Tennessee Help`s Goodyear/USWA Union City Tennessee

State of TN Helps Former Employees After Goodyear Plant Closure
11:17 PM, Jul. 29, 2011
Written by:
The Jackson Sun Filed Under
News
e-mail Rep. Andy Holt 76th. > rep.andrew.holt@capitol.tn.gov

e-mail Rep. Bill Sanderson 77th. > rep.bill.sanderson@capitol.tn.gov

Sen. Roy Herron e-mail > sen.roy.herron@legislature.state.tn.us

University Of Tennessee
Tennessee Department Of Labor

Key sections of the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development to come together to develop plans for assisting dislocated workers since the July 11 announcement that Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company had ceased production at its tire manufacturing plant in Union City, according to a news release from the department. "We've already had joint meetings with company management and union officials, and those will be continuing," said Labor Commissioner Karla Davis in the Friday release. "The Goodyear shutdown project is a tremendous, collaborative effort." A special Career Center has been established to assist Goodyear employees and is currently holding orientation and workshop sessions. The office is located at 204 S. 2nd St. in Union City across the street from the Tennessee Career Center, the release said. Labor's Workforce Development Division is holding Rapid Response meetings with Goodyear employees at the University of Tennessee Martin. The meetings cover benefits and eligibility for services and will continue through Thursday. There are Rapid Response meetings scheduled from 7 to 10 a.m., 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Goodyear's unemployment insurance claims have been expedited by utilizing the Automated Partial System, a database that processes all employees' claims electronically rather than having employees file individually. Employment Security staff worked diligently to input employee information necessary to build the database. Goodyear hourly employees can expect their initial benefit payment this week, the release said. Approximately $2 million in Trade Adjustment Assistance has been approved for 1,900 employees of Goodyear and some suppliers. TAA generally provides up to two years of training at a Board of Regents approved school for employees affected by foreign trade. Training programs must be in a high-demand occupation such as registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, paramedic, certified production technology, truck driving, welding and industrial maintenance. Once individuals have exhausted the initial 26 weeks of Tennessee unemployment compensation, trade readjustment allowances provide income support to individuals while they are participating in full-time training. Certified workers may be eligible for 104 weeks of income support, the release said. More than 300 Goodyear employees live in Kentucky. Tennessee Department of Labor staff are coordinating with labor officials in Kentucky to streamline training efforts, unemployment benefits, and other job services so workers can receive the same service in the state in which they live. Contractors associated with Goodyear are also covered under the TAA petition including the following: Hamilton-Ryker, Securitas Security Services, Take Care Corporation, Conestoga Rovers, Phillips Engineering, Rockwell Engineering, Excel Logistics and American Food and Vending. The Department of Labor's Workforce Development division has applied for a $3.4 million National Emergency Grant to serve 850 workers in multiple counties that have requested retraining services, subsidized employment and on-the-job training.
The application is being reviewed by the Department of Labor in Washington, D.C., and is expected to be announced in the next few weeks.

Editorial : I hate to beat a dead horse to death. However, State Senator Roy Herron (center) did this. I`m wondering where Rep. Bill Sanderson(upper left) was ? Also State Rep. Andy Holt (upper right)? The Goodyear Plant is in Rep. Sanderson`s District#77 and Rep. Holt has numerous familiy`s who worked at the plant in his 76th.District. They both seem to be missing in action, WHY ? Could`nt possibly be, the employess`s were UNION ? Ya Think ! And how bout Stephen Fincher, Stephen WHO ?

Steve Cohen on Debt Limit...Right On !

District#9~Tennessee Congressman Steve Cohen (D) on Default Crisis

http://www.cohen.house.gov/

On Wednesday I spoke on the House floor about the continuing debt crisis and its possible solutions. The debt limit is a serious issue that must be addressed as soon as possible to ensure the financial security and future of our country. Click here > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HpyVY2t2Fg < to see my Wednesday remarks. On Thursday I spoke again about how important it is that we overcome GOP obstructionism and raise the debt limit. My comments – I said that passing a kidney stone was easier than passing current legislation to raise the debt limit – were picked up by and aired on NBC Nightly News, the Today Show and the Ed Schultz Show. Click here > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4D-LxKM7Jc < to see my Thursday remarks.

Editorial : Wonder if we could trade Fincher for Cohen ? We`d have to give BOOT !
Keep up the great work Congressman Cohen.

Dear Mr. President~Thespians/Actors of The Year...You Bet`cha !

Politics as Usual ! You Bet`cha !

http://wwwsecondchance.blogspot.com/2011/07/dear-mr-presidentthespiansactors-of.html

PLEASE read and forward to all your e-mail contacts, and post on your Face-book page if you have one... This is getting serious

Dear Mr. President, I heard you say you will not guarantee (SS)Social Security checks if the debt ceiling isn't raised.

Why is it the scare always has to do with SS, Medicare, & our Soldiers pay?

Why not stop your pay, your staff, or Congress and the Senate to save more money for our country ? Just Stop all of Them !

Why use Seniors, Soldiers, & our Needy as examples?
Take the money from those who take no risks and reap the benefits ! Millionaires $ Billionaires !

Instead of threatening to withhold Social Security, VA and disability payments of people who really need the money....

Lets hold the paychecks of all house & senate members, then see how fast they resolve the debt ceiling crisis !!!!!

If you agree repost this & keep it going across the whole USA.

Thank you,

Underdog = Don Jones

Editorial : Thanks to My friend and Brother, Ralph Stamper for this one !

