My Second Chance at Life ! August 17, 1994

Heart-Transplant Anniversary, August 17, 1994 http://www.gmwp.org/vision2013/oda/
by Don Jones

I began my journey on July 1, 1992 at Vanderbilt University Hospital in Nashville Tennessee. Little did I know, that I would wait two(2)years 17 days for my new heart ? After a long wait, I received my call on the afternoon of August 17, 1994. Dr. Yeoh called and said " Com`on Don We`ve got you a heart" ! I thought during this two year wait, that when the call came, and I never doubted that it would. I could drive myself and my wife to Vanderbilt and get my new heart. I was wrong. My mind was racing at 100 miles per hour, my bags packed. My youngest son Rip, was home and said, "Dad, I`ll drive you"! He did and on our way to Nashville, my wife needed to use the bathroom. He stopped at a Quick Stop on I-40 and Hwy 641. As my wife and I went inside, he sat in the car and waited. When we arrived at the rest rooms, both were occupied. The lady`s room cleared out first. There was a young Dad, and his son waiting to use the men`s room. My wife said, "Don go ahead and use the lady`s room, I`ll watch the door". I said no, I`ll wait. My wife looked at the young man waiting to get in the men's room and told him what our mission was, that we were on the way to Vanderbilt to get my new heart. He said "Sir, please use the lady`s room and good luck"! I did, and to make a long story short, it should have been a omen. When I arrived at Vanderbilt, I received a female heart. I actually received my heart under the best of conditions. My Donor was in the next operating room. Her heart was not removed until I arrived. I later found out that this is highly improbable. Dr. Walter Merrill MD, was my surgeon, when I arrived, he assured me that I was going to be fine. Later, I called him "The Great Merrill"! and he was. That was what seems like a lifetime ago. 16 years is a longtime in a transplants life. In this writers opinion, I have been a complete success. Have there been set backs ? Certainly. Have the set backs been worth it ? You bet !Everyone does not get a second chance, I did ! I try to not waste my time and one way of giving back, is My/Our Organ/Donation Awareness Program with my beloved "Freemasons of Tennessee" ! The unsung hero in all of this is my Donor and her Donor family ! She was killed in a traffic accident and had the forsight to have signed her drivers license and talked it over with her family. She gave me "The Gift of Life"! You can now go on-line and become an Organ Donor > Just click on the link > http://www.tndonorregistry.org/index.aspx <

http://www.gmwp.org/vision2013/oda/ <

My bible says that all knowledge comes from God ! It just seems to this transplant, that he gave more knowledge to Vanderbilt than their share ! The forgotten person in all of this is my wife. My wife, nurse, caregiver, pardner, lover, and Mother of my two Sons. She is my rock. I could not have made this incredible journey without her. I am/was Heart-Transplant #189 at Vandy. Today they are well over 600 heart-transplants. I thank God and Vanderbilt for this modern miracle ! Just recently, Dr. Mark Wigger MD, Heart-Transplant Director and my Dr. Saved my bacon again. I had pneumonia, he put me in Vandy three days and I`m well once more. "Thank You" Dr. Wigger and Sherri, my Transplant Nurse ! Just click on the link below to see our Organ/Donor Awareness Masonic Program !

> http://www.gmwp.org/vision2013/oda/ <

Republicans & Social Security ~ Scare You ? Scare`s Me !

75th Birthday of Social Security...

Tomorrow, August 14, is the 75th Anniversary of the day that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the Social Security program into law, For a list of all the birthday activities, go to http://bit.ly/aTIDaP. Event highlights include those in Tucson, Arizona, where FDR's granddaughter is the special speaker at a lunch, and Rock Hill, South Carolina, where Alliance members will present Rep. John Spratt (D) with a special plaque to thank him for his service, along with a giant card signed by constituents asking him to continue protecting and preserving Social Security. Rep. Spratt will then cut a birthday cake and announce the winner of the raffle for whacking rights to a large "Fat Cat" piñata. Alliance President Barbara J. Easterling will call into the Social Security-Medicare party in Omaha, Nebraska to address those in attendance. "Retirees have much to be proud of as Social Security turns 75. It is a true American success story, one that has kept generations of seniors out of poverty, and allowed millions to retire with dignity and peace of mind. But this milestone anniversary is tainted by calls, in the name of deficit reduction, to cut Social Security benefits and raise the retirement age," House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH)(upper left), who offered another signal last Sunday that his party would favor raising the Social Security retirement age. Asked specifically on NBC's "Meet the Press" if he supports raising the retirement age to, say, 70, Boehner replied, "There are a lot of options on how you solve these (issues), but I don't want to put the cart before the horse." Later during the program, Boehner's deputy, Rep. Mike Pence (upper right) (R-IN), said of raising the retirement age, "...for younger Americans, absolutely yes, we ought to bring real reform for the sake of future generations of Americans to get spending under control." For related information, including a link to state reports from the group Strengthen Social Security, with detailed information down to the congressional district level on the impact of Social Security, go to www.strengthensocialsecurity.org/reports.

Raising the Retirement Age, with People Filing for Early Social Security Benefits ?
A striking trend is occurring: more people are filing early for their Social Security benefits in response to the weak economy. The Washington Post ( http://bit.ly/aHvTsz ) reported this week that more people filed for Social Security in 2009 (2.74 million) than in any year before. It's not just because of the baby boomers - there is a significant increase in individuals receiving reduced benefits because they filed in advance of their full retirement age. Noting the trend and referring to the Republican efforts to raise the retirement age, Alliance Secretary-Treasurer Ruben Burks said, "Can you imagine working until 70? In physically demanding jobs like construction, manufacturing, and the service sector, I just don't see how you can. And in a tough job market, who would hire someone in their late 60s? Raising the retirement age is a benefit cut - plain and simple. We cannot allow it to be done."

