Yokohama Tire Corp & USW Agree to 4 Year Contract

Union a Accepts 4-year Contract
Yokohama Tire Corp. and USW Local 1023 negotiated for 20 days over various issues.
By Lerone Graham

United Steelworkers Local 1023 voted to accept a new four-year agreement with Salem's Yokohama Tire Corp. over the weekend. Negotiations between the company and union went on for 20 days because of the previous contract expiring May 16 -- the same day a new tentative agreement was reached, said Steve Jones, local union president. The agreement was approved Saturday after polls were open at the Salem Civic Center throughout Friday and Saturday. "I think it's a win-win for all," Jones said. Previous agreements were valid for three-year terms. Yokohama and the union decided to use a four-year agreement this time because other big companies with similar agreements switched to four-year contracts, Jones said. Some key points that the new agreement dealt with included vacation time, family medical leave, 401(k) contributions, and safety and health. Yokohama intended to cap vacation allotments, but instead the union was able to negotiate to keep the current vacation structure, according to a summary of the agreement provided by Jones. The company intended to force employees to use two weeks of vacation time for family medical leave, which through negotiations was reduced to a maximum of three vacation days. Instead of keeping the current 401(k) savings plan, the union negotiated to add five new funds, and plans to form a committee to monitor all investment options. Gains were made to safety and health by improving notification of workplace accidents, setting fire drill times, and adding a requirement to provide electrolyte-based drinks, among other points. Jones said the company and union had a "good working relationship" throughout the 20 days of negotiation, and said he feels the contract is fair for both sides. The effective date for the new contract is May 17 and it will expire May 16, 2014.

Editorial : Yokohama Tire plant is in Roanoke VA. Thanks to Mike Stanley for this.

Medicare & Seniors ~ Listen Up !

House Passes “Doc Fix” for Seniors

The U.S. House passed a watered-down version of (H.R. 4213), “The American Jobs, Closing Tax Loopholes, and Preventing Outsourcing Act,” on Friday. The original bill was supposed to extend unemployment benefits, COBRA, and Federal Medicaid assistance to the states, as well as prevent doctors from being subject to scheduled Medicare reimbursement cuts beginning on June 1. The version that passed does include $23 billion in funding to put off 21% cuts in reimbursements to doctors for 19 months. This provision, known as the “Doc Fix,” passed 245-171 and ensures that Medicare beneficiaries have access to quality and affordable medical care. However, the legislation that passed did not include COBRA or Federal Medicaid assistance to the states, after fiscal conservatives scaled back many components of the overall bill. “The ‘Doc Fix’ provision is vital to seniors, as it would ensure that Medicare beneficiaries have access to trusted family physicians and specialists - a pivotal component for maintaining overall health,” “Unfortunately, the version that passed the House is a disappointment, because it did not include funding for several other key priorities. Now we will have to see what the Senate does.” Unemployment benefits passed by a vote of 215-204. A complete tally of the votes will be provided next week.

Alexander: Obama White House is ‘absolutely tone deaf’ on Bipartisanship
By Bob Cusack - 05/27/10

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) said Thursday the Obama White House is “absolutely tone-deaf” on bipartisanship. In a C-SPAN “Newsmakers” interview, Alexander said he is “puzzled” by how President Barack Obama works with Republicans on Capitol Hill. “On the big issues, on healthcare, on so-called financial regulation, the stimulus, the White House has been absolutely tone-deaf to bipartisanship,” Alexander said. Alexander’s remarks come just days after a testy meeting Senate Republicans had with the president earlier this week. The Tennessee legislator said Republicans always welcome the president, but noted that Obama didn’t say why he was coming “so there wasn’t any real effort” to engage with Republicans. A White House spokesman did not comment by press time. Alexander, who is regarded as a centrist Republican, challenged Obama several times during the bipartisan healthcare summit at the White House in February. Obama fired back that Alexander’s claims on how the health bill would increase premiums “are not factually accurate.” “I have a good, personal relationship with the president. I served with him. I like him,” Alexander said. “But as far as my ability to be involved in his objectives, they’re limited.” The former Tennessee governor did give credit to Obama’s education and energy secretaries for working with him on various issues, but said the White House is the problem. “Either the White House doesn’t want to work in a bipartisan way on the big issues or doesn’t know how,” he said. He speculated that the White House would pay more attention to Senate Republicans if there were more of them in the upper chamber next year. Expressing confidence about the elections, Alexander said people want to vote against the “rascals” in Washington, adding that most of the rascals in Washington are Democrats. However, Alexander refrained from predicting the GOP will win control of the Senate this year. Alexander also took direct aim at the president on the massive oil spill in the Gulf Coast. “There is a lot of talk about presidential responsibility in terms of the oil spill. We faced this before, after the Exxon Valdez spill, so I decided to look carefully at the law to see what it says. In 1990, Congress passed the Oil Pollution Act, and it says the president shall ‘ensure’ that oil spills are cleaned up and that he have the ‘personnel and equipment’ to do it. That is the president’s responsibility.”