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives rejected Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's plan to raise the nation's debt ceiling Saturday, voting against the bill 173-246. The Democratic-controlled Senate rejected Speaker John Boehner's plan Friday night. The twin votes are a likely prelude to a long weekend of furious backroom negotiations between congressional leaders looking for a way to end a tense political standoff and avoid a potentially catastrophic federal default next week. The Senate blocked Boehner's measure almost immediately after the plan was approved by the House in a sharply polarized vote.

Sign Dick Durbin's petition to the GOP

Tax Millionaire$ & Billionaire$...STOP Raiding Social Security & Medicare !


Sign Dick Durbin's petition to the GOP: "Tell Speaker Boehner, Eric Cantor, and House Republicans to get real: Stop holding America's economy hostage and work for a responsible solution to the default crisis."!

Underdog = Don Jones

Goodyear Union City ~ Assistance for Workers !

Thanks to State Senator Roy Herron(D) Dresden TN.

sen.roy.herron@legislature.state.tn.us/

Labor Dept. Responds to Goodyear U.C. Closure
Friday, July 29, 2011

Unemployment benefits, training grants available to affected workers. The announcement on Monday, July 11, that Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company has ceased production at its tire manufacturing plant in Union City has prompted key sections of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development to come together to develop plans for assisting dislocated workers. "We've already had joint meetings with company management and union officials, and those will be continuing," said Labor Commissioner Karla Davis. "The Goodyear shutdown project is a tremendous, collaborative effort." A special Career Center has been established to assist Goodyear employees and is currently holding orientation and workshop sessions. The office is located at 204 S. 2nd St., in Union City, across the street from the Tennessee Career Center serving Union City residents.
On Wednesday, Labor's Workforce Development Division began holding Rapid Response meetings with Goodyear employees at the University of Tennessee at Martin. The meetings, covering benefits and eligibility for services, will continue through Aug. 4. Meetings will take place from 7 a.m. until 10 a.m., 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., and 4 p.m. until 7 p.m., Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. until noon on Saturday. Goodyear's unemployment insurance claims have been expedited by utilizing the Automated Partial System, a database which processes all employees' claims electronically, rather than having employees file individually. Employment Security staff worked diligently to input employee information necessary to build the database. Goodyear hourly employees can expect their initial benefit payments this week. Approximately $2 million in Trade Adjustment Assistance has been approved for 1,900 employees of Goodyear and some suppliers. TAA generally provides up to two years of training at a Board of Regents-approved school for employees affected by foreign trade. Training programs must be in a high-demand occupation such as Registered Nurse, Licensed Practical Nurse, Paramedic, Certified Production Technology, Truck Driving, Welding and Industrial Maintenance. State Trade Adjustment Assistance Coordinator Barbara Boyd will be available in Union City this week to assist workers with questions related to training. Once individuals have exhausted the initial 26 weeks of Tennessee Unemployment Compensation, Trade Readjustment Allowances provide income support to individuals while they are participating in full-time training. Certified workers may be eligible for 104 weeks of income support. More than 300 Goodyear employees are residents of the state of Kentucky. Tennessee Department of Labor staff are coordinating with labor officials in Kentucky to streamline training efforts, unemployment benefits and other job services so workers may receive the same service in the state in which they live. Contractors associated with Goodyear are also covered under the TAA petition, including the following: Hamilton-Ryker, Securitas Security Services, Take Care Corporation, Conestoga Rovers, Phillips Engineering, Rockwell Engineering, Excel Logistics and American Food and Vending. The Department of Labor's Workforce Development Division has applied for a $3.4 million National Emergency Grant to serve 850 workers in multiple counties that have requested training services, subsidized employment and on-the-job training. The application is currently being reviewed by the USDOL in Washington, and is expected to be announced in the next few weeks.

Editorial : I would personally like to Thank State Senator Roy Herron(D) for his tenacity, diligence and loving kindness in this time of our dire need and uncertainty ! God Bless You Sir !


Thanks to Mike Stanley for this one !

Lux e tenebris

America`s Shameful Leadership...

America's Shameful Leadership
Monday, July 25, 2011 Posted by Jim Hightower

Congressman Stephen Fincher(R)Tennessee District#8~ Below !

> http://www.fincher.house.gov/office.washington-dc <

> http://www.jimhightower.com/sites/jimhightower.civicactions.net/files/27-19_mnc.mp3 <

Listen to the above Commentary:

As Bob Dylan famously wrote "You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows." Especially when the wind is right in your face, howling at gale force.

While Washington fiddles with the knobs and levers of budget reduction, America's great working class is being blown down by harsh economic winds. Yet, our country's political and financial elites, sitting in the comfort of their power centers, don't seem to see, hear, or care. If the elites just looked around, here's some of what they find:

• In Central Texas, a surge in poverty is now severely straining the area food bank, which is struggling with more than a 50 percent increase in demand in the past three years.

• Arizona, which has added only 4,000 jobs in the past year, has 10 unemployed job seekers for every opening – and 45,000 Arizonans are set to lose their jobless benefits in the next few months.

• By the end of the Great Recession in 2009, the median white household in America had lost $36,000 in net worth. Worse, the median African-American household had lost 83 percent of its net worth, which is now down to the financially perilous level of less than $2,200.

• While CEOS of major corporations have jacked up their pay by a fourth since the recession technically ended in 2009, average wages for workers have stagnated. Meanwhile, the price of such basics as food and gasoline have risen relentlessly. Real wages today are 1.6 percent lower than a year ago.