Editorial : Republicans want to get their hands on your/our Social Security ! We cannot allow them to privatize Social Security ! Those two Republican Congressman at top of page, need to GO ! It seems to this writer, that their picture ought to be in a post office, with a number under it.

Not Your Fathers Union ~ Hey Thats Me ! In a Word ~ Innovation !

http://legacy.usw/program/content/index.php

Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm,Governor of Michigan
Posted: August 10, 2010 09:29

Not Your Father's, United Auto Workers...

The ground shook a bit in Michigan last week, and it had nothing to do with the weather or the interesting results of a state primary election. The speech of brand-new president of the UAW, Bob King, at the 45th annual Center for Automotive Research (CAR) Management Briefing Seminar at Traverse City sent tremors down I-75, right through Tennessee and down into Alabama and off to Juarez, too. Bob didn't give an ordinary speech -- and he certainly didn't have an ordinary message. Yes, he talked about the UAW's gratitude to the Obama Administration for saving the auto industry, its continuing commitment to the middle class, and to its core mission to protect the interests of its members. All predictable. The quakes began when he said: "The UAW of the 21st Century must be fundamentally and radically different from the UAW of the 20th Century. The 20th-Century UAW tried to find ways to achieve job security, such as job banks, that in the end did not achieve the results we were seeking. The 21st-Century UAW knows the only true path to job security is by producing the best quality product, the safest product and the longest lasting product at the best price."
King candidly acknowledged the union's past mistakes: fighting clean air efforts; opposing global trade; negotiating contracts that created adversarial relationships between union and management and created "a litigious and time-consuming grievance culture." Wow. So what does King's focus mean for the future of American manufacturing? If King's vision is fully realized, the UAW becomes the auto industry's key partner in global competitiveness and stellar quality, and not the anchor that pulls a company under because of inflexibility and costs. The UAW becomes the trainer and the broker of the world's greatest talent for manufacturing the most technologically complex mass-produced product in the world. Indeed, instead of being blamed for chasing investment away from industrial states, the UAW may become the place to turn to ensure a company's success. That would be a welcome paradigm shift. In Dundee, Michigan, the UAW has negotiated just such a contract. The Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance is producing the new engine for the Fiat 500. To ensure maximum flexibility, the UAW contract has only one job classification. The objective of the plant - and of the new Chrysler -- is to ensure that "anyone can do any job, anywhere, anytime." The team concept is deployed on the floor of the new plant. The observer can't tell which worker belongs to management and which worker is a member of the union. Every person hired in this factory has a college degree or technical certification. Partnership. Quality. Competitiveness. Flexibility. Teamwork. Innovation. Productivity. Continuous cost-savings. Respect. These are the words of the new UAW and the new auto industry - and the words of a hopeful future for advanced manufacturing jobs in America.

Editorial : This writer has been advocating this for a longtime ! United Steelworkers of America, Leo Gerard, are you reading/listening ? I`ve never met Bro. Bob King, President UAW ~ "Thank You" ! I wondered what innovation meant, now, I know !

Republicans Want YOUR Social Security ! STOP THEM NOW !

Report Shows Social Security Is Strong for the Long Term
by Mike Hall, Aug 5, 2010

Despite the nation’s overall economic problems, Social Security is still in long-term strong shape, according to the most recent report by the Social Security Board of Trustees. The trustees project that after 2037, tax revenue will be sufficient to pay 78 percent of full benefits. The projected funding shortfall over 75 years is actually lower than in last year’s report. Also, a report by Medicare’s Board of Trustees shows that the recently enacted health care reform law will significantly slow Medicare cost growth, thereby extending the life of Medicare’s trust fund for 12 years, reducing Part B premiums and reducing the federal deficit. Social Security’s $2.5 trillion trust fund will continue to grow for another 14 years and Social Security will pay out full benefits from its own dedicated resources for another 27 years, according to the report.
Says AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka:
The reports are a needed comeuppance to right-wing, ideological opponents of Social Security and Medicare who, year after year, twist the facts to undermine public confidence in these essential programs, hoping that this will lessen public resistance to their wildly unpopular agenda of benefit cuts, privatization, and vouchers. The report is not likely to slow what Nancy Altman and Eric Kingston, co-chairs of the just-launched coalition Strengthen Social Security…Don’t Cut It, call the growing drumbeat that has convinced much of the political and media elite that Social Security is in crisis, unaffordable, out of date, and should be changed fundamentally—or at the very least, cut back for those not yet retired.
Click here to read their recent op-ed in the Cap Times. The federal budget deficit commission, by all accounts, is considering benefits cuts, including raising the retirement age, even though as the AFL-CIO told a House Ways and Means committee hearing last month, Social Security “is not a principal contributor to deficits in the short or the long term.” Electrical Workers (IBEW) President Edwin Hill writes in a Huffington Post column this week that along with anti-Social Security politicians like House Minority Leader Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), Wall Street also is singing in the benefit-cut chorus. Former Lehman Brothers chief executive Peter Peterson is launching a multi-million dollar campaign to convince voters that without immediate cutbacks to Social Security benefits, our country faces imminent financial collapse. In addition, Hill writes that “a swath of new Tea Party-inspired” GOP candidates have gone on record in support of privatizing Social Security, including Senate candidates Sharron Angle in Nevada and Rand Paul in Kentucky… [and Ohio Rep. John Boehner] have dodged the question about whether or not the GOP will try to privatize Social Security if it takes over Congress in November.