Alexander, the third-ranking Republican in the Senate, acknowledged that congressional Republicans are split on earmark reforms. “We have differences of opinion [with House Republicans],” Alexander said. Alexander, an appropriator, strongly defended the use of earmarks, but said they should be made more transparent. He argued that “earmarks don’t save a penny,” saying “every specific appropriation that I might put in to say, repair the Wolf Creek Dam, reduces another appropriation in the budget. “The real debt problem deals with entitlement spending,” he said. Asked if he wants to move up the leadership ladder, Alexander smiled and said he has “topped out.” “I like where I am,” Alexander said. The 69-year-old Alexander, who twice ran for president, laughed when pressed on whether he will run again in 2012 and indicated he will not mount a White House bid.
The C-SPAN interview will air on Sunday at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Editorial : Senator Lamar Alexander (R)Tennessee, is the tone deaf person ! Senior Tennesseans better be careful and keep a close watch on Lamar ! He wants to cut entitlements, "Translated" = Cut Social Security !

Is There No End To Republican Hypocrisy ?

GOP Moves to Repeal Healthcare Law
By Molly K. Hooper - 05/27/10

House Republican leaders introduced a bill Thursday to repeal and replace the sweeping healthcare law adopted in late March. According to Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), the measure would repeal the current law and replace it with the alternative the minority party offered to the original healthcare legislation last November. “As unpopular as this healthcare bill is today, it’s at the height of its popularity,” Blunt said. “The more the American people know about it, the more concerns they are going to have, and the more they are going to look at alternatives.” Chances are slim Republicans could get their measure to the floor, given the Democratic majorities in the chamber, but it could make a useful campaign tool for the party. The vote on healthcare reform has become a political issue in a year rife with anti-incumbent sentiment. Tea Party activists opposed the legislation and protested on Capitol Hill during the March vote, shouting, “Kill the bill.” Several Democratic candidates in conservative-leaning districts have said they would not have voted for the bill, while unions are withholding support from some Democratic incumbents who voted against the legislation. A Gallup poll taken earlier this month found that healthcare is still in the Top Five list of voters’ concerns. Another Gallup poll found that voters are “no less concerned about paying the costs of a serious illness or accident, or normal healthcare costs, than they were last year.” In all, 20 GOP lawmakers co-sponsored the repeal-and-replace bill, including House Minority Leader John Boehner (Ohio), Whip Eric Cantor (Va.), GOP conference Chairman Mike Pence (Ind.) and Blunt. Rep. Wally Herger (R-Calif.), the ranking member of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Healthcare, formally submitted the bill. A Herger aide explained the legislation would repeal the entire law but would provide protections for those with pre-existing conditions. “[It] would prevent an insurance company from denying new coverage to someone with prior coverage on the basis of a pre-existing condition. So if you lose the health insurance because you lose your job, move, get divorced or just want to change plans, you are protected,” Herger spokesman Matt Lavoie said. Democrats laughed off the GOP effort to repeal the law. An aide for Assistant to the Speaker Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said that the “repeal Repubs” would create a boon for the health insurance industry. “Repeal Repubs are out of step with the majority of Americans who want to give the reform bill a chance to work. If the GOP gets their way, they would actually strip individuals and families of important rights and benefits and add to the deficit they created. This is a healthcare bill only insurance companies would love,” Van Hollen spokesman Doug Thornell said. Asked of the chances the measure would move through the House, Herger’s Democratic counterpart, Rep. Pete Stark (Calif.), responded, “Like a prayer in hell.” The chairman of the Ways and Means Health subcommittee admitted he hadn’t seen the GOP measure but added, “It’s probably lousy.” Republicans say their bill would reduce costs, increase access and create transparency and more competition in the system. Blunt claimed that of all the healthcare measures scored by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), this measure is “the only thing that anybody offered that the Congressional Budget Office said would decrease the cost of insurance for everybody.” Asked why leaders didn’t submit a measure solely to repeal the massive entitlement law, Blunt responded, “Then you’d be asking, ‘Why don’t you have any ideas?’ ” At least one Republican has a problem with his leadership offering a repeal-and-replace bill. Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) said in an interview with The Hill that Republicans “should be for 100 percent repeal. The replacement component of it should be a separate question because it blurs the issue; once you tie a comprehensive replacement to a repeal bill, you’ve guaranteed it’s going to bog down and the American people that are sick of backroom deals are going to ask a whole lot of questions that we are going to have to answer.” King called ObamaCara“ a malignant tumor that has metastasized as we speak.” Rep. Charles Boustany Jr. (R-La.), a co-sponsor of Herger’s measure, disagreed. “We have got to understand that the Senate is not going to be in Republican hands, nor is the White House until hopefully 2012, so the political reality is we have to operate within reality — and we will go as far as we can to repeal the most egregious parts of the bill and replace them with good reforms,” Boustany explained.

