Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Email To the AFSCME Union Leadership

After receiving an email from the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), I decided to write back to them. The following is my email to the AFSCME. At the bottom of my letter is the email they sent me:

Union leadership,

How about jobs? Wouldn’t it be better to create jobs for those unemployed? Since when has an unemployment check helped the unemployed except in the short term? My daughter has been unemployed for over two years, she needs help, but she needs it in the form of a permanent job.

I think it is time for the unions to stop this attack on the private sector. I seriously think those so called ‘millionaires’ WILL create jobs if you give them certainty by maintaining the current tax rates that have been in place for over a decade. Taking away the existing tax rate is a TAX INCREASE that we do not need in this deep jobless recession.

You are looking at the glass as if it was half full, but in fact, IT IS HALF EMPTY and will remain empty if the government INCREASES taxes for anyone, and that includes businesses, large and small. Now is not the time to cut private industry off at the knees, stop being selfish and blinded by your one-sided rationale and act responsibly for the sake of the millions of non-public service sector jobless people. We don’t need any more union jobs, you won't see an increase in union jobs whatsoever regardless of the outcome to the tax rates; in fact, with the fiscal toilet most states are in because of the high cost of public sector employees, there will not be an increase to public sector jobs for many years to come. We need private industry jobs to take us out of this recession now, to bring in the much needed revenues to states and federal governments from the employees they employ, to create more jobs that the unemployed desperately need.

Please STOP your campaign to denigrate the job creators, they (private sector) can and will bring us out of this jobless recession if we give them certainty.

A very disappointed union member that would opt out of the union if I could...


This is the email I received from the AFSCME:

Dear xxxxx,

We've got just 15 days to get it done.

I'm talking about helping out-of-work Americans and fixing the Bush tax cuts — the ones that give a huge, permanent, tax break to the richest 2 percent while working families struggle just to get by. Benefits for millions of unemployed workers will expire at the end of the month, yet Congress is talking about more tax cuts for millionaires. We've got to make sure they do the right thing.

Please, send a message to your member of Congress and senators today. Urge them to end the Bush tax cuts for the rich, and extend unemployment insurance to every American who is out of work.

The Bush tax cuts for the rich are set to expire at the end of the year. Some in Congress want to make them permanent. That's a terrible idea. The wealthiest Americans should not be given permanent tax breaks while desperately-needed public services continue to be slashed, and 2 million people lose their unemployment on December 1. What we need right now is a recovery that works for everyone — not another millionaire bailout.

Here's what we’re telling Congress: Extend unemployment benefits for Americans struggling to find a job and keep the tax cuts for middle-class families, but let them expire for the wealthiest 2% of Americans. Working families are already stretched too far. If that sounds fair to you, I hope you'll add your name to our petition right now, and make sure Congress does the right thing for working families.

Frankly, the richest Americans don't need a helping hand these days. Just two years after the financial collapse, Wall Street is already handing out its biggest bonuses in history -- more than $144 billion. Rather than extending tax cuts for people on Wall Street, we need to help the folks on Main Street — the other 98% of the country -- who need jobs and public services to stay afloat.

Add your voice, and make sure Congress hears us: It's time to stop the handouts to the top 2% of America, and do the right thing for the rest of us. During this fall's election, voters across the country overwhelmingly said that America needs a recovery that works for everyone: not a millionaire bailout that would create a $700 billion budget gap over the next 10 years. Right now, it’s working families — who have been struggling to do more with less and less — that need a break, not CEOs.

You can bet that Congress is already hearing from the millionaires. Make sure they hear from the rest of America, too. There's no time to lose. Please act now:
http://action.afscme.org/c/51/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=907

In solidarity,

Charles Loveless
Legislative Director
AFSCME

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

California, Not So Golden

To all the democratic voters in California, I don't respect you, I personally feel you are misguided, and if you can't see the destruction that the democratic politicians have done in the last FOUR decades (yes, 40 years of a democratically led legislature), turned this once 'golden' state into a sewer of debt and handouts, then you deserve what you have.

In an article posted on Investors.com, "The 'Golden State' Still Doesn't Get It," the author states it very clearly, California currently:

has a 12.4% unemployment rate,

has suffered a loss of 34% of the state's industrial base,

with just 12% of the U.S. population, has one third of the nation's welfare recipients,

has a budget gap for 2009-10 of $45.5 billion, or 53% of total state spending,

has the nation's highest sales tax,

has the third highest income tax rate in our nation,

is dead last in ranking for job creation,

is 32nd in state competitiveness,

is home to 25% of ALL of America's illegal immigrants costing citizens of this state $10.5 billion a year,

and has $500 billion unfunded pension liabilities for union/state/public employees.

Actions have consequences: voters who continue to vote for miscreant politicians, those with no ideas or intentions for cutting spending, balancing budgets, and easing taxation and regulations, will continue to see the degradation of California. I pray that Californians will wake up, before the next election in 2012, to the reality, the tragedy, brought on by the uninformed and the poorly prepared voters, who, like the three monkeys, hear not evil, see no evil, and speak no evil, and continue to follow the misguided direction of their malfeasant leaders.

ObamaCare Changes to the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program

These are some updates to the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program coming on line because of ObamaCare. The only question I have is whether premiums will be going up as they seem to be doing for the rest of the nation?

On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act (ACA). As a result of this legislation, Federal employees will soon see important improvements in their Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) coverage, including expanded family member eligibility and enhanced benefits.

Because of the Affordable Care Act, beginning January 1, 2011:

Children will be eligible for coverage under their parent’s FEHB Program Self and Family enrollment until they turn age 26.

All FEHB Program plans will cover recommended preventive care services without additional out-of-pocket costs to enrollees.

All FEHB Program plans have eliminated any lifetime limits and annual limits on essential health benefits.

In addition:

All FEHB Program Plans will cover comprehensive smoking cessation benefits that include coverage for counseling, medications, multiple quit attempts with no annual or lifetime limitations and no enrollee cost sharing.

The attached fact sheet provides more information on changes to the FEHB Program and the Federal Flexible Spending Account (FSAFEDS) Program under the ACA. You can also visit www.opm.gov/insure for up-to-date information about all the Federal Benefits Programs.