So, who is Washington working to help ? Not the hard-hit workaday majority – but the $9 million-a-year CEOs and billionaire Wall Street barons who're demanding drastic budget cuts on programs that help working families, while also insisting that their own lavish fortunes be spared from even the slightest dings. What a shameful time in our history! Can't America do better than this?

"The GOP Plays with Fire, We All Get Burned," http://www.thinkprogress.org/, July 8, 201.

"Food bank's new building to double capacity," Austin American Statesman, July9, 2011.

"Economy Faces a Jolt as Benefit Checks Run Out," The New York Times, July 11, 2011.

"Recession knocks some blacks into poverty," Austin American Statesman, July 10, 2011.

"Recovery weak, lopsided toward wealthy," http://www.timeswv.com/, July 2, 2011.

Social Security ~ Not an Entitlement ! You Bet`Cha !

This should be Mailed/Forwarded to every Registered Voter in the USA

http://www.tennesseeanyttime.org/topics/Elected/+Officials

"IN GOD WE TRUST"

http://www.congress.org/news/2011/02/28/congress_qa_social_security

Remember, not only did you contribute to Social Security but your employer did too.. It totaled 15% of your income before taxes. If you averaged only 30K over your working life, thatís close to $220,500. If you calculate the future value of $4,500 per year (yours & your employerís contribution) at a simple 5% (less than what the Government. Pays on the money that it borrows), after 49 years of working (me) you'd have $892,919.98. If you took out only 3% per year, you receive $26,787.60 per year and it would last better than 30 years, and thatís with no interest paid on that final amount on deposit! If you bought an annuity and it paid 4% per year, you'd have a lifetime income of $2,976.40 per month. The folks in Washington have pulled off a bigger Ponzi scheme than Bernie Madhoff ever had.

I have tried to clean up the language in this message. I did !

Entitlement my *** , I paid cash for my Social Security insurance ! Just because the congress borrowed the money , doesn't make my benefits some kind of charity or handout ! Congressional benefits , aka. Free healthcare , outrageous retirement packages , 67 paid holidays , three weeks paid vacation , unlimited paid sick days , now that's welfare , and they have the nerve to call my retirement entitlements ! scroll down.

What the Heck is wrong ? WAKE UP AMERICA !

Tuesday's Daily Bulletin paper, ran two articles on the front page side by side :

1- Calif 's 20 Billion Dollar Budget Deficit

2. - Last year they ran an article on the yearly costs to Calif Taxpayers from Illegals using Hospital Emergency Rooms for their general health care -
At just one hospital the cost to tax payers totaled over 25 million a year-
Someone please tell me what the Heck is wrong with all the people that run this country!!!!!!

We're "broke" & can't help our own Seniors, Veterans, Orphans, Homeless etc. ?

In the last months we have provided aid to Haiti , Chile , and Turkey. And now Pakistan ...home of bin Laden. Literally, BILLIONS of DOLLARS!!!

Our retired seniors living on a 'fixed income' receive no aid nor do they get any breaks while our government and religious organizations pour Hundreds of Billions of $$$$$$'s and Tons of Food to Foreign Countries!

They call Social Security and Medicare an entitlement even though most of us have been paying for it all our working lives and now when its time for us to collect, the government is running out of money. Why did the government borrow from it in the first place ? I have already blogged that question. go to search at top of blog page and write in " What you always wanted to know about Social Security

> Click here below > http://www.congress.org/news/2011/02/28/congress_qa_social_security < We have hundreds of adoptable children who are shoved aside to make room for the adoption of foreign orphans.

AMERICA: A country where we have homeless without shelter, children going to bed hungry, elderly going without 'needed' meds, and mentally ill without treatment ñetc. Etc.

YET...
They have a 'Benefit' for the people of Haiti on 12 TV stations, ships and planes lining up with food, water, tents clothes, bedding, doctors and medical supplies.

Imagine if the *GOVERNMENT* gave 'USA' the same support they give to other countries. Sad isn't it?

99% of people won't have the guts to forward/mail this.

I just put it on my blog. http://www.secondchance.blogspot.com/

OLD INDIAN SAID "GOV'MT SPEAK WITH FORKED TOUNGE", ONE SIDE SPIN, OTHER SIDE LIE

Editorial : Thanks to my friend and Brother, Terrill King for this one !

Spes mea in Deo est.

Roy Herron ~ Really Cares ! Public Meeting !

Roy Herron, State Senator/Politician Who Really Cares !

sen.roy.herron@capitol.tn.gov

Dear Don,

I just wanted you to know about the meeting tomorrow, Thursday, mentioned below in case you or somebody you know needs information or help right now.

Your friend,

Roy

Contact: (615) 741-4576

PUBLIC MEETING WITH SENATOR HERRON,
LABOR COMMISSIONER IN UNION CITY THURSDAY
Officials will meet with public regarding help for region

DRESDEN – State Senator Roy Herron announced Wednesday that he and state Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development Karla Davis will hold a public meeting in Union City on Thursday, July 28 at 4 p.m. at the Obion County Courthouse. “I have invited Commissioner Davis and her staff to make sure that everything possible is being done by the state to help the working families who have lost their jobs at Goodyear, as well as other citizens who also have been and will be impacted,” Herron said. Davis and Herron will answer questions from citizens, discuss educational opportunities to prepare workers for future jobs, and talk about additional jobs in rural West Tennessee. Herron has made jobs for West Tennessee his top priority, having helped lead efforts for the Cates Landing industrial park, the West Tennessee Megasite and the development of Interstate 69 to grow jobs in the region. Herron has also invited Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bill Hagerty to come to Northwest Tennessee as soon as possible to talk with citizens about recruiting and growing additional jobs. Herron invites anyone with questions to call his office at 1-800-449-8366, extension 14576.

