Unemployment Benefits Not Passed ! Why Not ? In a Word > REPUBLICANS !

Millionaire$ Killing Jobs
by Tula Connell, Jun 25, 2010

Today, 1.2 million jobless workers lose their extended unemployment insurance (UI) because some Senate millionaires think a $300 a week unemployment check will make people too lazy to look for a job. This group also is pushing to reduce the nation’s budget deficit rather than use short-term spending to create desperately needed jobs for the nation’s 26 million unemployed or underemployed workers.

Three things:

* The Senate yesterday failed for the FOURTH time to extend UI because Senate Republicans are blockading the bill. Economists say extending UI is fiscally prudent and essential to improve the faltering economy. Several hundred thousand more unemployed workers will lose their UI each week in addition to the 1.2 million jobless workers who already have.

* While more than 15 million U.S. workers can’t find work because there’s five workers for every one job opening, the rich are getting massively richer. The ranks of the nation’s millionaires rose 16.5 percent, to 2.87 million, last year. Their total wealth in North America rose 17.8 percent, to $10.7 trillion.

* A new poll shows the majority of the U.S. public wants government to take a larger and stronger role in making the economy work for America’s workers. Nine out of 10 agree that government and corporations should join with individuals to place the common good above greed. Another poll, by the Alliance for American Manufacturing, shows nearly three of five respondents (58 percent) say the United States no longer has the world’s strongest economy, compared with 36 percent who believe otherwise.

So, in short: Republicans in Congress are out of touch with the American people and are working with the growing group of millionaires—like coal mine owner Don Blankenship of Massey Energy Co. and BP CEO Tony Hayward—to ride roughshod over those whose sweat and hard work built this nation. Some say the United States is now a corporatocracy. Who in Congress is willing to prove otherwise?

Social Security ~ A Lifeline for the Nations Seniors !

Philly Activists Tell Deficit Commission:

‘Hands Off Social Security’ !
by Tula Connell, Jun 28, 2010

Yael Foa, AFL-CIO senior field representative for the Northeast Region, joined activists in Philadelphia for the America Speaks town hall, to forestall possible moves by the deficit commission to cut $ocial $ecurity. More than 30 union and community activists took part in the America Speaks town hall meeting Saturday in Philadelphia, holding signs and distributing fliers to get our message out to town hall participants and pedestrians walking by: Social Security isn’t causing the nation’s budget deficit, cutting entitlement and safety net programs will make matters worse, and the best way to reduce the deficit is to invest in the jobs programs and get America back to work. Signs included “America before Wall Street,” “Social Security belongs to the people,” “Hands off my Social Security,” “Jobs for America now” and some related to health care. Unions that participated include AFT, AFSCME, CWA, UFCW, SEIU and Working America. Community groups included Jobs with Justice, MoveOn.org, Penn Action, Social Security Works, Jewish Labor Committee, Concerned Youth of America, Philadelphia Unemployment Project, Neighborhood Network, Socialist Action, MainLine Peace Action, Montgomery County Democracy for America and others.

Editorial : Don`t fix it, if it isn`t broken !

AFGHANISTAN ~ A Way Out ! ?

A GOLDEN WAY OUT OF AFGHANISTAN
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 Posted by Jim Hightower

Here's some free advice: Never buy shares in a gold mine from a guy operating out of a house trailer.

Likewise, never buy a story from the Pentagon about an incredible discovery of gold in Afghanistan. From out of nowhere, a recent news report excitedly tells us that a Pentagon task force has discovered an astonishing trillion dollars worth of untapped mineral deposits in that war-ravaged, impoverished country. Gold! Copper! Iron! And more! "An economic boon is seen," declares a newspaper headline. "There is stunning potential here," exclaimed General David Petraeus, the top commander of America's war effort. Hmmm... not so fast, slick. Isn't it at least curious that this "discovery" comes when the war is going so badly for us and both the public and Congress are questioning why we're there? Suddenly, the Pentagon gives us a trillion reasons to keep spending American lives and tax dollars. There's money in them thar hills! Unmentioned in the Pentagon's economic assessment is the fact that Afghans have known about these mineral deposits for centuries and have long been mining many of them, albeit on a small scale. The Soviets even mapped the extensive deposits in the 1980s during their occupation of Afghanistan, and our own geologists have known about the mining potential at least since 2004. Still, even if the Pentagon has hyped up this story to prolong America's commitment to the war, it actually could have the opposite affect. We've been told again and again how poor that nation is, with a total GDP of only $12 billion and its chief product being opium, so our commitment of 90,000 troops is essential to help impoverished Afghans building a modern economy and a stable government. But if they're now a fabulously wealthy nation, they don't need us. So... let's leave.

"U.S. Discovers Mineral Riches In Afghanistan," The New York Times, June 14, 2010.

"Afghan Official Elated by Minerals Report," The New York Times, June 15, 2010.

"Losses and Riches in Afghanistan," The New York Times, June 15, 2010.

"The Pentagon's Afghan Mineral Hype," http://www.motherjones.com/ , June 14, 2010.

Seniors Get Medicare Fix ! Hey That`s Me !

