BuzzFlash Mailbag for December 22, 2008

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Subject: Rule of Conscience

Could a letter carrier (who is a volunteer EMT to provide sufficient medical "cover") refuse to deliver mail from Planned Parenthood?

Would the same person working at a post office distribution center be permitted to, say, "return to sender" as "undeliverable" Planned Parenthood mail?

And what of the medical "cover." If one contributes to, say, the Red Cross, would that provide sufficient medical justification?

Same person as taxi driver demanding to know the reason his/her fare is going to a medical facility and refusing transport if the reason doesn't meet his/her "rule of conscience?"

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: Rick Warren invocation

When it comes time to introduce the Reverend Rick Warren to give the invocation for President-elect Barack Obama, I doubt that he would be introduced this way: Now we give you Reverend Rick Warren, because he preaches a more moderate, ecumenical tone for our national civil discourse. A minister of strong Christian faith, who believes that Jews are going to hell, who compares abortion to the Holocaust and gay marriage to pedophilia and incest—who describes social gospel Christians as “closet Marxists”. A best selling author of Purpose Driven life who was driven to call Michael Schiavo’s decision to remove his wife’s feeding tube “an atrocity worthy of Nazism” and suggested that Michael wanted Terri to “die” because he feared that if she regained consciousness, she might have “something to say that he didn’t want said.” And finally, we give you a minister with a Christian world view who preaches we should “take out” (kill) evil world leaders like Ahmadinejad, because "The Bible says that evil cannot be negotiated with. It has to just be stopped. In fact, that is the legitimate role of government. The Bible says that God puts government on earth to punish evildoers.”

Too bad we won’t hear that because it would go a long way toward proving we can disagree without being disagreeable. After all, reaching across the chasm that divides the Evangelical Right from the vast hodgepodge of the rest of us heathens worked so well in the past. Why, remember when the Lesser Uniter, Bill Clinton, reached across to the Evangelical Right and signed the Defense of Marriage Act–even as the lefties groused about it being the worst piece of anti-gay legislation ever enacted? And remember when he did it again with the school uniform issue and the V-Chip bill? Boy, he really piled up the brownie points and threw cold water on the partisan hostility in Congress! (The only glitch to the Clinton era harmony effort was Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh and their congressional toadies who impeached the President.)

And remember how well disagreeing without being disagreeable worked right after 9/11. Congressional Democrats gave President Bush authorization to invade Iraq. What a boon that was to the United States’ reputation and our economy. The ultimate example of disagreeing without being disagreeable was Nancy Pelosi’s reach across to the right wing by taking “impeachment off the table” and not pursuing war crimes prosecution. If you don’t believe that worked to the advantage of harmony, just look at the executive orders George Bush is leaving behind as he rides off into the sunset.

http://www.sanderscartoon.blogspot.com

Subject: UAW

Let's go back a year and look at what was happening with the auto workers:

UAW Sellout at GM and Chrysler

By Stephen Lendman

10/23/07 "ICH" -- -- The September and October United Auto Workers (UAW) GM and Chrysler agreements are just the latest examples of union leadership surrender and betrayal. It's an ominous sign of labor's plight and clear indication of what's ahead - more for business, less for workers, and no relief in sight with union bosses out for themselves and more allied with business and imperial interests than their own rank and file.

American civilization and labor historian Paul Buhle sees organized labor today in a state of collapse, and labor author Robert Fitch says "American workers are like owners of a family car whose wheels fell off long ago. Each family member (must rely) on their own two feet; they scarcely remember what it was like being able to ride together." Who can dispute it with union membership down from its post-war 1950s high of 34.7% to the lowest private sector level in over 100 years at 7.4% today. In addition, inflation-adjusted wages are stagnant or falling, benefits are being slashed, and Fitch says conditions in the garment and meatpacking industries are as bad today as the ones muckrakers like Upton Sinclair exposed a century ago in his book "The Jungle."

He blames it on union corruption at the top in different forms - leaders on the take, siding with business, getting big salaries and fancy perks and more concerned with their own welfare than the interests of their members. Nothing on the horizon points to change with corrupted UAW leaders Exhibit A.

Back in June, the UAW reached an agreement with Delphi Corporation that signaled what would follow with the auto companies. Following months of negotiating, it allowed the company to impose pay cuts up to 50%, lay off thousands, and slash health and retirement benefits. It was a win for company and a crushing defeat for Delphi workers.

Then in July, UAW and the United Steelworkers reached an agreement with auto supplier Dana Corporation that allows the unions to take over managing worker long-term disability and retiree healthcare coverage. The deal is projected to save Dana over $100 million a year, eliminate $30 - $40 billion in long-term company liabilities, and it gives UAW leadership another chance for what it wanted for years - a VEBA (voluntary employee beneficiary association) agreement putting the union in the healthcare business for the big profit potential it represents. More on that below.