WHAT: Public meeting with Sen. Roy Herron and Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Karla Davis
WHEN: This Thursday, July 28 at 4 p.m.
WHERE: Obion County Courthouse, Union City
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Call Senator Herron's office at 1-800-449-8366, extension 14576.

Senator Roy Herron represents Benton, Decatur, Henry, Henderson, Lake, Obion, Perry, Stewart, and Weakley Counties. Contact him at sen.roy.herron@capitol.tn.gov or (615) 741-4576 or 309 War Memorial Building, Nashville, TN 37243-0024.

Editorial : Roy Herron, Really Cares ! And to think, we could have had him as our District#8-Congressman...Makes me so sad, that we did not elect him. Instead a man, Stephen Fincher, who really could care less !

Social Security ~ Debt Crisis a Diversion ! You Bet`Cha !

Debt Madness Was Always About Killing Social Security
By : Robert Scheer

Posted: 7/27/11

http://www.tennesseeanytime.org/topics/Elected/+Officials

This phony debt crisis has now passed through the looking glass into the realm where madness reigns. And we buy it ! Co... Co... !

What should have been an uneventful moment in which lawmakers make good on the nation's contractual obligations has instead been seized upon by Republican hypocrites as a moment to settle ideological scores that have nothing to do with the debt. Hypocrites, because their radical free market ideology, and the resulting total deregulation of the financial markets, is what caused the debt to spiral out of control this last decade. That and the wars George W. Bush launched but didn't have the integrity to responsibly finance. The consequence was a banking bubble and crash leading to a 50 percent run-up of the debt that has nothing to do with the "entitlements" that those same Republicans have always wanted to destroy.
Even Barack Obama has put cuts in those programs into play, warning ominously that a failure to lift the debt ceiling could cause the government to stop sending out Social Security checks. Why, when the Social Security trust fund is fully funded for the next quarter-century and is owed money by the U.S. Treasury rather than the other way around? Why would we pay foreign creditors before American seniors? The answer, offered as conventional wisdom by leaders of both parties, is that we cannot endanger our credit by failing to back our bonds, even though the Republicans have aroused the alarm of the main U.S. credit rating agencies by their brinkmanship on the debt. What a topsy-turvy world when the same credit rating agencies that gave the thumbs up to the bankers' toxic mortgage-backed securities and credit default swaps now threaten the AAA rating of U.S. Treasury bonds. According to them, it will not be enough to merely lift the debt ceiling -- what had been assumed by both Republican and Democratic presidents to be a routine act. In addition to that, as the credit agency Standard & Poor's has insisted, more than $4 trillion has to be cut from programs that mostly benefit the victims of the banking meltdown. Otherwise the agencies will downgrade the U.S. credit rating, leading to higher interest rates that will destroy what remains of the U.S. housing market, dim the prospect for any improvement in employment and further enrich the Chinese government and other holders of U.S. debt. President Obama and the Senate Democratic leadership are clearly poised to cave in to those demands in the spirit of "compromise," Obama's favorite word, but the Republicans keep upping the ante. The GOP is shameless: Speaker John Boehner has sanctimoniously responded to Obama's plea for a bargain that gives up almost everything to the right wing by rebuffing the president on the grounds that the Republican Party is the last line of defense against big government. Boehner dared blame Obama for "the largest spending binge in American history," which he attributed to the health care reform, most of which has yet to be enacted, and a stimulus program that was an underfunded effort to save American jobs. Not a word from Boehner or the other Republicans about the banking collapse that resulted from their deregulatory policies, the real cause of the inflated debt. Boehner's slogan, "I've always believed, the bigger government, the smaller the people," is downright bizarre coming from someone who supported the Bush tax cuts for the rich, the banking bailout and the highest war spending since World War II, all of which is what caused government to get this big. Was it job stimulus spending that kept GM jobs in this country that made people smaller, or the loss of their homes and jobs as a result of the policies that are at the core of the Republican program? What is at stake is a radical Republican agenda to totally reverse the progress in economic justice that began with the great reforms of Franklin Roosevelt and his New Deal. Consider the direct consequence of the economic crisis that unfettered Wall Street greed has wrought, particularly in reversing the gains made by the most underprivileged sectors of the population. As The Wall Street Journal reported, based on a Pew Research Center study from 2005 to 2009, "The wealth gap between whites and each of the nation's two largest minorities -- Hispanics and blacks -- has widened to unprecedented levels amid the housing crisis and the recession. ... The disparities are the greatest since the government began tracking such data a quarter-century ago. ..." But there is plenty of suffering to go around as a result of the deep recession. The wealth of whites in that period declined by 16 percent, not to mention the ever-greater chasm between the top 2 percent and everyone else. That's the same 2 percent whose tax cuts the Republicans are determined to preserve.

Valuable Information ~ Help Preserve and Create USA Jobs !

