Free Republic

MADISON, Wis. -- State unions were dealt a setback Friday when a federal judge said they would have to get their members to opt in, rather than opt out, to having the state deduct union dues from their paychecks. What's more, the judge did not rule on dues deductions for unions that he earlier found the state improperly decertified. The state's largest unions were decertified, and the ruling -- at least for now -- will make it harder for them to get money from dues. But U.S. District Court Judge William Conley gave unions one beneficial ruling by saying that...

Democratic senators continued to remain bullish on the chances of creating a government-run public option as part of healthcare reform. But Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) predicted Sunday that last week's Medicare doc fix vote was a sign of trouble to come for Democrats in trying to rally enough votes to push through a government-run health insurance option. Senate Democratic Caucus chairman Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on Sunday that Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is very close to getting the 60 votes needed to move forward with a healthcare reform bill in the Senate. Schumer echoed the calls of...

Excerpt - Responding to a wave of consumer complaints, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission said it will bar telemarketers from making prerecorded sales calls unless a consumer explicitly agrees to receive such calls. The FTC also will require all recorded sales calls to provide an opt-out feature to allow consumers to place themselves on the caller's do-not-call list immediately. ~ snip ~

Legislation may require 'opt-in' for sexual topics By Emelie Rutherford / News Staff Writer Saturday, October 4, 2003 Framingham Metro West Daily News, MA - Oct 3, 2003 Should parents have more oversight of the sexual topics their kids discuss and discover in the classroom and after-school activities? Local educators and self-described liberal parents say legislation that would require parents to sign off on all sex-related classes and activities isn't necessary and could block students' access to groups such as Gay/Straight Alliances. "I think these things are taught with such delicacy," said Lori Krangel, parent of a Franklin High...

<p>The phone calls started during Christmas break.</p> <p>An Army recruiter told 17-year-old Ted Giannopoulos he'd like to take Giannopoulos to lunch and then to the East Orange recruitment station, where he would show Giannopoulos a video.</p> <p>"I said I wasn't interested," the Livingston High School senior said. He added: "We were on the phone for like half an hour. I just tried to get him off the phone. I told him I'd call him back."</p>