Social Security ~ Not Doomed !

Flash ! Social Security’s Not Doomed...!
by Mike Hall, Jan 28, 2011

Here’s some news that gets buried in the normal the-sky-is-falling Social Security coverage.

Although the weak economy is having a short-term impact on Social Security’s finances, Social Security is still projected to run an $868 billion surplus over the next decade, according to a new report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). Economic Policy Institute (EPI) economist Monique Morrissey says the latest report shows the surplus is “sufficient to last through the peak baby boomer retirement years.” Nevertheless, gloomy news reports show that when it comes to Social Security, no news is bad news. For example, an Associated Press story on the CBO report claimed that “Social Security will run at a deficit this year and keep on running in the red until its trust funds are drained by about 2037.” Says Morrissey:
The story misrepresents the trust fund’s solvency by excluding interest earnings, a major source of revenue for Social Security. The article also fails to mention that even if nothing is done to shore up the system’s finances, current tax receipts will be sufficient to cover most benefits in 2037, which will still be higher in inflation-adjusted terms than benefits are today. Social Security is not in crisis. For more on Social Security’s long-term finances, check out Morrissey’s new EPI paper, which shows the biggest cause of Social Security’s projected long-term shortfall is not rising life expectancy or the baby boomer retirement, but rather stagnant wages and growing inequality. She writes that rising life expectancy represents “only a small part of the fiscal challenge facing Social Security.” The bigger problems are weak wage growth and rising earnings inequality, which account for more than half the projected shortfall that has emerged since the system was last restored to long-term balance in 1983. Earnings inequality has eroded Social Security’s taxable earnings because earnings above a cap are exempt from Social Security taxes. Likewise, slower wage growth increases the costs as a share of taxable earnings. Rising health care costs, which create a growing wedge between compensation and taxable wages, a falling birth rate and higher disability take-up are also contributing to the projected shortfall.

Editorial : Republicans call it, An Entitlement program, and it is, you are entitled because it is your money ! Hey Republicans, do not touch Social Security !

Union vs. Non-Union = Private Slave Employment

Good News ~ Secretary of Labor, Hilda Solis Gets it !

Politics really does matter. We can never let up!

Statement by Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis on Bureau of Labor Statistics report on union members in 2010

WASHINGTON –Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis issued the following statement regarding the Bureau of Labor Statistics' annual "Union Members – 2010" report released today: "Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that, in 2010, the unionization rate of employed wage and salary workers was 11.9 percent, down from 12.3 percent in 2009. Among private sector employees, the rate dropped to 6.9 percent from 7.2 percent in 2009. "The data also show the median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary union members were $917 per week, compared to $717 for workers not represented by unions. For Latinos, the wage disparity is even greater with union members earning an average of $771 compared to $512 for workers not represented by unions, a difference of 33.6 percent. "When coupled with existing data showing that union members have access to better health care, retirement and leave benefits, today's numbers make it clear that union jobs are not only good jobs, they are central to restoring our middle class. "As workers across the country continue to face lower wages and difficulty finding work due to the recent recession, these numbers demonstrate the pressing need to provide workers with a voice in the workplace and protect their right to organize and bargain collectively."

Editorial : It is most difficult to organize workers into labor unions, when all of our manufacturing base is moving to non-union environments and tax-payers subsidize their move ! Wake Up America !

Saving Union City Goodyear Plant...Cong. Stephen Fincher, In Union City !

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

Congressman Stephen Fincher Will Visit Union City TN !
By : Don Jones ...1/28/11

Our Newly Elected Congressman from the 8th. District-TN~Stephen Fincher Will visit Union City Tennessee ! The Date is below. Cong. Fincher is calling it his, "District#8 Expansion listening Tour". I would suggest, that we all attend and let him listen to our concerns over the Goodyear Tire Plant in Union City Tennessee ! Jobs, Jobs, Jobs ! The Job you save may be your own ! I realize this is short notice, but, I just found out about this.

District#8 Economic Expansion Listening Tour
Start: Tuesday ~ February 1, 2011 12:00 pm
End: Tuesday ~ February 1, 2011 1:00 pm
Location: 1212 Stad Avenue, Union City, Tennessee 38261

Social Security ~ Keep it Off the Table !

Social Security ~ What Part of NO, Don`t Republicans Understand ?

http://safestableandsecure.com/e2

Either House Majority Leader Eric Cantor doesn't understand how Social Security works or he doesn't care.