Something Worth Sharing !
7/26/11

Any time you call an 800 or toll free number (for a
credit card, banking, charter communications, health and other insurance, computer help desk, etc) and you find that you're talking to a foreign customer service representative (perhaps in India, Philippines, etc), please consider doing the following: After you connect and you realize that the customer service representative is not from the USA (you can always ask if you are not sure about the accent), please, very politely (this is not about trashing other cultures) say, "I'd like to speak to a customer service representative in the United States of America ." The rep might suggest talking to his/her manager, but, again, politely say, "Thank you, but I'd like to speak to a customer service representative in the USA ." YOU WILL BE IMMEDIATELY CONNECTED TO A REP IN THE USA . That's the rule and the LAW. It takes less than one minute to have your call re-directed to the USA . Tonight when I got redirected to a USA rep, I asked again to make sure - and yes, she was from Fort Lauderdale. Imagine what would happen if every US citizen insisted on talking to only USA phone reps from this day on. Imagine how that would ultimately impact the number of USA jobs that would need to be created ASAP. If I tell 10 people to consider this and you tell 10 people to consider doing this - see what I mean...it becomes an exercise in viral marketing 101. Remember - the goal here is to restore jobs back here at home - not to be abrupt or rude to a foreign phone rep. You may even get correct answers, good advice, and solutions to your problem - in real English. If you agree, please tell 10 people ...you know, and ask them to tell 10 people they know....etc...etc

Editorial : Makes sense to me...Thanks to Mike Stanley for this. I did`nt know it was law ? Recognize the pic in (upper right) ? Yep, it his Him !

Cutting Social Security ~ Bad Idea ! You Bet`cha !

Tell Your Elected Officials, Cutting Social Security...BAD IDEA !

http://afl.salsalabs.com/o/4055/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=2575

This week Congress will vote on plans to reduce the national debt. As we know, Social Security has not contributed at all to the national debt. It is funded entirely by worker and employer contributions. The Social Security Trustees report that there is enough funding to pay full benefits through 2036. Yet, many in Congress want to cut Social Security benefits and the annual cost of living adjustments (COLA), without even considering an end to a decade of tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. It’s hard to believe that a COLA cut is under consideration in spite of the fact there hasn’t been a COLA in two years! If that isn’t bad enough, there are reports that Medicare and Medicaid could be scheduled for cuts as well. Please act today ! Congress may be voting as soon as this Wednesday, July 27, on debt legislation. Tell your U.S. Representatives and Senators that cutting Social Security in the name of debt reduction is a bad idea.
Click here > http://afl.salsalabs.com/o/4055/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=2575 < to contact your Representatives and Senators ! or click on title !

Thank you for taking action !

Underdog = Don Jones

I Get Letters ! Senator Bob Corker (R)TN. on Fair Trade Act

Senator Bob Corker (R) Tennessee on Fair Trade Act > S.328

http://www.corker.senate.gov/public/

Dear Don,

Thank you for taking the time to contact my office regarding China's currency manipulation practices and S.328, the Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act. Your input is important to me, and I appreciate the time you took to share your thoughts. Like you, I am concerned about China's significantly undervalued currency, which is a contributing force to the growing U.S. trade deficit with China. The value of China's currency has significant budgetary and trade implications, and we should continue to encourage the Chinese to permanently adopt a floating currency system that is determined by market forces. As you may know, S.328 would provide authorization for the imposition of countervailing duties to address the fundamentally undervalued currency of any foreign country. S.328 is currently before the Senate Committee on Finance. We need to find policies that push China in the direction of further economic openness without starting a damaging trade war, and we must continue to push China to open its markets to American made goods. The insight you have provided in your letter will certainly help my staff and me more effectively consider this bill should it be considered in the full Senate, and I thank you for your input. Thank you again for your letter. I hope you will continue to share your thoughts with me over the course of my term. Senator Corker can be e-mailed below or at top or click on title of article. > http://www.corker.senate.gov/public/

Sincerely,

Bob Corker (R) Tennessee
United States Senator

Editorial : The problem he mentions, but does not address. Open markets ? There are none in China. American made goods ? We do not make anything any longer in America. We buy from China. Trade war ? How can we lose one. If we do not export anything but our business and Jobs ? Sorry Senator, you are not giving a straight answer or are totally uninformed.

Social Security - No Cuts...Put the Millionare Tax Cuts Back in Place

Republicans to Get US out of Debt on Backs of

Those Who Can Least Afford It !

7/24/11

Dear Readers,

Republicans are negotiating with President Obama on a deal that would gut America's social safety net — and unless we act now, they may get their way.
Congress needs to raise the debt ceiling before August 2nd so that the government doesn’t default on its debts, wreaking havoc on the economy. But Republicans are refusing to vote for this unless they can also pass massive cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, student aid, and other important programs that create opportunity and protect the most vulnerable among us. Democrats in Congress are holding the line, saying that they won't accept any cuts to these programs without asking huge corporations, millionaires and billionaires to contribute their fair share. "The Bush Tax Cuts"! But as the deadline approaches, Congressional Democrats will be under immense pressure to compromise their principles, even if it means giveaways for the rich while most Americans suffer.
That's why I'm joining my friends at ColorOfChange.org in calling on the White House and Congress to say no to any deal that asks people who are already struggling in this economy to sacrifice even more, without asking corporations and the rich to pay their fair share. Will you join me?

http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/debt? referring_akid=a10523635.1225919.93xXN5&source=copy_thanks_email

The moral line is clear: the budget must not be balanced on the backs of poor and working folks while millionaires and billionaires pay lower taxes than ever. Americans oppose cuts to Medicare and Social Security by a 2-to-1 margin, and a large majority thinks that keeping benefit levels the same is a bigger priority than short-term deficit reduction. And an amazing 72% of Americans are united behind the idea of asking the wealthy to pay their fair share of taxes. By speaking out, we can help give the President and Congressional Democrats the political space they need to stand strong against the GOP's dangerous demands. And the more revenue that is raised through taxes, the fewer cuts to benefits. If they stand strong, we can avoid the worst of the cuts.

http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/debt? referring_akid=a10523635.1225919.93xXN5&source=copy_thanks_email

Congress sets the maximum amount the federal government can borrow to pay its bills on time. If that limit isn't raised periodically, the government will begin to default on its debts. And when that happens, there will be far-reaching consequences for everyone, but especially poor and working folks.