Altman says politicians “should stop scaring the American people.”

Social Security is strong and should be strengthened, not cut. The reality is the biggest threat to Social Security is the politicians in Washington who continue to play politics with this issue. The Campaign for America’s Future (CAF) has launched a new campaign to send a message to every politician in Washington—Hands off Social Security! You can click here to sign the petition that tells lawmakers: We need to strengthen Social Security, not cut it. That is why I oppose any cuts to Social Security benefits, including increasing the retirement age. I also oppose any effort to privatize Social Security, in whole or in part.

CAF is partnering with MoveOn.org, Democracy for America, Credo Action and the Teamsters to send the messages. Also, as part of the upcoming 75th anniversary (Aug. 14) of Social Security being signed into law, the Alliance for Retired Americans wants to hear your stories about how Social Security has made a difference in your life—or positively impacted a family member, neighbor or friend. It could be a >

•A story about you, a family member, a friend or a neighbor.
•A story about Social Security helping a family survive after a tragedy
•A story about Social Security making retirement possible.
If you are a younger worker who would be affected by cuts in Social Security benefits or raising the retirement age—especially if you are one of 78 million Americans who does not have a retirement plan through your employer or has a 401(k) slammed by the economy, you can submit you concerns and worries about Social Security too.

You can submit your story to the American Stories Project here. http://blog.aflcio.org/2010/08/05/report-shows-social-security-is-strong-for-the-long-term/

Editorial : Bottom line, Republicans want YOUR Social Security Money ! They want it to invest on Wall-Street ! Now that would be a smart move, duh, I don`t think so ! Keep our money off of Las-Vegas-Wall-Street ! Please click on the title of this blog to get links that are necessary to put your story out there ! or click on the link below !

http://blog.aflcio.org/2010/08/05/report-shows-social-security-is-strong-for-the-long-term/

President Obama~Keep it "Made in America" !

President Obama Says ‘Made in America’ at Heart of U.S. Recovery
by Mike Hall, Aug 4, 2010

President Obama spoke today at the AFL-CIO Executive Council meeting. Seated (from left): AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka and AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Arlene Holt Baker. President Obama today told the AFL-CIO Executive Council, “We are going to keep fighting for an economy that works for everybody, not just a privileged few.” He also said that with the help of working families and their unions, we are going to rebuild our economy stronger than before, and at the heart of it will be three simple words: Made in America. Speaking on his 49th birthday at the Washington (D.C) Convention Center, the president told the council that this fall’s election is a choice between polices that encourage job creation here in America or encourage jobs to go elsewhere…The choice is whether we want to go forward or we want to go backwards to the same policies that got us into this mess in the first place. He spoke about the need to invest in clean technology, like solar panels, wind turbines, nuclear plants, clean coal and new car batteries. Instead of giving tax breaks to corporations that want to ship jobs overseas, we want to give tax breaks to companies that are investing right here in the United States of America. Obama said that after nearly a decade of failed economic policies that “drove America’s economy into a ditch….We’re on the right track.” Instead of losing millions of jobs, we have created jobs for six straight months in the private sector. Instead of an economy that is contracting, we’ve got an economy that is expanding. So the last thing we would want to do is go back to what we were doing before. Responding to a question from AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, Obama said “We are going to keep fighting for the Employee Free Choice Act.” Recalling Franklin D. Roosevelt’s comment that if he were a factory worker, he’d join a union, Obama said:. Well, I tell you what. I think that’s true for workers generally. I think if I was a coal miner, I’d want a union representing me to make sure that I was safe and you did not have some of the tragedies that we’ve been seeing in the coal industry. If I was a teacher, I’d want a union to make sure that the teachers’ perspective was represented as we think about shaping an education system for our future.

Editorial : Mr. President, its trade, trade, trade !

Save the Congressional Millionaire$...

SAVE THE CONGRESSIONAL MILLIONAIRE$
Friday, July 23, 2010 Posted by Jim Hightower

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

"Congress, where 44 percent are millionaires, freeze pay," http://www.yahoo.com/ , May 3, 2010.

Strengthen Social Security...Don`t Cut It !

Fiscal Commission Meets Again, Considers Medicare, Social Security Cuts > http://www.strengthensocialsecurity.org/. <

Did You Know…
A new survey sponsored by the National Council on Aging (NCOA) found that only 24% knew that the new health law will extend the solvency of Medicare, and only 14% were aware that the reforms are projected to cut deficit spending. To print a copy of this document, go to > http://bit.ly/aISZwC.
____________________________________________________________________

The Wednesday, July 28th meeting of the President's Fiscal Commission, which is charged with fixing the federal budget deficit, featured testimony from Maya MacGuineas, President of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a conservative organization funded by the right-wing Pete Peterson Foundation. MacGuineas mentioned raising the retirement age as a viable option to help generate savings. Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) made the point that the debate must shift away from spending cuts and start to focus more on revenue raising options, saying that capping mandatory spending on entitlement programs such as Social Security will undoubtedly generate minimal savings at the expense of deserving beneficiaries. For an Alliance summary of the happenings at Wednesday's meeting, go to http://bit.ly/c2tIIb.
______________________________________________________________

