One Citizen Speaking

THE DEMOCRATS DARE NOT TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT THEIR "MEDICAID FOR ALL" INITIATIVE

How beneficial is the so-called “Medicare for All’ initiatives proposed by the progressive socialist democrats to senior citizens?  

Truth: Like most government initiatives, it cannot pass the smell test when it comes to its description. The program does not have anything to do with Medicare, the well-respected, and functional entitlement you earned over your working life. It is more like Medicaid for all, the catch-all welfare system administered by your state. Of course, it will have a catchy new name, tagline, and slogan. SoylentCare: the ultimate Earth-friendly recycling program.

Truth: The single-payer health care systems in England and Canada are grossly overtaxed and on the verge of collapse. Denial, delay, and rationing are not unknown. People are dying while waiting in line. Similar to the government-provided healthcare to our veterans, where documentary paperwork appears to be more important than the provision of care.

Truth: Like Obamacare, once implemented, it will be all-or-nothing, there will be no fall-backs or safety features, mainly because politicians will be loathe to admit the error of their ways lest they are thrown out of their cushy offices and denied their perks and privileges.

Truth: A single-payer health care scheme would eliminate all employer, union, and private insurer plans in favor of a government program based on an individual’s utility value to the state. Non-productive individuals such as children and senior citizens would be de-prioritized in favor of those individuals who are actively employed and paying into the system via their significantly increased taxes.

Truth: The President of the United States stood before America and lied about the benefits of his healthcare initiative. Especially infamous were Obama’s hollow promises of being able to keep your plan, your doctor, and your facility.

Truth: Like the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), nobody knows how a single-payer health care system might be implemented and administered. Everything is an estimate based on assumptions and spreadsheets. Wild progressive wishes and dreams without any specific plans or leadership capable of actually administering what would become a grossly bloated boondoggle. 

Truth: No politician read the 2000+ page Obamacare outline or knew anything other than House Speaker’s Pelosi’s dictum: “But we have to pass the bill so you can find out what is in it, away from the fog of the controversy.” The bill was drafted in secret by the progressive socialist democrats with input from progressive foundations and progressive health care organizations. No amendments or supplementary addenda were allowed. Passing the unconstitutional law using a congressional trick known as reconciliation did not yield clarity; it yielded outrageously high premiums, deductibles, and co-pays. Any savings from the program resulted from those who couldn’t afford healthcare because of the extremely high deductibles. Little or nothing was done about waste, fraud, and abuse, which appears to be a protected right of the special interests that prey upon the sick, elderly, and young.

Truth: Seniors could not trust AARP who was urging their members to call their members in Congress to pass the bill. Few mentioned that AARP derived most of their income from a single insurance company that helped draft the plan and that AARP’s leadership was enthralled with President Obama.

Bottom line …

Can you even begin to imagine what might happen if the federal government tried to run McDonald’s? Sixty union employees per shift with fines and penalties if the ketchup squirter reaches over to squirt mustard. Fifty dollar hamburgers. Being lucky to get a cold burger if they haven’t already run out of supplies.

Your health care should not be a progressive power grab based on an academic exercise by pointy-headed individuals.

How are these progressive socialist democrat fools going to improve our lives when they have historically failed at everything except slavery, segregation, and the imposition of misery.

We are so screwed.

-- steve

PROGRESSIVE POWER PLAY IN LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

It should not surprise me that the Los Angeles Times continues to report on the race for Los Angeles Unified School District board candidates from the perspective of progressive socialist democrat identity politics. A progressive world where individuals in minority areas should be represented by minorities and if a minority’s proportional representation does not equal or exceed that minority’s percentage representation in the general population it must be prima facie proof of racism.

Enough with the racial politics and progressive liberal hacks in the LAUSD…

It’s bad enough that the LAUSD is struggling financially and said to be in danger of being taken over by Los Angeles County in three years if the voters do not pass Measure EE, a parcel tax said to fund “educational improvements, instruction, and programs.” Which, of course, appears to be the type of lie we see often in LAUSD fundraising pitches. What is really being funded in not students in the classroom but the corrupt and self-serving LAUSD apparatus – the underfunded union pension and benefit funds as well as the special interests, including land developers, contractors, consultants, and vendors who seem to prey on the school system.

It’s bad enough that certain special interests, like a billionaire art aficionado, are allowed to disproportionately influence board politics.

It’s bad enough that the LAUSD continues to graduate functional illiterates year-after-year. Lowering standardized and graduate testing to give the impression of being a successful educational enterprise. Acceding to unions demands to avoid teacher competency testing for teaching ability and subject matter knowledge. Using gym teachers to teach English and math to preserve their “seniority: status when younger subject-matter specialists are being laid off.

It’s bad enough that the LAUSD has a “teacher jail” where teachers do nothing because they are suspected of crimes against children and it is next to impossible to terminate their employment under onerous union contracts. Some receiving “buy-outs” that do not affect their pensions and benefits to voluntarily leave the school system. 

And, it’s bad enough that the LAUSD continues to concentrate its efforts on dealing with problems of poor and minority students whose problems begin at home and for whom school is just another form of babysitting.