Editorial : This piece of legislation is pure crap ! Only From Republicans who are so out of touch with common everyday people and so in touch with millionaires !

Tennessee`s Republican Senator Bob Corker ~ An Audacity to Tennessee !

Senator(R) Criticizes Obama's 'audacity' in using GOP as 'props' !
By Alexander Bolton - 05/25/10

A GOP senator ripped into President Barack Obama at a meeting on Capitol Hill Tuesday, telling him he had “audacity” coming in and using Republican lawmakers as "props."Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), the Democrats’ partner on Wall Street reform, criticized Obama during a meeting the president requested with the Senate Republican conference to court their support for the remaining initiatives on his agenda. After the meeting, GOP senators said they appreciated the outreach. But behind closed doors, the president faced a hostile crowd of angry Republicans, led by Corker. “I said, ‘I got to tell you something, there’s a degree of audacity in you being here today,’” Corker said, recalling his exchange with the president. “If you look at your three major initiatives they were almost all done on party-line votes,” Corker told Obama. “I feel we’re all props here today.
“Just last week you engineered a very partisan vote,” Corker added. “I would just like for you to explain to me, when you get up in the morning, and when you come over to lunch like this, how you reconcile that duplicity.” “It hit a nerve, obviously,” Corker said, describing Obama’s reaction to the broadside. The sharp criticism from Corker is ironic after Democrats touted him as an honest broker last month when they were battling to bring Wall Street reform to the Senate floor. Corker voted against the bill last week. At an April press conference, Democratic leaders showed television footage of Corker calling on his Republican colleagues to lower the tone of rhetoric on the Wall Street legislation. A Republican in the room confirmed the account. “Corker said that the president had some audacity to show up and demand bipartisanship,” said the second source. Obama was left somewhat speechless by Corker’s charge. He and Corker had what the Tennessee senator describes as a “good relationship” when they served in the upper chamber together. The Republican who witnessed the exchange said Obama offered up a mild response. “He said he wanted the bill the way it was and just because Corker didn’t get what he wanted he shouldn’t get so mad,” said the source. A spokesman for the White House said the exchange with Corker was not as harsh as Republicans described. “The exchange he had with the president was actually pretty civil,” said White House spokesman Bill Burton. “They disagreed about the amount of bipartisan effort that was put into financial regulatory reform but, as the president has said before, he would have loved to have gotten 70 or 80 votes on the bill — but he wasn’t going to run up the vote total at the expense of watering down the legislation,” Burton said. Corker was one of several Republicans who challenged Obama candidly during the private meeting, which lasted for an hour and fifteen minutes. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) challenged Obama to secure the Mexican border, and he reproached the administration for mischaracterizing a new law in Arizona designed to crack down on illegal immigrants. “Senator McCain made the point that it was not helpful to the debate to have the Arizona law mischaracterized,” said Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.). Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) challenged Obama over his administration’s response to the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), an orthopedic surgeon before joining the Senate, criticized the president’s recently-passed healthcare bill. Barrasso has gone to the floor repeatedly in recent weeks to critique the new healthcare law. Nevertheless, Obama appeared upbeat after emerging from the Lyndon Baines Johnson room near the Senate chamber. “It was good,” he told reporters, when asked about the meeting. “We had a good, frank discussion on a whole range of issues.” Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R.Ky.) later described the session as a “spirited discussion.” Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) described the meeting as “testy.” He noted that if Obama truly wants bipartisanship on energy legislation, he should support a bill that recently passed out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Instead of voicing support for the legislation sponsored by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), Obama prodded Republicans to support a bill that includes controversial restrictions on carbon emissions. No Republican has been willing to back the comprehensive energy and climate change proposal drafted by Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.). Obama told Republicans that he would be willing to meet them halfway or three-quarters of the way on legislative proposals, GOP lawmakers said. But the president also repeatedly reminded GOP lawmakers that his ability to compromise is limited by pressure from the liberal base of his party. “It seems like the definition of bipartisan is always the furthest-left thing that can pass through the Senate, which ends up not being partisan,” said Brownback. “That’s the track we’re starting on on energy,” he said. “It starts with Kerry-Lieberman, which is as far-left as tactically they view can get 60 [votes].” “He cited often the number of people pushing him from his left,” Brownback said. Despite the heated exchanges, some Senate Republicans say they appreciated the gesture of a presidential visit to their conference. Republican lawmakers applauded Obama as the meeting ended. Corker said the frank talk “cleared the air” but he wondered whether the president would be making a return visit any time soon.

Editorial : Being a Tennessean, I Think Bob Corker has audacity, showing disrespect for the President of The United States ! Also, his duplicity sucks ! When will my fellow Tennessans get a belly full of millionaire Senators who support the rich and rob from the poor ? Congratulations Senator Corker, you have shamed us all ! Why not just resign and serve Tennessee well ? With Duplicity !