Congress Delivers President Obama a ‘Doc Fix’ Bill

After realizing that combining the ‘Doc Fix’ provision with a jobs creation package was not politically feasible, House Democrats promptly passed a six-month solution to the ongoing cuts in Medicare reimbursement rates to physicians. The temporary fix passed the House late Thursday night by a vote of 415-1. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services had already started to process Medicare claims at the 21%-lower rate, causing severe financial damage to medical practices nationally. All prior claims will be resubmitted and paid at the new reimbursement rates. Additionally, the bill allows for a 2.2% raise for physician reimbursement rates. Despite this small-scale victory, there were no celebrations on Capitol Hill, as the same problem is on the verge of occurring yet again. In December, Medicare physicians are scheduled to face a 23% cut in reimbursement rates, increasing up to 30% by January. Policy experts, Medicare beneficiaries, and doctors alike are grateful for the fix, but believe that a permanent solution must be implemented. We hope that during the next six-months, Congress will be able pass a permanent solution to this recurring problem, and we still hope for a jobs and economic relief package.

Editorial : The Democrats had to remove the jobs unemployment bill to get this passed ! Thousands of unemployed, will no longer draw unemployment benefits. All you must do is, remember that Republicans don`t care about the unemployed middle class ! "Let Them Eat Cake" ! is their motto !

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- America Speaks: National Meeting to Take Place on Saturday

On June 26, America Speaks, an organization its creators describe as seeking to increase citizen involvement in public policy, will be holding a town hall meeting on the budget deficit in twenty different cities around the country. The participants will be connected via interactive technology. After the meeting, America Speaks and its partners will put together a series of recommendations; they will then present those findings to Congress and the President’s Fiscal Commission, most immediately when the Commission meets on June 30. The stated goal of the forum is to grant the public the ability to voice their opinions on how best to deal with the country’s financial troubles. However, many senior advocates fear that some will try to manipulate the discussion in order to blame Social Security unfairly for the national debt. “Social Security has not added a single cent to our debt. It is funded directly by payroll contributions from workers and employers,”

Editorial : Also remember that our Presidents borrow from our Social Security fund to finance the WARS ! Oh yes, they never pay it back !

Alexander & Corker, Tennessee Senaotr`s ~ Vote Against Unemployed !

Republicans ‘Scrooge’ Workers, Kill Long-Term Jobless Help
by Mike Hall, Jun 25, 2010

Republican partisan politics won—and working families lost—again last night when Senate Republicans for the fourth time this year blocked a bill that would revive the extended unemployment insurance (UI) benefits program that is the last lifeline for millions of jobless workers. The 57-41 vote (with Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson from Nebraska joining all Republicans) fell three votes short of the 60 needed to end the filibuster against the bill. The bill also included aid for states facing huge budget shortfalls to keep 900,000 people on the job. The extended UI program expired May 31 after the Senate left town for the Memorial Day recess without acting on a House-passed jobs bill that would have kept the long-term unemployment benefits program alive. Since then, 1.2 million jobless workers have lost their benefits. The Republican blockade means about 250,000 unemployed workers a week lose their benefits, which averages around $300 a week, while Republican lawmakers take in a nifty $3,346.16 a week of taxpayers’ money. Maybe if they spent a few months out of work in an economy where the unemployment rate is near 10 percent, at least 15 million people are out of work and 6.8 million people have been out of work for 27 weeks or more, they wouldn’t be so cavalier in calling for “tough love” for the unemployed and telling them they’re just not looking hard for work.

Editorial : Senator`s Lamar Alexander(R)(Upper right) and Bob Corker(R)(upper left) Tennessee, both voted to let those unemployed eat cake. They Voted Against the middle class, once again ! Wake Up Tennessee !

Republicans Love the Rich !

ASSUAGING THE PAIN OF MULTIMILLIONAIRE$
Friday, June 18, 2010 Posted by Jim Hightower(left)

Jon Kyl(Middle) is a bleeding-heart conservative. Does he bleed for the downtrodden? Or – as Jesus said – for "the least of these"? No, no, Kyl's heart bleeds for those with the most! The right-wing Arizona senator practically weeps for the wealthiest two-tenths of one percent of American families that have estates worth from $1 million to $5 million. What causes Kyl's eyes to brim with tears is that these privileged ones will have to pay an estate tax on wealth above a million bucks, unless Congress exempts them from the oppressive burden of helping to shoulder the cost of America's highways, parks, schools, military, water purity, and other public services we all count on. I'm sure that the other 99.8 percent of us share their pain and appreciate the Republican senate leader's deep empathy for multimillionaires. How deeply is he touched? Earlier this year, Kyl tried to scuttle an extension of benefits for America's rising tide of unemployed workers, demanding that his favored constituency of superrich families first be given hundreds of billions of dollars in estate tax cuts. He failed in this mission of mercy for millionaires, but he recently came right back with an amendment to derail a proposal to help America's hard-hit small businesses get desperately-needed loans. Forget Main Street, wailed the senator from Easy Street, unless and until we exempt estates worth up to $5 million from the tragedy of taxation. How much would Kyl's tax cut for the elites take from America's public treasury? More than $80 billion a year, which is what the 2009 estate tax on these rich ones brought in. But, hey, says the jovial plutocrat, we can make that up by slashing programs that benefit the middle class and the poor. See, it’s just a matter of getting your priorities straight. Guys like Kyl profess their love for small business, but they always stay true to the rich. "Kyl Stymies Small Business Bill By Threatening To Attach Amendment Slashing Taxes For Multimillionaires," http://www.thinkprogress.org/ , May 27, 2010.

The Real Help for Seniors ! From Vice-President Joe Biden

Real Help for Seniors !