Just hours after President Obama said that Social Security cuts and privatization are off the table, Cantor said that Social Security had to be cut to balance the budget. But here's the thing: Social Security does not and never has added a single dime to the federal deficit. Let me try to explain this to Mr. Cantor. Social Security is paid for through the payroll tax. Currently, the payroll tax raises way more money than Social Security pays out and things are projected to keep going this way for another couple of decades. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan? They add to the deficit. Tax breaks for billionaires? They add to the deficit. Subsidies for big oil? They add to the deficit. Bailing out Mr. Cantor's friends on Wall Street when they make a bunch of shady deals, cause a financial crisis and almost ruin the world economy? That adds a lot to the deficit. Simply put, Social Security will run a surplus for decades. The rest of the budget runs a deficit. So, why are we even talking about Social Security? Here's why: Eric Cantor and his right-wing friends want to destroy the program. That's the only reason we're having this conversation. Join me now and let's send Eric Cantor and other members of Congress a message -- Keep Social Security Safe, Stable and Secure. Please sign the petition now. > http://safestableandsecure.com/e2 < Eric Cantor's comments aren't anything new. Right-wing Republicans have been trying to tear down Social Security for generations. It's the holy grail of the right-wing. Now Republicans are playing with fire -- they're threatening to shut down the government. They're holding the debt ceiling hostage. They'll do whatever it takes to put cutting Social Security on the table. But America is a community. We stand up for one another -- including our Seniors. That's why DFA has launched it's biggest campaign ever to push back against the right-wing lies and spin and to push a real solution to keep Social Security safe, stable and secure forever. See, right now people like Mitch McConnell and Sarah Palin don't pay the same percentage of their income into Social Security that most Americans do -- and big surprise -- neither does Eric Cantor. That's because the tax is capped at $106,800, but most Americans don't know it. All we need to do is scrap the cap and make the payroll tax fair and equal for everyone to keep Social Security safe, stable and secure.
When we stand up for our values of Community, Security and Liberty, America wins.

Runaway CEO Pay ! Makes the Boss Mean !

Too Much Money Can Make the Boss Mean
by James Parks, Jan 25, 2011

http://www.aflcio.org/corporatewatch/paywatch/

Here’s another reason to do away with runaway CEO pay. A study shows bloated CEO pay can make the boss mean.

The study examined the corporate behavior of 261 companies and found a close correlation between pay inequality and poor treatment of workers. In companies where CEOs made much more than their average workers, the companies were more likely to underfund pensions or cut corners on health and safety. Often, according to the study, the bosses engaged in a cost-benefit analysis, calculating that a fine would be a cost of doing business, compared with the profits they could make. “You end up basically thinking of those at the bottom as numbers,’’ Sreedhari Desai, a Harvard research fellow who co-authored the study, told The Boston Globe columnist Joanna Weiss. “You feel somehow that they aren’t even worthy of the normal people that you’d meet. They’re disposable.’’ Writing about the study last summer for the Campaign for America’s Future, Sam Pizzigati sums it up this way: The…data and the lab games, in the end, would both generate findings that point to the same conclusion. Wide pay gaps between executives and workers…enhance the sense of power executives feel and cause them to “objectify lower level employees.” Or, to put the matter more plainly, “executives with higher income treat employees more meanly.” Click link below or title of this article !

http://www.aflcio.org/corporatewatch/paywatch/

Editorial : Only Where/When Free-Democratic Unions Exist, will the middle class survive ! Think about it ! Above Left-Jimmy Hoffa Jr. President Teamsters.

Tennessee~Anti-Union, You Bet`cha !

Tennessee Republicans Now Control The Entire State Politically, Not Good News For Average Working Men & Women !

http://wapp.legislature.state.tn.us/apps/sponsorlist/default.aspx?id=H630&ga=107

It started in Alabama and has spread to Tennessee. The Anti-Union Tennessee State Legislature has introduced three bill`s in the House that will try to destroy Unions in the Private Sector and Teachers Union. Remember who you voted for and watch how they vote on this very important issue in Tennessee.

Listed below are anti-union bills that will go before the legislature during the 107th General Assembly:

HB0130 -By Maggart and SB0113 - By Johnson
Teachers, Principals and School Personnel - As introduced, abolishes teachers' unions ability to negotiate terms and conditions of professional service with local boards of education. Amends TCA Section 5-23-107 and Title 49.

HB0160 - By Glen Casada
Campaigns and Campaign Finance - As introduced, creates Class C misdemeanor for labor organizations to contribute to candidates. Amends TCA Title 2, Chapter 10.

HB0159 - By Glen Casada
Employees, Employers - As introduced, prohibits public employees from having a payroll deduction to a political action committee or for dues for membership organizations that use funds for political activities. Amends TCA Title 3; Title 7 and Title 8.

I will be watching these bills and will keep you updated. This is just the beginning of what we will be up against, they have until February 17th to file bills. If this sounds kinda one sided...IT IS ! Talk about denying rights ? Wow ! Republicans just want to help you, When Pigs Fly ! Anti-Union = Anti-People ! To read these bills as introduced Click on title or link above or here >

http://wapp.legislature.state.tn.us/apps/sponsorlist/default.aspx?id=H630&ga=107

Social Security ~ It`s Your Money ! Republicans Want It !

Social Security ~ The Best of the Best !

http://pol.moveon.org/obamasocialsecurity/?id=25859-9301352-dRW9cGx&t=3

Yesterday, Republicans passed a bill to repeal health care reform. We know that bill won't become law. But their next target is Social Security—and there, they might just succeed. Washington has been whipped into a frenzy over the deficit, and there are rumors the White House may try to cut a deal with Republicans by offering cuts to Social Security in the State of the Union.
1. just like they did over the Bush tax cuts. Some key Democrats in Congress have also signaled that they're open to cutting Social Security.

