America`s Race to the Bottom

< CEO Pay

U.S. Manufacturing Competitiveness in Global Trade
by : Jared Bernstein
Senior Fellow, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities...

http://www.bls.gov/ilc/#compensation

Posted: 12/28/11

Those of us ensconced in debates in support of U.S. manufacturing often hear opponents claiming that the over-regulated U.S. labor market and unionized heavy industry render us uncompetitive in global markets.

That may sound convincing given competition from emerging markets, but there are lots of advanced economies with long records of positive net exports, while we continue to run large deficits in manufactured goods, year after year.
If you're thinking the difference must be prices, you're thinking like an economist... and you're pretty much wrong.
This new BLS report (including a link to their rockin' new dashboard -- go BLS!) provides the data in the form of manufacturing compensation costs across countries, with conversions to dollars using market exchange rates. First, as shown in the first figure, in the most recent year for which they have complete data, we're toward the low end of the advanced economies in terms of compensation costs. Second, in dollar terms, manufacturing compensation costs have increased much faster elsewhere over the past decade (figure two; these summary measures use trade-weighted currencies, based on each countries relative share of U.S. trade; you can use the dashboard link above (open the Excel file) to view individual countries).
*OECD, Eastern Europe, East Asia
Source: BLS > http://www.bls.gov/ilc/#compensation <
Now, compensation costs aren't the whole story, especially with manufacturing becoming more capital intensive, but at least by these measures, which of course account for exchange rate movements (essential when we're discussing price competitiveness), there's not much support at all for an argument that overpaid manufacturing workers are the source of our competitive disadvantage. I'd argue it has a lot more to do with the lack of a coherent manufacturing policy, wherein public and private representatives strategize on the best ways to boost the sector and gain global market share. Of course, this means retiring the canard that "we don't pick winners." Our competitors are well ahead of us in these endeavors and this is not the time for ideological sloganeering.

Cooper Tire Locks Out Workers !

Cooper Tire to Resume Negotiations with Locked-Out Workers
Wednesday, December 28, 2011,

Union workers at Cooper Tire & Rubber Co.'s Findlay Ohio, plant have been locked out since Nov. 28, 2011

Locked out union workers at Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. will not meet again to negotiate a new contract until 2012, theToledo Blade reports. More than 1,000 workers have been locked out of Cooper's (NYSE:CTB) Findlay manufacturing plant since Nov. 28, and both sides have filed formal complaints of bad-faith bargaining with the National Labor Relations Board , the newspaper reports. Negotiators from both sides met 45 times from Sept. 7 to Nov. 28 but, since the lockout, have convened only four times, the newspaper reports. Negotiations are expected to resume next week, the newspaper reports.

Editorial : Have Company`s discovered a way to break local unions ? Lock them out ! Then proceed to wait until, it`s workers are hurting, in the meantime, supplying tires from foreign plants ? Sounds like it to this writer. In these bad faith negotiations, workers lose and company`s win big. Big Bonus`s for their CEO`S ! You Bet`Cha !

It`s a Wonderful Life...Or It Could Be !

Republicans Try to Convert America Into Pottersville
12/26/11
By : Leo W. Gerard

In the iconic Christmas film, It's a Wonderful Life, an angel offers the beleaguered main character, George Bailey, the stark choice between a hometown named for a cruel banker or one created by and for the middle class.