The checks are hitting mailboxes all across the country, and little by little, we're already starting to close the "doughnut hole" in prescription drug coverage. And that is just the beginning of the good news for America's seniors in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. But I know there are plenty of rumors going around about reform. They're completely bogus, but that hasn't stopped folks who want to scare seniors from spreading them. With these scare tactics going around, it's important that seniors know the truth about how health reform will affect their lives. That's why I'm asking you to help me by spreading the facts. Just pass this email along to five friends and family members today.

Here's what you should know:

-- The new health reform law gives seniors and their families greater control over the care they receive and makes preventive care and an annual physical free of charge.

-- It helps us keep our promise to America's seniors, strengthening Medicare by cracking down on fraud and waste and keeping it solvent for decades to come. And, most importantly, it protects guaranteed benefits, eligibility, and the right to keep your doctor for all seniors.

-- It gives us the ability to reject insurance companies' unreasonable rate increases to prevent them from unfairly raising Medicare costs.

-- It creates a voluntary program that would help seniors and people with disabilities get support to remain in their homes and communities for as long as possible.

-- And, as I mentioned earlier, seniors who fall in the "doughnut hole" in Medicare prescription drug coverage are already starting to get relief -- in the form of $250 checks -- to help cover the cost of prescriptions. Next year, prescription drug prices will be cut in half when seniors hit the doughnut hole, and, within ten years, the new law will have closed the gap completely.

This is information that every senior should know. Click here to download a flier you can share with friends and family:

http://my.barackobama.com/ReformForSeniors

Thank you,

Vice President, Joe Biden

Republicans Continue Obstruction ! "Let Them Eat Cake"!

Republicans to Unemployed: ‘Get a Job!’
by Mike Hall, Jun 21, 2010

As part of Republican obstruction-at-any-cost election year strategy, Senate Republicans last week once again blocked an extension of unemployment insurance (UI) benefits for long-term jobless workers. The UI extension is part of the jobs bill that could help put the unemployed back to work.
Some Republicans even said it’s time for ”tough love” to motivate the long-term jobless. Granted, they are far removed from the day-to-day economic reality of America’s workers. So here’s a reminder: Today, in the United States, there are five unemployed workers for every job opening, an unemployment rate near 10 percent, at least 15 million people out of work and 6.8 million people out of work for 27 weeks or more. Getting a job is not like going down to the corner for a quart of milk. Heck, when you still get your taxpayer-funded, congressional paycheck every week ($3,346.15) for not doing very much work, it can certainly alter your view of the economy—even to the point where some Republican politicos actually claim the not quite $300 a week average unemployment check is a “disincentive” for the unemployed to get out of the door and look for work. Maybe senators think that when the men and women who have been out of work since at least before Thanksgiving (and millions for more than one year) get that bountiful UI check, they sit around the kitchen table and make big plans to spend that dough. Hey, hon got my check. This sure beats working. What do you say we go to Palm Springs this weekend? We can fly the kids to your mom’s and board the dogs at that new spa kennel. No, senator, the response to a couple hundred bucks a week goes more like this: Maybe we should think about gassing up the car so we can go down to the food bank and set something aside for your blood pressure medicine. Oh, and there’s that foreclosure notice we need to deal with. Each time Senate Democratic leaders have brought up a UI extension this year, Republicans have delayed and blocked the bill. With the extended UI program set to expire at the end of May, the House passed its jobs bill with a UI extension just before Memorial Day but the Senate left town for vacation and didn’t act on the bill. As a result, some 1 million workers who have been out of work for more than a year—remember, one job opening for every five unemployed workers—have no UI.
Along with the incredibly insensitive and out-of-touch “tough love theory,” some lawmakers are hiding behind deficit hysteria, even though three-quarters of voters say extending unemployment insurance is more important than reducing the deficit. Paul Krugman, Nobel Prize-winning economist and op-ed columnist for The New York Times, blows out of the water the deficit doomsday panic that has lawmakers screaming, “We can’t spend any money now or the deficit will eat us alive.” Here’s his simple axiom: Spend now, while the economy remains depressed; save later, once it has recovered. How hard is that to understand ? Right now, we have a severely depressed economy—and that depressed economy is inflicting long-run damage. Every year that goes by with extremely high unemployment increases the chance that many of the long-term unemployed will never come back to the workforce and become a permanent underclass. Penny-pinching at a time like this isn’t just cruel; it endangers the nation’s future. And it doesn’t even do much to reduce our future debt burden, because stinting on spending now threatens the economic recovery, and with it the hope for rising revenues. Along with the UI extension, the jobs bill also includes money to help cash-strapped states to create and save jobs. Today, AFSCME and Americans United for Change launched an ad campaign aimed at Maine Republican Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, whose votes could break the 60-vote threshold the bill needs before final passage. Says AFSCME President Gerald McEntee:
It’s very simple—more jobs now mean less debt later. If Sens. Snowe and Collins are truly concerned about the deficit, then they need to vote for this jobs bill—especially as unemployment hovers near 10 percent, and 900,000 more workers face the threat of layoffs. During his weekly address Saturday, President Obama said Republican filibuster tactics “won’t even allow this legislation to come up for a vote.” And if this obstruction continues, unemployed Americans will see their benefits stop. Teachers and firefighters will lose their jobs.

Editorial : Our two Republican Senators from Tennessee, Lamar Alexander & Bob Corker are part of the problem, not part of the solution ! Wake Up Tennessee !

Alan Simpson and the 'lesser people' Debt Commission...Lesser People ? Is That You & I ?

Power & The Presidency ?