Social Security's 75th Birthday Festivities Begin http://www.strengthensocialsecurity.org/.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), House Democratic Leaders, and House Democrats held a press event on Wednesday on the steps of the U.S. Capitol to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Social Security Act, which President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law on August 14, 1935. At the event, the Speaker blasted Republicans for trying to privatize Social Security, saying the change would have resulted in the trust fund incurring a massive loss due to the downturn in the stock market. Last Saturday in Las Vegas, at the "Netroots Nation" convention, the Speaker said that she is opposed to raising the retirement age. House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) has said that he favors raising the Social Security retirement age to 70. On Thursday, more than 60 groups, including the Alliance, announced the creation of the coalition "Strengthen Social Security…Don't Cut It." The new group is launching a major mobilization to push back against Fiscal Commission assertions, backed by the Wall Street spin machine, that claim Social Security is a major component of the budget deficit and is teetering on the brink of disaster. In a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., the group outlined plans to build support in Congress to fight benefits cuts and press candidates this election to push back against any move to raise the retirement age or privatize the program. "We are united by our concerns over the new Fiscal Commission, which operates in virtual secrecy and with a fundamentally flawed understanding of how Social Security is financed and operates. There is no government financial commitment at all. Every dime comes from workers and employers," The new group's web site is http://www.strengthensocialsecurity.org/. For more information, go to the AFL-CIO blog at http://bit.ly/bk160P. For photos of the press conference, go to http://bit.ly/dixNaW. For a new Alliance document on Social Security Disability Insurance, visit http://bit.ly/bMs5Eu.

Social Security Myths...Check it Out !

Top 5 Social Security Myths

Myth #1: Social Security is going broke.

Reality: There is no Social Security crisis. By 2023, Social Security will have a $4.6 trillion surplus (yes, trillion with a 'T'). It can pay out all scheduled benefits for the next quarter-century with no changes whatsoever.1 After 2037, it'll still be able to pay out 75% of scheduled benefits—and again, that's without any changes. The program started preparing for the Baby Boomers' retirement decades ago. Anyone who insists Social Security is broke probably wants to break it themselves.

Myth #2: We have to raise the retirement age because people are living longer.

Reality: This is a red-herring to trick you into agreeing to benefit cuts. Retirees are living about the same amount of time as they were in the 1930s. The reason average life expectancy is higher is mostly because many fewer people die as children than they did 70 years ago.3 What's more, what gains there have been are distributed very unevenly—since 1972, life expectancy increased by 6.5 years for workers in the top half of the income brackets, but by less than 2 years for those in the bottom half. But those intent on cutting Social Security love this argument because raising the retirement age is the same as an across-the-board benefit cut.

Myth #3: Benefit cuts are the only way to fix Social Security.

Reality: Social Security doesn't need to be fixed. But if we want to strengthen it, here's a better way: Make the rich pay their fair share. If the very rich paid taxes on all of their income, Social Security would be sustainable for decades to come.5 Right now, high earners only pay Social Security taxes on the first $106,000 of their income.6 But conservatives insist benefit cuts are the only way because they want to protect the super-rich from paying their fair share.

Myth #4: The Social Security Trust Fund has been raided and is full of IOUs

Reality: Not even close to true. The Social Security Trust Fund isn't full of IOUs, it's full of U.S. Treasury Bonds. And those bonds are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States.7 The reason Social Security holds only treasury bonds is the same reason many Americans do: The federal government has never missed a single interest payment on its debts. President Bush wanted to put Social Security funds in the stock market—which would have been disastrous—but luckily, he failed. So the trillions of dollars in the Social Security Trust Fund, which are separate from the regular budget, are as safe as can be.

Myth #5: Social Security adds to the deficit

Reality: It's not just wrong—it's impossible! By law, Social Security's funds are separate from the budget, and it must pay its own way. That means that Social Security can't add one penny to the deficit.

Defeating these myths is the first step to stopping Social Security cuts.

FOX is NOT NEWS !

Fox News is Propaganda, Not NEWS !

In just a few days, the White House Correspondents Association will decide which news organization will be awarded the seat recently vacated by Helen Thomas. The news organizations most actively vying for the seat are FOX, NPR and Bloomberg News. FOX News is a right-wing propaganda outlet, not a legitimate news agency. In recent weeks the network has turned the volume up on its race-baiting political agenda. The media assault on Shirley Sherrod is just a latest in a series of racist and politically motivated attacks on targets like Van Jones, ACORN, and Eric Holder's Department of Justice. It's bad enough that we have to fight the constant smear campaigns and appeals to racial paranoia from FOX and the right-wing media. We can't let them have the best seat in the White House press briefing room and the legitimacy that it confers. I just told the White House Correspondents Association to give the best seat in the briefing room to NPR, not FOX. I hope you will, too.

Have a look and take action at the link below.

http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/fox_or_npr/?r_by=10248-3026155-9LZ3.px&rc=confemail

The Patients Bill of Rights !

Patients Bill of Rights

“Starting in September, some of the worst abuses will be banned forever. No more discriminating against children with pre-existing conditions. No more retroactively dropping somebody’s policy when they get sick if they made an unintentional mistake on an application. No more lifetime limits or restrictive annual limits on coverage. Those days are over.” –

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA


President Obama announced a Patient’s Bill of Rights made possible under health reform—a basic set of consumer protections that end some of the health insurance companies’ worst abuses.