2. But cutting Social Security is massively unpopular

3. And if we can spread the word that this threat is more real than ever, we can create an outcry loud enough to stop it in its tracks.

So we're aiming to get 150,000 signatures saying that any cuts to the most successful government program in history have to be completely off the table. We'll deliver the petition to the White House before the speech next week. Will you add your name ?

Click here to sign the petition to President Obama:
http://pol.moveon.org/obamasocialsecurity/?id=25859-9301352-dRW9cGx&t=3
Tea Party hysteria about deficits is pushing Republicans—and many Democrats—to support big cuts to Social Security benefits. Speaker of the House John Boehner wants to cut benefits3 by over 20%4, and he's not alone. Members of the media, and even leading Democrats like Steny Hoyer are trumpeting Social Security cuts—even though Social Security runs a surplus, can't contribute to the deficit, and can be secured for decades without any cuts to benefits.

If the rumors are right, President Obama could be next to embrace cuts, even as soon as the State of the Union address next week. Social Security belongs to us, the people who pay into it, and benefit cuts are deeply unpopular—not to mention devastating for the middle class workers who count on benefits to make ends meet. We can stop benefit cuts in their tracks, but President Obama needs to hear from us. We need a massive outcry in defense of Social Security, to convince the President to take benefit cuts off the table. We're aiming for 150,000 signatures to get things started—can you add your name?

Click below to sign the petition to President Obama: http://pol.moveon.org/obamasocialsecurity/?id=25859-9301352-dRW9cGx&t=3

Thanks for all you do. And Thanks to Mike Stanley for this article ! Remember Social Security is the most successful government program of all time ! If You donate $50.00 to it, so do your employers ! Perhaps Big Business would like this to STOP ! Ya Think ?

How to e-mail, Speaker of the House, Cong. John Boehner

You Can Now e-mail John Boehner(R)

By Mackenzie Weinger Anyone in the country can now e-mail House Speaker John Boehner.

http://www.speaker.gov/contact/

Official e-mail > http://www.speaker.gov/contact/

After former Speaker Nancy Pelosi passed Boehner the gavel, his office launched to allow voters to easily contact him. Members of Congress have long accepted e-mail from their constituents through web forms, but they've typically blocked people from outside their districts or states from writing. Boehner’s new media director Nick Schaper said having a general address makes it easy for citizens to contact the Speaker online. Schaper noted the "Speaker Boehner" mailbox — which collects messages from both a web form on and direct e-mails — received about 150 emails over the weekend, with roughly 20 percent related to the Tucson shooting. "It's our goal to make sure we’re tracking every touch we have with citizens — calls, letters, emails — in a way that allows us to keep them informed on the issues they care about," Schaper told Congress.org in an e-mail. The all-access mailbox originated with Pelosi during her first stint as Minority Leader five years ago. She invited people to e-mail her at AmericanVoices@mail.house.gov. Staffers read and evaluate the emails, and they even send responses to a lucky few. "We want to hear from everyone, not just constituents," Pelosi spokesperson Drew Hammill said. "It's an opportunity for people to have a way to weigh in on issues of the day." According to Hammill, Pelosi receives reports on the trends and issues that are dominating the email correspondence. And just as the email operated during her tenure as both Minority Leader and Speaker, Hammill said AmericanVoices@mail.house.gov "will continue to serve as her way to hear from people across the country" in her new role. As for Boehner's new e-mail address, Hammill noted the success of AmericanVoices likely inspired the Speaker's team. "I have no doubt that’s something they wanted to mirror," he said. Meanwhile, Schaper said the GOP has taken "full advantage" of the web in recent years, and added that citizens will "now see that enthusiasm translated into more effective governing." And Speaker Boehner recently told NBC's Brian Williams he gets "strength every day just going to my Facebook site." Boehner's no stranger to other forms of new media, and has a @SpeakerBoehner Twitter account to go along with his accounts on Facebook and YouTube. "Whether it's Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or the next communications tool we’ve yet to see, the Speaker and his colleagues will continue to explore new avenues to connect with those they represent," Schaper wrote. http://www.speaker.gov/contact/

(Mackenzie Weinger writes for Roll Call.)

Dear Speaker Boehner ; 1/18/11 Please reconsider your stand on healthcare ! I believe it is one of the primary reasons that our jobs are going to CHINA ! Healthcare is a major contributor to the cost of manufacturing. Healthcare is not sustainable in its present form. Our manufacturing base can no longer afford healthcare in its present form. Our Citizens can no longer to afford healthcare in its present form. We can do this ! We need you`re leadership and help ! Vote to keep and not repeal healthcare. T

Thank you, for your time.

Don V. Jones = Underdog

Reform Congress Act of 2011 ?

Subject: Congressional Reform Act of 2011 Please Read

Sent: by Steve Sauter
http://www.hisvoicemyhand.com/

The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds)
took only 3 months & 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people
demanded it. That was in 1971...before computers, before e-mail, before cell phones, etc.

Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took 1 year or
less to become the law of the land...all because of public pressure.

I'm asking you to forward this email/Blog to a minimum of twenty people
on your address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise.

In three days, most people in The United States of America will
have the message. This is one idea that really should be passed around.

Congressional Reform Act of 2011:

(1.) Term Limits.

12 years only, one of the possible options below.

A. Two Six-year Senate terms

B. Six Two-year House terms

C. One Six-year Senate term and three Two-Year House terms

2. No Tenure / No Pension.

A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no
pay when they are out of office.

(3.) Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social
Security. They do pay in and receive Social Security benefits Now !
However, their Congressional pension is Fabulous !

All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social
Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social
Security system, and Congress participates with the American people.

This is probably the best solution and would FIX any problem Social Security had/has !

(4.) Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all
Americans do.

(5.) Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise.
Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.
Raise problem solved !

(6.) Congress loses their current health care system and
participates in the same health care system as the American people.

Healthcare problem Solved !

(7.) Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the
American people.

This is constitution !

(8.) All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void
effective 1/1/11. If you think this is too harsh ? It happens to US/as in You and I, everyday !

The American people did not make the current contract with members of Congress. Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves.

Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding
Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.

If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will
only take three days for most people (in the U.S. ) to receive the message.

MUCH OF WHAT WE FACE IN TERMS OF PRIVILEGE AND SELFISHNESS IN THIS

COUNTRY MIGHT BEST BE CHANGED STARTING FROM THE TOP DOWN. If you agree with the above, pass it on. If not, just delete

You are one of my 20. I INVITE YOU TO KEEP IT GOING. WHATEVER YOU CHOOSE -- THANKS !

Editorial : This is strictly non-partisan Both Democrat and Republican need to subscribe to this. Thanks to my good friend in Hersey Michigan for this ! I love it ! And it makes sense. Probably why it won`t happen ! Unless, WE DEMAND IT !

My good friend also writes beautiful poetry. Try it, you might like it ? Just click on title of this piece or link under his name above.

Senator Bob Corker(R)Tennessee~ Anti-Union ! You Bet`cha !

UAW Pushing Foreign Companies with U.S. Plants to Allow Union Votes...

by James Parks, Jan 13, 2011
http://www.corker.senate.gov/public/

Companies that do not allow union elections violate human rights, said Bob King, president of the UAW, which is talking with some foreign auto companies that have plants in the United States about a set of principles aimed at ensuring fair elections. Such principles are necessary, King said, because National Labor Relations Board procedures are outdated and allow companies to intimidate workers and spread misinformation. Transplant companies are foreign-owned companies that have plants in the United States. United Auto Workers (UAW) is adopting this strategy because of changes in the global economy. Fundamental changes in the global economy have demanded fundamental changes in the labor movement. Our mindset is not adversarial, and we do not seek conflict. We do not believe the United States can successfully compete in a global economy if we are divided and politicized. “These are really good companies,” King said of the foreign auto manufacturers. King said he thinks the companies will see that working with the union is more cost-effective than spending millions of dollars to keep UAW out. That light bulb’s going to go off. Speaking yesterday at the Automotive News World Congress in Detroit, King said automakers in Germany and Japan, in particular, recognize and co-operate with unions in their home countries. If the same companies do not allow fair union elections in this country, the UAW will publicize the idea that the company treats its U.S. workers as “second-class citizens.” He cited a recent picketing campaign against Toyota dealers in California, which called attention to the company’s plant closing there, as an example of the type of actions workers might take against companies that mistreat workers. The adverse publicity “had a huge impact” on the company, King said. Workers also could hold public meetings, outreach campaigns and focus on young consumers to get the automakers’ attention, he said.

Meanwhile, the Commercial Appeal in Memphis reports that U.S. Sen. Bob Corker ( R-Tenn.) says he has told Volkswagen officials that he thinks it would be “highly detrimental” to the German manufacturer if the UAW organizes its Chattanooga assembly plant, which opens next year.

The UAW is “committed to the success of the employers that we represent, Ford, GM, Chrysler,” King said, and the union supports a “winning formula” for overseas transplants, “whether it be Volkswagen, Toyota or Honda.”
Guenther Scherelis, Volkswagen Group of America’s general manager of communication, told the paper in an e-mail:

At Volkswagen Chattanooga, the employees will decide for themselves about their representation. Volkswagen Chattanooga has a neutral position.

Editorial : Every Tennessean knows that Senator Bob Corker (R) is and has been Anti-Union ! Surprise, surprise. Hey, he`s Anti-Middle Class. Nothing new here ! Senator Corker, stay out of employee`s deciding for themselves. Bob King(upper left) Senator Corker (upper right) To contact Senator Corker, click on link provided or title of this article !

China`s Unfair Tactics ~ Vote Now !

Please Make Your Opinion Known on China's Unfair Tactics !