The banker's town, Pottersville, is filled with bars, gambling dens and despair. The people's town of Bedford Falls is made of hope, hard working middle class families, and their homes financed by the Bailey Brothers Building & Loan.
The film's happy ending is the people of Bedford Falls banding together to rescue George Bailey and the Bailey Brothers Building & Loan that had given so many of them a leg up over the years. Republicans seek a different conclusion. They find middle class cooperation and community intolerable. They want the banker, Henry Potter, with his "every man for himself" philosophy to triumph. In the spirit of their self-centered mentor Ayn Rand, Republicans are trying to disfigure America so she resembles Pottersville. A building and loan association, like the Bailey Brothers', uses the savings of its members to provide mortgages to the depositors. Members essentially pool their money to give each other the opportunity to buy cars and homes. At one point in the film, George Bailey explains this concept to frightened depositors who are trying to withdraw their savings during the panic that led to bank runs in 1929. Bailey urges the townspeople who had crowded into the building and loan office to withdraw only what they need, not empty their accounts. "We have got to stick together," he tells them, "We have to do this together." A building and loan doesn't function without trust and cooperation. It works well for Bedford Falls. The mortgages it provides help working people move out of the Potters Field slums and into Bailey Park, where homes well kept by their owners increase in value. Despite the success, Potter condemned this practice, saying it was based on "high ideals without common sense." He criticized the Bailey Brothers Building & Loan for granting a taxi driver a mortgage after Potter's bank had rejected his application. Potter scoffed at such practices, asking if the building and loan was a "business or a charity ward." This is exactly what Republicans do. They describe beloved American programs like Medicare and Social Security as charities -- using the euphemism "entitlements." Like mortgages from the Bailey Building & Loan, Medicare and Social Security are not charities. They're the American people depositing and pooling their money for the benefit of the American community. The GOP tries to destroy programs like these that aid the middle class, the vast majority of Americans -- the 99 percent -- while Republicans protect tax breaks and special perks for the rich -- the one percent, the Henry Potters.This time last year, Republicans demanded extension of tax breaks for the 1 percent, contending tax breaks stimulate the economy. For the past three months, however, Republicans have fought extension of payroll tax cuts, contending a break benefiting 160 million middle class Americans did not stimulate the economy. All year, Republicans have demanded an end to programs the middle class created to aid the majority, the 99 percent. The GOP wants to reverse the new banking regulations that were passed in an attempt to prevent another economic collapse caused by risky Wall Street practices. The GOP tried to to rescind the healthcare reform law that prevents insurance companies from terminating coverage when beneficiaries get sick and prohibits the practice of refusing coverage to people with pre-existing conditions. Influential Republicans this year have called for repealing laws forbidding child labor, laws guaranteeing minimum wage and laws protecting the environment. They've demanded elimination of federal funding for organizations like the Public Broadcasting System that educates preschoolers, Head Start, which provides opportunity to poor children, and Planned Parenthood, which uses 97 percent of its funds to provide general, obstetrical and gynecological medical care to women, many of whom are rural and poor.
Republicans have decided to be the party of Henry Potter, the "meanest man in the county," a man about whom George Bailey's father said: "he's a sick man, frustrated. Sick in his mind, sick in his soul, if he has one." Like Potter, Republicans deride compassion and community as character defects.
In the Republican world, where greed is good, it was appropriate for Henry Potter to keep the $8,000 in Bailey Building & Loan money that George Bailey's uncle, Billy Bailey, accidentally handed him. Republicans are attempting to impose that selfish belief system on the selfless American people, people like the citizens of Bedford Falls who rush to the rescue of neighbors. It won't work, just like it didn't in It's a Wonderful Life. Republicans will fail in their attempt to make America Pottersville because the 99 percent believe avarice is a sin, not a value. The GOP will fail because greed is not the American way. Follow Leo W. Gerard on Twitter: www.twitter.com/uswblogger

Editorial : Perhaps we need to re-name the (GOP) Grand Old Party, to the Grand Old Pigs ? Merry Christmas not Bah-Hum Bug !

Merry Christmas From The Obamas (2011)

God Bless America and God Bless President Barack Obama !

Congressman Cohen District#9-Tennessee ~ Working for Tennesseans !

Merry Christmas & Happy Hanukkah & Happy New Year

From Your Tennessee District#9~Congressman Steve Cohen

Contact Rep. Cohen here > http://www.cohen.house.gov/

Happy Holidays :

With Christmas and Hanukkah taking place this week, I wanted to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah and a Happy New Year. These are tough economic times in Memphis and families are doing more with less to celebrate this holiday season. That is why I am working hard in Memphis and Washington to create jobs – to help ensure that every child has the opportunity to have a happy and prosperous future. Click here to see a short video I recently recorded wishing you and your family a Happy and Safe Holiday Season.

Editorial : Congressman Steve Cohen, working hard for Tennesseans ! Thank you Rep. Cohen for your recent vote to extend the middle class pay-roll tax and not cutting senior Medicare. Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to you and your family ! "God Bless !

Fiat Lux

SOCIAL SECURITY = YOUR MONEY $ $ $

WHO GETS YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY IF YOU ARE DEAD ?

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT...You Bet`Cha !

THE ONLY THING WRONG WITH THIS CALCULATION IS THEY FORGOT TO FIGURE IN THE PEOPLE WHO DIED BEFORE THEY COLLECTED THEIR SOCIAL SECURITY ! WHERE DID THAT MONEY GO ? I know some of those people. Do you ?

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, that's close to $220,500. If you calculate the future value of $4,500 per year (yours & your Employer's' contribution) at a simple 5% (less than what the govt. Pays on The money that it borrows), after 49 years of working you'd have $892,919.98. If you took out only 3% per year, you'd receive $26,787.60 per year and it Would last better than 30 years (until you're 95 if you retire at age 65) And that's 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. Entitlement my a**, I paid cash for my Social Security insurance ! Just Because they borrowed the money, doesn't make my benefits some kind of Charity or handout ! Congressional benefits ---- 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 Social Security Retirement entitlements ? We're "broke" and can't help our own Seniors, Veterans, Orphans, Homeless In the last months we have provided aid to Haiti , Chile , and Turkey . And Now Pakistan ......Former 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 it's time for us To collect, the government is running out of money. Why did the government Borrow from it in the first place ? Imagine if the *GOVERNMENT* gave 'US' the Same support they give to other countries. Sad isn't it?

GOD BLESS YOU & GOD BLESS AMERICA

Fiat Lux

All Tennessee Congressman Vote Against Tenneseans Except Cohen & Cooper !

