National Holiday for 300 Million Population

Use It Or Lose It

I was never allowed to accumulate sick days, vacation days, special days, or any other kinds of paid days off from any employer. I was always told to use it or lose it. And I was not supposed to use up my sick days each year, anyway, since they were for the times I was really sick. Some employers would send someone to the employees house to check on their illness. Most of us especially in the private sector work under similar guidelines.

Reading the newspaper, I am finding out that many government workers especially teachers and school administrators are winding up with huge windfalls upon leaving their jobs or retiring in that they collect their current daily wage for each paid day off that they did not take over the years that they worked in that organization. Some are walking away with more than a year's salary by accumulating these days. One local organization allowed an individual to stop working and be paid from the unused accumulated day off money after which his retirement date was set. Instead of his retirement being decided on the day the individual stopped working, the organization set it after the unused days off "were used". Personnally, I think they broke the law.

For example, take a school superintendant earning $200,000 per year who remained in the same school system for thirty years and is retiring with 300 days of unused days off.. The individual would get full salary for the year worked and paid at least another years salary for the unused days off and then a generous pension.

I do not think it is fair to pay for unused days off to the taxpayers. It is time that government organizations get real with the salary and benefit levels in the private sector. Almost no private sector organization pays defined pension benefits anymore either especially for part time workers. And most private sector employees are paying greater shares of the medical and hospital insurance premiums and higher co-pays too. Local, state, and federal budgets are out of hand and out of whack with the salaries and benefits in the private sector.

I also think that the cost of each government employee be stated for public review. I know many state the wage per hour of year, but I mean the fully loaded cost of each should be stated. I think the public would be in shock if this was done. Some employees get not only free cars but gasoline, maintenance, and insurance. Some get free phones. Some get paid annuities paid for by the public. Some get paid drivers and body guards. Some get bonuses. Some get clothing allowances. Some can receive their retirement pay before they reach their social security age of retirement. Some get free allowances for other things. Some get to spend large funds they accumulated on themselves for elective office. Some get to allocate some of their funds to family members. Some employees are to receive lifetime medical and drug bebefits, life insurance, and other benefits unusual in the private sector.

The only exceptions would be the military especially those injured in armed conflict and their immediate families.

posted by God Bless America - Bob @ 1:41 PM 0 comments

The Banana Split Senate

The Banana Split Senate

Senate Poised to Pass Minimum Wage Bill

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By JIM KUHNHENN Associated Press Writer

February 01,2007 | WASHINGTON -- As the Senate moved toward passage of the first increase in the minimum wage in 10 years, Democrats in the House and Senate were trying to reconcile differences between their two bills.



After more than a week of debate, senators planned to vote Thursday on raising the federal wage floor from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour over two years. The legislation also contains $8.3 billion in short-term tax benefits for small businesses.

COMMENT

America wants a vanilla minimum wage bill like the one that passed the House. But no, the Senate Republicans had to add business tax savings on it. I would call a few minor changes as cherry vanilla, but no, the Senate Republicans added $8.3 billion in short term tax benefits for small business.

Ten years is long enough to hold hostage the estimated 15 million workers who are affected by the minimum wage. It is indecent to make them wait even a day longer for an increase. These people will still be at poverty levels. It will slightly improve there lives. Everyone know that the House increase is a half measure in that for the minimum wage to have the spending power of the 1960's it should be raised to at least $10.00 per hour. But it is better than nothing. It is a crass game the Senate Republicans are playing.

Our Canadian neighbors are working to increase their minimum wage to $10.00 in Canadian money. It is a lot better bill for the Canadians than our bill is for Americans.

The banana split Senate version of the minimum wage bill is almost a poison pill to kill the minimum wage. What do the Senate Republicans want to do? Do they want to show they still have power? Do they want to show how mean and nasty they are? Do they want to lose their jobs during the next time they face election? Are they sadists enjoying delaying the first increase to the federal minimum wage in 10 years? Are they trying to delay increasing the minimum wage for 11 or more years?

I think we need a set of playing cards with all of the banana split Republican Senators on them so we can identify them easily. We should have their email and mailing addresses so we can send them written commentary of what we think about their activities to hold back the minimum wage. We need to single them out so we can vote for whoever is against them during the next election or at least send a few dollars t whoever is against them. Remember the playing cards tht were distributed during the attack of Iraq of the bad guys that Bush II wanted to find? Same thing to identify the Republican Senate rats.

posted by God Bless America - Bob @ 12:48 PM 0 comments