Click on the following link or the title of this article, to register your opinion in the Washington Post online poll on China's currency manipulation. This practice gives China's domestic manufacturers a big advantage while hurting ours. Let's drive up the poll results and send a strong message that the White House should turn on the pressure!

Take the Poll Now ! > http://views.washingtonpost.com/post-user-polls/2011/01/should-the-white-house-pressure-china-to-reevaluate-its-currency-policy.html?hpid=topnews

Tennessee`s New Congressional Rep`s...2011

Tennessee`s New Elected Congress/Persons

by Don Jones...1/11/11

Click on link below or the title of this article, to go to their particular web-site !

http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml

•Black, Diane, Tennessee, 6th (R)

•Blackburn, Marsha, Tennessee 7th (R)

•Cohen, Steve, Tennessee, 9th (D)


•Cooper, Jim, Tennessee, 5th (D)

•DesJarlais, Scott, Tennessee, 4th (R)

•Duncan Jr., John J., Tennessee, 2nd (R)


•Fincher, Stephen, Tennessee, 8th (R)

•Fleischmann, Chuck, Tennessee, 3rd (R)


•Roe, Phil, Tennessee, 1st (R)

http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml

Editorial : Only two progressive representatives are now serving in Tennessee ! Steve Cohen and Jim Cooper ! Hold on, it`s gonna be a bumpy ride ! Yes, Tennessee has gone completely Republican ! Unbelievable.

Tommy Douglas on Future of Medicare (1983)

Tommy Douglas is a former Baptist Minister, who was voted the most admired Canadian hero in the last 100 years ! If I were Canadian, I`d Vote for him ! Listen carefully, to what he say`s !

Republicans Put On Show ! Healthcare !

Repeal Health Care ? Give Up Your Own First !

For 2 years, GOP leaders in Congress fought tooth and nail to oppose health care reform. They did their best to keep tens of millions without coverage, decrying any effort to help citizens as "socialist," "fascist" or some other equally baffling "ist." Now that they are the majority, their first act will be to vote to repeal health care reform. Yet, when it comes to their own coverage, Republicans in Congress are happy to accept government-sponsored health care. Senator Chuck Schumer is calling the GOP on their hypocrisy, and calling on them to give up their government-sponsored health care. We couldn't agree more: Write Republican leaders and tell them if they want to repeal health care, they need to practice what they preach, and give up their own government-sponsored health care first.

Sign the Petition : Click on link below or the title of this article !

http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/health_care_hypocrites/?r_by=14825-3026155-KcB24Vx&rc=paste1

Tweet this petitionTell the GOP: Practice what you preach ! Give up your own health care ! http://bit.ly/ed1anZ


Editorial : What happened to Jobs first, with the Republicans ? It looks like they have forgotten, JOBS. It appears they are more concerned with Healthcare, repealing it, that is ! Yet they are fully aware that They cannot repeal it ! It`s Showtime folks ! Nancy Pelosi (upper left) Tommy Douglas (Upper middle) John Boehner (upper right) If you do not know, who The Honorable Tommy Douglas is, I suggest you google it !

Healthcare Repeal~ A Very Bad Joke ! You Bet`cha

As Republicans Try to Repeal Health Care Law,
New Benefits for Seniors Kick In

House Republicans are wasting no time trying to repeal health care reform. The new Congress convened on Wednesday, and the House Rules Committee met on Thursday to report a rule to repeal the health care law. The full House voted today 236-181, largely along party lines, to move ahead to next week's final vote, which is scheduled for Wednesday, January 12. The plan to repeal the health care reform law would increase the deficit by $230 billion by 2021, according to a preliminary analysis from the Congressional Budget Office. Because of the law, many important, positive changes to Medicare - such as free preventive screenings - went into effect on January 1. Those benefits, as well as a 50% discount for brand name drugs and 7% off generics for beneficiaries in the Part D doughnut hole, would disappear if the repeal were to become law. The doughnut hole is set to close entirely by 2020, but a repeal would change that. In addition, subsidies for early retiree health care would disappear. The 2010 law also extends the solvency of Medicare by 12 years. To see the Alliance fact sheet on 2011 Medicare changes, go to http://bit.ly/gesRSR.

It is expected that nearly all or all House Republicans will vote for the repeal legislation, (H.R. 2), next week. However, Senate Democrats and grassroots organizations are pushing back. On Monday, the Senate Democratic Leadership – Sens. Harry Reid (NV), Dick Durbin (IL), Patty Murray (WA), Charles Schumer (NY) and Debbie Stabenow (MI) - wrote then soon-to-be Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and told him that repeal of health care reform will not occur in the Senate. The five Senate Democratic leaders asked the Ohio Republican in the letter to preserve the health care law or risk leaving seniors without expanded insurance coverage for prescription drugs that the law provides. In addition, the Leadership Council of Aging Organizations, a coalition of 65 senior organizations, including the Alliance, sent a letter to all members of the House on Wednesday night urging a vote against repeal; to view that, go to http://bit.ly/dYFJNd. “Repeal would hurt retirees immediately,“It would be a giant step backwards given all of the problems that were addressed by the 2010 health reform law.”!