Posted by: John Despard
Thu Jun 17, 2010

All my life I have heard "the President of the US is the most powerful person in the world", also "wealth = power". Following this logic one would think the President of the US would be the richest man in the world. The cost of everything we buy from a can of coke to military jets has built into it the millions or even billions paid to CEOs, bankers, Wall St. workers, athletes, entertainers, lobbyists, agents, commentators, etc. While I can boycott Walmart, Coca Cola, Exxon, BP, or whoever because I don't like their business practices, the only control over how our government spends my tax dollar is my vote. Perhaps it is time for a MAXIMUM wage as well as a minimum (which needs to be a living) wage. I would suggest starting with the president's salary as a benchmark, that no one getting bailouts, government contracts, special tax breaks, etc. can earn more than the president. With this in effect perhaps the airline executives would not have the money for their bribes (oops, I mean donations) to congress. I personally feel that only Jesus Christ would deserve a billion dollars a year. Perhaps such as Gutenberg, Gandhi, MLK, Louis Pasteur, Cesar Chavez, Hillary Clinton, Barney Frank, etc. might deserve a million dollars a year. I realize some people might have a totally different list than mine but I do think that the list of any honest, thinking person would be pretty long before such names as Buffett, Gates, Brittney Spears, Alec Rodriguez, George Bush, Rush Limbaugh, etc. started appearing.

Editorial : Make sense to you ? Does to me ! This was just too good, not to publish !

Mike McWherter for Governor ~ You Bet`cha !

A Father’s Day Story –

From Mike McWherter

While campaigning in East Tennessee I was approached by a political reporter who asked, “How involved is your father going to be in your Gubernatorial campaign?” I told him that dad was going to be very involved and as proof, I shared a recent conversation we had regarding his 79th birthday gift. I asked dad what he would like for his birthday and he responded, “Mike, you don’t need to get me anything. I am going to get myself a new convertible.” I could not understand why he would want a convertible, especially since neither one of us have any hair to blow in the wind. So dad explained, “Son, I assume you know this but you are going to have to ride in a ton of parades across the great state of Tennessee. I know you are not going to be able to make them all, and I expect they will invite me to sit in your place. What you don’t know is that they are going to make you ride in these small convertibles. I can get in a small convertible but due to my size, it will take a crane to get me out. I want my own American-made, big convertible so I can ride comfortably in these parades.” Well dad went ahead and bought himself a new Chrysler Sebring convertible for the summer parade circuit. A couple of weeks later the reporter published the story with the headline, “McWherter to Go Topless in the Gubernatorial Campaign.” My father is very invested in this campaign but there is much more hard work ahead, and we need your help to keep going strong. Will you invest with us ? Join our campaign today and show that we have the support to win. As Governor I will fight for the future of Tennessee , but I need your help. Join us along the campaign trail and support our efforts to create better jobs and better lives for Tennessee families.

Sincerely,


Mike McWherter

P.S.

Please Join Us Next Week in Nashville :

For a special announcement from Governor Phil Bredesen And Mike McWherter
Wednesday, June 23rd 10:15 a.m. at Swett's Restaurant 2725 Clifton Avenue
Nashville, Tennessee We hope that you will come out and show your support for Governor Bredesen and McWherter as they share their vision for Tennessee's future!

Please RSVP for the event by sending an e-mail to:

hollis@mikemcwherter.com

Stephen Fincher(R), Candidate for District#8 Congressman

Stephen Fincher Republican Candidate for District#8 Tennessee
Congre$$ional Seat ? "Just Say No"!

by Don Jones...6/20/10

I have not been paying much attention to the Republican candidates for our District#8-Tennessee Congressional seat. I have been watching their commercials on television and am quite frankly very disappointed in their rhetoric. All of them say nothing ! They merely voice that they will "Take The Country Back" ! Whatever that means ? However, candidate Fincher, says he will stop Obama Pelosi Care, that he will cut spending and stop all of these programs (Social Security-Medicare) ! If I may, I would like to suggest to Mr. Fincher, that he stop taking all of the farm subsidies program ! According to Government records, Mr Fincher has averaged Three and one-half million dollars over 10 years. Mr. Fincher says that's an overstatement,and that he has averaged between $50,000.00 and $75,000.00 per year only ! He says, he will work on that if elected. Does Mr. Fincher realize that he makes more on his farm subsidies than most of his constituency, if elected, does annually ? As far as where he stands on the important issues, no one knows. Issues like Unions, jobs,big banks, wall-street, trade. We only know that he wants to repeal health-care and cut social security and medicare. I might suggest to Mr. Fincher, as to your $farm subsidies, "Just Say NO"! Try to practice what you preach. You sound like a typical Republican Politician, take care of you and the rich and the working middle class can do the best they can do ! And just as you should have said no to all that money, I say NO to You and your candidacy for District#8-Congressman ! Please just stay on your farm and collect all that money, the people of the 8th District in Tennessee will be better off for it !

Senate Fails Seniors Again ! Medicare Cuts ?