The Patient’s Bill of Rights:

1. Prevents insurance companies from canceling your policy if you get sick. Right now, insurance companies can retroactively cancel your policy when you become sick if you or your employer made an unintentional mistake on your paperwork.

2. Stops insurance companies from denying coverage to children with pre-existing conditions. Beginning in September, discrimination against children with pre-existing conditions will be banned—a protection that will be extended to all Americans in 2014.

3. Prohibits setting lifetime limits on insurance policies issued or renewed after Sept. 23, 2010. No longer will insurance companies be able to take away coverage at the very moment when patients need it most. More than 100 million Americans have health coverage that imposes lifetime limits on care.

4. Phases out annual dollar limits on coverage over the next three years. Even more aggressive than lifetime limits are annual dollar limits on what an insurance company will pay for your health care. For the people with medical costs that hit these limits, the consequences can be devastating.

5. Allows you to designate any available participating primary care doctor as your provider. You’ll be able to keep the primary care doctor or pediatrician you choose, and see an OB-GYN without referral.

6. Removes insurance company barriers to receiving emergency care and prevents them from charging you more because you’re out of network. You’ll be able to get emergency care at a hospital outside of your plan’s network without facing higher co-pays or deductibles or having to fight to get approval first.

The Patient’s Bill of Rights starts to take effect this fall—but the benefits for individuals and families under health care reform don’t stop there. Over the course of the next several years, the historic health reform law will make care more affordable, hold insurers accountable, and finally give all Americans the coverage they deserve.

To learn more about what’s in the health care reform bill, please visit:

http://www.WHITEHOUSE.GOV

Thomas M.Cooley High School~Detroit Michigan ~ The End of an Era !

Thomas M. Cooley High School Detroit Michigan...Closing

by Don Jones...7/23/10

Former Audio-Visual Stage Technician at Cooley H.S. 1958-70

I have learned today that Thomas M. Cooley High School in Detroit Michigan will close its doors July 30, 2010 for the last time. It is a sad day for this writer. I worked there from 1958 until 1970 ! They were wonderful days at a school that was not only top notch in the city, but, academically one of the best in the State of Michigan. Cooley had the largest comprehensive music department in the United States at That time. I was privileged to work with some very talented people at Cooley. Ms. Doris Lenz was the fine arts Department head. Ms. Stella Schvickas was a wonderful art teacher. Mr. William E.(Bill) Hollingsworth was the Auditorium Director and my immediate supervisor and one great guy ! I have been in communication with Mr. Stephen Czapski, Principal at Cooley H.S. Having never met him, from his letters, he sounds like an upfront and caring man and Principal. I can only hope that the powers that be, will find a place for him in a broken but not dead yet system ? I understand they will place the 17 acres that Cooley presently sits on up for sale. My heart breaks, when I think they will demolish that auditorium and stage facility. It was built in 1928-29 and If you have never seen it, You should before it is gone. When I left Detroit in 1970 and headed for Martin Tennessee, little did I think of the events that would unfold. Detroit had approximately 2 1/2 - two and half million people in the City limits. There were 26 High Schools and the Detroit Board of Education was the largest employer in the City limits. Today, there are less than 800,000 thousand people in the City ! Detroit had a school system that was envied by everyone across the country ! Today it is in shambles. The arsenal of democracy is decaying before our very eyes. I believe it can be rebuilt. This City must not be allowed to continue on its present course. I informed Mr. Czapski, that the first time, I heard of the term "Quality Education", was around 1964-65, when Lyndon B. Johnson was president. The Congress under his direction passed the National Defense Education act (NDEA). Money was thrown at our school system like rice at a wedding. I`m not sure if helped or hindered ? For years after the (NDEA) I kept hearing the term, Quality Education. I really did`nt understand the definition or if there was a definition ? Then about three years ago, I learned what Quality Education was ! Definition of Quality Education = Discipline ! Somewhere along the way, we seem to have lost our way, in discipline. Now, I`m not sure how to regain it ? I just know, what it is ! The Teachers/Faculty blame the parents, the parents blame the Teachers and Administrators. I think there is enough blame for everyone to share and at this time and point, blame is irrelevant. I do not have all the answers, but, I have some. I just know, that if we do not save our public school system, we will lose ourselves ! We seem to have become a throw away society. If we throw away our public school system, we might as well consider ourselves lost in a wilderness of despair. Lets return to common sense and service to our fellowman. I realize, that I have rambled a bit, but, I cannot write this and be neutral. Everything in the past is not bad. Everything in the present only seems to be. Everything in the future depends on both ! I`m an old Detroiter, I can remember when it was Great ! I believe it can be again. It must be again or we all lose !

Cooley Cardinal ~ Black & Red Epitaph :

Thomas M. Cooley High School is located at the intersection of Hubbell and Chalfonte Street, on the northwest side of Detroit, Michigan. The three-story structure is operated by the Detroit Board of Education. The facility was named in honor of Thomas M. Cooley, a nineteenth-century jurist and Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court. Due to budget issues and declining enrollment, the school was closed at the end of the 2010 academic year.

Hi.

I am also a graduate of Cooley High School (1959) . I was privileged to have Don Jones as one of my teachers. Cooley High school was a wonderful building, beautifully built and very pleasing to the eye. The grounds were equally beautiful. We keep tearing down our old wonderful buildings . Why not sell it for a dollar and save the demolition costs, someone might have a good use for it. I know my memories are from 50 years ago but I’m sure the building is still salvageable. Another idea is sell it to China so it can follow the jobs that left Detroit.