Good News for a Change ! Tires That is !

Union Official : BF Goodrich Modernizing Indiana Plant
Posted: Dec 29, 2010

WOODBURN, Ind. (AP) - A United Steelworkers of America local president says BF Goodrich is adding workers and updating equipment at a tire plant outside Fort Wayne as part of a $77 million modernization project. Local 715 President Jim Wetzel told The News-Sentinel in a story Tuesday the plant in Woodburn has added 50 to 60 people the past few months and now has 1,400 employees. BF Goodrich spokesman Tate Hoxworth says the company has laid the groundwork for making improvements at the plant, but no final decisions have been made. Wetzel said the plant will modify existing equipment so it can make a larger variety of tires.

(Copyright 2010 by (The Associated Press.)

Editorial : Michelin owns B.F. Goodrich. Michelin is non-union...BF Goodrich is Union ! Thanks to Mike Stanley for this article !

Supreme Court ~ Now Belongs to Large Corporations !

"Person" of the Year: The U.S. Supreme Court
Bob Burnett.Berkeley writer, retired Silicon Valley executive
Posted: December 31, 2010

It's difficult to look beyond the tumult of current events and ask, "what happened this year that will be remembered ten, twenty, or fifty years from now?" However, there was one 2010 event that, in terms of its long-term impact, loomed above the others, the Citizens United v. FEC Supreme Court Decision.

Writing in the New York Review, law professor Ronald Dworkin explained Citizens United v. FEC: "In the 2008 presidential primary season a small corporation, Citizens United, financed to a minor extent by corporate contributions, tried to broadcast a derogatory movie about Hillary Clinton. The FEC declared the broadcast illegal under the BCRA [Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act]. Citizens United then asked the Supreme Court to declare it exempt from that statute on the ground, among others, that it proposed to broadcast its movie only on a pay-per-view channel." In an extraordinary example of judicial activism, the Supreme Court conservative majority, led by Chief Justice John Roberts, declared the entire BCRA act unconstitutional. The Supreme Court hadn't been the story of the year since the December 12, 2000, Bush v. Gore decision. This paved the way for Bush's installation as president and his nomination of John Roberts as Chief Justice in September of 2005. Many Supreme Court observers regard Roberts as the judicial equivalent of the "Manchurian Candidate." New Yorker legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin noted Roberts' dogmatic conservatism: "In every major case since he became the nation's seventeenth Chief Justice, Roberts [and his conservative allies] has sided with the prosecution over the defendant, the state over the condemned, the executive branch over the legislative, and the corporate defendant over the individual plaintiff." John Roberts had worked as an attorney for both the Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush administrations and, therefore, possible conservative "judicial activism" was a concern of the Democratic Senators who questioned him before confirmation. Roberts denied that he was an activist and appeared to honor the legal tradition of stare decisis, abiding by precedent. Five years later, it's apparent that Roberts hid his true philosophy. In the Citizens United decision Roberts aggressively advanced the conservative agenda along three fronts. First, the decision to hear this case was an extraordinary example of judicial activism. Professor Dworkin observed, Citizens United "did not challenge the constitutionality of [BCRA]. But the five conservative justices -- Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito, Anthony Kennedy, Antonin Scalia, and Clarence Thomas -- decided on their own initiative, after a rehearing they themselves called for, that they wanted to declare the act unconstitutional anyway." [Emphasis added] Justice Kennedy, who wrote the majority opinion, explained that the conservative justices called for the rehearing because they had dissented on the most pertinent precedent, McConnell v. FEC, and had continued to complain about it. Second, the Citizens United decision strengthened the conservative contention that corporations have "personhood" and, therefore, enjoy the same rights as ordinary individuals, including the right of free speech. (For a compelling account of how the bizarre notion that corporations enjoy the same constitutional rights as human beings has evolved, see radio host Thom Hartmann's book, Unequal Protection.) Third, the Citizens United decision allowed corporations to spend unlimited funds in political contests. It was this aspect that caused President Obama to observe, during his January 27, 2010, State of the Union Address, "The Supreme Court reversed a century of law that I believe will open the floodgates for special interests -- including foreign corporations - -to spend without limit in our elections." The decision granted corporations more rights than those of human beings. The 2010 midterm elections demonstrated the lethality of the Citizens United decision. The non-partisan group, Opensecrets.org calculated that, excluding Party Committees, $294 million was spent by outside groups. Conservative outside groups spent twice as much as did Liberal groups. For example, the US Chamber of Commerce, a conservative-leaning outside group, spent $32.8 million, more than the combined total of the two leading Liberal groups: the SEIU ($15.7 million) and the AFSCME ($12.6). (The McClatchey Newspapers reported that the US Chamber, which has foreign corporations as members, expected to spend more than $75 million in all forms of political support.) Massive spending by outside groups influenced the outcome of the midterm election. In the Pennsylvania Senate race, outside spending was more than $12 million: $5.9 million was spent on ads attacking the Democratic Candidate (Joe Sestak), whereas only $1.9 was spent attacking the Republican (Pat Toomey); Sestak lost. In Illinois, $6.2 million was spent attacking the Democratic candidate (Alex Giannoulias), whereas only $1.5 million was spent attacking the Republican (Mark Kirk); Giannoulias lost. There are many similar examples, including outgoing New York Democratic Congressman John Hall who attributed his defeat to the decision. We've entered a new phase of American history, the Corporatist period where multinational corporations have unbridled political influence. This movement started before the Citizens United decision, but the Roberts' Supreme Court has accelerated the pace and thereby profoundly weakened our democracy.

