Today I read a letter from a teacher in Wisconsin posted in the Isthmus, a Madison weekly. The teacher was addressing the uncertainty she would be facing if the budget cuts outlined in Gov Scott Walker's Budget Repair Bill are passed. She'll be facing a cut of about $400 a month, or $4,800 a year on a $32,000 a year salary. She'll no longer be able to eat out or buy new clothes or have a drink with friends every now and then.
I couldn't afford those things for years either. But I didn't have a job where my predecessors had, in good faith, bargained lower pay in exchange for benefits. I don't know how things are where you live, but from talking with teachers here and talking with my family members who are teachers, teachers actually buy a lot of the school supplies out of their own pockets because schools are so underfunded. I'm not just talking pencils and paper, but toilet paper and cleaning supplies. They won't be able to furnish these supplies any more if their salaries are whittled even further.
Don't get me wrong. I do think they should have to pay more for health care and retirement, but the increase should be gradual. The increases in Wisconsin will be in the neighborhood of 10% with some being a little more and some being a little less. I know I would have trouble if I suddenly had that much additional money taken out of my check each month.
But even more than that, if you look at it from an overall economic perspective, we have about 300,000 state workers. For each one of them, their discretionary income is going to shrink. That means less money being spent at local mom and pop businesses (we have a lot of them here in Wisconsin) and less money in sales tax. It could also mean that some of those small businesses won't make it, which means more job losses.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Monday, November 01, 2010
Open Enrollment and the Plight of the Domestic Partner
Well, the federal government has done it again. This year for benefits enrollment, I'm basically left with only one choice. Oh, don't get me wrong, my employer is offering two options for health coverage, but there is really only one option that is viable for us.
The two options, in a nutshell: First, what is called a high deductible plan with an attached health savings account. It sounds really good. The premium is half the cost of the other plan, but the deductible is much higher. The good part of this plan is the health savings account. You contribute to the account with tax free dollars just like a flexible spending plan, only if you don't use it all at the end of the year, you can roll it over into next year. You use the money in the account to cover medical expenses until you meet your deductible. The other plan has a very low deductible, $1,200 compared to $6,000 in the other plan. But there is no savings plan and the premiums are twice as much.
Which plan to take was a no brainer. I'd go with the high deductible plan with the savings account. Then I would deposit the difference between premiums into the savings account to pay for all those out of pocket costs. But then the light bulb went off. It wouldn't work for us. See, if you're covering a domestic partner on your health plan, the premiums for them are after tax. The health savings plan is before tax. The IRS doesn't let you use the money in the health savings plan for medical expenses incurred by your partner. So, if something were to happen to my partner, we wouldn't be able to use the money we had been putting aside. So now, I have only one choice - the high premium, low deductible plan.
When will the law of the land finally catch up with the new landscape that is the American family? Will I ever go into health enrollment and not have to consider the tax consequences of every decision I make? Will there be a time when I can look at my options without asking, "Does this apply to me"? I should be able to cover my family the same way that everyone else does. Where are you, President Obama? Where are the promises you made? I'm tired - and I'm not the only one.
The two options, in a nutshell: First, what is called a high deductible plan with an attached health savings account. It sounds really good. The premium is half the cost of the other plan, but the deductible is much higher. The good part of this plan is the health savings account. You contribute to the account with tax free dollars just like a flexible spending plan, only if you don't use it all at the end of the year, you can roll it over into next year. You use the money in the account to cover medical expenses until you meet your deductible. The other plan has a very low deductible, $1,200 compared to $6,000 in the other plan. But there is no savings plan and the premiums are twice as much.
Which plan to take was a no brainer. I'd go with the high deductible plan with the savings account. Then I would deposit the difference between premiums into the savings account to pay for all those out of pocket costs. But then the light bulb went off. It wouldn't work for us. See, if you're covering a domestic partner on your health plan, the premiums for them are after tax. The health savings plan is before tax. The IRS doesn't let you use the money in the health savings plan for medical expenses incurred by your partner. So, if something were to happen to my partner, we wouldn't be able to use the money we had been putting aside. So now, I have only one choice - the high premium, low deductible plan.