This L.A. district is 80% non-white, but both school board candidates are white.   Maria Villatoro had a few things on her checklist that would sway her vote for her kids’ new school board member: They should make the superintendent work harder, visit schools in her southeast Los Angeles neighborhood more often — and preferably, be a Latina, who might better understand the needs of her community. [OCS: An administrator or education needs to understand the needs of the children who need to be educated and the administration of a large and diverse staff, not the broader needs of the community.] But in the Tuesday runoff election, she will have to choose between two white candidates in Board District 5, even though about 8 in 10 residents are not white and nearly 90% of the district students are Latino. The election will have significance beyond its boundaries, no matter the outcome. Four of the board’s seven members will be white in a school district where 9 in 10 students are non-white. The numbers underscore that even though Latinos now make up nearly half the population of Los Angeles, they still lag behind in voting rolls and political clout in parts of the city. Some Latinos in the school district are not citizens, so they’re not eligible to vote. But even among those who are qualified, voter turnout in the heavily Latino southeast portion of Board District 5 remains low. [OCS: Oh, the progressive horror of not being politically correct and proportionally represented. Of course the turnout remains low – because most, not some, are illegal aliens. Because parents have priorities other than education. And because certain cultures do not hold education in high regard when compared to other cultures.] How the candidates are trying to connect Villatoro, whose son attends Fishburn Avenue Elementary in Maywood, said she’s most worried about cuts in arts classes, counselors and nurses. In the primary, she voted for Cynthia Gonzalez, a Latina from Huntington Park who she believed could fix those issues and best understand Latinos’ unique needs. “For me, it would be important to have a Latino [on the board],” she said. “They understand the culture and the trauma that kids have in certain neighborhoods.” [OCS: Elementary school is a place to learn social behavior, language, reading, mathematics, and useful information. Arts are fine in a secondary role. School is not a mental or physical health clinic for the underserved population. Children are children and should be treated equally. When I hear “unique needs,” I hear accommodations for ill-prepared illegal aliens who are mainstreamed into school by age and not ability – pretty much where problems start because children tend to act out or tune out when frustrated.] But it was two white women — Jackie Goldberg and Heather Repenning — who emerged from a crowded pack of 10 candidates — seven of them Latino — to fill the seat left vacant by the resignation of a Latino, Ref Rodriguez, who pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge related to campaign finance allegations. [OCS: Former LAUSD Board Member Jackie Goldberg is an old-time progressive socialist democrat political hack. A 74-year-old liberal activist with education rooted in the uber-liberal University of California, Berkeley and the University of Chicago. The openly lesbian Goldberg also did a stint in the California State Legislature and is backed by the United Teachers Los Angeles, which has endorsed and financially supported her candidacy. Heather Repenning, 44, is also a progressive socialist democrat hack, having served as the Vice President of the Board of Public Works Commissioners. She is also backed by unions, including the notorious and socialistic SEIU. Portraying herself as “an independent voice” is ludicrous considering her union affiliations. It appears that the pragmatic uber-liberal billionaire Eli Broad who has a history of interfering in the LAUSD Eli Broad made a $100,000 donation to the SEIU Local 99 political action committee backing Repenning. It appears that Broad’s interests in charter schools seems to outweigh his disinterest in unions. Broad also contributed $250,000 to support the parcel tax. Both political hacks appear to be more interested in charter schools, teacher retirement benefits, school accountability, the looming budgetary crisis and plans for some restructuring of the district than they are on improving children’s abilities.] Both candidates said they believe that Latino representation is important and vow to aggressively advocate for the communities in the district. Goldberg, a veteran politician, has argued that she was the only candidate with enough name recognition to ensure a charter school-backed candidate would not be elected. “I believe it’s a Latino seat,” she said in an interview. “But I will tell you, in all honesty, I don’t believe that we had any chance of keeping a fourth vote from being a charter vote unless I ran.” [OCS: The truth emerges. The LAUSD believes they own both the students and their associated revenue streams and even if charter schools do a better job educating students, we can’t have those non-union teachers in the system.] Read more at the Los Angeles Times.

Bottom line…

Education is big business in Los Angeles and where there is business you find money and politics. It has never been about “the children” but all about the rapacious unions, preservation of the K-12 educational monopoly, expanding the reach and influence of the schools into other areas of domestic life, and turning the school system into a pension funding mechanism.

No matter how the residents of Los Angeles vote in this educational edition special election, you are not voting for your children, you are voting for multi-million dollar special interests.

We are so screwed.

-- steve

DIVERSITY AND DISHONESTY KILLED JUSTINE DAMOND...

Once again, we find the New York Times, America’s equivalent of Pravda, racializing a story where the adjudicated facts appear to be clear and unambiguous…

Unlike the 1964 Kitty Genovese story where a 28-year-old woman was stabbed outside her apartment building in New York and where 38 witnesses saw or heard the attack and did nothing, this case involves 40-year-old Justine Ruszczyk Damond who called 911 twice to report a possible sexual assault in the ally behind her Minnesota home. Running outside barefoot and wearing her pajamas to speak with the responding officers, she was shot and killed by a responding police officer who fired a single shot from the front passenger seat across the driver and into the victim.

