R-ISLANDER

UNITED HEALTH CAUGHT STEALING FROM PENSION FUNDS

OUR HEALTH COVERAGE VENDOR is one of those MANY corporate giants who like steal...now they are paying millions in fines.  Gee, I wonder why our costs for health coverage go up?  Do you think it might be to pay fines such as this?  This system sucks ... ...eggs.  In the era of corporatism, ballooning since 9/11, we have a government that protects these robbers while we continue to pay higher and higher costs for health coverage.  I once thought that Obama and previously Hillary might do something about this...but lately, Obama seems to be moving to a position on the political spectrum that continues to protect these insurance scam artists and at our expense.  John McCain is even worse. 

 

NEWS ALERT
from The Wall Street Journal

July 2, 2008

UnitedHealth reached a $895 million settlement with California Public Employees' Retirement System and Alaska Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry Pension Trust in a federal securities class-action lawsuit related to stock-options backdating.

The health-insurance titan was one of the largest corporations to become ensnared in the backdating scandal, in which dozens of companies manipulated the dates that options were awarded, in order to give recipients a chance to reap additional compensation.

UnitedHealth also scaled back its earnings forecasts for 2008.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, please see: http://www.wsj.com?mod=djemalertNEWS

IT IS TIME RHODE ISLAND--SAME SEX MARRIAGE

The California courts said bans against same sex marriage is unconstitutional and permits California to join our sister state of Massachusetts in marrying same sex couples.  Here's a piece of the decision:

The California Supreme Court has overturned the state's ban on same-sex marriage in a 4-3 decision. The opinion is lengthy, and I'm just getting through it, but here's an excerpt: "Furthermore, in contrast to earlier times, our state now recognizes that an individual’s capacity to establish a loving and long-term committed relationship with another person and responsibly to care for and raise children does not depend upon the individual’s sexual orientation, and, more generally, that an individual’s sexual orientation — like a person’s race or gender — does not constitute a legitimate basis upon which to deny or withhold legal rights. We therefore conclude that in view of the substance and significance of the fundamental constitutional right to form a family relationship, the California Constitution properly must be interpreted to guarantee this basic civil right to all Californians, whether gay or heterosexual, and to same-sex couples as well as to opposite-sex couples."

Maybe this decision by one of the country's most prestigious courts will convince an otherwise disappointing Democratic legislature here in Rhode Island to give the "okay" to same sex marriage in Rhode Island.

NW INDIANA GOES FOR CLINTON; BARACK INEXPERIENCE CITED

Bucking conventional wisdom about Barack Obama's natural advantage in Northwest Indiana, a Times-sponsored poll of likely voters in Lake and Porter counties gives Hillary Clinton a commanding 13-point lead over Obama among region Democrats, according to Northwest Indiana newspapers.

The lead for Clinton is based on her experience and his inexperience as expressed in his Wright problems.  It was expressed by this Philadelphian very well and applies in Indiana:

"It raised the question of experience," said Jerome W. Mondesire, president of the Philadelphia NAACP and a pledged Clinton delegate. If Obama cannot handle a "whack-a-doodle like Wright, how is he going to handle a crazy head of a government with a nuclear weapon?" Mondesire asked. "That's far more dangerous than a Jeremiah Wright."

RI STATE BUDGET: OTHER TRUTHS

Here are some truths about the budget we are not hearing in RI: (from URI economist R. McIntyre)

It is true that health care costs, pension costs, and education spending,
especially on special ed, have risen in RI (and nationally). But the attention
to these issues in the media is way out of line with their relative
importance. Consider the following, all taken from Tom Sgouras's wonderful
publication, "Rhode Island Policy reporter" (www.whatcheer.net):

Corporate taxes have declined from 14% of the general
revenue in 1990 to less than 7% today. In today's
dollars, this is around $200 million in lost revenue.

We've cut the capital gains tax twice at a cost of about $40 million.

The personal income tax was cut 9% between 1997
and 2002, costing us about $110 million this year.

The phaseout of the car tax is costing $140 million
this year.

We've cut taxes on the richest taxpayers to a degree
that will eventually cost us $100 million.

So as the governor, the supposedly democratic legislature, and the supposedly
independent media, tell their story as if it were the only truth, there are
certainly others.

PENSIONERS AND POOR CHILDREN ARE DESTROYING RHODE ISLAND

Yes, the problem with the RI budget problems and we do have those, are the pensioners and poor children.  That's what Sen. Stephen Alves, Senate finance chair, URI Professor Maureen Moakley, and RI rich kid and corp. executive John Hazen White, Jr. (wearing all his gold "bling" to make sure we know he's "cool" and he's rich) said this morning on PBS' "Lively Experiment".

Imagine.  These people all think it is a hard thing to do, that is cutting services and pensions of RI's neediest, but they are advocating, indeed proposed, that we do it.  Hazen White was beside himself praising Carcieri and the Democratic legislature coming together to finally screw children and pensioners and balancing the budget on their backs rather than raise taxes...on corporations.

Even Alves noted that there are HUNDREDS of RI corporations making profits of over $10M per year who pay the minimum tax of $500.00.  Yet these people pass laws (Alves) or support passing laws (Moakley, Layman, Hazen White of Tacky, Inc.) that will reduce pensions for pensioners and cut THOUSANDS of poor children from the RI Ritecare (health insurance) roles.

