[tabi] Re: article from Democrat: opinion piece on public employees
- From: "Joe Plummer" <joeplummer@xxxxxxx>
- To: <tabi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2010 05:42:00 -0400
Yes, the legislature has become way far to the right! They don't understand
we are not just employees we are citizens and voters! They are wanting to
treat us like a private business, But you can't because we are not just
employees we are citizens and voters. So they need to think about this. Now
this being said I am saying more than I should now. I am a legislature
employee and I can not take part in any of this. The reason is it is against
the legislature rules and this could be consider a firing fence. So I
encourage everyone to email the Governor and Senator and Repersentive. Not
just their own but all of them. I hope the best for us. Sorry about not
being able to voice my opinion any where else. The only reason I say what I
have is I am not using my real ID. But even that if someone really wanted to
could still find out. Good luck to you all!
Sign,
Joe Plummer ( JP )
joeplummer@xxxxxxx
-----Original Message-----
From: tabi-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:tabi-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of Chip Orange
Sent: Thursday, April 15, 2010 3:58 PM
To: tabi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [tabi] article from Democrat: opinion piece on public employees
Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda:
Public employees must flex their muscle
Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda
* My View * April 14, 2010
The public employees of Florida and those who have retired are a real
economic and political force.
It is time to make your power known.
Public servants of Florida are under attack, and it is time to stand up and
demand the respect you deserve. I'm talking about all of you - the teachers
and university professors, law enforcement and firefighters, correctional
officers, and all of the state and local government employees who make our
state run. Without your hard work and dedication, Florida would come to a
standstill.
This constant drumbeat to make public servants pay for the bad decisions of
previous legislatures that gave tax breaks during the good times to the rich
has got to stop. These threats are already taking a toll on the economy; if
you are facing a pay cut, higher insurance costs or other salary deductions,
are you looking at a new home, car or appliance? I don't think so.
For almost five years running, state employees have been denied raises while
Wall Street has pocketed millions in tax dollars. Now my Republican
colleagues in the Florida Legislature are adding insult to injury by trying
to balance their short- sighted, ill-conceived budget on your backs. Here's
what they have been considering:
A 3-percent pay cut.
Requiring you to pay more for health care.
Require a contribution to your pension.
They are even considering breaking the
promise of a decent retirement by changing the way pensions are
calculated.Together, we must remind those who would take money out of your
pocket that such a move is bad for business, and bad for the economy of
Florida. These bills could easily result in an average loss of $50 for each
of the more than
1 million retired and current public
employees in Florida. State, county and
municipal employees, university faculty and staff, teachers, police,
firefighters, forestry and marine officers - all could be affected.
Fifty million dollars buys a lot of pizza, shoes, and even cars.One way to
let the political powers know how much of an economic force you are is to
put the shopkeepers you frequent on notice. Every time you buy something,
let the person behind the counter know that you are a public employee and
that, if legislators succeed in cutting your income, you won't have any
money to spend in their restaurant or shop. Invite them to write or call
their legislator and tell them how badly the cuts will hurt the economy,
their economy. Let them know they can make their concerns known by
contacting their representative and senator. You can find their e-mail
address or regular mail address at www.myfloridahouse.
gov and www.flsenate.gov. Public pressure does work.
When you consider that every dollar spent turns over six or seven times in
the local economy, taking $50 out of your disposable income will have a
total monthly negative effect on the businesses of Florida amounting to $350
million.
Over the next year, a monthly $50 loss in your income will have annual
negative $4.2 billion impact on Florida's economy. Count the spaghetti
dinners that won't be eaten, the dresses and flowers that won't be
purchased, or the houses that will remain unsold. How may restaurants, shops
or home businesses will close because of bad decisions made in Tallahassee?
These dire economic predictions don't have to come true. You vote, and so do
your spouses, parents, neighbors and friends. When you add everyone
together, I'm betting you have a combined strength of 2 million or more
votes each election.
Two million votes is real political muscle, and it's time to let legislative
leaders who think you can cause them no harm know that you and the other 2
million public employees and their families and friends will remember when
the time comes.
Together you can send a powerful message, but you have to do it now. Time is
running out.
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Check out the TABI resource web page at http://acorange.home.comcast.net/TABI
and please make suggestions for new material.
if you'd like to unsubscribe you can do so through the freelists.org web
interface, or by sending an email to the address tabi-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
with the word "unsubscribe" in the subject.
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