Racializing a tragedy…

A Black Officer, a White Woman, a Rare Murder Conviction. Is It ‘Hypocrisy,’ or Justice? [OCS: This is not a case that should have been racialized by an author who owes his living to creating stories of racial disparity and dysfunction.] While many in the community said Mr. Noor should have been held accountable, they could not help but wonder what the outcome would have been if the races of the officer and the victim had been flipped. “This is an anomaly based on the race of the officer, and the race and affluence of the victim,” said Nekima Levy Armstrong, a civil rights lawyer and activist in Minneapolis. “The system treats African-Americans and white people differently, whether they are the victim in a police-involved shooting case or whether they are the police officer. This is absolutely outrageous.” [OCS: Armstrong is full of crap. This is not about race but clear police misconduct that resulted in an innocent life lost. Had the races been reversed, one might imagine the presumption of guilt and riots in the streets. To even suggest that their is systemic racism is ludicrous. Especially when one considers that the police, investigators, prosecutors, judge, and jury would all have to be racist to bring about charges of systemic racism.] Even as activists and community leaders said that Ms. Ruszczyk deserved justice and expressed their condolences for her family, the verdict raised uncomfortable questions about the racial dynamics of the case. [OCS: What racial dynamics? On the part of the responding officers: The action occurred in a dark alley, within a police vehicle running in dark mode, and it is unlikely the the police officer identified the race of the soon-to-be victim or else he would not have taken the shot. On the part of the investigators: there was ample evidence that Officer Noor was not psychologically suited for police work and it had nothing to do with race other than the fact that he may have been an affirmative action hire to promote progressive diversity. Former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor concerned psychiatrists and training officers about his fitness for duty long before he fatally shot Justine Ruszczyk Damond, new court records show. Revelations about Noor's past were introduced by Hennepin County prosecutors on Wednesday in response to a motion by defense attorneys to dismiss the third-degree murder and manslaughter charges filed against him in Damond's death. Noor was flagged by two psychiatrists during the pre-hiring evaluation in early 2015 after he exhibited an inability to handle the stress of regular police work and unwillingness to deal with people, according to the records. <Source> On the part of the prosecution: both sides presented their evidence and interpretation of the evidence. On the part of the jury and sentencing court: it appears that justice prevailed and a negligent police officer was held accountable for his actions. Unfortunately, the residents also suffered as the city paid $20 million to the victim’s family – money that could have been spent improving the protection and lives of the city’s residents.] Some saw a system and a society that was quick to embrace and sympathize with Ms. Ruszczyk, a benefit that black victims rarely enjoy. Others felt that Mr. Noor did not get the vocal support of the police establishment that they usually see in police-shooting cases and wondered whether this would deter black people from law enforcement careers. [OCS: What deters black people from law enforcement is black people who denigrate law enforcement, actively oppose law enforcement, refuse to cooperate with law enforcement, and in some cases target law enforcement. It is similar to the majority black student attitude against smart black students in local schools. The police are not the enemy.] “The only difference is that the officer involved in the shooting in this case happened to be a black Muslim immigrant, and the deceased person is a Caucasian lady,” said Waheid Siraach, a former police officer and a founder of the Somali-American Police Association. “People can put the two and two together.” [OCS: Obviously Siraach is a racist by virtue of viewing everything through the prism of race rather than evidence leading to a just outcome.] Read more at the New York Times.

Bottom line…

Ask an activist or author whose very existence and income is dependent on finding racial disparity in life and you are sure to get a race-biased result. And you do not excuse bad behavior by pointing to other bad behavior.

Here we have another example of the New York Times, a progressive socialist democrat rag, creating a fake news story that interjects race into a police negligence case where race played no factor in the events that transpired in that alley on the night in question.

The New York Times, more like an American version of the Soviet Pravda, apparently is the propaganda arm of the fifth column that wants to destroy America from within on behalf of her enemies, both foreign and domestic.

We are so screwed.

-- steve

SAN FRANCISCO AND THEIR POLICE STATE TACTICS AGAINST A JOURNALIST

  

Freedom of the Press?

San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi. said to have dedicated his career to uncovering police misconduct, was found in a room with a woman not his wife and surrounded by suspicious drug-related items. The autopsy revealed that Adachi had a preexisting heart condition and that his death was accidental due to the effects of cocaine and alcohol. Someone, suspected in the police department, leaked the highly embarrassing report to journalist Bryan Carmody who then sold the story to a number of media outlets.

In a stunning display of hypocrisy, the political and police powers of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s hometown of San Francisco, California raid a journalist’s home and office to determine who leaked a confidential police report…

Had the subject been Donald Trump or had the reporter worked for the New York Times, the journalist who received the leaked information would have been given an award for his courageous “journalism” and adamant protection of sources. But, then again, it appears that the leaks were not condoned nor executed by the law enforcement agencies themselves as appears to be the case in Trumpworld.

In their zeal to discovered who leaked the report, eight to ten armed police, guns drawn and accompanied by  two FBI agents, used unnecessary force to obtain entry to the journalist’s home, handcuffed him for seven hours, ransacked the premises, and confiscated all of his electronic devices leaving him unable to earn a living. The police were issued two lawful search warrant for stolen or embezzled material and probable cause that a felony had been committed. Some media advocates now question whether or not the judge knew that the search warrant was for a journalist and that the confiscated materials may have contained information about other official misconduct like the leaked photos of safety issues with San Francisco’s trains.