Tennessee Republicans Vote YES !
Which Translates > Voted NO to Seniors and Unemployed !

Contact Rep. Fincher here > http://fincher.house.gov/office/washington-dc

Contact your Congressperson here > http://www.congress.org/congressorg/directory/congdir.tt

On Motion to Go to Conference 12/20/2011 House Roll Call No. 94<> 112nd Congress, 1st Session Passed: 229-193 (see Vote complete tally)

How the U.S. House from Tennessee Voted : Remember, these Republicans are cleaver. A VOTE yes, Translates to a NO VOTE for Seniors and the Unemployed. Only two (2) Congressman from Tennessee Voted for Seniors and the unemployed. The 99% ! Rep. Steve Cohen and Jim Cooper ! Thank you Both ! All Republicans VOTED Against Seniors and Unemployed, by VOTING YES ! You should be ashamed. District#8, how do you like Mr. Fincher now ? You can also contact your congressperson, by clicking on their name !

Fiat Lux

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Rep. Diane Black (R-6) Yes <> Voted Against Tennesseans
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Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-7) Yes <> Voted Against Tenneseans
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Rep. Steve Cohen (D-9) No <> Voted For Tenneseans
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Rep. Jim Cooper (D-5) No <> Voted for Tenneseans
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Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-4) Yes <> Voted Against Tenneseans
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Rep. John Duncan, Jr. (R-2) Yes <>Voted Against Tenneseans
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Rep. Stephen Fincher (R-8) Yes <> My Congressman, Voted Against Tenneseans.
Motion to go to conference; Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011 - Vote Passed (229-193, 11 Not Voting)With this vote, the House rejected the Senate's two-month extension of the Social Security payroll tax reduction and requested a conference to consider a yearlong extension. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) stated he would not call the Senate back into session. The standoff ended later in the week when the House agreed to pass the two-month bill and the Senate agreed to name conferees to work out a yearlong extension.Rep. Stephen Fincher voted YES......send e-mail or see bio
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Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-3) Yes <> Voted Against Tenneseans
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Rep. Phil Roe (R-1) Yes <> Voted Against Tenneseans
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Merry Christmas America...Common Sense Prevailed !

President Obama : 'Enough is Enough,' Pushes House GOP to Pass Payroll Tax Bill...

Saying "enough is enough" and calling Washington "dysfunctional," President Obama on Thursday urged Republicans in the House to pass a bipartisan Senate compromise that would extend the payroll tax holiday for two months."What's happening right now is exactly why people get so frustrated with Washington," Obama said standing before a room of Democratic stakeholders. "Has this place become so dysfunctional that even when people agree to things we can't do it?" Obama said he is at the ready, waiting to sign the bill so 160 million Middle Class Americans don't see their taxes go up at the end of the year.

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Flash, House Republicans finally Say YES !

House Speaker John Boehner says he and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid agreed to a two-month extension of a payroll tax cut that was due to expire at the end of the year. The terms were previously included in a bipartisan Senate deal and demanded by President Barack Obama. The deal comes hours after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, called for a short-term extension, increasing pressure on House GOP leaders. The agreement also includes language to ease the administrative burden on small businesses implementing the plan. "The Senate will join the House in immediately appointing conferees, with instructions to reach agreement in the weeks ahead on a full-year payroll tax extension," Boehner said in a statement. "We will ask the House and Senate to approve this agreement by unanimous consent before Christmas."

Editorial : I cannot for the life of me, see how so much crap can be created by REPUBLICANS over what should be a bi-partisan gimme ! Thank you, Mr. President for not caving !

Fiat Lux

Wal-Mart Scrooge of the Year...You Bet`Cha !

Poor Ole Wal-Mart...RICHNE$$ only Exceeded by There`re GREED !

This years Scrooge of the Year is Wal-Mart`s Rob Walton (Upper left and right)

The vote was close and went up until the last minute, but across the nation people made their voices heard - and Rob Walton is the biggest Scrooge of them all ! A quick reminder of why Rob Walton was given this nomination: Deemed a “billionaire bully” by Brave New Films, Rob Walton is the Chair of Walmart’s board of directors. His estimated net worth is around $21 billion. As a family, the Waltons control 49% of Walmart stock, and are predicted to gain a controlling share in the next 12 months. The Waltons are the richest family in the United States, with a combined net worth is $93 billion. The Walton Family has as much wealth as the bottom 30% of American families combined – more than 35 million families. Waltons make up 4 of the 11 wealthiest people in the United States according to Forbes Magazine, and they could give more than $4,700 to every resident of New York and still have $1 billion left over. With the economy as it is, that would make a huge difference! The family’s dividends from their Walmart stock alone are more than $2 billion/year. Just using their dividends, they could ensure that a million Walmart employees make at least $12/hour. Instead, they are growing richer by the year. Even with all of this money, Walmart only pays an average of $8.81/hour to store associates. And the company has yet to meet with and address the concerns of those who work for them such as scheduling (especially during the holiday season). Just last month Walmart, under Rob’s leadership, slashed health care coverage for hundreds of thousands of Walmart employees and their families—right before the holidays! What a scrooge! How Much is Enough $?