Steve Sauter, Class of "59"

_____________________________________________________________________

Don :

I have tried with to no avail to save the closing of Cooley High School - even that last ditch effort. As I walked on each floor that last day - Thursday, July 29th - it was a shame to see the gutting of the school's interior. Currently, my objective is still to reopen as a magnet and academic academy, similar to the Lindblom - Math and Science Academy High School located on the South Side of Chicago. Lindblom had also fallen to disrepair within a socio-economic neighborhood, I would suggest similar to that of Cooley High School in Detroit. I visited the new Lindblom in April of this year. Wow, currently it is a wonderful refurbised high school (interior and exterior) with an advanced curriculum. Moreover, it has great architecture as does Cooley - though different type and period. I will not stop in this advocacy for Cooley High School within my geographic School Board District.

Sincerely,

Tyrone E. Winfrey, Sr. ~ School Board, City of Detroit

Until Trade is Leveled ~ Our Race to the Bottom Continues

Level the Playing Field in Trade Policy
by James Parks, Jul 19, 2010

Current U.S. trade policies encourage corporations to move production off our shores to low-wage countries that do not enforce workplace and environmental laws. This is good for multinational businesses and investors but bad for workers and communities, as pointed out by Stan Sorscher, legislative representative for the Society for Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA)/IFPTE Local 2001. Writing at Huffington Post, Sorscher says to level the playing field, the United States should set rules that will encourage more investment in America, and neutralize the flow of new investment offshore.
The nation also needs to set non-economic principles and rules that go beyond the bottom line. For example, U.S. corporations are not allowed to make goods in sweatshops. It’s only fair, he says, that we level the playing field by insisting on sweat-free goods when selling in our domestic market. If domestic manufacturers are responsible and play by rules that reflect our values, then at the very least, we should protect those local businesses from being undercut by foreign producers working to lower standards. Check out Sorscher’s full column, “Level the Playing Field in Trade Policy,” here. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stan-sorscher/level-the-playing-field-i_b_646234.html

Michael Duke, CEO Wal-Mart in a Word "OVERPAID"!

SURPRISE! THE PEOPLE SPEAK...Wal-Mart
Monday, July 19, 2010 Posted by Jim Hightower

Michael Duke is the Big Wally of Walmart. As CEO of the low-wage behemoth, he siphons some $19 million a year in personal pay from the global retailer. How much is $19 million? Let's break it down in terms that Duke's own workforce can appreciate. While Big Wally's workers average about $9.50 an hour, Duke's pay comes to about $9,500 an hour. So he pockets as much in two hours as Walmart workers make in a whole year! But Walmart doesn't give a damn about such gross pay gaps between privileged elites and the rest of us. As a spokesman scoffed, "I don't think Mike Duke... needs me to defend his compensation package." Really? If not you, who ? Those who think that the hoi polloi don't notice, much less care, about America's growing income disparity, should take a peek at a recent opinion survey run by the right-wing, corporate-funded Peter Peterson Foundation. This outfit intended to show that the general public backs the teabag agenda slashing of government spending, including balancing the federal budget by putting Social Security and Medicare on the chopping block. But – woopsie-daisy – the survey of thousands of Americans went badly wrong for the Peterson ideologues. For example, far from wanting to gut Social Security payments, 85 percent of the people favored extending the program by the making rich pay into the fund, like all the rest of us do. And – hey, Mike – this one's for you: nearly six out of 10 of the folks involved in the foundation's "America Speaks" survey want a new, higher tax bracket to make millionaires pay their fair share of providing for the common good. The foundation tried to bury these surprisingly progressive results, but you can see a good analysis of them at the Center for Economic Policy and Research: www.cepr.net.

"Americans Care About Jobs, Not Deficits -- When Will Obama Listen?" http://www.alternet.com/ , June 28, 2010.

"Walmart CEO Pay: More in an Hour Than Workers Get All Year?" http://www.abcnews.com/ , July 2, 2010.

"Executive Profiles* Mike Duke," http://www.businessweek.com/ , July 6, 2010.

Editorial : God forbid that millionaire$ pay income tax ! You know, like ordinary people !

UnderDogs Blog ~ Re-Published - Feb.01 18, 2012

Occasionally, I see a need to re-publish this particular blog ! One of those occasions is now. I have some readers, who do not agree with me. Hey, Thats fine. However, they seem to get bent all out of shape. Perhaps they need to read again !

Your Friend, I hope ? Underdog = Don Jones ... I wrote this almost three years ago, my view has not changed !