Richard Trumka ~ Vote Jobs Now !

Tell Congress: Vote for Jobs Now!
by Mike Hall, May 24, 2010

If members of the U.S. House of Representatives support creating jobs and putting Americans back to work, as they so often claim, they’ll vote this week for a bill that creates jobs and makes Wall Street pay, says AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka. Saying it’s “crunch time for putting Americans back to work,” Trumka tells lawmakers: “If you’re not for this bill, you’re not for jobs. Period.”
Join us in pushing hard for passage of the jobs bill and take action now. Call 877-442-6801 and urge your representative to vote for H.R. 4213 to create and save jobs and make Wall Street pay. Tell your representative a vote against the bill is a vote against jobs. The Promoting American Jobs, Closing Tax Loopholes and Preventing Outsourcing Act of 2010 (H.R. 4213), could be up for a vote as soon as tomorrow. The bill addresses many points of the AFL-CIO’s Five-Point Plan for Creating Jobs by:
•Extending unemployment benefits and COBRA health care subsidies through the end of the year;
•Providing critical aid to cash-strapped states by increasing the federal share of Medicaid, which can stop layoffs and cuts in services;
•Funding more than 300,000 summer jobs; and
•Financing local infrastructure projects.
The jobs bill also will start the process of making Wall Street finally pay to restore the millions of jobs the Big Banks and financial institutions destroyed with their reckless and risky practices. It closes a tax loophole that allows rich Wall Street hedge fund managers to pay lower tax rates on their income than ordinary wage earners. It also closes a similar loophole on corporations that ship jobs overseas. Critics of the bill say the nation’s budget deficit does not allow spending to create jobs. Says Trumka: The people who are always saying “No” to jobs because of the deficit are often the same people who voted to squander our hard-earned budget surpluses so they could shower undeserved tax breaks on rich people during the Bush years. Apparently, spending money on rich people is perfectly okay, but investing in jobs for working class Americans sets off alarm bells. With Wall Street banks, investment firms and corporations lining up against the jobs bill, lawmakers have a chance to back up their rhetoric about jobs with action says Trumka. It’s time for members of Congress to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. Vote for jobs. Now.

Jim Hightower | ATTACK THE DEFORMERS

Jim Hightower ATTACK THE DEFORMERS

Please read Jim Hightowers article on Wall-Street Reform/Deform !

Click on title of article or link provided on this page !

Closing Tax Loophole$ for Billionaire$ !

Robert Reich, Former Secretary of Labor, Professor at Berkeley
Posted: May 23, 2010

Closing Tax Loophole$ for Billionaire$

Who could be opposed to closing a tax loophole that allows hedge-fund and private equity managers to treat their earnings as capital gains -- and pay a rate of only 15 percent rather than the 35 percent applied to ordinary income?
Answer: Some of the nation's most prominent and wealthiest private asset managers, such as Paul Allen and Henry Kravis, who, along with hordes of lobbyists, are determined to keep the loophole wide open. The House has already tried three times to close it only to have the Senate cave in because of campaign donations from these and other financiers who benefit from it. But the measure will be brought up again in the next few weeks, and this time the result could be different. Few senators want to be overtly seen as favoring Wall Street. And tax revenues are needed to help pay for extensions of popular tax cuts, such as the college tax credit that reduces college costs for tens of thousands of poor and middle class families. Closing this particular loophole would net some $20 billion. It's not as if these investment fund managers are worth a $20 billion subsidy. Nonetheless they argue that if they have to pay at the normal rate they'll be discouraged from investing in innovative companies and start-ups. But if such investments are worthwhile they shouldn't need to be subsidized. Besides, in the years leading up to the crash of 2008, hedge-fund and private equity fund managers weren't exactly models of public service. Many speculated in ways that destabilized the whole financial system. Nor are these fund managers especially deserving, as compared to poor and middle-class families that need a tax break to send their kids to college. Nor are they particularly needy. Last year, the 25 most successful hedge-fund managers earned a billion dollars each. One of them earned 4 billion dollars. (Paul Allen's personal yacht holds two luxury submarines and a helicopter. Henry Kravis is one of the wealthiest people in the world.)Several of these private investment fund managers, by the way, have taken a lead in the national drive to cut the federal budget deficit. The senior chairman and co-founder of the Blackstone Group, one of the largest private equity funds, is Peter G. Peterson, who never tires of telling the nation it faces economic ruin if deficits aren't brought under control. Curiously, I have not heard Peterson advocate closing this tax loophole as one way to further the cause of fiscal responsibility. Closing tax loopholes for billionaires may seem like a no-brainer, especially at a time when the nation is cutting back spending on the middle class -- slashing budgets that fund child care, public schools, and public universities. Tens of thousands of teachers are getting pink slips. But you can expect a huge fight. There is also a moral issue here. Call me old fashioned but I just think it's wrong that a single hedge fund manager earns a billion dollars, when a billion dollars would pay the salaries of about 20,000 teachers.