Senate fails to spare Doctors from Medicare Cuts
6/18/2010

WASHINGTON (AP) —

The Senate passed legislation Friday to spare doctors a 21% cut in Medicare payments — but the last-ditch effort did not come in time. Moments after the Senate acted, Medicare announced it would begin processing claims it has already received for June at the lower rate. The reason: the House cannot act on the fix until next week. That means doctors, nurse practitioners, physical therapists and other providers who bill under Medicare's physician fee schedule will have to resubmit their claims if they want to be made whole, with added paperwork costs both for the providers and for taxpayers. "Congress is playing Russian roulette with seniors' health care," Dr. Cecil B. Wilson, president of the American Medical Association, said in a statement. "This is no way to run a major health coverage program." The affected bills cover the early part of this month. An earlier congressional reprieve expired May 31. Medicare had been holding off on processing claims in the hopes lawmakers would act, but the agency said it can no longer do that without hurting doctors' cash flow. The Medicare cuts are required under a 1990s budget-cutting law that Congress has routinely waived. This time, lawmakers' concerns about adding to the deficit held up a deal to allow an exception to enforcement of the law. The bill passed by the Senate delays the cuts until the end of November — after congressional elections — when lawmakers hope the political climate is better for passing a more permanent, and expensive, solution. The bill would also increase payments to providers by 2.2%. The legislation, which costs about $6.5 billion, is paid for with a series of health care and pension changes that both Democrats and Republicans agreed to. The Senate approved the measure by voice vote Friday after failing the night before to pass a larger package that included the funds. The larger package included jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed, aid to cash-strapped states and the extension of dozens of popular tax breaks for businesses and individuals that expired at the end last year. The package failed to generate enough votes Thursday evening to end a Republican filibuster. Vice President Joe Biden, speaking before the Senate acted, blamed Republicans for being unwilling go along with a permanent fix to the doctor cuts — which would cost tens of billions more. He said the underlying physician payment formula is unworkable, and should be repealed. "The failure to deal with this problem adds to the anxiety of seniors...and complicates the planning for medical practice," Biden said. "It's just not fair to keep this anxiety level constantly in play here." He called it "a shameful example of business as usual." The political gridlock has angered doctors. The AMA says continuing financial uncertainty could undermine Medicare, which covers 46 million seniors and disabled people. Physicians may stop taking new Medicare patients, and some may drop out of the program altogether. "It is astounding that Congress has let seniors down through their inability to deal with this problem on time and in a responsible fashion," Wilson said.

Editorial : Scare you ? Does me ! The Republican Senators from Tennessee both voted against Tennessee Seniors ! You do know who they are ? Lamar Alexander(R) and Bob Corker (R) ! Are you scared yet ? if not, you oughta be. You can reach them at > http://tennesseanytime.org/government.elected.html <>

Republicans Put Seniors at Risk ! Hey, that`s ME !

Senior Issues take Center Stage in Nevada Senate Race

Nevada Alliance members rushed to Republican/Tea party Senate candidate Sharron Angle's office last Friday to protest her position on privatizing Social Security. “She’s extreme. She's dangerous,” said NARA President Scott Watts. Her opponent is Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D). Watts called emergency meetings in Las Vegas on Wednesday and Sparks, Nevada on Thursday about Angle’s positions, and scores turned out to exchange warnings about her ideas for privatizing Social Security. Emotions ran high. Other sources of concern for retirees include Angle’s stated desire to privatize Medicare and the Veterans Administration. Despite numerous attempts by television stations to reach Angle for comment and clarification, no one from her campaign returned their calls and e-mails over the past few days. During the primary campaign, Angle said that she wanted to phase out Social Security and Medicare programs, for something private. “I've never seen any compassion from this person as far as senior citizens are concerned. Never,” Mr. Watts added. To see the print and television coverage, go to http://bit.ly/cPMtGr or http://www.facebook.com/retiredamericans .

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Medicare for Seniors Put at Risk !

Doc Fix Stalled in Congress as Some Medicare Patients Start Losing Their Doctors
On Monday, Obama Administration officials announced that the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services would hold all Medicare claims until today, June 18th, in order to give Congress more time to pass the “Doc Fix” provision. While the president’s temporary solution put the Medicare reimbursement cuts on hold for a couple of days, it has by no means satisfied doctors or Medicare beneficiaries. The legislation currently stalled in the Senate, H.R. 4213, would prevent the 21% cuts to Medicare doctors through the end of 2011, extend unemployment insurance, provide pension fund relief, and add funds for the Federal Medical Assistance Percentages (FMAP) program - federal matching funds under Medicaid for state expenditures on certain social services, medical costs, and health care insurance. Most of these provisions are emergency spending; traditionally, it has not been required that these be paid for in the legislation. The House passed a smaller bill that did not include FMAP. Neither the House nor Senate bill currently has a COBRA extension, though Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) has an amendment ready should the bill get to the floor for debate. Despite a multi-million dollar campaign by the American Medical Association, pressure from seniors around the country, and a plea from the President himself, Senate Republicans have refused to support the “Doc Fix” provision, because they feel that it is too expensive. On Thursday night, Senate Democrats came up four votes short, 56-40, in their attempt to invoke cloture on the measure, preventing the bill from going to the floor for a vote. Here is a link to the vote: http://bit.ly/aesGvc . Consequently, some doctors have been forced to stop accepting Medicare patients because they simply cannot afford to. “Medicare beneficiaries should never be at risk of losing their doctor, and that is why we ask that Congress work efficiently to prevent these cuts,” said Barbara J. Easterling, President of the Alliance. Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) and ranking Republican Charles Grassley (R-IA) are now attempting to move a six-month fully offset “doc fix” through the Senate. If they succeed, Baucus and Grassley would uncouple the doctors' provision from the rest of the bill (H.R. 4213). The fate of that bill, particularly without the doctor language, remains up in the air.

Editorial : Tennessee Seniors should be up in arms ! Click on the title of this article to see How your Senator voted ! Senators Alexander and Corker (R`s) Tennessee, again voted against Senior Tennesseans. Wake Up Tennesseans ! Go to http://tennesseeanytime.org/government/elected.html Speak your mind to Senators Alexander & Corker !