If the government doesn't pay its bills, it's a lot like when you or I don't pay our bills -- it ruins our credit, and makes buying goods and services more expensive. Worse, it makes even having debt more expensive, which means that money the government will have to pay higher interest rates -- money that won't go to economic stimulus or preserving the social safety net. Most reputable economists say that government default would wreck the nation's economy, halting the already-weak recovery and possibly taking the world's economy down with it. That fact hardly matters to Republicans in Washington, who are treating the prospect of default like a high-stakes game of chicken. Many see an opportunity to gut programs that they never could otherwise, such as Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. It's a disgusting, cynical strategy. If enough of us speak out, we can help save the social safety net, and force corporations and the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share. Please join us now:

http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/debt? referring_akid=a10523635.1225919.93xXN5&source=copy_thanks_email

Thanks,
Underdog = Don Jones

1. http://people-press.org/files/legacy-pdf/7-7-11%20Entitlements%20Release.pdf

2. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0411/53455.html

3. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/01/opinion/01krugman.html

I Get Letters ~ David Whorley, Friend, Christian, & Freemason

A Love Letter from A Fellow Worker/Christian at Goodyear Tire & Rubber ~ Union City Tennessee...7/23/11
published by permission of David whorley

By: David Whorley

Brother Don ;

I read your blog you sent and I am going to say this, you stand for more Republican ideals than Democratic ideals. You are the same on gun rights, I too have a Tennessee carry permit. You are for term limits on politicians, this needs to happen and I hope in time it will. Probably not in my time, but down the road. I have always loved and respected you and my communication to you was never meant to jeopardize our friendship. As I stated we will just have to agree to disagree. I am strictly anti-abortion. I believe life begins at conception and you are already in God’s book of life even before that. I don’t think the taking of the unborn should be allowed in any case. I am very vocal about it and do not think it ok to do what you want and, I will do what I want. This is one of the points where we will disagree. I will stand by God’s word and he said “I knew you in your mothers womb.” That tells me he cares about the unborn and we should do so also. I think “gays” have the same rights as we do already and they don’t need to be parading around pushing for a marriage law that is against God’s will. God states in Leviticus that if a man lays with another man as he lays with a woman this is an abomination and both shall surly be put to death. I think unions have past their cause. There are no more sweat shop conditions in the US “thanks to unions.” But these times will not come back if they are not around. There is a place for unions in the third world nations that still have such work conditions. The unions have become by far too political and are no longer run by working men and women but by lying politicians just like the government. I surly don’t feel they should be taking dues money and paying political campaign money to candidates they like. I may like the other guy and not want my money going to either of them. I think ALL states should be right to work states, that way you can join if you want and if not just let it go. I’ve walked several picket lines in my work days but NEVER crossed one. I too believe in the gift of life and I am thankful that you are living proof that it is truly the greatest gift anyone can give. I do not believe the government owes anyone a life long free from work living. I think everyone on welfare should be drug tested once a month randomly. I think our veterans deserve better than what they are getting in health care and acceptance into the VA system. I think, as many democrats, that the current Social Security and Medicare systems will go broke without some sort of reform. The Republicans want to reform it and not effect anyone 55 or older and insure that it is around for future generations. All the current administration wants to do is use it as a campaign threat to get re-elected. They don’t care that it is going broke, all they want is 4 more years of sucking a tax tit. I think “any law” passed by the congress and senate should apply equally to them also. If the new health care bill is so great why are they not on it. It will be one of the costliest things this nation has ever done. I hope all the states repel it. I think the government should govern the people not rule them. I don’t like being told what kind of light bulb I need to buy nor do I like being told milk, peanut butter, coke a cola, and other things are bad for me. I see no need for funding an agency with tax dollars to put warning labels on everything they think is bad, and to put a list of how many beans are in a can. I don’t think the EPA should stop progress because a 2 inch fish lives where progress needs to take place. Probably 90% of the people in the nation will never see the damn thing anyway. I think coal is a great source of energy even though it does create black smoke. We don’t need a federally funded EPA, the states should handle this on individual basis. We don’t need federally funded Amtrak, if it can’t run on it’s own merit then go broke. There is way to far many give away programs for people to get free money due to democratic liberalism. I think the Democrats and GOP should vote not to allow a debt celling increase to pass on to the next generation. We all have to live within our checkbook and the government should have to do the same, Federal, State, County, and City. Well this is enough for now. Didn’t mean to rant on and on like this but I could go on forever. And I KNOW Don Jones can talk forever about this stuff. Maybe someday we will happen to get together and talk about stuff. One good thing Don, just think where we would be if we only had ONE party to choose from. That’s why we have such a great system. On second thought don’t remove me from your list, I enjoy it most of the time and it keeps my blood running a little warm. When we meet again I will shake your hand, give you a big hug and let you know how much you have inspired me in both my Masonic life, and as a true friend who I would not be afraid to call on at any time, day or night.

Christian love to you Don,

And Take the Fork Out for You are NOT Done.

Editorial : Now this is the way to disagree. Perhaps our politicians could learn from this ? No, I do not agree with everything Bro. David say`s. But, This is America, he has the right to dissent from my views. Freemasonry > "Never Give up on our Democracy. Thank You, Bro. David

Fincher Caught Red Handed ~ Tennessee How Do You like Him Now ?