Jim Hightower, Telling it Like it Is ! Ya Gotta Read This !

$AVE THE CONGRESSIONAL MILLIONAIRE$
Friday, May 21, 2010 Posted by Jim Hightower


Listen to this Commentary:

Let's hear a cheer for a much maligned group of American workers, for they have stood up and done the right thing! Not pimps, not drug chieftains, not Big Oil executives or Wall Street bankers – more maligned even than these. Yes, members of Congress! With a public approval rating ticking down toward single digits, these 535 workers could use a bit of good press, and they recently earned some. Actually, it was not for anything they did, but for something they did not do: They did not increase their pay this year ! So let's all lift our glasses of Dom Pérignon champagne to toast these frugal political stalwarts who voted to restrict their pay to the level they’re presently drawing – a mere $174,000 each. Plus health care. Plus pensions. Etc. Okay, that's a far better deal than 95 percent of American workers get, but it's the thought that counts. And lest you think that our lawmakers are living the life of Riley while their constituents are scrambling to stay one step ahead of bankruptcy, let me point out that they, too, have been hit hard by the Great Recession, and their level of wealth has taken a tragic tumble. Did you know, for example, that the median net worth of U.S. Senators has fallen to only $1.79 million ? The media establishment gives wide coverage to the plight of the unemployed, but it ignores this compelling story of congressional wealth decline. Worse, we're given sensationalist reports that while only one percent of Americans are millionaires, 44 percent of our lawmakers are in the millionaire class. But, guess what ? That supposedly damning number means that 56 percent of the members are not millionaires. How do you think that makes them feel? Let's show some kindness here. It's time for a national movement to save the congressional millionaires! Give generou$ly, won't you? "Congre$$, where 44 percent are millionaire$, freeze pay," http://www.yahoo.com/ , May 3, 2010.

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Editorial : Ya gotta love it. Jim Hightower, telling it like it is !

Goodyear Union City Plant~Curt Andersson NAT President Visit !

Andersson Visit to Union City An Important One !

by Don Jones, Goodyear Union City~Retired !

On Tuesday May 18, 2010 Curt Andersson, President Goodyear North American Tire, visited Union City`s massive plant for the first time. The following is a direct quote from him !

“I enjoyed my first visit to Union City. The Union City team was engaged and there was a good focus on our customers. Although Union City’s costs and safety are improving, the plant must continue working hard in both of these areas. I look forward to seeing more innovations with in-house resources and continued improvement in cost and safety. All and all, my visit was a good one and I’d like to thank Terry and his team for hosting us.”

Curt Andersson
NAT President

It sounds like Terry Tennyson, new plant manager and his team have Goodyear Union City going in the right direction. I`m in hopes this is true and Union City finally has turned the corner and things are improving for Union City ? I remember when we built 55,000 tires a day...everyday ! This can happen again, only if all party`s work together to save Union City ! This writer would like to see a task force committee, consisting of old and new management, union leadership old and new, government officials local and state, meet for one purpose and one purpose only. " SAVE Goodyear Union City Plant"! The pieces that are necessary, seem to be in place at last ? Two of the most important pieces are Terry Tennyson and Rick Waggner Having said that, This must be a grassroots effort of all concerned.

Hey Senior`s ~ Thats Me ! Medicare Fix ?

Congress Trying to Fix Doctors’ Medicare Reimbursements

The U.S House and Senate are scheduled to vote soon on (H.R. 4213) -- the American Jobs, Closing Tax Loopholes, and Preventing Outsourcing Act -- that extends unemployment benefits, COBRA subsidies, and enhanced Federal Medicaid Assistance Percentage (FMAP) matching funds for states, while fixing physician payments under Medicare for 5 years. Failure to pass this legislation will result in doctors facing a 21% cut in their Medicare reimbursements. However, the doctor reimbursement fix will ensure that Medicare beneficiaries continue to have access to family physicians and specialists. Also included in H.R. 4213 is a provision to increase funding to states to help pay for increased Medicaid reimbursements. Medicaid dollars provide assistance to low-income seniors and pay for nursing home care; failure to extend this provision will force states to close budget gaps with brutal cuts that will affect many seniors. Alliance members have already sent more than 2,000 letters this week to Congress by clicking on> http://bit.ly/bk1MXA and pushing for doctors’ reimbursements not to be cut.

Radio WCMT ~ Listen Carefully, Not Unbiased !