In an amazing display of official hypocrisy, Mano Raju, the Public Defender who replaced Adachi issued a statement: “All of our criminal justice and City Hall leaders agree that the release of police reports in this fashion is wrong.” and that he was pleased that the authorities are working to get to the bottom of the matter. Followed by a Police Department: "The citizens and leaders of the City of San Francisco have demanded a complete and thorough investigation into this leak, and this action represents a step in the process of investigating a potential case of obstruction of justice along with the illegal distribution of confidential police material.” Yeah Right!

The worst part of the scenario is that the FBI confirmed that two agents were present but did not participate in the execution of the search warrant. Considering that the reporter did not commit a federal crime, one wonders if someone in the federal government was involved in what looks like it might have been an attempt to cover-up an embarrassing event? Or an illegal fishing expedition to uncover unrelated materials of interest?

Bottom line…

Far from the asserting the moral high ground that Nancy Pelosi always claims, San Francisco is as corrupt as any other little fiefdom who wants to portray themselves as paragons of virtue as their streets are awash in urine, feces, and used needles from illicit public drug usage.

It appears that the appropriate legal process for obtaining the information requested was a subpoena which could have been challenged in a court of competent jurisdiction. And that the search warrants were overly broad, intrusive, and possibly obtained with incomplete information as to probable cause. California has a shield law for journalists and it is not a crime to publish leaked information. 

This appears to be police-state intimidation tactics as two police officers asked politely for the name of Bryan Carmody’s source two weeks before the raid.

The big questions are: one, why was the FBI present in a local matter; and two, did either of the Judges respect the reporter’s collateral material grabbed in the police raid?

Look for another expensive legal action to be paid by San Franciscans.

We are so screwed.

-- steve

SEIU: HYPOCRISY AND ALLEGATIONS OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN THE PROGRESSIVE UNION MOVEMENT

It is supremely ironic that the workers at the SEIU (Service Employees International Union), a controversial union rooted in activist communism) are threatening to strike over issues involving lifetime employment for workers with five years of service, outsourcing union work to consultants and other vendors, and of course wages and benefits. The union represents public employees, healthcare workers, janitors, and others.

It is extremely rare that one union (OPEIU) will attack another (SEIU) over issues involving job security, harassment in the workplace, outsourcing, and of course wages and benefits.

Office of Professional Employees International Union Local 2 SEIU AGAINST ITS OWN LABOR In the face of continued attacks against their labor rights, SEIU Headquarters union workers vote overwhelmingly to authorize strike  Strike authorization vote comes after years of union-busting attacks by management at SEIU and its pension fund, stalled bargaining over attempts to remove job security for workers. [OCS: Eliminating competition and providing lifetime employment guarantees after two to five years in un-American and a key feature of a socialist utopia which cannot exist in the real world.]  In a significant show of strength and unity, 92 percent of OPEIU Local 2 members who work at SEIU headquarters authorized a strike after rejecting management’s best and final offer. The vote reveals the extent of labor unrest inside SEIU’s own office as management has eliminated the majority of union jobs in favor of outsourcing the work to non-union consultants. “As the most progressive labor union in the country, SEIU has a special responsibility to lead by example and work with its union staff to fight back against the right-wing attacks on labor in this country,” said David Hoskins, chief shop steward. “To do this, we must work together to create more good union jobs—not eliminate them. Unfortunately, what SEIU tells the public and its members about union values contrasts sharply to its behavior toward its union workers. [OCS:  It is not a matter of right versus left, but right versus wrong, and good versus evil. There are valid reasons for a collective employee stance when faced with safety issues, abusive management, but not simply to act as a benefits manager, political party liaison, or a employee creation and dues collection mechanism that benefits the union’s leadership.] At our office, SEIU bosses have engaged in a prolonged union-busting campaign, even while bargaining a collective agreement with its union staff." [OCS: At least some rational individuals see the downside to dealing with unions who are all about rewarding seniority over merit, unlinking wages and productivity, and stifling innovation to increase unionized headcounts.] Over the last five years, union jobs at SEIU and its pension fund have been cut in half: from 283 to 149. The remaining number of union workers represented by OPEIU Local 2 has declined drastically since 2005, from 171 members to 84. SEIU staff is now made up of 70 percent managers as SEIU’s leadership has systematically cut the number of union positions in favor of at-will managerial bloat and non-union consultants. [OCS: With such a skewed ratio of management to workers, one cannot help but wonder if they are so efficient that they need fewer support staff or if they designate employees as managers to keep them from being represented by a union?] According to filings with the Department of Labor, SEIU spent $21.6 million outsourcing work to non-union consultants in 2017, much of which should have been done by union workers. [OCS: In many companies, it is beneficial to the enterprise to outsource work to specialist companies with lower labor costs to allow the organization to concentrate on its core competencies and providing products and services that benefit society.] At the same time, SEIU publicly launched a Unions For All campaign highlighting the importance of building and maintaining good union jobs to improve this country’s economy. OPEIU Local 2 members firmly believe that all workers—Black, white and brown—whether they work for Walmart, McDonald’s or a self-proclaimed pro-worker organization like SEIU, should be able to speak with a collective voice on the job without a steady barrage of union-busting by their employer. "SEIU spent the past 10 years punishing its staff unions for possible bad decisions by a conservative Supreme Court," said Christi Fanelli, a Local 2 member working at SEIU Headquarters. "We are now reaching a crisis point where all the money is being spent on expensive people offering opinions, and very few people are left to do the work. Local 2 has had enough of this cycle of irresponsibility. Building a sustainable organization means developing institutional knowledge and investing in the people who are committed to the labor movement." Workers represented by OPEIU Local 2 attempted to address these issues in contract negotiations with SEIU and was rebuffed by management-- including a proposal to decide on whether to use contractors or union staff based on the best interests of SEIU, which management rejected. Management’s last, best, and final offer includes a major concession that aims to end key layoff protections for all new union staff hires. SEIU has also come under scrutiny in recent years over rampant alleged abuse by high ranking executives and managers, including widespread bullying and sexual harassment. [OCS: How is it possible that these enlightened progressive socialist democrat managers and employees would engage in the bullying and sexual harassment they routinely accuse their unionization targets of? ] "The SEIU field staff who are members of the Union of Union Representatives (UUR) stand united with our sisters and brothers in Local 2" said UUR President Conor Hanlon. "We call on SEIU management to practice what they preach--return to the bargaining table and negotiate a fair contract with their headquarters and pension fund staff."   [OCS: One might think that the employees and managers of a union devoted to progressive equality, wage equality, and social justice could agree on what is right and beneficial for all without a prolonged dispute.] The group of workers made up of the professional and technical support staff at SEIU and its pension fund say that SEIU management has failed to commit to any meaningful improvements at the bargaining table. They are prepared to strike if management fails to agree to any significant improvements to layoff protections, job security, and workplace culture. <Source>

