Was interesting although not surprising that Mr. Trump cancelled the 12 June Summit in Singapore with the Dictator of North Korea.
Would not surprise me to find out that Mr. Pence intentionally made the comment about could happen as in Libya if Mr. Kim did not surrender his Nuclear Stash of Bombs.
That would locally similar to telling Mr. Rapp that he would no longer be able to feather his nest if he continued to do such and such? He too would be livid to be called out for anything?
On a note of I hope interest, I was going through some of the paperwork that I have received as a result of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), requests. This particular one had to do with the cost of the Health Insurance to the City for a particular recent year.
Now I have said before I am a firm believer in a Fair Compensation Package for any person be it a Public or Private Organization. However, there are times and this FOIA was one of them that had me shaking my head at what the City did.
It has been said several times that the City has a peculiar bidding process for each years' Health Insurance. For a 12- 13 year period it never even did a bid for anything, it just automatically renewed. When I questioned this, it suddenly hired the Schwendeman Agency to handle it Health Insurance for the last 5 years.
It has been a point of contention that for the past 18- 20 years, the cost to an employee in the category they are eligible for has not changed. For example, a single person pays nothing, the City 100%. This up to the fourth class as a Family consisting of three or more people at less, I repeat less than $100.00/ Month. In each of the four classes, the City pays the balance of the cost each year.
Now supposedly, the City goes out via Schwendeman each year to get "competitive" bids? This is not exactly the Truth of the matter. It was noted to me some time back that once all the bids if any, from interested Insurance providers are received, instead of the bid going to the lowest bidder as noted in State Law, Schwendeman begins to "negotiate" with Highmark until such time as they get their bid under the previous lowest bid?
The issue becomes what the coverage is under a particular plan at what cost. In this one particular year, the Highmark Bid that was accepted was $1,208,000./ for that year. BUT, there was another Insurer who had several bids (4), presented based on coverage levels. The worst of them would have saved the Tax Payers of Vienna almost $313,000./ for that year. NOTE: the worst/ highest of them. The other three (3) quotes would have saved the Taxpayers even more.
There would have been some higher costs to an employee based on plan, but none that would have been anything like what you or I pay in most cases. And with the minimum of $728./ year up to several thousand in pay raises, it would not have been a hardship to anyone of what is considered normal health?
This was not about Health Insurance at the best possible price to the Taxpayers, it was all about the coverage to the City. And basically, no one in the City pays much for anything. Item after item is covered at 100% after any payable deductible and there is a lot of question on how much that is if any?
Lets see if the VUB also schedules a meeting next week? That would explain what is going on.
Will cover the Council Meeting later as I go over the information. 'nuff said'.