When will the law of the land finally catch up with the new landscape that is the American family? Will I ever go into health enrollment and not have to consider the tax consequences of every decision I make? Will there be a time when I can look at my options without asking, "Does this apply to me"? I should be able to cover my family the same way that everyone else does. Where are you, President Obama? Where are the promises you made? I'm tired - and I'm not the only one.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
A Tale of Two Senators
On Tuesday, the Senate voted not to bring the defense reauthorization bill to the floor for debate. In doing so, they also voted not to bring to the floor the amendment to the bill which would have ended DADT. The vote was almost completely along party lines with the two Democrats from Arkansas crossing to vote with the Republicans.
After the vote, two senators aired the reasons for his votes. Al Franken addressed the Senate to tell a story about the reaction to DADT jokes he told during a USO tour. During the story, his voice cracks with emotion. John McCain, on the other hand, during an interview, launched into a rant about how the policy is written. This tale of two senators shows how differently politicians approach the issues. Franken is thinking about the soldiers, respecting the people who serve our country. McCain was more concerned about policy and procedure. In fact, his mantra became, "it is not the policy, it is not the policy, it is not the policy."
After the vote, two senators aired the reasons for his votes. Al Franken addressed the Senate to tell a story about the reaction to DADT jokes he told during a USO tour. During the story, his voice cracks with emotion. John McCain, on the other hand, during an interview, launched into a rant about how the policy is written. This tale of two senators shows how differently politicians approach the issues. Franken is thinking about the soldiers, respecting the people who serve our country. McCain was more concerned about policy and procedure. In fact, his mantra became, "it is not the policy, it is not the policy, it is not the policy."
Sunday, July 04, 2010
Library of Congress YouTube Channel
The Library of Congress has uploaded hundreds of historical videos of New York City to their YouTube channel. This one is of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Parade down Fifth Avenue. It was taken in 1902. Kind of fun to watch these old videos!
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Waiting on the World to Change
I've often wondered why the current generation seems so complacent when faced with social issues. Why is there no marching in the streets? Why do we not hear more outrage over injustices in today's world? In the 60's so many young people were emboldened and were not afraid to voice their displeasure with the status quo and with the direction that our government was taking the country. College students were vocally opposed the Viet Nam war and they fought against the injustice of segregation. The music of the time even carried the message of outrage and the push for change. Songs like Bob Dylan's Blowing in the Wind, John Lennon's Give Peace a Chance, the Youngblood's Get Together, or Buffalo Springfield's For What It's Worth all mirrored the times and helped to focus the angst of the country in a direction of change.
Today's college student seems more interested in how he will make his fortune after college and he doesn't see the injustice of the world around him. Indeed, young people often have limited knowledge of the world around them. And when they do see injustice, many think there is nothing they can do to make a change. What is different in today's culture when compared to that of the 60's? Perhaps rather than being a mirror of the times, the music of the 60's was actually a conduit for change. People heard the music and took it to heart. They actually listened to the words and believed that they could effect change. And they did. Today, instead of protest songs to push us to change, we have songs that tell us to sit back and wait. . . . wait for the world to change.
Today's college student seems more interested in how he will make his fortune after college and he doesn't see the injustice of the world around him. Indeed, young people often have limited knowledge of the world around them. And when they do see injustice, many think there is nothing they can do to make a change. What is different in today's culture when compared to that of the 60's? Perhaps rather than being a mirror of the times, the music of the 60's was actually a conduit for change. People heard the music and took it to heart. They actually listened to the words and believed that they could effect change. And they did. Today, instead of protest songs to push us to change, we have songs that tell us to sit back and wait. . . . wait for the world to change.
Waiting On The World To Change
lyrics by John Mayer
Me and all my friends
We're all misunderstood
They say we stand for nothing and
Theres' no way we ever could
Now we see everything that's going wrong
With the world and those who lead it
We just feel like we don't have the means
To rise above and beat it
So we keep waiting
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on waiting
Waiting on the world to change
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