The SEIU has issued their “Best and Final Offer” to its membership buried in the rhetoric of unionism… 

Issued May 07, 2019 SEIU Statement on Outcome of Mediation with Staff Union</align="center"></align="center"> Today, SEIU released the following statement on the outcome of its efforts to come to an agreement over a new contract with its unionized headquarters-based staff represented by the Office and Professional Employees Union (OPEIU) Local 2. The following statement is attributable to SEIU spokeswoman Sahar Wali: “Joining together in unions gives working people the ability to fight for good jobs and to restore balance to an economy and democracy that benefit corporations over working people. SEIU fights every day for our members and for all working people to have better wages and the ability to join a union, no matter where they work. As a union and an employer, SEIU wholeheartedly respects and supports the ability of our employees to join together through their union to negotiate the terms and conditions of their work. On behalf of SEIU members, we must serve as responsible stewards of our members’ resources and maintain their ability to fight for a better life through their union. To do this, we must ensure that any contract we enter into is in the best interest of our members and allows our union to act nimbly and effectively in the face of unprecedented attacks. Our goal going into and throughout bargaining and mediation has always been to come to agreement by offering our OPEIU-represented staff the kind of benefits SEIU members fight for every day. For eight months, we worked in good faith and were hopeful that we would reach an agreement.  Despite working for almost a year at the table with OPEIU Local 2 to deliver improvements to their contract and despite our additional offers in mediation to move that contract even further, OPEIU Local 2’s bargaining committee has rejected a path to settlement that included the kind of provisions that our members fight for in their contracts, and that not-yet-union workers can only dream of. We absolutely respect their right to do this. Today, we issued a revised last, best, and final offer to OPEIU Local 2 which includes improvements to the contract that were discussed in mediation. It is our hope that OPEIU Local 2 will fully present this offer to its members, and that Local 2 members will, if given the opportunity, move to ratify this contract. Our members need us to continue the important work we do on their behalf by moving forward. No union is immune to the unprecedented attacks on working people. When public sector workers were attacked through the Janus Supreme Court decision, SEIU had to adjust our resources and organization to secure the ability of our members to fight back. At the same time that we were doing this, we committed to a robust and lengthy process at the bargaining table with our staff to ensure that they could get the better pay, healthcare and working conditions. We are a union that is also an employer who believes wholeheartedly in the power and importance of collective bargaining and sitting across the table with our employees to come to the best agreement that we can. The very nature of this give-and-take process means that there will be times when bargaining may not result in an agreement, especially when what we see as best for our members does not match certain demands made by unionized staff. In a time of heightened attack on working people, we are proud to have been able to offer our staff a contract with such robust provisions without demanding any major concessions on their behalf. Our offer would improve their wages by 8% over the course of the contract, ensure that all current staff enjoy lifetime job security upon five years of service, improve even further upon their already fully-paid healthcare and pensions, extend fully-paid parental leave from 8 to 12 weeks, provide life insurance, and establish a program that would contribute to paying down their student debt. [OCS: With the SEIU it appears that “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” as they try to implement a two-tier system where ONLY current staff will enjoy lifetime job security upon five years of service. So much for equality among those receiving disproportionate salaries and benefits for doing the same work.] SEIU and both of the unions that represent our staff, including OPEIU, are all part of the same broader movement to fight the attacks on unions and improve working people’s lives. For all of us to win in this fight, SEIU will remain focused on standing shoulder to shoulder with all of our brothers and sisters across labor and will always rise above engaging in perpetuating false accusatory vitriol that tries to divide us. Together, we can win back an economy and democracy that are balanced for all working people.” <Source> [OCS: To think your organization is a model that supports our Republic and can manage and grow our economy, is to believe in the tooth fairy and the socialist/communist utopia.]Botto

Bottom line…

In an environment of a union (SEIU) that touts the progressive socialist democrat agenda of social justice, I find it unusual and ironic that the union’s employees must be represented by another union (OPEIU) to protect their interests against an evil, malicious, and rapacious management.