Fincher Votes Against Seniors~ Hey, That`s ME

Cong. Stephen Fincher(R)Votes Against his Tennessee District#8-Constituency !

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

Contact & Find your Congressman click on Title !

Capitol Hill Tax Stalemate Hurts Medicare...That`s Seniors !

The Congressional deadlock over extending payroll tax cuts – sparked by a revolt of House Tea Party Republicans – will hurt seniors on Medicare unless a resolution is reached quickly. Seniors with incomes below $15,000 per year are at risk of losing access to critical medical services through the Qualified Individual (QI) program. The program, which is set to expire on December 31, pays for Medicare Part B premiums that cover physician and other outpatient services, as well as the low income subsidy for Part D prescription drug coverage. The QI benefit represents an average savings of $5,199 per year for these low-income seniors. Without an extension of the program by Congress, states would have the right to terminate benefits on January 1. Also caught in the crossfire are reimbursements to nearly 650,000 doctors who care for Medicare patients. According to the Associated Press, Medicare sent an alert to doctors to say that they will hold up paying claims for the first 10 business days of the new year, but without congressional action it would then be forced to implement a 27.4 percent cut in reimbursement rates, which may prompt physicians to refuse to see Medicare patients.

Editorial : This Congress along with Rep. Fincher, should be run out of Office ! The audacity of these charlatans ! The Seniors "Merry Christmas" from House Republicans !

Fiat Lux

Wal-Mart the Great China Importer ~ Now Slave Masters..

Wal*Mart The New Master of Indentured Slavery...
by : Dave Jamieson

More Wal*Mart news http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/walmart

JOLIET, Ill., and FONTANA, Calif. -- Like nearly everyone else in Joliet without good job prospects, Uylonda Dickerson eventually found herself at the warehouses looking for work. "I just needed a job," the 38-year-old single mother says. Dickerson came to the right place. Over the past decade and a half, Joliet and its Will County environs southwest of Chicago have grown into one of the world's largest inland ports, a major hub for dry goods destined for retail stores throughout the Midwest and beyond. With all the new distribution centers have come thousands of jobs at "logistics" companies -- firms that specialize in moving goods for retailers and manufacturers. Many of these jobs are filled by Joliet's African Americans, like Dickerson, and immigrants from Mexico and elsewhere in Latin America. But many bottom-rung workers like Dickerson don't work for the big corporations whose products are in the warehouses, or even the logistics companies that run them. They go to work for labor agencies that supply workers like Dickerson. Last year, she found work as a temp through one of the myriad staffing agencies that serve big-box retailers and their contractors. Thanks largely to the warehousing boom, Will County has developed one of the highest concentrations of temp agencies in the Midwest. Dickerson, grateful to have even a temp job, was taken on as a "lumper" -- someone who schleps boxes to and from trailers all day long. As unglamorous as her duties were, Dickerson became an essential cog in one of the most sophisticated machines in modern commerce -- the Walmart supply chain. Walmart, the world's largest private-sector employer, had contracted a company called Schneider Logistics to operate the warehouse. And Schneider, in turn, had its own contracts with staffing companies that supplied workers. The experience would change the way Dickerson saw the retail industry -- particularly during the frenetic run-up to the holidays, when workers are under tremendous pressure to get products out the door and into stores."I don't think people know what the people in those warehouses have to go through to get them their stuff in those stores," Dickerson says. "If you don't work in a warehouse, you don't know." Dickerson quickly discovered that the work wasn't easy, if there was any work at all. Each morning she showed up at her warehouse, she wasn't sure whether she'd be assigned a trailer and earn a day's pay. She says there were days that she and many temps were told simply to go home, without pay, since there wasn't as much product to unload as expected. Sometimes Dickerson was told they didn't have any trailers light enough for a woman, she says. But on most days the warehouse teemed with lumpers, many of them wearing different colored t-shirts to signify the different agencies they worked for. Dickerson herself would work for two different labor providers within the same warehouse in a little more than a year.The difficulty of a lumper's day often went according to chance. A lucky lumper might be assigned a container filled with boxes of Kleenex or stuffed animals, while an unlucky lumper might pull a container filled with kiddie swimming pools or 200-pound trampolines. For the heaviest lifts, Dickerson would be assigned a partner, and the two would split the pay for the trailer, moving the massive boxes onto pallets by hand.The job was fast-paced and stressful. Dickerson says supervisors would walk along the warehouse's bay doors, marking the workers' progress over time. The supervisors, Dickerson and other workers say, often told them to speed it up if they wanted to be invited back. Many of the workers were temps with no job security and no recourse. And the local unemployment rate, then around 11 percent, promised a long line of potential replacements."By the end of the day, your body hurts so bad," says Dickerson, who was among a small minority of females working as lumpers at the warehouse. "You tell them you can't do it the next day, ... they'll tell you, 'We've got four more people waiting for your job.'" For a while, Dickerson worked according to "piece rate" -- she was paid not by the hour but by the trailer -- a stressful pay scheme meant to encourage her and her colleagues to work faster and faster, and one that the labor movement worked hard to abolish in many industries in the 20th century. Each paycheck was different than the last, and most of them were disappointingly low, she says. In her year at the warehouse, Dickerson says she never had health benefits, sick days or vacation days. If she didn't unload containers, she didn't get paid."It all depends on how fast you work," she says. "It's like a race. You're racing to get done with the trailer so you can get another one. Otherwise, you won't get enough money." The warehouse floor wasn't a very welcoming place for a woman, Dickerson says. As one of the relatively few female lumpers, she says she was often fending off crude overtures from male co-workers. And then there were the bathroom issues. While it was piece rate when it benefited the boss, the clock came on for break time. Each day Dickerson had two 15-minute personal breaks in addition to her lunch, but the warehouse was so sprawling -- it covered ground equal to several football fields -- that it could take her five minutes to walk each way to get some air or use the bathroom, leaving her with only five minutes of personal time."When I used to go to the bathroom, I literally had somebody counting down the minutes," Dickerson says. It was particularly difficult when she was on her period and she felt couldn't use the restroom when she needed to. Eventually, she was being reprimanded for too many breaks, she says. Worried about losing her job, she says she tried so hard to avoid using the bathroom that she eventually developed a bladder infection.
Physically and emotionally drained, Dickerson stopped showing up at the warehouse earlier this year."My body still is not the same," she says. "I still have aches and I still have pains. I have migraines because of the stress I went through working at that place."Dickerson says she's now living in a house where the electricity and water have been shut off, sharing a cell phone with some of her neighbors. She's on government-sponsored health care, just as she was while working at the warehouse, and she now relies on food stamps to get by.The one place she refuses to take her food stamps is Walmart.
Walmart may have been the end beneficiary of Dickerson's sweat, but the big-box retailer wasn't directly responsible for her low pay or her aching body. That's one of the many benefits to an employment arrangement based on outsourcing and subcontracting: The corporation at the top indemnifies itself from any unpleasantness at the bottom, thanks to the smaller corporate players in the middle. Many American companies have woken up to this fact, with broad implications for the future of blue-collar work."It seems to be spreading like wildfire," Nelson Lichtenstein, a professor of American labor history at the University of California, Santa Barbara, says of such outsourcing, particularly as it relates to temp workers like Dickerson. "All of these companies, wherever they possibly can, they want to create a workforce that doesn't work for them. The question is, Why? What is the incentive?" "They're smart," he says. "They run the numbers."

