I am sick and tired of having to come up with new metaphors every week for the federal government's takeover of everything that isn't nailed down in this country.

How about, "pythonesque?" This one has the benefit of alluding to both the slow strangulation of the country by liberals as well as a commentary on their Monty Python style of idiotic ways to do it.

Regardless of how you want to spin it, the latest effort by the Democrats to federalize labor relations between states and cities, and their public employee unions is an eye opener:

Senate Majority Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) is pushing to federalize labor relations between state and local governments and some public-sector unions. The Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act would require all states to give police and fire unions "adequate" collective bargaining rights -- as determined by the Federal Labor Relations Authority. States deemed "inadequate" could wind up in federal court. Long sought by public-safety unions, the bill is supported not only by Mr. Reid but also by Republicans, including the soon-to-retire Sen. Judd Gregg (N.H.). It has a good chance of passing if the Senate can fit it on its busy calendar.

Advertised as vital to the dignity, health and safety of our nation's first responders, the vast majority of whom already belong to unions with collective bargaining rights, the bill would supposedly foster public safety, especially in the 16 states that have no collective bargaining for police and the 12 that lack it for firefighters. But there's no clear connection between public-safety employee unions and public safety. Of the 10 states with the lowest violent crime rates in 2008, three did not require collective bargaining for police and one, Virginia, forbids it for all public employees. Indeed, Virginia's violent crime rate is less than half that of next-door Maryland, where collective bargaining for police prevails.

Ed Lasky adds:

The goal of this legislation is clear. Under the guise of protecting first responders, Reid and company want to step in to prevent states from taking the steps they need to take to get their finances under control. Legislative creep will lead this legislation to expand from covering first responders to all state and local workers-giving them the benefit of having the federal government behind them. Low cost, fiscally prudent states such as the "red" states in the South will be put on a more equal footing to "blue" states such as California, Massachusetts, etc., thereby helping to stem people and business flight to Republican states. Yet another example of how the this team wants to federalize all aspects of our lives.

The hits just keep on coming.