And according to the criteria the progressive socialist democrats used in the confirmation of now-Justice Kavanaugh, those allegations should be taken as gospel and grounds to convict. In fact, why not demand the investigation and dismissal of the top leadership of the SEIU.

Given the nature of discovery in trials, the lawsuit could produce volumes of evidence that could shine a light on why so many of SEIU President Mary Kay Henry’s top political allies were allowed to get away with sexual misconduct and retaliation against those who reported it. <Source>

As the progressive socialist democrats are wont to say, “Do as I say, not as I do.” So much for the social justice warriors and the #MeToo movement.

We are so screwed.

-- steve

TRUTH IN ADVERTISING: THERE IS NO MEDICARE IN "MEDICARE FOR ALL"

Seniors currently on Medicare, union members presently insured through your union, and people who are insured through their employers should be afraid, very afraid.

The misnamed “Medicare for All” really has nothing to do with traditional Medicare and is simply another example of progressive socialist democrats re-defining a well-understood program with their topsy-turvy and dishonest up is down, right is left, and evil is good deceptions. The truth is that all insurance would be eliminated and the government would be the only entity to provide reimbursement for medical services. The government will decide whether or not you are covered for life-preserving procedures – based on your age and procedure cost. The alternative is palliative care with anti-anxiety drugs and powerful pain medications.

We have paid into Medicare all of our working careers – so why should an illegal alien, fresh from a trek across our border, simply receive the same care we bet our lives on?

Remember when President Obama and his cadre of progressive socialist democrats lying to your face? Over and Over.

The progressive socialist democrats tell you straight out and up front that they have no shame in killing unborn babies or, in some cases, recently born babies. But, for some inexplicable reason, they are unwilling to execute heinous murderers and terrorists but are willing to end life-prolonging treatments for seniors and ration healthcare for the rest of the population.

This nonsense does not work well in England under their National Health Service, in Canada under what they call Medicare, or anywhere else progressive socialists experiment with the populations they purport to serve. Our government has proven themselves incapable of running the VA Hospital system or the Indian Health Service that guarantees to American Indian and Alaska Natives. These are the very same people who cannot keep track of incoming and outgoing visas and believe that there are approximately twelve million illegal aliens in the country when the actual number may be as high as forty-seven million.

Don’t look to AARP for honest representation…

AARP, traditionally considered an advocate for senior citizens has proven themselves to be a corrupt organization willing to sell senior citizens out in return for continued billion dollar revenue streams from the healthcare insurance industry. How else can you explain their promotion of Obamacare, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that does not protect patients nor is it affordable with outrageous premiums, deductibles, and co-pays? How else can you explain AARP sitting idly by and watching $750 BILLION taken from the Medicare Advantage program to help pay for the boondoggle that is Obamacare? How else can you explain those commercials with ambulances and medical personnel urging you to call your member of Congress to pass the unconstitutional Obamacare?

Bottom line…

Seniors, before you buy into the progressive bullpucky about healthcare, remember Medicare for All eliminates Medicare for anyone. It is not Medicare and has nothing to do with Medicare as it is currently administered. It will destroy any semblance of doctor-patient relationships as faceless and unelected bureaucrats decide on your healthcare.

A few simple questions. One, do you think that physicians, nurses, and others will voluntarily become slaves of the government? Two, how do you expand coverage without increasing the number of physicians, nurses, facilities, diagnostic devices, and other necessary services? A few answers: You will see fewer doctors and those you see will probably have graduated from a “foreign” medical school. And, you will experience rationing and possibly premature death and discomfort. Which should make you pause and ask yourself” can you believe the politicians who are selling the Medicare for All program?

Do not let politicians tell you that we need this new socialist single-payer system to preserve our current Medicare benefits – it eliminates our benefits and does not protect them

We are so screwed.

-- steve

NO MORE LITTLE BOYS AND GIRLS, ONLY DEMOCRATS AND NOT-DEMOCRATS

With its passage out of the House Judiciary Committee, the Equality Act of 2019 with its 240 co-sponsors heads for a floor vote that will probably cause havoc and litigation for decades to come if it is passed into law. In essence, the legislation adds sexual orientation and gender identity to the protected classes of race, sex, and religion – thus creating the ability to sue individuals and institutions for violating civil rights by using the wrong descriptive pronoun.

The day of the sex checkbox is over – it is now a free entry field. Individuals are no longer defined by their chromosomal and physical reality—but by what they choose to represent themselves to be on any given day.

What’s next?

Bottom line…

Under the progressive socialist democrats, we are losing our inalienable rights, our Constitution, our country, our culture, and any semblance of scientific truth.

We are screwed.

-- steve

TRUMP CANNOT WIN AGAINST NORTH KOREA

In the very best of circumstances, President Donald Trump can maintain parity and preserve the status quo.

