And there is supposed to be taxes on landlines for telephone in that bill also. Yet another blow to those who need a reliable access to help when the Cell Towers go down from no electricity.
But what is a bit "sneaky" is that the $1.55 is to be dedicated to paying the $120 Million shortfall for the PEIA Health plan. This is said to be $112 Million a year instead of the present take of $78 Million and only $48 Million for the Government folks. As I noted some days back the Legislature is pandering and simply put "buying" votes from the 200,000 plus Government workers in the plan. Nothing to reduce the current deficit shortfall in the $385 Million range or the anticipated $440 Million starting on 1 July 2016 for the 2016- 2017 Fiscal cycle. Thought about this some more and think I need to do a little better job of explaining this comment. But since we are now at midday, it being 11:50 AM on the 20th and so many have already read this posting, I am putting it into Sundays posting. Sorry, but "Truth in Advertising" sometimes needs a bit of a delay for the benefit of all of you reading these posts. And with some reading the posting for the 19th at 2:30 A.M. this morning, I wish to make it as simple as possible. And yes, I was up at 2:30 A.M.
Those short falls can be handled by other tax increases to bleed whomever does not work in any Government Entity. See what that $.85 minimum raise is getting most of you folks? And there are NO talks of premium, deductible, co-pay or prescription adjustments for the PEIA recipients. Just more good times at the feeding trough of them versus the rest of us. Now a little "Truth in Advertising" here; I am a retired Federal Employee and we have had NO increases in three (3) of the past seven years. So I for one am very familiar with the "share the pain". But an election year knows no limits.
Now I am going to say yet AGAIN, that I am a huge believer in a fair compensation package for ANY employee; not just the Government folks. But there has to be some modicum of fairness in what is to be paid and by whom. In a Private Company, the Owners can pay in wages/ benefits as they wish and there is no arguing on whether it is right or wrong by anyone outside of the Company as long as they stay within Federal/ State guidelines. And as so many of you know, benefits in the Private Sector can be slim too none. And if available, can be quite expensive.
In the Public side of the equation, there should be those WITH POWER protecting those with little or none. Mr. Azinger the younger is talking about the Delegates not being excited about Tax increases but about instead reductions so as to excite out of State businesses to come here and thereby hire some of the good folks out of work who are somehow going to be retrained into new professions. And note it is I speaking the "retraining" part of this comment. The rest he is saying. I will agree with him on this, but can anyone tell me where the money is to come from to retrain people?
There are some programs being talked about for the poor miners who got knocked down and out of what they have done in some cases for decades; but the thought of retraining into the Oil/ Gas jobs is not the best at the moment. In a year, we may have a handle on that issue, but till the Saudi's and the rest of OPEC are happy that our Industry has been pummeled enough they will continue to produce. The 600 pound Gorilla there is Iran who is running as wild pumping Oil as Vienna is spending YOUR Tax dollars.
With half the people who COULD be working in the State on the Dole or working under the table, not a lot to pay for the new tax from monies earned above board? So out of 1,800,000 people from newborn to oldest gramma; what does that really mean? 700,000 working in the open or at all? And we have 200,000 plus of those in Government positions. Tis a sad, sad day for this State when so few benefit so handsomely from what is left over from so many. Note my numbers are "estimates" except for the fact that only about half the eligible working and the 200,000 in Government positions.
Vienna is the Poster Child for greed and waste when it comes to how the employees have been so well paid in cash and benefits over the past 3 years as Mr. Rapp and the Council (that includes the "Cut back on spending" campaign issue of Mr. Azinger), voted in one pay/ benefit increase after another. There were three (3) proposals on the table and finally the BIGGEST one passed on a 5-2 vote.
As I was commenting that effective on 1 July of last year that the Staff would be BY and LARGE (which was almost immediately changed to include EVERYBODY so as to make me a bad guy) overpaid, someone was sending Mr. Azinger a text or tablet message that the average wage for a City employee was "only $28,500/ year". This he faithfully read into the recorded minutes thereby confusing the Truth that employees receive about $1,000- 1600/month (or more), in benefits for which they pay little or nothing? Example before Mr. Rapp and company start their usual misdirection, misinformation, deceit and deception are the single employees paying NOTHING for their Health Insurance while the City pays about $800/ month for each of them. This is about $9600/ year right there. This is why it actually costs about $46-47K to hire a person with any dependents into the City. Where this becomes an "oh the poor underpaid folks" working for only around $24K in wages, which is actually near the bottom of what many are hired in at ($11.41/ hour x 2080 hours/ year= $23,733. BUT than add in the benefits that no one wants to talk about and you end up with an excessive wage AND benefit package. So these across the board increases end up overpaying SOME and underpaying OTHERS. The water carriers as I call them. And this is how we end up with BY and LARGE; some too much, some too little. But, one can sure buy the votes!! And this is where Mr. Azinger the elder fits right into the mold of not a "cut spending" but going right alone with business as usual guy. Remember that when you vote.
But I am saying here and now that when I am privileged and honored to elected Mayor, that the Pay and Benefits in place now are staying there. No pay reductions and the same benefits will be available to the City folks.
Now, I am not very smart and will be the first one to admit it; so I went back to the City Council minutes for 24 September 2015 and 8 October 2015 where the City Council voted to reduce the Franchise Fee for SuddenLink and CAS to $0. effective 1 January 2016. Both readings passed with all present Council Members voting for it both times. It was to be effective with the January billing cycle. As I noted before, I did not get any reduction in the 01/10- -02/09 billing and none in the 02/10- 03/09 bill either? Am I special again or did anyone get the reduction? It is only about $66K/ year or $5,500/ month. Was it held up because of the dire financial straits the City is now in?
And DuPont just got its hand slapped with a NO new trial decision by the Judge in the case in Ohio. It of course will be appealed up the line and potentially will end up in front of the SCOTUS to try and not have to pay the award(s) as the cases roll out over the coming months and maybe years?
Interesting how Iran is all in for limiting production by several of the OPEC Countries; but no plans to limit its own. They are going to pump every possible ounce of Oil out of their wells to get hard currency be it Euro's which they now prefer or Dollars if they must; but pump they will.
The issue with Apple over getting into the phone of the dead Terrorist is a two edged sword for sure. How can anyone object to whatever may be in that phone to help find more of the bad people? But on the other hand, anyone who has watched our illustrious Government for the past few years would know that the process to crack the security on that phone would be used over and over and over. It would be just a matter of time until the Government would have worked their way down to my wife's cellphone. She would then get arrested for being so boring with nothing of interest to spy on. We are more and more damned if we do and damned if we don't.
In the interest of the Public Safety, I would have to side with cracking the code. If Apple can do it once, they can devise something that will provide the necessary security without locking down the good guys. Only question left is who are they- the good guys? 'nuff said.
(Paid for by the Candidate- Lawrence Wilson for Mayor of Vienna).