UnderDog`s Blog ! Re-Published... Feb 02, 2012
By Don Jones = Underdog

I publish this blog, called Underdog almost daily. I write about things, I think, I know about ? For instance, I write about Organ/Transplantation. I write about Unions. I write about healthcare. I write a little about Pulmonary Hypertension. At times I am very opinionated. I do not ask that you agree with me, I do ask however that when you disagree with me, that your comments on my blog be without curse words. I do not use them in my blog. I must insist that your comments be curse free. If they are not without curse words, that`s your prerogative. However, that particular comment will be deleted. That's my rule ! I am a Democrat most of the time. Although, I have voted Republican. I am a voter of platforms and programs. Thus, the platform of the Democrats, usually fit my needs. I feel that if you are a Republican voter, you are mostly with and not without, you are white collar not blue collar. I feel if you are opposed to health care reform, you are both with and have great insurance ! I`m a Democrat who opposes gun control. I am a Democrat who opposes abortion. If you want to carry a gun, and I do ! Get licensed. I am ! You don't want or believe in abortion, don`t have one ! As for myself and my family, I view it as our decision, not your`s ! I believe in Free Democratic Trade Unions ! I belong to one. In my state of Tennessee, we have a law called (Right to Work) You are not required by law to join a union. If you do not wish to join, don`t ! You must understand, that I do not agree with that law, but, I am a law abiding citizen, thus I do abide by it ! I believe we should have term limits for our politicians. Congress was never intended to be a life-time occupation. We have them for our President and in Tennessee we have them for our Governor. Why not Congress and the Senate ? I once had a politician tell me, he could`nt be bought, but, he could be rented for a little while. I had a problem with that statement. I am a practicing Christian. I believe in separation of church and state. I have seen my church lose members over the years, because they turned into a political action committee(PAC). Let your conviction be tempered by your love for your fellow man. Let your example be that of Love, Hope and Charity ! I am a Freemason, Do not ever give up on our democracy. Vote ! Demand that your voice be heard and that you stay in touch/contact with your elected Representative`s. When you do disagree with someone, disagree with kindness, not hate or disgust. My e-mail address is on my blog. You can contact me via e-mail. donjones90@gmail.com/ or donjones@charter.net . You can make comments on my blog, I encourage you to do so. Just be agreeable or disagreeable, not ugly ! If you have items of interest you would like to see published, just forward them to this writer. Now, understand, I am the publisher, I will decide what is published and what is not ! If you wish to save my web-address for my blog, just click on the title or the following link.

Democracy...is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch.

Liberty...is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.

Save blog > http://wwwsecondchance.blogspot.com/

and put it in your favorites.With warmest regard, I remain
Stick a Fork in Me, I`m Done !
UNDERDOG = Don Jones !

Fiat Lux

P.S. I hope this gives you a better insight as to my thinking and the positions I take on certain subjects !

Governor McWherter - Where Have You Gone ?

Former Governor Ned McWherter, As He sees It !
By: John Brannon, Special to The Press : Posted: Thursday, July 15, 2010

Former Tennessee Gov. Ned Ray McWherter offered a solution to stop the illegal aliens streaming across the U.S. border with Mexico: Use the National Guard. “I’d put some troops down there, and I’d stop this immigration problem we’re having,” he said. McWherter, 79, is a veteran of 30 years in state government, including 14 years as speaker of the Tennessee House and two terms (1987-1995) as governor. The Palmersville native lives in Dresden and is semi-retired. McWherter commented on the illegal alien problem and other issues during a recent interview with The Messenger. “I’d stop this walking across the line,” he said of illegals. “They’re going to keep doing that as long as we don’t close the borders. We’ve got enough National Guard troops that train two weeks each year. We could put National Guard troops from all the states down there for their training for a year or two, and it wouldn’t cost a lot of money. It needs to be stopped, and it can be. “We could close that border down, and if people wanted to come into our country, they could come like our ancestors did — do it the right way and become citizens.” He said the illegal aliens say they come in because they are the only ones that will work. “Well, if people can make a livable wage, they’ll work,” he said. “They always have. When I started out, out of school, I worked at the shoe factory. My mother worked at the shirt factory. Everybody worked.
“Our economy will build back and sustain itself if we give the people the opportunity to have jobs.”
Other issues discussed included:

The Obama administration:

“Obama is borrowing too much money, in my judgment, putting a lot of it out here, and I don’t know how effective it’s going to be. Tennessee has never been very supportive of him. I was for Hillary (Clinton in her presidential campaign). She defeated him pretty well in Tennessee. “It seems like they (Obama administration) are prone to want to give money away. In my judgment, they’re still not popular in Tennessee.” He said Obama administration’s practices had an influence in Democratic Congressman John Tanner’s decision to retire at the end of his current term. “I think John just got worn out with them borrowing money. I think that’s one of the reasons (he’s retiring). When I talked to him, I was kind of shocked that he decided to leave this year, but he just said, ‘The leadership up there pushes some legislation that I don’t agree with.’ “We have a good congressman. He just doesn’t believe in borrowing all this money. Look at how much we owe the Red Chinese. In my judgment, that’s dangerous.” The United States reportedly owes China $91 billion. The total national debt is listed as $12,933,965,635,673 or almost $13 trillion.

The economy:

“I am a person who believes this economy, our country (with its) so-called capitalistic economy, is strong enough, that when you give it time, it will correct itself. What has happened, in my judgment, we don’t have any more middle income jobs. It’s either privileged or low. High income and low income.
“I can remember when Union City had a thriving shoe manufacturing business. I can remember when it had a thriving Salant & Salant. Those people who went to work there, when they got out of high school, have no major skills today. We’ve lost all these jobs, these opportunities for a middle class. We’ve got to rebuild it.
“The jobs have gone overseas to Mexico (and other countries).”

Governor’s race:

McWherter’s son, Mike, 54, is a candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor. The primary election is Aug. 5, the general election Nov. 2. McWherter said he’s going to actively campaign for his son.
“(When I ran for governor) I did well in East Tennessee, for a Democrat,” he said.
“I’m going to make a little trip up there. There are about five counties up there that I’m going to visit. They’re going to have a reception for me in each county.”
He said he’ll ask them to support Mike for governor.
“Mike’s got a chance to win this. It’s not a big Democratic year, but he’s got a shot at winning the governor’s race. It’s a challenge for him. He’s been in every county in the state. “He’s all about jobs, jobs, jobs, and he’s right. The people out in the rural areas just don’t have any jobs. They are just having to leave. If they’re not farming, they have to leave. That’s why the cities are growing. “Memphis’ population is going up. Nashville is really going up. Jobs come to the urban areas where they’ve got good air facilities and air support. It just makes a difference.”