FACT SHEET—FEC DECISION ON COMPLAINT
AGAINST STEPHEN FINCHER(R) FOR CONGRESS

http://www.fincher.house.gov/office/washington-dc

The FEC General Counsel found that the Fincher Campaign “acknowledges that it failed to properly report the loan….With respect to the terms of the loan, the due date…is incorrectly listed…The Committee also failed to file a Schedule C-1,…disclosing that the loan was derived from a lending institution, and other required information…..Accordingly we recommend that the Commission find reason to believe that Steve Fincher for Congress….violated 2 U.S.C. §434(b)(3)(E),” one of the reporting provisions of the federal campaign finance law. (MUR 6386, First General Counsel’s Report, page 5).

In their Statement of Reasons explaining the FEC’s action, the Democratic Commissioners state that during the Commission’s deliberations:

“All six Commissioner’s voted to find reason to believe that the Fincher Committee violated 2 U.S.C. §434(b)(3)(E)…In this matter, the sole dispute with out colleagues is whether the Fincher Committee’s misreporting of campaign information to the Commission warrants a civil penalty. We and our colleagues agree that the Fincher Committee misreported the source of its campaign funds, resulting in inaccurate public disclosure reports. The Act envisions a penalty in such circumstances….Public disclosure of political spending is at the heart of the commission’s mission….”

MUR 6386, Statement of Reasons of Chair Bauerly and Commissioners Walther and Weintraub,

page 2.

The Commissioner’s statement goes on to explain that “we and our colleagues agree, … that the reporting violation occurred,…” (id, page 2), but that the Republican Commissioners refused to agree to vote for a finding of violation unless the Democratic Commissioners agreed to impose no penalty at all: “”[W]e supported OGC’s [Office of General Counsel] recommendation to seek a civil penalty for this misreporting,.. In an effort to gain consensus, we offered and supported a motion to approve OGC’s recommendations but with a significantly reduced penalty. Our colleagues rejected this motion, ….” (Statement of Reasons, page 3).

The Statement of Reasons thus makes clear that the Republican Commissioners refused to vote for any finding of violation because the Democratic Commissioners would not agree to refrain from imposing a penalty. Thus the final vote was 3-3.

HERRON STATEMENT ON FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION
FEC COMMISSIONERS UNANIMOUS THAT FINCHER BROKE FEDERAL LAW

Roy Herron, the 2010 Democratic nominee in the 8th Congressional District, issued the following statement in response to the Federal Election Commission’s unanimous finding that Stephen Fincher violated the law.

“The gospel singer did not tell the gospel truth during the campaign when he repeatedly said the Federal Election Commission had approved of what he’d done. Instead, all six commissioners, including the three Republicans, ruled that he broke federal law. The FEC has now ruled we have a law breaker for a lawmaker.”

**If anybody would like the full Commission’s rulings or the original complaint, please, just let me know and they will be provided to you.

Editorial : Hey Tennessee District#8 Voters. You Voted for him, Satisfied now ? A law Breaker for District#8 Congressional District. You Bet`Cha ! Please Pray for Mr. Fincher.

Those Great Workers at Union City Tennessee ,Goodyear

~To : Those of You Who Have Performed an Outstanding Job ~

"Thank You"!

By: Don Jones ~ Underdog

http://www.ronniedunn.com/videos

Given the time and circumstances, You are now among my American HERO`S ! I salute you, United Steelworkers of America Local 878-L Union City Tennessee.You performed well, when some would have folded and gave up. You have set a high standard for those of us, who doubted you. The next person, I hear bad mouth you and your union. I will point to Union City Goodyear-USWA, "That`s You"! Great Job. I urge you to view the video Below. I am only sorry that Goodyear Corporate did not hear, see or care. I will pray for you and your family`s. God`s speed ! You did all you could ! One more thing, Ricky Waggoner and Terry Tennyson also did all they could. Click on link below or title of this blog.

http://www.ronniedunn.com/videos

Thanks to my friend and co-worker and fellow union member, Ralph Stamper for this one. That sucking sound you hear is our jobs being sent other country`s. There are actually some workers from our plant in this video.

Meet The Real Andy Holt ! Not Good ! Evil !

Andy Holt(R) 76th. District

http://www.capitol.tn.gov/house/members/h76.html

Meet the Real, Rep. Andy Holt (R) 76th. District Tennessee, Weakley and Carroll County`s

