And so a UAW and AFSCME spinoff union has decided that it can simply shanghai workers into becoming members? Basically, 34,000 private day care workers suddenly found their paychecks substantially lighter—and discovered they were now hefty due-paying members of the Child Care Providers Together Michigan union…all without their knowledge. Legal? Yep: the state of Michigan played right along with it by setting up a system that any day care workers receiving even partial funding from state agencies are instantly considered state employees and therefore union members. So you can wake up unionized, even if you own the business yourself.

There are actually a couple of thoughts here.

1. How bad is it for unions right now that they have to impress people into their scam? You know, when the British Navy tried this same reasoning against American sailors, there was a quite interesting response.

2. Why is anyone surprised that any union, with the current pro-labor President of the United States turning a blind eye to all organized labor offenses, would be so bold as to pull off a scam like this?

So how do you quit a union without leaving the industry? Understandably, victims of this scam (which is what this is) are questioning its constitutionality. Heck, get the right prosecutor and you could go for a RICO case against the unions.

The Czar of Muscovy

Божію Поспѣшествующею Милостію Мы, Дима Грозный Императоръ и Самодержецъ Всероссiйскiй, цѣсарь Московскiй. The Czar was born in the steppes of Russia in 1267, and was cheated out of total control of all Russia upon the death of Boris Mikhailovich, who replaced Alexander Yaroslav Nevsky in 1263. However, in 1283, our Czar was passed over due to a clerical error and the rule of all Russia went to his second cousin Daniil (Даниил Александрович), whom Czar still resents. As a half-hearted apology, the Czar was awarded control over Muscovy, inconveniently located 5,000 miles away just outside Chicago. He now spends his time seething about this and writing about other stuff that bothers him.