Bonus for Millionaires ~ Cuts for Social Security Recipients

Millionaire$ get a Gold Mine ~ Social Security Recipients get Shaft !

http://action.ourfuture.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=131

Did it make you crazy that the President thought he had to give the Republican hostage-takers a tax windfall for the very wealthy in order to get a weak stimulus ?
Well get ready for the next, even bigger hostage battle. This one we have to win.

Republicans are demanding Social Security cuts. If they don’t get those cuts, they will threaten to destroy the economy by refusing to raise the debt limit when it has to be extended in March. This time, we have maybe a month to make sure the President is on our side – before the upcoming State of the Union address. This is no time to let frustration with Washington paralyze progressives. Too much is at stake.
Tell the President: "Don't Give Social Security Cuts To The Republican Hostage-Takers." Sign the "No Social Security Cuts" petition.

http://action.ourfuture.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=131

Rumors are rampant that the President will embrace Social Security cuts in his upcoming State of the Union Address, to avoid a showdown over raising the debt ceiling.

We have to tell him: You can’t give a $700 billion windfall to the richest families in America, and then cut Social Security!

We cannot let this happen. And it won't happen if we sternly remind the White House that Social Security cuts will shatter his grassroots base. And we need to tell him now, before the State of the Union address is written.

Tell the President: "Don't Give Social Security Cuts To The Republican Hostage Takers." Sign the "No Social Security Cuts" petition.

If ten of thousands of the President's most committed supporters tell him in no uncertain terms that cutting Social Security is political suicide, he will have no choice but to heed our call.
As the President himself said to progressive activists earlier this year, "keep holding me accountable." If we don't, the hostage-takers will.

Definition of Labor Unions or Killing the Myth !

A Simple Guide for Talking Unions

by Zoe Bridges-Curry on December 14, 2010 .

http://www.uswlocal878.com /

It’s no secret: Not everyone sees unions as key to rebuilding America and the middle class.

It’s easy to tune out the misinformation about unions and the workers who make them strong when you hear it on the news, but what should you do when the same misinformation comes from your friends and family? We’re here to help with some simple facts so you can speak up the next time you encounter someone attacking unions, and help shed light on what unions are really all about!
MYTH: Unions are run by big, overpaid bosses.
FACT: Unions are run by workers.

A union is simply a group of employees who join together to address workplace issues, so they can improve their working conditions and have a fair shot at a better life for themselves and their families.
Unions are democratic institutions. At the local, state, and national level, all union leadership is elected by majority votes—just like elections for public office.
MYTH: Unions only care about their members.
FACT: Unions are fighting to improve the lives of all workers.

It’s easy to forget that we have unions to thank for a lot of things we take for granted today in today’s workplaces: the minimum wage, the 8-hour work day, child labor laws, health and safety standards, and even the weekend.
Today, unions across the country are on the front lines advocating for basic workplace reforms like increases in the minimum wage, and pushing lawmakers to require paid sick leave. Studies show that a large union presence in an industry or region can raise wages even for non-union workers. That means more consumer spending, and a stronger economy for us all. So it’s no wonder that most Americans (61%) believe that “labor unions are necessary to protect the working person,” according to Pew’s most recent values survey.
MYTH: Union workers are lazy, and unions are bad for business.
FACT: Unions and profitability go hand in hand.

Actually, unions make the workplace more efficient – despite the stereotype that we all hear.
Unions raise productivity on average by up to 24% in manufacturing, 16% in hospitals, and 38% in the construction. Union workers have higher professional standards because unions increase opportunities for worker training. Many even offer their own training programs. Union workers are employed in some of the most respected professions. They’re nurses, firefighters, teachers, day care providers, engineers, and NASA scientists. Union members are responsible for building nuclear subs, the space shuttle, The Smithsonian, the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge, and even the American flag. Even small business owners think that unions are good for workers—and the economy. In fact, over 80% agree “strong unions make the free market system stronger.” They’re right. Unions exist at some of the most successful companies out there, including AT&T, Costco, UPS, and Southwest.
MYTH: Unions ask for too much. In this economy, people should be thankful for any job.
FACT: Good jobs mean a stronger economy, and that means more jobs.

