President Barack Obama is giving the State of the Union Address, which is not really a State of the Union. There is a lot of discussion about what he might say. Language Guru George Lakoff has a good post on DK about Obama’s progressive code. Six weeks ago, the smartest guy in Washington DC se...

A few minutes ago Harry Reid announced that there will be a final confirmation vote at 4:30 EST today.  That means that Republican leader Mitch McConnell—husband of Elaine Chao, George W. Bush's secretary of labor, whose appointment was never subject to a cloture vote—determined it ...

State unemployment insurance funds have been going broke left and right.  There are disputes between some states and the Obama administration about money going to state UI funds, and the transfer of the funds will require strong oversight to make sure states use the funds as intended.   Fa...

One more step remains for Hilda Solis to become the nation's 25th Secretary of Labor, the seventh woman to hold that position. And that's supposed to happen on Tuesday. Or rather, as rules expert David Waldman aka Kagro X would say, two steps. A vote to cut off debate, which takes 60 Senators, and a...

For the last eight years, America's workers have had the crap kicked out of them by the Bush administration and Republicans on the Hill. We had an anti-labor Secretary of Labor, Elaine Chao, who is married to the vehemently anti-labor GOP Senate Leader, Mitch McConnell. Those two are worth millions ...

Steve Rosenthal has a post over at Huffington on Obama's nominee to be Secretary of Labor: Hilda Solis. He also exposes the growing outrage among the business groups because Barack Obama nominated a pro-labor Secretary of Labor. What an outrage, huh? But, the corporate folks (you know, the ones who ...

It’s only three weeks into Barack Obama’s Presidency and “Mr Cool” is loosing it big time. The swaggering confidence that he showed through the campaign has now been replaced with flashes of anger. Obama’s speeches are now filled with threats and warnings, his message o...

ZP Heller @ OpenLeft: The Senate Labor committee postponed [Hilda] Solis’ nomination yesterday because of a recent USA Today report about her husband’s outstanding California tax liens. (NOTE: it was her husband’s auto repair business, not anything to do with Solis herself.)  Thou...

First it was Tim Geitner. Then it was Nancy Killifer. Then Tom Daschle. Now BO's latest Cabinet pick, his choice to head the Department of Labor, Hilda Solis, has tax problems : The husband of President Obama's choice to head the Labor Department paid about $6,400 Wednesday to settle tax liens that ...

OK, I couldn’t resist that one.  But the real question is…does anyone in Washington bother to pay their taxes? Having just filed mine, and seeing just how much I paid, this all sets me back on my heels a bit. Apparently even the guy picked to head the Treasury Dept. (including the IRS) ...