By : Underdog = Don Jones

7/20/11

e-mail > rep.andrew.holt@capitol.tn.gov

Nashville# (615)741-7847<>Home#(731)-364-6029

I have refrained from writing this blog on Mr. Holt, to give him time to reveal himself to US, the voters. He has now done that quite well. I have just read his article in the Weakley County Press ! Not Good. In fact, he is guilty of everything he is accusing Democrats of. He accuses Tennessee Democrats of misleading Tennesseans by shameful tactics ? Then he use`s hearsay and innuendo to mislead Tennesseans about his glorious leadership. Then he went on to say, it is time to shed some truth on Democrats. According to this article, Mr. Holt would`nt recognize the truth if it ran over him ! Democrats bloat the government. Huh ? Get real Rep. Holt. Mr. Holt did`nt lift his finger to help aid or assist Goodyear Tire Workers in Union City TN. Why ? They are UNION ! Mr. Holt is anti-union, That's his choice, in Tennessee . Evidently he`s never had to work for a living."The Right to Work State" is open shop. "Right o Work for Less"! No one must join a union. In the Goodyear plant, all were members of a Union only 15 people were not union. Mr. Holt, did you ever wonder why ? Now he`s been placed on a committee for gun law reform, more smoke and mirrors. Mr. Holt, just leave it alone,if it is not broken, do not fix it. Mr. Holt in his article/propaganda used the word liberal, like it was a dirty word. Get Real, Mr. Holt. I`m wondering if Mr. Holt can get farm subsidies ? Have you ever filed bankruptcy ? He go`s on to say very veiled things, like a gasoline/diesel tax. I never heard of it ? He goes on to say, "Thankfully, our conservative leadership stopped those Democrats cold. He said that this was tantamount to slapping Tennesseans in the face ? WRONG ! The one thing he did say, That I agree with "Then again, should we expect anything less from politicians who clearly are not meant to lead"! Mr. Holt, you evidently know yourself well ! I believe you are not only not a leader, but evil ! Oh, did you know that Mr. Holt is a Weakley County Commisioner as well as State Representative ? Conflict of interest ? NOT GOOD ! By writing this article as you did, You are more Guilty than those you accuse. Perhaps we`ll get lucky and you`ll be gone soon.

The article below is from my friend and fellow Church member Bobby Brown:

I hate to hit on a good ole UT Vol man, but some time you need to do what you have to do. I read your Weakley Co Press article and just have to wonder why you Republicans can't talk without calling names. You know my pastor has said it is better, to let your work speak for you , not your mouth. Your article told me a lot about you sir... If your party would work as hard for the working class as it does against us we wouldn't be in the shape we are now ! You guys are killing our education system, and I haven't seen you guys help the Goodyear people, could it be because they both are UNION ? You know that is the one thing The Republicans are so proud of, is to break the UNION . How come the only things you guys talk about cutting is stuff the working class have worked for. I pray for our Nation and you guys that are elected to office. I also know most of you guys love America as much as I do. Thank you for your time (GO VOLS) ----(I am on a roll sent this to Andy Holt after I read his article in the paper remember, I am an old truck driver not fancy in any means)

Bobby Brown, constituent

76th. District TN

Tell Tennessee`s Alexander & Corker (R`s)Tennessee No cuts in Social Security or Medicare

Tell Sens. Alexander and Corker: It's Crazy to cut Medicare and Social Security. Hold Sens. Alexander and Corker Accountable

http://www.act.credoaction.com/campaign/senate_gop_crazies/?r=8494&id=24414-3026155-09ntKAx

Clicking here http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/senate_gop_crazies/?r=8494&id=24414-3026155-09ntKAx will automatically add your name to this petition to Sens. Alexander and Corker:

"The constitutional amendment you are supporting to 'balance the budget' will inevitably lead to brutal cuts to Social Security and Medicare, while preventing tax increases on the rich. This constitutional amendment is not a plan for fiscal responsibility — it represents a crazy imbalance between the needs of our nation and the greed of a few."

Automatically add your name: Click below

http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/senate_gop_crazies/?r=8494&id=24414-3026155-09ntKAx

Learn more about this campaign

No matter how dire the situation, Senate Republicans seem determined to prove they can act irresponsibly. Senate Republicans are unanimously supporting a draconian constitutional amendment that they claim will balance the budget, but is really nothing but a cowardly ploy to force devastating cuts to vital social programs, including Social Security and Medicare, while writing into the constitution an impossible requirement — a two-thirds vote — to raise taxes. Last week, in a column called "Getting to Crazy," Paul Krugman closed by noting that "there has been no pressure on the G.O.P. to show any kind of responsibility, or even rationality — and sure enough, it has gone off the deep end." We agree. We need you to be part of that pressure. Even though we know it is unlikely that Republicans will break ranks and do the right thing, we must hold individual Republicans like Sens. Alexander and Corker accountable to reality and let them know their constituents see through their fantasy proposals.

Tell Sens. Alexander and Corker Republicans Tennessee : Sign petition below

http:www.//act.credoaction.com/campaign/senate_gop_crazies/?r=8494&id=24414-3026155-09ntKAx

It's crazy to cut our Social Security and Medicare benefits while protecting the Koch brothers and Paris Hilton from paying their fair share. Click here to automatically sign the petition. Even worse, the amendment the Senate Republicans are backing wouldn't actually balance the budget, rather it would arbitrarily cap government spending at 18% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). To put this in perspective, the last time government spending was 18% of GDP was 1966. And no president in nearly half a century, Republican or Democrat, has even proposed a budget where spending is 18% of GDP or less.1

It's simply insane.

And this is the crux of the real problem.

The Big Lie spread by Fox News and its Tea Party allies is that the United States — the richest country in the history of the world — is too broke to afford a social safety net. The fact of the matter is that right now we are confronting the effects of a tax-cutting binge and an eagerness for wars of choice that conservatives and so-called moderates in both parties have been indulging in for decades.

You have to go back 60 years to find a time where the U.S. government took in less taxes revenue relative to our GDP than the government takes in today. And yet, the Republicans tell us that they think the responsible thing to do is to put Social Security and Medicare on the chopping block so we can afford tax cuts for the Koch brothers.

They need a reality check that only you can provide.
http://www.act.credoaction.com/campaign/senate_gop_crazies/?r=8494&id=24414-3026155-09ntKAx
Tell Sens. Alexander and Corker: It's crazy to cut our Social Security and Medicare benefits. Click above to automatically sign the petition.
Thank you for speaking out to defend Medicare and Social Security.