Republicans KILL JOBS BILL,Block Jobless Aid !

Senate Republicans Kill Jobs Bill, Block Jobless Aid
by Mike Hall, Jun 18, 2010

Senate Republicans last night blocked a jobs bill that would have extended unemployment insurance (UI) for long-term jobless workers. Some 250,000 unemployed workers a week are losing their unemployment benefits because they can’t find jobs. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said the Republican’s action to block unemployment benefits for the hardest-hit jobless Americans is an outrage–sadly, it’s simply the latest shame. All members, both Republicans and Democrats, must remember that come November, voters will be thinking about one thing—jobs. Senate leaders scaled back the bill to win the 60 votes needed to end the Republican filibuster against the bill. The 56-40 vote included all Republicans present and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) The extended UI program expired May 31 after the Senate left town for the Memorial Day recess without acting on a House-passed jobs bill that would have kept the long-term unemployment benefits program alive. The U.S. unemployment rate is near 10 percent, at least 15 million people are out of work and 6.8 million people have been out of work for 27 weeks or more. Not only did Senate Republicans turn their backs on jobless workers–they also protected Wall Street investors and big oil companies like BP. The bill would have closed tax loopholes that allow hedge fund and other investments managers to shelter income at lower tax rates than working families pay on their income. It also increased the liability taxes on oil companies. Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) said Republicans said “Yes” to the special interest groups they always stand by.
Further Senate action on the bill is not expected until next week.

Editorial : Senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker (R`s) Tennessee both Voted Against this bill ! Wake up Tennesseans ! Click on the title of this article and tell them what you think ? They mostly vote to comply with Big Corporations and Big Money !

United Auto Workers ~ Elect New President

Bob King Elected UAW President
by James Parks, Jun 16, 2010

Delegates to the UAW’s Constitutional Convention today overwhelmingly elected Bob King as president. King has been a UAW vice president since 1998 and has headed the union’s National Ford Department since 2006. He succeeds retiring President Ron Gettelfinger. Delegates also elected by acclamation UAW Region 4 Director Dennis Williams as Secretary-Treasurer. He succeeds Elizabeth Bunn, who is the new organizing director of the AFL-CIO. Delegates re-elected by acclamation incumbent UAW vice presidents James Settles and General Holiefield, as well as new vice presidents Joe Ashton and Cindy Estrada, the union’s first Latina vice president. King, 63, played a major role in both the UAW Ford 2007 national agreement and the 2009 modifications to the agreement. He led the UAW’s organizing department between 2002 and 2006 and assisted nearly 80,000 workers in their efforts to join the UAW. Williams was elected director of UAW Region 4 in 2001 and re-elected in 2002 and 2006. Ashton is director of UAW Region 9 and Estrada is director of UAW’s national organizing department.

Bob King upper Left...Ron Gettlefinger upper Right.

Are You Taking a Cut in Pay ? I am !

Are You Taking A Cut in Pay ? I am !
by Don Jones...6/17/10

It seems these days that everyone in the middle class is taking a cut in pay. It seems that our Government Workers, who just want to serve, are now making more money working for the government than their counter parts in the private sector ! I find that not only offensive, but downright scary. Everyone in the private sector, Big Unions included have taken pay cuts and benefit cuts ! However our public servants have not ! Why Not ? After all it is the private/middle class sector that pays for everything. So, my question is why have our government employee`s not taken a pay cut ? I`m wondering if the middle class can keep our public servants in the accustomed mode that they have become accustomed too ? Remember tax-payers pay their wages and for their benefits. Now, I`m not opposed to that, as long as the middle class is working and paying tax`s. The last I heard, we were still moving every job to China. Thus, no jobs equal no tax`s. Our Elected Senators and Congressmen/Woman earns approximately $167,000.00 per year, not counting their expense account and office staffers. I`d say in today`s economy or for that matter in any economy, they do pretty well. Now, I do not want to sound bitter, just factual. Our U.S. Senators make approximately $174,000.00 per year not counting their expense accounts and office staffers ! I realize that they just want to serve. My question is why can`t they serve for less money, as most Americans have had to do ? I might even suggest that during these tough times, they take $1.00 per year. Actually their staffers make from $71,000.00

to $2,300.00 ! It probably averages out to approximately $40,000.00 per year. Senator Lamar Alexander (R) Tennessee has approximately 100 people on his/your payroll. Click her to check it out > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > http://www.legistorm.com/member/2/Sen_Andrew_Lamar_Alexander.html

Bob Corker (R)Tennessee is our other Senator, he has approximately the same deal. you can check him out at the link above. Now, both of these Senators are millionaire$. I do not have a problem with them becoming millionaires. It just seems that during these tough times for most Americans, they could also take a pay cut. Dave Bing Mayor, of the City of Detroit makes $0.90 cents per year. He was making $1.00 per year and asked his city employees to take a 10% pay cut, so he now makes 0.90 cents per year. Our City, County and State government employees are actually doing very well ! Even in Tennessee, our county Mayor makes $50,000.00 per year. That is just one example. We need to combine some of these jobs or contract them out to China ! Can we keep our government workers in the accustomed manner in which they are accustomed ? After all WE as tax-payers are not making what we were accustomed too ! Just something for you to think about. You can click on the title of this article or the link above to learn more about your/our government employees and their wages ! I urge you to do so. Until next time, "Stick a Fork in Me, I`m Done" !