Talk Radio Has Responsibity...
by Don Jones

This morning, I was listening to the radio, WCMT 101.3 fm, http://www.wcmt.com/staff.php

A show called "Goodtimes in the Morning" with Chris and Paul ! I listen to get the latest local news and gossip ! It is actually entertaining at times, and on occasion even informative ! There is a local physician who calls in regularly and gives his opinion on almost everything. Most of the time, he is entertaining not informative. This morning he made another of his outrageous statements in regard to our government. Not only was it not accurate, it was not true. He said, and I will try to stay as accurate as I can remember. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, knew in advance of the Japanese attack on Pear Harbor, and did nothing, so we the USA would get into the second world war. Just let me say, That I think this is totally irresponsible. This is his opinion with no hard facts. "I think it was Dwight Eisenhower, he was a mere Major and wanted to rise to a five 5 star General and then President of these United States " ! Now, I said what I did to illustrate how ridiculous, Some people`s statements are. Of course, My statement is not true. Now this radio station is a right wing republican radio station. I know that. How ? They carry Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity hours on hours everyday. They do not carry Jim Hightower, Left wing Democratic commentator. Did you notice, I used the term "Commentator" Not News ! Please do not misunderstand, I know the President and General Manager of this station, he`s a pretty nice guy and a very hard worker. However, he is not unbiased ! Yes, he is entitled to his opinion, but, so am I ! If this radio station wants to be a service to the community, let them broadcast both sides, not just the Republican right wing side ! After all, there are two sides to every issue ! This station chooses to give but one side ! WCMT, put on Jim Hightower > http://www.jimhightower.com/ <, commentator ! As for our local physician who calls regularly, most of us are aware that he should not be taken seriously ! This writer`s opinion !

Vote YES on Promoting American Jobs & Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010

Call John Tanner, District#8~Tennessee

The House is holding a critical vote this week to help America’s workers, promote American jobs and provide a much-needed additional lift to our economy. The final vote is up in the air and your member of Congress needs to hear from you right now. Tell your representative to vote YES on the Promoting American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010.

Call Rep. John Tanner now at (202) 225-4714.

From extending unemployment insurance and reduced COBRA payments for those out of work to funding summer jobs for young workers and local infrastructure projects, the Promoting American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010 is critically important for working families. Our economy is beginning to show signs of recovery, but there remain more than five job seekers for every opening and 6.7 million workers have been unemployed now for more than six months. We need this jobs bill. And guess how the House is proposing to pay to protect our workers and promote our jobs? Yup, by making Wall Street pay. For years, hedge fund managers and others on Wall Street have had their earnings—in the case of some managers, earnings that top $1 billion a year—taxed as capital gains instead of as ordinary income. This loophole saved billions for mega-rich bankers while they drove our economy off a cliff and cost us millions of jobs and hundreds of billions of dollars. The banking lobby is powerful and the vote is going to be very close, so we need your help now. Call and tell Rep. Tanner to support the Promoting American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010 because we need Good Jobs Now and Wall Street Must Pay.

Call Rep. Tanner now at (202) 225-4714.

America’s workers can’t afford to wait any longer. Millions of out-of-work families are relying on unemployment insurance just to put food on their table, and without the COBRA subsidy extension they will be forced to go without health insurance. Congress must act now to protect these workers, promote American jobs and do it by making Wall Street pay

Medicare H.R. 4213 ~ Listen Up, Seniors, "Hey Thats Me" !

Tennessee`s - Tanner - Alexander - Corker ~ Call them, Write them !

The U.S House and Senate are scheduled to vote soon on H.R. 4213 -- the American Jobs, Closing Tax Loopholes, and Preventing Outsourcing Act -- that extends unemployment benefits, COBRA subsidies, and enhanced Federal Medicaid Assistance Percentage (FMAP) matching funds for states, while fixing physician payments under Medicare for 5 years. Failure to pass this legislation will result in doctors facing a 21% cut in their Medicare reimbursements. The doctor reimbursement fix will ensure that Medicare beneficiaries will continue to have access to family physicians and specialists. Also included in H.R. 4213 is a provision to increase funding to states to help pay for increased Medicaid reimbursements. As you may know, Medicaid dollars provide assistance to low-income seniors and pay for nursing home care. Failure to extend this FMAP provision will force states to close budget gaps with brutal cuts that will affect many seniors. H.R. 4213 extends the enhanced Medicaid funding provision for six months by providing states with $26 billion in federal funding.

What you can do:

(1) Please click on http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/hr4213 to send a letter to your U.S. Representative and Senators; and

(2) Call Capitol Hill by Thursday, May 20 and tell your Representative and Senators to vote in favor of H.R. 4213 – the American Jobs, Closing Tax Loopholes and Preventing Outsourcing Act.

The toll-free call-in number for the House is 877-442-6801. For the Senate, please dial 202-224-3121 (not toll-free). Say that you are watching to make sure the doctor fix and the Medicaid provision contained in H.R. 4213 pass!
pass!

> http://www.tennesseeanytime.org/government/elected.html <

Thank you.

Health Care Insurance ~ There is No Control !