This idea is coming straight from the same corporations that ran our economy into the ground. Now they’re taking advantage of our financial worries to grab an even bigger slice of the pie. It’s just plain wrong to make working Americans foot the bill for Wall Street’s party. And it’s also bad for the economy. Because when workers can’t afford the products they produce, consumer spending takes a serious hit, and the economy does, too. But when workers can bargain for family-sustaining pay and benefits, consumer spending increases. The result is a stronger economy—one that creates jobs and enables people to work their way into the middle class.
MYTH: Public employees are to blame for our budget woes.
FACT: Public employees earn less than private-sector workers in similar jobs.

You’re going to hear this a lot more soon. But we can’t afford to have extremist policymakers get away with scapegoating civil servants like teachers, fire fighters, and police officers. Private-sector workers should be angry about the inadequate benefits they receive, but the solution isn’t to take hope away from the public sector workers who keep our communities strong. We have to make the economy work for everyone. Recent studies show that public employees make significantly less than private-sector workers with comparable education and experience, even when you factor in benefits. And according to Nobel laureate economist Paul Krugman, state and local employees’ pensions make up only 6 percent of non-federal public sector spending. Still not convinced? It turns out that what’s bad for public workers is bad for the economy, too. The Center for Economic Policy Research reports that freezing federal workers’ pay will mean a loss of $2.5 billion in consumption by 2012—18,000 private sector workers stand to lose their jobs as a result. And don’t forget, it was Wall Street’s recklessness that caused budget shortfalls in states across the country—not public service workers. Making public service workers pay for Wall Street’s wrongdoing won’t create jobs, and it won’t save the public services we all depend on.

Editorial : Free Democratic Labor/Trade Unions are one of the greatest resources in our Country`s history, and ought to be taught in every class room in this country. DVJ

Want to Contact Your Congress ? Here`s How !

Everybody Needs to Contact Their Congressman at Times ...

By: Underdog = Don Jones

12/11/10

http://www.contactingthecongress.org/

There are many and varied votes taking place on your behalf. I would suggest that you start to pay attention, as to how your Congressional Representatives vote on bills that affect you ! Just click on the title of this blog or the link above. Follow directions and you`ll soon be in contact with your elected Representative. Once you are on the site, you can save it to your favorites. Sha-Zam, I believe you`ve got it. I urge you to use it !

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt ~ Gave Us the Social Security Road Map ! Follow it !

Proposed Tax Deal Goes Against FDR’s Vision for Social Security

For the newest fact sheet “Health Care Benefits for Seniors in 2011,” go to>>>>

http://bit.ly/gesRSR.

President Obama announced a tentative deal with Congressional Republicans on Monday to extend the Bush-era tax cuts at all income levels for two years. The package would reduce the 6.2% Social Security payroll tax on all wage earners by two percentage points, to 4.2%, for one year. However, the package would cost about $900 billion over the next two years, and would be financed entirely by adding to the national debt. The deal would also extend unemployment benefits at their current level for 13 months, through the end of 2011.
The Social Security payroll tax cut is estimated to cost $120 billion per year, and is a provision that Senate Democrats say could ultimately be the undoing of Social Security. Allowing the payroll tax to expire in a year will mean that workers will see a nearly 50% jump in payroll taxes as the rate reverts back -- an event that is likely to be described as a tax hike. According to The Huffington Post, reducing a person's responsibility to contribute to Social Security also deprives the program of the political and moral capital that has kept the program intact despite fierce opposition from a determined investor class. In arguing against the deal, Nancy Altman, head of the group Social Security Works, noted that such responsibility was put into place by FDR for just that purpose. To see more from FDR on the topic, go to http://huff.to/gVorby. Altman said that dividing the stimulus evenly by simply sending an equal check to every worker would be far more desirable. Both the Senate and the House are expected to debate and vote on the proposal next week.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Seniors Can Eat Kibble & Bits !

Amidst Talk of Tax Cuts for the Rich, Republicans Block $250 Checks for Seniors
A proposal to provide seniors an emergency payment of $250 was blocked on Wednesday by Republican-led opposition in the House and Senate. The measure would have provided the one-time payment to 58 million Social Security recipients in lieu of an annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). This is the second consecutive year that Social Security beneficiaries did not receive a COLA. Senior advocates note that the Consumer Price Index in Social Security, which measures the rate of inflation, does not accurately reflect the rate of inflation faced by seniors who spend a huge amount of their income on health care. Alliance members sent more than 5,400 e-mails letting their representative and senators know that they were counting on them to vote in favor of the payment. The bill, (S. 3985), required 60 votes to shut off a filibuster in the Senate, but failed 53-45. No Senate Republicans voted for it. For a Senate vote tally, go to http://bit.ly/h1XTqt.

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Republicans Can`t Wait to Vote their Millionaire Contributors a Huge Tax Break !

The proposal also failed in the House for passage under House Suspension Calendar rules. There, the measure came up short, 254-153, with 141 Republicans voting against it. Under those rules, two-thirds of members present and voting were necessary for the bill, (H.R. 5987), to pass. For a tally of the House vote, go to http://bit.ly/hdtk52. In arguing for the $250, Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D-ND) mentioned the Alliance’s support on the House floor. “This legislation is critical to retirees, but unfortunately, congressional Republicans overwhelmingly chose to oppose it,”