A number of readers asked me what game is President Trump playing with North Korea…

First, you need to remember that the fat smiling crap-weasel with the funny haircut, Kim Jong-Un, is not playing a game. No matter how ridiculous and unstable he may look, he fights each and every day for his own survival and the survival of the regime he inherited from his father, Kim Jong-Il, and his grandfather, North Korea’s first leader Kim Il-sung.

Second, while he has a political title, Supreme Leader of North Korea since 2011 and Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea, his power is absolute. Dues to decades of brutal oppression and political indoctrination, Kim is viewed more like the “Sun God” rather than a repressive dictator who is a threat to the freedom, happiness, and prosperity of its citizens. Truth be told, the citizen’s of North Korea, especially those in concentration camps, have never experienced freedom or prosperity. Any happiness they may have often derives from surviving one more day without starving.

Third, no matter how foolish he might appear, he is a dangerous and unpredictable dictator who has been known to execute individuals for the slightest of offenses or even as a precautionary measure if they seem to be capable of becoming a threat to him or his kingdom. It appears that he went so far as to execute his own half-brother Kim Jong-Nam using a highly unusual and traceable nerve agent known as VX. It is believed that Jong-Nam was under the protection of the Chinese government and considered a likely figurehead replacement should Jong-Un be overthrown or assassinated. Considering the economic and military power China holds over North Korea this was a bold and surprising display of arrogance and defiance. North Korea believes in the three-generation punishment rule to weed-out political or criminal threats. So an entire family can disappear into concentration camps for the real or imagined offenses of one family member.

Fourth, Kim’s coercive behavior extends beyond the United States to his patrons in China. The last thing China needs is millions of illiterate, unskilled, and starving refugees flooding over its border. Likewise, South Korea. Should something happen to North Korea’s strongman leadership, it would create the greatest humanitarian crisis in history.

Fifth, Kim is not stupid nor is he uneducated, apparently having a degree in physics and training as a military officer. He had lived in Switzerland, is fluent in spoken and written English, and likes Western diversions and pleasures. He is known to be a basketball fanatic. He is also said to be shy and suffering from a number of medical issues.

Sixth, Kim does not do it alone. Like any other communist regime, the leadership of Korea is delegated to a number of political and military individuals who control Korea’s various legal and illegal enterprises. While it may seem funny to Westerners to see uniformed officers with medals down their pant legs or holding a notebook while writing down Kim’s words – it is not a game. Each of these individuals is in competition with each other and should it look like two or more leaders are growing close and spending time together, it is likely that both could be viewed with suspicion and summarily executed.

Seventh, the Kingdom, which it really is, is perpetually starved and suffering. Three generations of Kim’s have diverted significant sums into the development of their nuclear deterrent – not so much for an attack as for defense against those who would attack the “Dear Leader” or his regime.

Bottom line…

While North Korea does not pose an existential threat to the United States, China, or Russia, it certainly is an existential threat to Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. The idea that a slick real estate negotiator like Donald Trump can out-think or out-negotiate Kim is laughable. Whereas, Trump always has options to retreat – even if he looks weak – he simply shrugs his shoulders and declares that was a fail, now on to something else. Kim does not have that luxury; he must appear to be strong and omnipotent at all times and in all situations.

For the 2020 progressive socialist democrats who believe that communism can work – consider that, for all intents and purposes, North Korea to be the ultimate petri dish: the North Koreans are a homogenous people, in an insolated environment free from substantial outside influences, and with a centrally-planned economy using North Korea’s “population units” and resources as they see fit. And it is a gross failure with millions of dead and millions more suffering in misery.

In the final analysis, I think Trump will settle for a piece of paper and a photo-op, much in the same manner as former President Obama did with Iran, and the status-quo will be maintained. If President Trump actually makes diplomatic or military inroads on a nuclear Iran or North Korea, he will be more deserving of the worthless Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Barack Obama for weakening America’s military posture.

The greatest weapon that can be deployed against North Korea is communication to bring an awareness of the outside world and all it has to offer. And, if one wants to achieve parity, one might consider allowing Japan to develop or rent nuclear arms – if they, like Israel, haven’t already taken that precaution.

We are so screwed.