Editorial : And we don`t need Unions any longer. Sure, and we don`t need to breathe. Organizing Wal-Mart will be tough, but, it can and must be done. This human bondage must not be tolerated. WE need Free-Democratic Trade Unions now more than EVER !

Walmart’s Health Insurance Changes Bad for Older Workers Responding to published reports that Walmart will be significantly increasing the burden of health care costs it places on associates, I worry that these increased health care costs will keep many from seeing a doctor, and make these health problems more serious and costlier. Just think how our nation’s health care costs would go down if those in this age group were to have more affordable, preventive medical care during this critical period of their lives,” Letter (read at http://bit.ly/tiGqk9). The Alliance encouraged Walmart to meet with OUR Walmart http://forrespect.org/, an employee organization, to hear their concerns and respond to their proposed solutions for improving working conditions at the nation’s largest private sector employer.

Fiat Lux

Body Parts in a Test Tube ? You Bet`Cha !

The Gift of Life...Grow/Print Your Own !

Facts Stranger than Fiction

Click here to watch Dr. Anthony Atala >

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RMx31GnNXY

Watch Wake Forest University's Anthony Atala discuss how science fiction is becoming science fact in regenerative medicine. Then read his follow-up blog post on this topic below.

To many people, the idea of growing replacement body parts in the lab sounds like modern-day science fiction. People are often surprised to learn that this notion of harnessing the body's natural regenerative powers isn't new. In fact, aviator Charles Lindbergh did research in this area back in the 1930s in hopes of finding a solution for his ailing sister-in-law. The idea has endured because of the desperate need for replacement organs. Every 30 seconds, a patient dies from diseases that could be treated with organ or tissue replacement. Today, regenerative medicine is becoming science fact. In the area of cell therapies, advances include a recent report that cardiac stem cells were able to improve heart function in a small group of patients with heart failure. In the area of tissue engineering -- or growing organs in the lab -- skin, cartilage, bladders, urine tubes, trachea and blood vessels have all been engineered outside the human body and implanted in patients. While these advances are currently helping small groups of patients through clinical trials, the goal of regenerative medicine scientists is to expand the applications of regenerative medicine to a wider range of diseases and also to larger groups of patients. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has called regenerative medicine the "next evolution of medical treatments". With its potential to heal, this new field of science is expected to revolutionize health care. Because of the promise of regenerative medicine, the U.S. military has funded an $85 million effort to develop regenerative medicine treatments for wounded warriors. Regenerative medicine offers the potential to improve the quality of life for many, but also to combat rising health care costs. Early estimates project that regenerative medicine therapies will result in direct health care cost savings in the United States of $250 billion per year for the chronic diseases of renal failure, heart failure, stroke, diabetes, burn and spinal cord injuries. In my TED talk, I highlighted some of the work of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC. Our team of more than 300 scientists is working on cell therapies and developing replacement tissues and organs for more than 30 different areas of the body. For example, the talk highlights our still-experimental work to engineer a human kidney. Being able to replace solid organs such as the heart, liver, kidney and pancreas is considered the "holy grail" of tissue engineering. That's why we're pursuing multiple strategies in this area: cell therapies, tissue "inserts" to augment an organ's function, and "printing" replacement organs. At TED, we demonstrated 3-D printing technology, already used in a variety of industries -- from auto parts to concrete structures. Our goal, or course, is to apply the technology to organs. The project is based on earlier research in which we engineered miniature kidneys using biomaterials and cells. In animals, these structures were shown to be functional, in that they were able to filter blood and produce dilute urine. This printer, while still experimental, is being explored for organs such as the kidney and structured tissue such as the ear. The ultimate goal is to use patient data, such as from a CT scan, to create a computer model of the organ we want to print. This model would be used to guide the printer as it layer-by-layer prints a replacement organ made up of cells and the biomaterials to hold the cells together. For me, the real highlight of the TED experience was a reunion with Luke Masella, one of the first patients to receive a lab-engineered organ -- a bladder. Seeing Luke again and hearing about his successes reinforced in my mind the ultimate goal of regenerative medicine -- to make patients better. That in itself makes it an idea worth sharing in 2012 and beyond.