Patriotic Tribute to our Military-Song -"Liberty"-Ronnie Kimball- FREE ...

Heart-Transplant is in Open ! A Great Strory !

Heart-Transplant Recipient Is in Open

By LARRY DORMAN
June 8, 2010

After struggling on Sunday in the wind at the Memorial Tournament, Erik Compton, a Two-Time Heart-Transplant recipient from Miami, admitted he was thinking about withdrawing from the United States Open qualifier in Springfield, Ohio. He was worn out, and 36 holes of grinding it out on Monday was a little more than he felt he could do. “I’d had a pretty good week at Jack’s tournament,” he said Tuesday in reference to Jack Nicklaus during a telephone interview. “But after the bad round Sunday, I was tired and was thinking maybe I didn’t want to qualify. I didn’t want to overdo it.” Then he thought better of it. He had come too far to give up without taking a shot at making the field in what would be his first major championship. And so Compton, 30, who was 12 when he received his first heart transplant and 27 when he had his second, went out and shot rounds of 69 and 66 and emerged from a three-way playoff for one of two remaining spots in the field of 156 players next week at Pebble Beach. “I’ve never played at Pebble before,” Compton said. “I’ve tried, but I was never able to get a tee time. It’s surreal, almost, to think about playing there in my first major championship. It’s a complete turnaround. It definitely wasn’t easy. “Somehow, through the grace of God, I was just praying that I got a chance. I did, and now, thinking about where I was two years ago, just laying there in bed watching it on TV and to have to learn how to walk again, and do all that and people always asking me about am I going to use a cart. Then the whole thing is, I qualify walking 36 holes.”

Editorial : Thanks Erik for not giving up ! You give all Transplants a glimmer of hope. As for this Heart-Transplant...Thanks for being.

This is Tennessee !

"This is Tennessee"
by : Anonymous

When Chris Myers was filling in for Dan Patrick on arguably the most-listened-to-sports radio show in the land on Monday, he got to the "Best and Worst of the Weekend" portion of the nationwide broadcast and promptly startled his listeners. He picked as “best” the people of Tennessee . Instead of a sports team or the Preakness winner, Chris veered from the norm by saying how thrilled he was by a huge benefit concert the country music performers had just held for the state’s flood victims. Better than that, praised the common folk who “were not standing on a rooftop trying to blame the government, okay? Instead, they helped each other out through this.” He said, “Middle Tennessee is where a lot of hard-working, tax paying, legal American Citizens have been affected by the floods and are trying to rebuild their lives and they are helping out each other.” This, he added, “without making a big deal out of it and I think that’s a good thing.” Well, by mid-afternoon Chris was being decried as a racist for his obvious comparison to the victims of Hurricane Katrina and illegal Mexican immigrants, but his point was well-made. All around the country media types, from Anderson Cooper to the rest, are realizing one reason that “the most devastating non-hurricane event in American history” was overlooked is because of Tennesseans reaction to it. Now let me introduce you to another guy, Brent High. He is an assistant athletic director at Nashville ’s Lipscomb University and has written a fabulous essay on the May Day disaster. It is entitled “We are Tennessee .” It is deeply moving and, if I may be so bold, in a very prideful way there are parts of it every man, woman and child should read. He opens, of course, with the fact that over 17 inches of rain fell between May 1 and May 2, causing the Cumberland River to crest at 51 feet. He points out people lost their lives, that damage has exceeded $1 billion, but that, by golly, ‘This is Tennessee .’ From this point on allow me to concede to Mr. High:
“It’s Monday, May 3rd. The rain has stopped, finally. What happens next shouldn’t come as a surprise. Almost instinctively, after a long night of restlessness, volunteers spring into action. It’s in their blood. They’ve been trained to do so by their parents and grandparents. From Waverly to Cookeville , Winchester to Cross Plains and in the capital city of Nashville the sights and sounds are the same. “Without being asked, fishermen launch their boats into the muddy soup, joining the rescue efforts. Business owners and supervisors tell their employees to take the day off and jump in and help wherever they can. Neighbors, many of whom helped empty entire houses in brigade fashion the night before, transition into cleanup mode. “Sump pumps and generators whirl. Drywall, carpet and ruined floors and ripped out. Elderly ladies gather at the church to make lunches for workers. Teenagers distribute bottled water. Pickup trucks, trailers and storage units are loaded with what could be salvaged. “Photos and documents are spread out in the sun to dry. Wads of $20 bills are slid into pockets of those affected. Checks are written. Hugs are given. Prayers are said. Tears are shed.
“This is Tennessee .
“Almost 200 years ago Tennessee first earned the nickname ‘ Volunteer State .’ In 1812 more that 2,000 Tennesseans volunteered to fight for Andrew Jackson and were the main part of Jackson ’s army that destroyed the British three years later in the Battle of New Orleans. A generation later the U.S. Secretary of War asked Tennessee for 2,800 soldiers to fight a war against Mexico . 30,000 volunteered. “This is a state where faith comes first. We don’t ask why. We know there is a reason and look forward to it being revealed. We are guided by scriptures such as Philippians 2:3-5 which says: ‘Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourself. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interest of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Jesus.’
“Family is a focus, not an afterthought. Don’t bother trying to do business with us the week of Christmas or July 4th. We’ll be with family. When our kids have a school play we will be there. We throw big birthday parties. We teach our kids right from wrong and aren’t afraid to give them a whippin’ when they need it. “Here we say ‘Yes ma’am’ and ‘No ma’am.’ We try to leave a place better than we found it. We put our hand over our heart when the National Anthem is played. We pull over on the side of the road when funeral processions pass on the other side.
“We are savvy business people. We are farmers. We are teachers. We drink Coke here. We like gravy with our biscuits and taters. “We are serious about our sports. We keep score in little league and we still have all-star teams and MVP trophies. “We are givers. “You won’t hear us wailing about where the federal government and insurance companies were in all of this. We’ll get by just fine without them. “Right now we have a lot to deal with here in our backyard. We will handle it with dignity and class. We will sacrifice for each other in ways that are unfathomable to most. We will stand together. We will stand tall. We will come out of this stronger than we were before it. “One day in the not too distant future a hurricane, tornado, fire, flood or other unspeakable disaster will strike your community. As you struggle to put the pieces back together we will be there.