Health Industry: Shameless Profit-Making at Consumer Expense
by Mike Hall, May 14, 2010

While the country debated health care reform in the first quarter of 2010, the nation’s five biggest insurance companies saw their profits soar, raised consumers’ premiums, offered fewer benefits and lost 2.8 million customers, mostly because consumers could no longer afford their plans, according to a new report from Health Care for America Now (HCAN). WellPoint Inc., UnitedHealth Group Inc., Aetna Inc., Humana Inc. and Cigna Corp. reported a combined net income of $3.2 billion, a 31 percent leap from the same period in 2009. Premiums grew faster than medical costs, while most insurers lowered the share of premium dollars spent on actual health services. The report, “Health Insurance Industry Profits Soar,” points out that the huge profit gains this year follow the Big Five’s record profits in 2009. The top five insurers made record profits, writes HCAN Executive Director Ethan Rome. They did this by covering fewer people, offering worse benefits, providing less care and charging consumers and employers more in the process. It is an obscene business model: They sell people a product, make it worse but more expensive over time, and then deny people the service they’ve paid for when they need it. Not only have nearly 3 million people dropped from the insurance rolls mostly because they can’t afford coverage, millions more, according to the report, have had to settle for skimpier coverage with fewer benefits. It provides a succinct translation of UnitedHealth CEO Stephen Hemsley’s insurance industry’s code words during an April teleconference to plain English. Here’s Hemsley: Consumer-value products featuring consumer responsibility and accountability designs have grown 80 percent year-over-year to 600,000 people. Our leaner benefit offerings that feature variations in network designs, such as premium-designated network incentives, grew more than 30 percent to 900,000 people. For those of you who don’t speak insurance code, here’s the English: A lot of people needing health care can’t afford anything other than our lower-priced health plans, and they will have to pay dearly out of their own pockets to see a doctor or fill a prescription. But these plans are profitable and they are spreading like wildfire. The new health care reform law will put an end to many insurance company abuses, including coverage denials for pre-existing conditions, dropping coverage when people get sick and spend more on actual health care costs. The report says legislation now in the U.S. House and Senate would provide even greater protection to families and small business from unjustified rate hikes, such as those like Anthem Blue Cross—a WellPoint subsidiary—recently proposed in California. Those premium increases, as high as 39 percent, were found to be unjustified by an independent expert hired by state regulators to examine Anthem’s claim the increases were justified. But more than half the states have no authority to block or modify premium increases. The Health Insurance Rate Authority Act (H.R. 4757 and S.3078) would provide unprecedented authority to block unreasonable premium increases before they are allowed to take effect. The bill would give the U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services the authority to deny or modify premium and rate increases found to be unreasonable. It would create a seven-member Health Insurance Rate Authority, including consumer representatives and insurance experts, to make recommendations on how to lower rates.

Click on title of this article for HCAN’s full report.

No More Tax Breaks for Companies Who Move off Shore !

In Pa. 12th District, Critz Backs Keeping Jobs At Home
by James Parks, May 14, 2010

Democrat Mark Critz is the only candidate in the May 18 special election in Pennsylvania’s 12th congressional district who believes it’s time to stop tax breaks for companies that move overseas and give them to companies that create jobs here in America. By contrast, his Republican opponent Tim Burns shipped Pennsylvania jobs offshore and opposes caps on CEO pay. Clearly why working people in Pennsylvania’s 12th congressional district are backing Mark Critz.

Pulmonary Hypertension ~ Whats New ?

PH Treatments: What's on the Horizon ?
Friday, May 28, 3:00 p.m. ET
Webinar - Web login AND Phone call
By Don Jones...PAH Patient Vanderbilt

Join Dr. Ivan Robbins of Vanderbilt University for an update on current clinical trials and PH treatments currently in development, followed by Q & A. An Internet connection and telephone are necessary for participation. Dr. Robbins is one of my Dr.`s treating me at Vanderbilt along with Dr. Anna Hemnes and Dr. Bonnie Slovis ! Click on link below or Title of this article.

https://www.cc.readytalk.com/cc/schedule/display.do?udc=mncv1k66kesu

Reforming the Banks, no one said it would be Easy !

Reforming Banks & Wall-Street...

In the next few days the Senate will wrap up debate on a Wall Street reform bill that puts important new rules and restrictions on Wall Street banks. The bill is not finalized yet and we’re fighting hard right now to strengthen it, so call your senators today and tell them to support real Wall Street reform, including oversight of the shadow banking system. Once you’ve called, join AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler next Monday at 11:45 a.m. and help us ratchet up the pressure on the Big Banks and their lobbyists at a Showdown on K Street, the famous Washington, D.C., avenue of high-priced, deep-pocketed lobbyists who are leading the Big Banks’ fight against real Wall Street reform. Just like our Wall Street event, we’ll livestream the march and rally online so you can join us from anywhere. Add your name to the list of marchers here. On K Street we’ll be targeting the lobbyists for Wall Street’s Big Six banks—Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo/Wachovia. Since last year and so far through 2010, Big Banks have spent about $1.4 million a day in lobbying and political expenses to fight reform. The Big Banks have four lobbyists for every member of Congress. It’s obscene. So join us online or in person on Monday at 11:45 a.m. EDT. And don’t forget, while you wait for the big event, call your senators now and tell them to support real Wall Street reform, including oversight of the shadow banking system.

