Ron's rants

• 05 | 22| 09 Memorial Day Message:: Jobs & Homes, Flowers and Flags—On behalf of the men and women of the Metal Trades Unions, we celebrate this Memorial Day mindful of the heroes who have given their life in service to our nation. To those who have fallen, we often bestow flowers and flags on headstones as symbols of our tribute to their memory. In addition to those symbols, we can also extend our commitment to care for and honor their comrades who are still with us, those they left behind. Read More…


• 05 | 18 | 09 National Security?
  Everyone on the House and Senate Armed Services Committees knows that the Metal Trades Department wanted the Navy to fund and build at least four DDG-1000 Zumwalt stealth destroyers—two at Bath Ironworks and two at Ingalls. In the proposed 2009 Navy Shipbuilding budget, DOD Secretary Gates has struck a compromise, providing funds for the construction of three DDG-1000's, continued or increased funding for Virginia Class submarine builds, the restarting the DDG-51 class destroyer program, continuing the
  amphibious/littoral ships programs, and extending and stretched out aircraft carrier builds from five years to delivery to six years.
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• 05 | 05 | 09 World View:: The big tax fight looming on Capital Hill this week involves deposits to offshore “shell” (a phony foreign “office address”) bank accounts of U.S. income without reporting the income for tax purposes by entities that claim to be incorporated businesses.
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• 04 | 03 | 09 One World?? Ain’t youth wonderful? 

  Remember back in your youth when you were pure and passionate about saving the world?  I am having those philosophical discussions with my boys…not really boys any more, but to me they will always be my boys.  I remember how I used to be so opinionated and convinced that I could single-handed change our political system of government to be responsive to the needs of everyday workers.  Read More…