Former President Bill Clinton:

“I hope we’re going to get Clinton down here after the primary election for a fund-raising event and we see who the Republican candidate is. I have spoken to his scheduling people in his New York office. They are going to try to work out a date.
“He was down here last year for our Jackson dinner. They ended up with 2,500 people and couldn’t feed all of them. So he draws a good crowd. He told me last year he’d come back and help Mike if he ran and needed him. “I was a supporter of Clinton. I don’t support his immoral character sometimes, but he did a good job as president. He got some legislation passed and he got the budget balanced. He made a contribution to this country.”

Al and Tipper Gore :

McWherter said when he heard the news that the former vice president and his wife were divorcing, he was shocked.
“Lord, just look at Albert and Tipper. That shocked me. I thought they were family, totally family-oriented. “What happened to them, I have no idea. I was shocked out of my shoes when I heard it on the news and read about it in the papers the next day. “It is tragic. Good thing is, their kids are all grown. Al’s mother was a lovely lady. She’s gone, and I’m glad she wasn’t here to see it.”

Editor’s note: John Brannon is a staff reporter for the Union City Daily Messenger.

Editorial : Gov. Ned McWherter, one of the best Governors in the last 100 years. Where have you gone and are there any like you on the horizon ? Maybe it is Mike ? I hope so ! > http://www.mikemcwherter.com/ <

Balancing the Budget on Social Security & Medicare ?

Comments from Fiscal Commissioners, New Study Concern Seniors !

On Sunday, the co-chairmen of President Barack Obama's fiscal commission offered an ominous assessment of the nation's economic future, calling current budgetary trends a "cancer" that will destroy the country from within unless checked by tough actions in Washington. The two leaders - Alan Simpson(R) and Erskine Bowles - singled out Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, saying that the three programs fully consume federal revenue. The commission looks to reduce the deficit primarily through spending cuts and additional revenue. Separately, a new study by the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) finds that if the Social Security benefit cuts and retirement age increases that have been widely suggested were adopted, they would have a substantially negative impact on low- and middle-income families. The report, "The Impact of Social Security Cuts on Retiree Income," is available at http://bit.ly/dplKBb. "Social Security and Medicare have helped generations of seniors stay healthy and out of poverty. "Balancing the budget on the backs of seniors is absolutely not the solution."

Editorial : I have an idea, stop the WAR ! No fiscal problem ! Do not balance the budget on SENIORS BACKS !

Goodyear, VEBA and Goodyear Retiree`s !

Goodyear Retiree VEBA & Drugs, Drugs,Drugs ?

7/15/10

by Don Jones VEBA Retiree

This article/blog is for my fellow retiree`s at/from the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company ! Especially the Union City Plant/my Plant. In case you hav`nt noticed, you`re cost for VEBA Insurance has gone up. You have more deductibles` and your drugs are a bit higher. Now, I`m not complaining, but you need to understand that our VEBA, Goodyear has nothing to do with it any longer. It must be funded continually by good investing and our VEBA Board of Directors have this responsibilities. If you are not aware of who is on that/your VEBA Board please click on the following > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >

>http://wwwsecondchance.blogspot.com/2008/01/goodyearuswa-veba-settlement.html < this will tell you who is on that Board.

You will find those that represent you. If this VEBA fund is not replenished/invested continually, we`re all in trouble ! Oh, yes you can now purchase some of if not most of your prescription drugs at Wal-Mart Pharmacy, cheaper than you can purchase them through your VEBA...I`m a Heart-Transplant Patient, I take a lot of expensive drugs. I can now get them at Wal-Mart, 30 day and 90 day supply for $4.00 and $10.00, that`s cheaper than Express Scripts ! Some drugs I take are actually $6.00 for 90 day supply...Check it out ! You can go on-line and Wal-Mart has a list of their drugs and prices for these maintenance drugs. Just click here > > > > > > > >

> http://www.walmart.com/cp/4-dollar-prescriptions/546834 <

Now, I`m not pushing Wal-Mart Pharmacy...just low prices for VEBA Retiree`s ! If I can be of any assistance to you or your dependants in this VEBA/Drug matter...just contact me at > donjones90@gmail.com <

VEBA = Volunteer Employes Benefits Association !

Editorial: I received the following from my good friend Steve, in Michigan. You might want to explore the possibility ?

Hi Don,

If you want to get a real feel for what drugs cost. Go to :
> http://www.canadadrugs.com/ <
All the best,
Steve

The Affordable Care Act !

HealthCare.gov > http://www.healthcare.gov/

Today the Obama Administration launched HealthCare.gov, a new website to help families and employers take control of their health care. The website will allow you to take health care into your own hands, with information about insurance choices and your new rights under the new Affordable Care Act. The new website also has tools to help you explore your coverage options, with additional information if you are a parent, a senior on Medicare, a young adult, a person with a disability, or an employer. By answering a few easy questions, the website will present you with all the coverage options available to you. You can then learn more about each option, including comparing the health insurance plans and benefits available in your community.
To visit the website, go to HealthCare.gov. As always, please continue to keep me informed about issues of concern to you and your family.

Editorial : Thanks to my friend Steve S. for this one !

http://www.healthcare.gov/