Editorial : As a Heart-Transplant who waited tw0 (2) years 17 days 14 hours and twenty minutes, but who was watching the clock ? I pray for these modern miracle advances ! I`m 17 years post now !

The Gift of Life, What a Loving/Masonic Thing to Do !

Tennessee District#8~Recent Votes...

Your Tennessee Representatives Voting for ?

Contact Tennessee Elected Rep.`s Here http://www.tennesseeanytime.org/topics/Elected+Officials

Recent Senate Votes:
Balanced Budget Amendment - Vote Rejected (21-79)The Senate rejected the Democratic balanced-budget amendment that would have taken Social Security off the books and prohibited Congress from cutting taxes for millionaires if the cut increased the deficit. A two-thirds majority is needed in both chambers to send constitutional amendments to the states for ratification. Sen. Lamar Alexander voted NO......send e-mail or see bio Sen. Bob Corker voted NO......send e-mail or see bio

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Balanced Budget Amendment - Vote Rejected (47-53)The Senate rejected the Republican balanced-budget amendment proposal that would have required a two-thirds majority in both chambers to increase taxes and limited federal spending to 18 percent of the country’s economic output. The August debt limit law required both chambers to consider balanced-budget amendments before the end of the year. Sen. Lamar Alexander voted YES......send e-mail or see bio Sen. Bob Corker voted YES......send e-mail or see bio

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Defense Authorization, FY2012 - Vote Agreed to (86-13, 1 Not Voting)The Senate cleared this $662 billion measure for the president that authorizes defense policies for the current fiscal year. The House passed the bill the previous day. Sen. Lamar Alexander voted YES......send e-mail or see bio Sen. Bob Corker voted YES......send e-mail or see bio

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Reid-McConnell Amdt.; Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2011 - Vote Agreed to (89-10, 1 Not Voting)The Senate approved this amendment to H.R.3630 that replaces the House bill with the Senate’s compromise bill. The amended bill would extend by 2 months the Social Security payroll tax cut and benefits for the long-term unemployed. The deal also includes a provision directing the White House to expedite the decision on the construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline. The bill subsequently passed by unanimous consent. It is unclear as of press time if the House will pass the Senate bill. Sen. Lamar Alexander voted YES......send e-mail or see bio Sen. Bob Corker voted NO......send e-mail or see bio
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Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2012 - Vote Passed (72-27, 1 Not Voting)The Senate cleared this bill to provide $8.6 billion in disaster relief and to combat Social Security fraud, sending it to the president for his signature. The House passed this bill the previous day. Sen. Lamar Alexander voted YES......send e-mail or see bio Sen. Bob Corker voted NO......send e-mail or see bio
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Military Construction-VA Appropriations, FY2012 - Vote Agreed to (67-32, 1 Not Voting)The Senate gave final approval to the conference report for this $915 billion "megabus" spending bill that provides funds for the rest of the fiscal year for the remaining nine annual appropriations bills. The nine bills are the Military Construction-VA, Defense, Energy-Water, Financial Services, Homeland Security, Interior-Environment, Labor-HHS-Education, Legislative Branch and State-Foreign Operations appropriations bills. The House passed the bill the previous day. The president is expected to sign the bill. Sen. Lamar Alexander voted YES......send e-mail or see bio Sen. Bob Corker voted NO......send e-mail or see bio
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Recent House Votes:

Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2011 - Vote Passed (234-193, 6 Not Voting)The House passed this Republican version of the payroll tax extension bill. The bill would extend the Social Security payroll tax cut for one year, prevent Medicare payments to doctors from being cut more than 27 percent, and overhaul the unemployment benefits program. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) called the bill "dead on arrival" in the Senate. Rep. Stephen Fincher voted YES......send e-mail or see bio
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Iran Sanctions - Vote Passed (410-11, 12 Not Voting)The House voted to strengthen sanctions against Iran that are intended to deny the regime resources to develop nuclear weapons. The Senate is unlikely to pass the bill. Rep. Stephen Fincher voted YES......send e-mail or see bio
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Defense Authorization, FY2012 - Vote Passed (283-136, 14 Not Voting)The House passed this $662 billion measure that authorizes defense policies for the current fiscal year. The Senate cleared the measure for the president the next day.
Rep. Stephen Fincher voted YES......send e-mail or see bio
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Intelligence Authorization, FY2012 - Vote Passed (396-23, 14 Not Voting)The House gave final approval to this bill authorizing funds for 16 intelligence agencies for the current fiscal year. The amount is classified, but it is estimated to be around $78.6 billion. The Senate passed the bill on December 14 by unanimous consent. The president is expected to sign it. Rep. Stephen Fincher voted YES......send e-mail or see bio
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Military Construction-VA Appropriations, FY2012 - Vote Passed (296-121, 16 Not Voting)The House passed the conference report for this $915 billion "megabus" spending bill that provides funds for the rest of the fiscal year for the remaining nine annual appropriations bills. The nine bills are the Military Construction-VA, Defense, Energy-Water, Financial Services, Homeland Security, Interior-Environment, Labor-HHS-Education, Legislative Branch and State-Foreign Operations appropriations bills. The Senate gave final approval to the bill the next day. The president is expected to sign it into law. Rep. Stephen Fincher voted YES......send e-mail or see bio
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Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2012 - Vote Passed (351-67, 15 Not Voting)The House passed this $8.6 billion bill to provide additional disaster relief funds to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers and to combat Social Security waste. The Senate passed the bill the next day, sending it to the President. Rep. Stephen Fincher voted YES......send e-mail or see bio

Editorial : Senators Alexander & Corker both Republicans from Tennessee ~ Congressman Stephen Fincher Republican District#8-Tennessee. Please peruse carefully, It seems Senator Bob Corker does`nt like anything to do with Social Security ! It kinda looks like Cong. Foncher would allow up to a 27% decrease to Dr.`S ...Not good ! The middle class tax relief, Mr. Fincher voted for, which translates to NO to Social Security and Medicare. How, you like him now Tennesseans in District-8 ?

Republican leadership say that after votes Tuesday, the House will go into recess but return if the Senate agrees to come back into session and work out differences in extending the payroll tax cuts that expire at the end of the year.The Democratic-controlled Senate on Saturday passed a two-month extension of the tax cuts, which amount to about $1,000 for the average American, and sent it to the Republican-controlled House for its approval. Congressional and White House negotiators had tried to work out a one-year extension, but the Senate fell back to the two-month extension to buy more time for more negotiations without the cuts expiring on December 31.The House Tuesday has scheduled votes to reaffirm that it favors a yearlong extension and that it wants the Senate to return to work out differences. A vote scheduled for Monday night on the Senate’s plan was canceled. Democratic leadership aides in the Senate insist they won’t budge on their position -- they won’t negotiate until the House passes the two-month extension that the Senate passed with bipartisan support.

The vote is in. Minutes ago, Tea Party Republicans blocked a bipartisan bill to extend President Obama’s payroll tax cut.Now, middle class Americans could see their taxes increase by $1,000 on January 1st unless Speaker Boehner, Eric Cantor and House Republicans back down from their extreme stance.It is up to us to ensure that voters in their districts are aware of the damage that House Republicans are wreaking on behalf of the Tea Party fringe and the top 1% !

Fiat Lux

Christmas Message from Richard Trumka...

Republicans on Attack ! Or The Grinch who Stole Christmas...
By: Richard Trumka

I just got a message from our Government Affairs director, Bill Samuel, telling me about a temper tantrum on Capitol Hill.

Contact your Congressperson here > http://www.congress.org/congressorg/directory/congdir.tt

It’s flat-out heartless for lawmakers to go home and enjoy the holidays, while their political posturing causes millions of families across America to suffer anxiety and heartbreak. But House Speaker John Boehner(R) is threatening to do just that. He says he’ll block unemployment aid and raise taxes on working families—even though 89 senators from both sides of the aisle already voted to extend the aid and keep the tax cut in place. Failing to extend emergency unemployment aid and middle-class tax cuts is cruel and wrong. Cruel because it takes away a lifeline for families that need it. Wrong because it delivers two massive blows to our fragile economy. I need you to stop what you’re doing, pick up the phone and dial 1-888-245-3381. Tell the person who answers the phone: “Please pass the Senate’s bill to extend unemployment aid and middle-class tax cuts immediately.” You can also call House Speaker John Boehner(R) at 202-225-0600. Tell him, “ You and your Tea Party supporters can’t keep hurting the American people just so you can get what you want. Stop this temper tantrum and pass the Senate’s bipartisan bill to extend unemployment aid and middle-class tax cuts now.” If you want to learn more about the deal, keep reading. I’m forwarding a message from Bill. But the most important thing is for you to pick up the phone, right now.