RI constituencies, voters, unions, Hispanics, academics (Hazen White flaunts his money by donating to places like URI), public workers, and firefighters and policemen ( whom this group of VERY UNREPRESENTATIVE Rhode Islanders attack unmercifully as underserving of pensions and health care they negotiated in good faith with the state and or cities and towns) should come out in force to make sure they are all "thanked" for their concern about our first defenders and Rhode Island's working classes and the poorest of our children.

What is wrong with these people?  Heartless ... what is government for anyway, if not to help those in need...and yet they support corporations and the state's wealthiest by cutting their taxes and adding to the burdens of our citizens...who actually work for a living.

DEMOCRATIC LEGISLATURE BACKS CARCIERI CUTS OF HUMAN SERVICES

The RI Legislature closed the budget deficit.  How did they do it?  As reported in the Projo, ..."cutting health-care and welfare benefits for thousands of children, and reducing retirement benefits for all state workers who retire after Sept. 30, not to mention cutting benefits in other human services programs. 

How cowardly is it for the Assembly to balance the budget on the backs of children and state workers?  CHILDREN...no health insurance for children.  A major cut in health insurance for the working class on a variety of fronts.

They cut needed benefits of poor children and save dollars...and then give it away with tax cuts for the rich and coporate entities.  I can understand the Republican Carcieri making such unconscionable choices, but a D_E_M_O_C_R_A_T_I_C legislature?  I thought Democrats supported those at the margins of our society.  What the hell happened?  When did they become Republican who gleefully cut programs for the poor and working classes?

SHAME, SHAME....time to check voting records and to "reward" those democrats who are so in name only!

DEM Legislature Joins Carcieri in his attack on Working Class

RI Governor and RI Democratic Legislature are pushing many RIslanders into a forced retirement.  Young people who want to work are forced leave state government.  They will then go back into the private sector creating more competition for jobs in RI and the vicious circle for the working class will continue.  Nice job, boys...how to destroy RI...

“I actually love my job. I love the people I work with. It’s to the point where I got people saying, ‘You can’t leave,’ ” said DiPietro, who has spent the last 34 years working for state government. “But when I do the numbers, I have to leave. That’s not a good way to feel.” MORE>>>>

PELOSI IN THE TANK FOR OBAMA? OH YA.....

Nancy Pelosi is definitely in the tank for Barack Obama.  She continually knocks Hillary, the more qualified candidate.  I guess she knows she's in trouble back home and needs those Obama votes.  San Francisco, I guess she's calculated will give her more support if she supports Obama unabashedly over Hillary.  It is her attitude, so partisan and not in the interest of the party at this time, that will give the election to the Republicans.  She's now claiming that the Super Delegates should not have a role in the selection of the Democratic nominee.  What happened to the rules, Nancy?  The super delegates are supposed to have a role in all this based on their experience...  Pelosi thinks otherwise:

"If the votes of the superdelegates overturn what's happened in the elections, it would be harmful to the Democratic party."

-- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, quoted by the Associated Press, in a "declaration that gives a boost to Sen. Barack Obama."

She's made the same SILLY and anti Democratic and anti-democratic remarks on the Stephanopoulis Show this a.m.  What is her problem?

How about getting the House moving on ending the war, Nancy...Stop the baseball hearings, and hold hearing on impeaching Bush, for example....instead of destroying the Democratic chances in November...

OBAMA AND REZKO--MCLAUGHLIN SAYS IT WILL BE TROUBLE

The McLaughlin Group on Public Television this morning has had some really harmful perspectives expressed about Obama's handling of the Rezko Corruption matter.  Eleanor Clift who is generally supportive of the Obama candidacy has expressed concern that Obama has not handled this well. 

Pat Buchanan stated that Obama has probably told the truth, "but not the whole truth."  A Chicago reporter on the panel this week also stated that he has not come totally clean on the Rezko issue and if Obama is called to testify by either the defense or the prosecution, his candidacy will be in trouble.

Obama is running on transparency, and some of us who would vote for him easily if he wins the nomination want to know why he isn't being totally transparent on this Rezko Corruption matter.  He has not been tied in anyway to the corruption so, why isn't he coming forward with answers? 

CARCIERI CUTS JOBS TO PAY HIGH SALARIES FOR HIS CRONIES

Steve Kass, a former radio talk-show host and Gov. Carcieri's director of communications, is now the spokesman for the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency.  The current director makes about $47,000 but Gov. Carcieri, making sure his "boys and cronies" get the big bucks is paying Kass $126,541.  How embarrassing for anyone other than Carcieri is that?  Kass will be making more than the about-to-be-appointed Director of the Rhode Island Emergency Agency to whom Kass will report.

So, let's get this straight:  Gov. Carcieri gives tax cuts to RI's top 500 richest citizens and high paying jobs that usually pay much less to his cronies while at the same time cutting all the state's social services to the lower and middle classes and Carcieri also cuts the jobs of hundreds of state employees and then threatens their pensions as well.

Too bad ENRON went under.  After destroying this state, with his management record in Rhode Island, Carcieri certainly could be hired as the new Ken Lay.

Kass was the host for RI Public Television's Lively Experiment and also served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Rhode Island PSC Dept.  Kass' radio and television programs usually talk about corruption and public ethics and the lack thereof in Rhode Island state government.  LOL.