If you’re fearful of the collapsing stock market, and looking for a safe investment, I’d suggest taking a look at whatever company supplies Darrel Issa with subpoena paper. It’s one of the few growth industries in America these days.
Two months ago, the House Oversight chairman asked National Labor Relations Board general counsel Lafe Solomon for documents pertaining to the NLRB action against Boeing, which was buried under the proverbial ton of bricks when it announced plans to open a new production line in right-to-work South Carolina, instead of its traditional unionized stomping grounds in Washington State. The documents were not delivered, so Issa had to reach for the subpoena paper.
The Washington Post reports Solomon’s reaction:
The NLRB responded Monday by noting that it has already turned over more than 1,000 pages of documents and arguing that many of the documents Issa has requested will be turned over during the course of the trial.
“To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time since 1940 that the National Labor Relations Board has been the subject of a Congressional subpoena,” Solomon said in a statement. “I am disappointed and surprised by this development. For months, my staff and I have diligently tried to satisfy the Committee’s desire for information while also preserving the integrity of our process and the rights of the parties in a case being actively litigated. I continue to believe that a solution is possible, and will work with the committee in the days and weeks ahead to find a reasonable and responsible balance.”
Thus we have a new definition of “balanced approach.” It can either mean tax increases, or giving the House Oversight committee everything except what they asked for. It’s also a marvelous statement of Obama Administration efficiency to tell the Chairman to relax and wait for a blizzard of documentation to swirl through the courtroom. Just be sure to bring your Kindle to the hearing chambers, Representative Issa!
Issa said in a statement, “NLRB's action in the case against Boeing has the potential to create a job-killing precedent just as U.S. manufacturers are working toward economic recovery. That a Washington, D.C.-based bureaucracy could dictate the work location and parameters for a world-leading company is unprecedented in a global economy and hobbles a leading American job creator at a time of economic vulnerability.” Hey, maybe that’s why they’re getting those equally “unprecedented” subpoenas! The NLRB is making history all over the place.
From his statement, here’s the list of documents Issa subpoenaed:
1) Documents in the custody or control of the Office of the General Counsel or the National Labor Relations Board referring or relating to the Boeing Company.
2) Communications to or from any person in the Office of the General Counsel or the National Labor Relations Board referring or relating to The Boeing Company, including but not limited to all emails and call logs.
3) Documents in the custody or control of the Office of the General Counsel or the National Labor Relations Board referring or relating to the International Association of Machinists.
3) Communications to or from any person in the Office of the General Counsel or the National Labor Relations Board referring or relating to the International Association of Machinists, including but not limited to all emails and call logs.
And Solomon thinks Issa and his team are supposed to read all this stuff during the Boeing trial? Maybe House Oversight should try giving those NLRB email and call logs the Sarah Palin Outsourcing Treatment, and round up volunteers to comb through them for interesting details.
