Ding, Ding...
We have a Winner!


10 posted on 12/23/2013 4:55:05 PM PST by griswold3 (Post-Christian America is living on borrowed moral heritage)
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To: FlingWingFlyer

“OTOH: My opinion of Congress is a hell of a lot higher than my opinion of the AFL-CIO.”

I agree.

Of course that doesn’t say a hell of a lot about my opinion of this lower than whale shit Congress....


11 posted on 12/23/2013 4:56:19 PM PST by Howie66 (Molon Labe, Traitors!)
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To: sickoflibs; aii
AFL-CIO: The AFL-CIO is a parent union to the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and all but the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU).

AFGE: AFGE is the largest federal union. It represents 600,000 federal workers and some 4,500 DC government workers and monitors issues that impact the federal workforce personal and professional lives such as funding, working conditions, and health care benefits. Agencies with the highest concentration include the Defense, Social Security Administration, and Justice. Workplace inspectors, border patrols, VA medical staffs, and certain Environmental Protection Agency staff also make the membership list.

NTEU: The NTEU is the largest independent non-postal federal employee union representing some 155,000 workers in 24 government agencies. The NTEU represents the Customs Service and Border Patrol workers, employees of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the U.S. Coast Guard, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. The NTEU was first established in 1938 as the National Association of Employees of Collectors of Internal Revenue (NAECIR). The organization sought to improve working conditions, secure fair wages, and ensure job security for federal revenue officers. Over the years, the union has undergone name changes and expansion efforts. It took on its current name in 1975 and now includes members in Treasury, the FCC, ATF, and EPA. NTEU tries to ensure and expand federal worker protections, rights, and benefits.

NALC, NRLCA, and APWU: Postal employees are very familiar with and belong to unions. To them, the initials National Association of Letter Carriers (NACL) and American Postal Workers Union (APWU) are household names. The National Rural Letter Carriers Association (NRLCA) also represents U.S. postal employees.

AFSCME: The American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) is the fastest growing and largest union for public employees, reporting a whopping 1.3 million members. AFSCME represents a cadre of state and local workers and a small percentage of federal agencies and private and not-for-profit organizations. Public health, law enforcement, education, and public works employees comprise the bulk of its membership. Women account for a majority of the membership.

NAGE: The National Association of Government Employees (NAGE) was formed in 1961. The organization assists government workers in collective bargaining and by lobbying for workplace safety, fair pay, and workers' benefits. Its President, Kenneth Lyons, has been at the helm since the union organized. NAGE represents 150,000 federal, state, and local government workers nationwide including emergency medical technicians, nurses, custodians, police officers, and scientists. NAGE is affiliated with a diverse set of smaller unions including the International Brotherhood of Police Officers (IBPO), the National Association of Nurses (NAON) and the Army/Air Technicians Union (AATU). It is also affiliated with the AFL-CIO and the Services Employee International Union (SEIU).

NFFE: The National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE) represents federal and DC municipal employees. It was first organized in 1917 and is the oldest independent union for federal and DC government workers. AFT and NEA: The American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association also represent public employees.

12 posted on 12/23/2013 5:03:23 PM PST by mdittmar
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To: mdittmar
Because they cow-tow to Unions AND Big Business and leaves the rest of us out in the cold...
13 posted on 12/23/2013 5:13:59 PM PST by dps.inspect (rage against the Obama machine...)
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To: mdittmar

Don’t be fooled.

Americans do not hate Congress, Americans love Congress and that is why 95% of members of Congress are reelected every two years.


14 posted on 12/23/2013 5:30:50 PM PST by Oliviaforever
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To: mdittmar

Conclusion: Unions don’t like what Congress does on their behalf unless they get a free pass on the costs and the redistribution comes from everyone else ... and to them. BTW union wages and prevailing wage (and minimum wage) are nothing but another form of redistribution.


15 posted on 12/23/2013 5:38:28 PM PST by Optimist
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To: Oliviaforever

Americans hate congress, but not necessariy their congressman…..theres’ a difference.


16 posted on 12/23/2013 5:38:49 PM PST by C. Edmund Wright (Tokyo Rove is more than a name, it's a GREAT WEBSITE)
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To: C. Edmund Wright

“Americans hate congress, but not necessariy their congressman…..theres’ a difference.”

House Cleaning begins at home.

If people hate Congress, they must vote out their own member or Congress.


17 posted on 12/23/2013 5:42:02 PM PST by Oliviaforever
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To: Oliviaforever

I have a good congressman, just elected first time in 2012, after years of having a liberal Democrat in that seat….so should I un-elect him?

(moreover, your response was off subject)


18 posted on 12/23/2013 5:44:07 PM PST by C. Edmund Wright (Tokyo Rove is more than a name, it's a GREAT WEBSITE)
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To: C. Edmund Wright

No. If you have a good conservative Republican congressman, you should work to keep him in office. However, he is not part of the problem and he would not be one that the American people are angry.

It is the Democrats and RINOS in Congress who are the problem and the people in their districts that need to vote against their current congressman.


19 posted on 12/23/2013 5:50:02 PM PST by Oliviaforever
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To: Oliviaforever

I don’t think you have any idea of the dynamic behind those “congressional approval polls” and the relationship between those and why incumbents still win a very large % of the time.

And “housecleaning starts at home” is a cute cliche, but not sure how it applies….


20 posted on 12/23/2013 5:51:40 PM PST by C. Edmund Wright (Tokyo Rove is more than a name, it's a GREAT WEBSITE)
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