In Tennessee contact : Or Click on Title of this Article :


Sen. Lamar Alexander(R): (202) 224-4944

Sen. Bob Corker(R): (202) 224-3344

Seniors Bill of Rights !

Seniors Bill of Rights

Last week, the House Democratic Caucus launched the Seniors Task Force to engage American seniors on issues relevant to them [ http://www.dems.gov/seniors ]. Co-chaired by Congresswomen Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Doris Matsui (D-CA), the caucus introduced

H. Res. 1342, a Seniors Bill of Rights. The legislation addresses Democratic support for senior priorities including: protection from scams and fraud; affordable health care; safe and livable communities; and economic security [ http://www.dems.gov/seniors/bill-of-rights ]. "With seniors living longer, it is a relief to see our government paying attention to the needs of the growing retiree population," !

Transplant`s~"The Gift of Life" Total Numbers !

Total Number of Transplants Performed in the United States
1988 to April 2010

All donor types 480,547


Deceased donors 376,610


Living donors 103,937

Total number of organ donated in the US 1988 to April 2010 > 235,827

Deceased donors 131,375

Living donors 104,152

I consider my self blessed to be counted in these numbers !

Don Jones, Heart-Transplant - 1994


" Give The Gift of Life, Be an Organ/Tissue Donor, it`s the Masonic Thing to Do"!

Best Commercial Ever - This One is Worth Repeating ! 10/24/11

10/24/11

"God Bless America" "God Bless Our Troops" !

Nashville Tennessee Flood 2010

Union/Company Negotiations Yokohama Rubber

Yokohama Tire talks making progress

Union and plant officials would not comment on the contract negotiations.

By Duncan Adams The Roanoke Times

Three years ago, union members at the Yokohama Tire Corp. plant in Salem ratified a new labor agreement. That contract expires May 16 at midnight. Negotiations began in late March for another three-year contract for about 670 members of United Steelworkers Local 1023. On Monday, neither Steve Jones, president of Local 1023, nor John Holladay, a Yokohama spokesman, would comment about the status or tenor of the negotiations. But Eddie Lowery, USW International's subdistrict director for Virginia, said he "is satisfied with the progress we are making."He said the company and union negotiators have met about a dozen times since March. "I think all negotiations are difficult, depending on the day and the issue. But we've made progress," Lowery said. "It's collective bargaining. It's a process.The last strike at the Salem facility occurred in 1994 and lasted about 12 weeks. Last July, the plant had more than 800 employees. Holladay did not provide an updated figure. The plant manufactures passenger, high performance and light truck tires. California-based Yokohama Tire Corp. is a subsidiary of Yokohama Rubber Co., based in Japan. Union negotiations in the domestic tire industry typically follow a process called "pattern bargaining," by which contracts secured with larger tiremakers can serve as templates for subsequent negotiations with competitors. Negotiations last year yielded new contracts for USW-represented workers at Michelin's BFGoodrich tire unit, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. and Bridgestone-Firestone. Job security was a key issue for union members as tire manufacturers struggled with a recession, an ailing auto industry and competition from Chinese imports. And unions made related concessions in wages and other benefits. Predictably, negotiations focused also on health insurance benefits and retiree pensions. In mid-September, USW members at seven Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. plants ratified a new four-year contract. USW reports it represents about 10,300 workers at the Goodyear plants. Ohio-based Goodyear said the contract will save the company about $215 million, a figure it said pre-agreement job cuts could boost to about $555 million over the term of the contract. Goodyear agreed to "continued job security" for six of the company's plants with USW representation. The plant in Danville, which has suffered layoffs in recent years, was included in the six. Goodyear closed a plant in Radford in January 2009. On Oct. 3 last year, USW announced that Bridgestone-Firestone workers had ratified new four-year contracts covering about 4,500 workers at five plants. In February, Yokohama Rubber Co. reported that profits improved during the international company's first nine months of its current fiscal year. But it said sales for its Yokohama Tire subsidiary were off about 14.6 percent when compared with the same period last year. On April 30, Yokohama announced plans to increase prices on all of its consumer tires by up to 8 percent, effective June 1. It attributed the increase to escalating costs of raw materials, manufacturing and transportation.

News researcher Belinda Harris contributed to this report.

Editorial : Thanks to Mike Stanley for this !

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder ?

Computer Virus ? Perhaps, Perhaps Not ?
by Don Jones...5/10/10

To my loyal reader`s I have been absent from the blog now for over a week. Through no fault of my own ! I have a true and trusted friend, who I believe has it under repaired /control. I hope you have not found a better blog to follow ? Anyway so much for the absence, I`ll try to be more aware and more alert. "Thank you" for your patience and loyalty.