“We will Volunteer.

“We are Tennesseans.

“This is Tennessee .”

Editorial : I`m proud to call myself a Tennessean !

More Information in Regard To Healthcare !

http://blog.aflcio.org/2010/06/11/new-info-on-health-care-reform-law-available-from-hhs/

New Info on Health Care Reform Law Available From HHS
by Mike Hall, Jun 11, 2010

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has updated several websites and links for people looking for information on the new health care reform law, or, more formally, the Affordable Care Act. For a look at this week’s town hall meeting with seniors, President Obama and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, click here, and click here for information on the impact of health care reform and the deficit. You can find frequently asked Affordable Care Act questions here and find updates from administration officials here. Sign up for e-mail updates on the health care reform law here. Several brochures and other resources are available, too, including:

•The $250 Medicare prescription drug “donut hole” rebate, here ;

•Young Adult Coverage Fact Sheet, here ;

•How to use a new Internet portal to help individuals and small businesses identify insurance options in their state, here .

Click here to find out about health care reform’s impact on various communities, including African Americans, Latinos, women, small businesses, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, Americans with disabilities, the LGBT community and veterans.

The Economy Isn`t Improving !

Government Workers Earn MORE Than Their Private Counterparts.
Robert Reich.Former Secretary of Labor, Professor at Berkeley
Posted: June 10, 2010
Don't Listen to the Cheerleaders, the Main Street Economy Isn't Improving

Read More: Economic Crisis , Economic Recovery , Economy , Jobless Rate , Main Street , Recession , Robert Reich , Unemployment , Business News

Today's most important economic news: U.S. household debt fell for the seventh straight quarter in the first three months of 2010 as Americans continued to respond to the recession's fallout. But like all economic news, its significance depends on where you're standing -- whether you're a typical American or someone at the top. The common wisdom is that excessive debt-financed spending was one of the causes of the recent recession, so the news that household debt is dropping is being celebrated by business cheerleaders as reason to believe we're on the mend. Baloney. The reason so many Americans went into such deep debt was because their wages didn't keep up. The median wage (adjusted for inflation) dropped between 2001 and 2007, the last so-called economic expansion. So the only way typical Americans could keep spending at the rate necessary to keep themselves -- and the economy -- going was to borrow, especially against the value of their homes. But that borrowing ended when the housing bubble burst. So now Americans have no choice but to pare back their debt. That's bad news because consumer spending is 70 percent of the economy. It helps explain why we so few jobs are being created, and why we can't escape the gravitational pull of the Great Recession without far more government spending. It's also a bad omen for the future. The cheerleaders are saying that for too long American consumers lived beyond their means, so the retrenchment in consumer spending is good for the long-term health of the economy. Wrong again. The problem wasn't that consumers lived beyond their means. It was that their means didn't keep up with what the growing economy was capable of producing at or near full-employment. A larger and larger share of total income went to people at the top. So in the longer term, it's hard to see where the buying power will come from unless America's vast middle class has more take-home pay. Yet the economy is moving in exactly the opposite direction: Businesses continue to slash payrolls. And the hourly wage of the typical American with a job continues to drop, adjusted for inflation. Here's more news: A Federal Reserve report Thursday showed the net worth of Americans rose a fourth straight quarter in January-March. Don't be fooled by this one either. That increase was almost entirely based on the stock market's rise in the first quarter. But the market has since fallen back to where it was at the start of the year. More to the point, most Americans don't have many assets in the stock market. To the extent they have any net worth, it's in their homes. And home prices continue to languish. Don't be fooled by the cheerleaders. The economic news continues to be dismal.

Editorial : Government Workers Now Earn More Than Their Private Counterparts ! This Should set off alarms ! Does it Bother you ? Bothers Me !

Health Care Reform and Seniors ? Better Listen Up !

So how does the new Health reform bill affect Seniors and their Families ?

At Tuesday's White House town-hall meeting, President Obama and his top health care advisor discussed that very issue. If you didn't get a chance to watch it live, you can watch the whole thing here -- or even skip ahead to hear the question you want answered. We've seen nasty rumors flying around about health reform since Congress started debating it last year -- even some claiming falsely that this would cut guaranteed Medicare benefits. This question-and-answer session was about making sure everyone knows the facts. As the President said in his opening remarks, "Medicare isn't just something that you're entitled to when you reach 65 -- it's something that you've earned. It's something that you've worked a lifetime for, having the security of knowing that Medicare will be there when you need it. It's a sacred and inviolable trust between you and your country."
Watch the town-hall meeting here -- and share the link with friends to help get out the truth about health reform:

http://my.barackobama.com/SeniorsTownHallVideo