-- steve

BEWARE: MORE PROGRESSIVE PROPAGANDA

From: William Klein, Editor <info@resisteverywhere.org> Reply-To: <info@resisteverywhere.org> To: Steve <steve@onecitizenspeakingt.com> Sent: 5/7/2019 11:12:16 AM Subject: Tax Cheat In Chief Democratic Headline Update I don’t have to show you any stinkin’ taxes, Donald Trump and Steve Mnuchin didn’t say. That’s pretty much their attitude about everything.  No taxes, no documents, no testimony, no oversight. [OCS: There is no clause in the United States Constitution that requires a candidate for the President or Vice President of the United States to do anything more than meet the constitutional guidelines on citizenship, residency, and age. To the extent that all federal employees, officers, nominees, etc. fill out financial disclosure forms, it was the politicians who decided not to seek detailed information and settled for ranges that do not even provide adequate and auditable disclosure for the purposes of detecting wrongdoing. As for documents, how quickly the forget the documents that were withheld subject to executive privilege or destroyed on former President Obama’s watch. As for testimony, the committee clown show where it is mostly a speech opportunity for members rarely elicits useful information and often serves to embarrass and punish political enemies. And, as for oversight, let us not forget that the government loses billions of dollars annually through waste, fraud, and abuse with nary a peep from those charged with conducting prudent oversight.] And now Trump is retweeting a suggestion from that great thinker, Jerry Falwell Jr, that his term be extended by two years to make up for the no collusion witch hunt. [OCS: The progressive socialist democrats have little appreciation of humor or rhetorical statements to make a point. In this case, the Congress and their media propaganda apparatus wasted two years trying to hang Trump for a crime he did not commit.] “You've tried democracy, now try autocracy,” Donald Trump also didn’t say—yet.  [OCS: In a classic case of projection, the progressive socialist democrats are pushing socialism which always leads to autocracy and totalitarianism, whereas capitalism leads to more capitalism.] He also hasn’t given Vladimir Putin one of our Midwestern farm states that no one is using, but if you wake up to find North Dakota full of dachas and oligarchs, you’ll know why. [OCS: While this is meant to be funny, the illegal aliens who are overrunning our country with explicit invitations from the progressive socialist democrats is no joke. It appears that the Russians already control Brighton Beach, New York and much of Hollywood, California.] William Klein Editor          You have received this email because of your interest in politics. If you do not want to receive this in the future, please click Unsubscribe link below. Paid for by Resist Everywhere PAC Not authorized by any candidate or candidates committee Use of the name and likeness of any candidate or officeholder is for the purpose of this PACs political communication only and IN NO WAY indicates any authorization by, affiliation with, direction from, or endorsement by that person of any kind. Contributions from foreign nationals or entities are prohibited. Contributions are not tax deductible for federal income tax purposes.

The Resist Everywhere PAC, operating out of virtual offices located at 1629 K St. NW - Suite 300; Washington, DC 20006 – a street famous for its lobbyists and swamp creatures, appears to be a front for socialism. “Instead of uninspiring campaigns for the Democrats we’ve had to accept, isn’t it time to stand up and fight for the Progressives we need?”

Complete with socialist iconography…

Bottom line…

While “they” ask for funds to fight Donald Trump, it appears that they are actually fighting to take over the Democrat Party to legitimize their cause, massively improve their fundraising, and bamboozle another generation of useful idiots to accept the normalcy of un-American socialism and communism. Trump is their straw man to hide their real intentions.

Senator Joseph McCarthy, after decades of denigration by the progressive socialist democrats, was absolutely right about the communists in government, Hollywood, education. The witch hunt conducted by the House Un-American Activities Committee, “created in 1938 to investigate alleged disloyalty and subversive activities on the part of private citizens, public employees, and those organizations suspected of having Communist ties” would have been shocked to see a un-American President like Barack Hussein Obama denigrate America and openly invite communists to the White House and to appoint them to government positions.

While McCarthy was a disgusting reprobate politician and the politicized HUAC was filled with self-serving crap-weasels; nevertheless, they were prescient in their observations about communism in America.

Be vigilant as we are about to be screwed as never before.

-- steve

DONALD TRUMP’S TAX RETURNS: WHO CARES?

It is apparent that the progressive socialist democrats, especially those at the top levels of the Obama Administration, were extremely worried when Hillary Clinton failed to capture the presidency and would be able to protect them all from criminal proceedings for wrongdoing that might be exposed during the next administration. Trump was formerly a progressive, a man who worked the political system, and a wild-card. So it is not surprising that the Obama Administration spied on his campaign and did everything – both legal and illegal – to disadvantage his candidacy. And, when he assumed office, tried to distract him from performing his presidential duties – ousting him from office if possible.

While President Trump may be ego-driven and sensitive about his media coverage, in the final analysis, he lives a life that most of us cannot even begin to fathom. He is wealthy, maybe not as much as he pretends, but is flush enough to live like a king. He is the President of the United States and singularly in a position of power. An amazing feat considering that half of America was told 24/7 that he was the devil by a relentless mainstream media.

So who really cares about his old – of for that matter – current tax returns any more than we care about those of Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Larry Ellison, Elon Musk or any other billionaire? A moment of prurient curiosity or glee at Trump’s discomfort, for what – it hasn’t changed our lives one jot.

This is not a journalistic coup for the New York Times, the original Holocaust denier, who lives on leaks and lies. Considering the bald-faced lies they told about Trump and Russian collusion for the past two years, they have jumped the shark. To me they are beyond irrelevant, they are the propaganda arm of the Democrat Party and purveyor of “fake news.”

Bottom line…

The Internal Revenue Service has had every opportunity to audit Trump for decades and it is up to them to deal with the type of discrepancies and errors that crop up in the tax filings of wealthy individuals who want to minimize their tax burden. Hooray for them! If the serious accountants at the IRS have trouble understanding the existing tax code with its million-dollar lobbyist-created loopholes and fight over the various interpretations of single words, that is their function and fight.

Not my circus, not my monkey.

We are so screwed when the media ignores the big stories like China, Iran, Russia, Cuba, Venezuela and delights in creating another artificial “ho hum” fake news. So let the analysts and pundits play like children while “we the People” keep our eye on the progressive socialist democrats who want to nullify our Constitution, take our guns, and redistribute our wealth to prop up their socialist buddies world wide,

-- steve