Editorial : I just called Rep. Stephen Fincher (R) District#8~Tennessee. Have you ? "Thank You" for all you do ! Maybe, a better Christmas for those who need it !

Congressperson here > http://www.congress.org/congressorg/directory/congdir.tt

From : Bill Samuel

Sent: Monday, December 19, 2011 10:40 AM

To: Richard L. Trumka, President AFL-CIO

Subject: Temper Tantrum on Capitol Hill

Rich,

As I mentioned this weekend, the Senate passed a bipartisan deal with 89 votes to keep emergency unemployment benefits going for two months and extend middle-class tax cuts.This was not just a bipartisan deal--it passed with an overwhelming super-majority. This two-month extension seemed like a done deal. But this morning, we got word that John Boehner and his Tea Party friends are threatening to blow up the whole thing. The Senate has already left town. This is really bad.The only thing that might be able to save emergency unemployment and middle-class tax cuts is a flood of phone calls from outraged constituents. Can you ask our activists to make emergency phone calls today? The toll-free number we need people to call today is 1-888-245-3381. People should demand their representative pass the Senate's bipartisan bill to extend unemployment aid and tax cuts for working families.They can also call House Speaker John Boehner and tell him the same thing. His number is 202-225-0600. A House vote is expected as early as 6:30 p.m. eastern time tonight, but people should keep calling in and spreading the word to friends and family in case the vote gets delayed. I wish I had better news--but with activists' help we might be able to make this come out OK.

-- Bill

Lux e tenebris

Tell the REPUBLICANS ~ We`ll Do it Without YOU !

House Speaker John Boehner (R) (center) Senator Harry Reid (D) (upper left)

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, said Monday he will not agree to reopen negotiations with House leaders on a payroll tax cut until the House passes the two-month extension already approved by the Senate.

Earlier Monday, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said he expected the House to reject the tax cut bill that the Senate approved Saturday. Boehner also said that he expected the House to pass legislation reinforcing the need for a one-year extension and that he wanted the matter to be taken up by a House-Senate conference committee. Reid said in a statement that, "My House colleagues should be clear on what their vote means today. If Republicans vote down the bipartisan compromise negotiated by Republican and Democratic leaders, and passed by 89 senators including 39 Republicans, their intransigence will mean that in ten days, 160 million middle class Americans will see a tax increase, over two million Americans will begin losing their unemployment benefits, and millions of senior citizens on Medicare could find it harder to receive treatment from physicians."The payroll tax cut extension expires at the end of the year and is worth roughly $1,000 a year for an average family.

Editorial : Mr. Boehner taking care of his millionaire friends. "You Bet`Cha ! Harry Reid, taking care of the 99%.

UNIONS FIGHT a NEVER ENDING BATTLE/ENEMY > THE REPUBLICANS

Court Upholds Fair Election Rule for Air and Rail Workers
by Mike Hall, Dec 16, 2011

The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., today upheld the new democratic union election rule for aviation and rail workers issued by the National Mediation Board (NMBM) in 2010.

The aviation industry, led by Delta Airlines, challenged the new rule and today’s decision was the second time a federal court upheld the democratic election rule.
For decades, the deck was stacked against workers covered under the Rail Labor Act (RLA) because every worker who did not cast a vote in a representation election was automatically counted as a “No” vote. The new NMB rule says that an election’s outcome will be decided by the majority of votes cast, just like every other election, from city council to the presidency. In a statement this afternoon, the Flight Attendants (AFA\CWA) said: This decision confirms that the National Mediation Board has full and absolute authority to bring democracy to union elections in their jurisdiction. The new rule was at the center of this summer’s shutdown of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) by Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill who held funding for the agency hostage in an attempt to repeal right of air and rail workers to democratic union elections. After Republicans backed down, a temporary funding bill was approved this fall, but the runs out next month and Republicans with the backing of the airline industry are expected to mount another attack on the workers’ rights to fair elections. Says AFA\CWA: For too long, ideologues have held up passage of this vital piece of legislation on the hope that they could strip aviation workers of their democratic right of free and fair union elections. It is time for Congress to drop this single-minded crusade against workers’ right to join a union. We encourage Congress to pass a comprehensive funding bill that allows the FAA to move forward on vital safety and airport improvement projects that will help to enhance the world’s greatest aviation system.

Editorial : Free at Last, Free at Last, "Thank God Almighty, Free at Last" ! Republicans will mount another attack...SOON !

Spes mea in Deo est.