In the past, VEBAs proved costly to UAW workers. The union set one up with Detroit Diesel in 1993 that cost company retirees dearly when funds in it ran out in 2004. It happened again to Caterpillar retirees in 2005 who'll see their out-of-pocket costs triple by 2010, and the sky's the limit after that. As for Dana Corporation, it got more in the deal as well - the right to hire new workers at half the wages of current ones so older employees can be phased out and replaced with low-cost new ones.

The same UAW - company pattern is now in play at GM, Chrysler and Ford. GM workers struck September 24 and returned to work two days later after union negotiators agreed to huge concessions the company demanded and got without breaking a sweat. Workers accepted the proposal by a nearly two to one margin, but in doing it signed away their futures with a deal they'll live to regret. They traded shaky job security today for big contractual givebacks later. The pact affects 73,000 hourly workers at GM's 82 US facilities, and key to it is a VEBA agreement for the UAW henceforth to manage GM's 400,000 retirees' health benefits while letting the company off the hook for what it's been providing since 1964. The GM VEBA amounts to a multi-billion dollar trust fund that will transform the union into a major health care provider, and allow it to reap huge profits by cutting its own members' benefits.

For its part, GM is only obligated to contribute $35 billion of the $55 billion it owes retirees. But the deal is even sweeter than that. Health care costs are soaring, and the company's have risen by nearly half since 2003. It's clear what's ahead. The VEBA employee experience at Detroit Diesel and Caterpillar is coming to GM. When funds in it run out, the UAW will cut benefits and hike premiums and co-pays so union profits aren't affected. The agreement also lets GM divert pension fund money to the VEBA trust and allows for worker cost of living increases to go instead toward retiree health benefit expenses making the deal even worse.

Other terms agreed to in the contract include a two-tiered wage and benefit package. Under it, new skilled assembly-line workers will get $26 to $32 in hourly wages but less in benefits than current ones for a total compensation package of around $45 an hour compared to about $73 an hour for existing skilled workers. In addition, a new non-core worker group, comprising up to one-third of GM's workforce, will get around $27 an hour in wages and benefits. Both core and non-core employees will henceforth receive less in active-worker-health-care benefits with GM saving billions from the arrangement.

The company told Wall Street investors October 15 its 2007 labor costs will drop from $12.6 billion last year to $10.1 billion in 2007 (45% below 2003 wages and benefits paid) with "significant" further declines from 2008 to 2011. Further, GM estimates it will reduce its long-term healthcare obligation to workers by $47 billion and expects over the next four years to retire up to 75% of its current high-paid work force (earning $78.21 in wages and benefits) and replace many of them with low-paid non-core, non-assembly line new hires (costing $25.65 in combined wages and benefits).

Employee buyouts, early retirement offers and other downsizing efforts are coming that will let the company eliminate expensive workers and replace them with cheaper new ones. The contract runs four years and includes three lump-sum bonuses but no wage increases so annual cost of living adjustments won in 1948 are ended that over time will cost workers much more.

It's a dark new age for GM workers as well as for those at Chrysler and Ford. The days of Walter Reuther-type leadership are long gone. He led the UAW from 1946 until his death in 1970, grew the union to more than 1.5 million members, and over that time delivered for the rank and file like few other labor leaders ever did. He was a union reformer, shrewd bargainer, master strategist, champion of industrial democracy and worker rights and once said "If fighting for a more equal and equitable distribution of the wealth of this country is socialistic, I stand guilty of being a socialist." In fact, he was pro-capitalist, opposed forming a labor party and allied the UAW to the Democrat party and its imperialist agenda.

Nonetheless, he won sizable wage increases and a historic tying of them to living costs and productivity gains. He also got his membership paid vacations, employer-funded pensions, medical insurance with defined benefits, improved safety and health measures, and supplemental unemployment benefits that guaranteed members up to 95% of their pay if they were laid off. That's now lost today with UAW and other union bosses conspiring with business for their own self-interest at the expense of their members.

The UAW Chrysler betrayal was as cynical and self-serving as the GM deal. It was packaged around a staged six hour partial walkout of 37,000 of the company's 49,000 work force that was more theater than strike action and another defeat for UAW members unless they reject the agreement as some locals are doing in voting so far. Some local union leaders oppose it as well as the terms agreed to are even more draconian than at GM:

-- a new VEBA trust (only for current employees) with Chrysler contributing only $8.8 billion of its $18 billion long-term health care obligation to its 78,000 retirees; new hires will get no retirement health care benefits and will have to enroll in a new health care program that will increase deductibles, co-pays and other out-of-pocket expenses; current retirees for the first time will have to pay out-of-pocket expenses; savings to the company will exceed $300 million a year;

-- a two-tiered wage and benefit arrangement with new skilled hires getting as little as $14 an hour or half or less the current pay rate and well below the $19.62 average non-union wage in the manufacturing sector; the agreement lets the company expand the number of low-paid non-core workers as well as be able to designate "Non-Core Facilities" in which the entire workforce will get lower pay and benefits once current employees are phased out;

-- new health care concessions similar to what GM and Ford got in 2005 that require retirees to pay part of their rising health care premiums; current worker pension funds will be shifted to the VEBA;

-- the elimination of employer-paid pensions for new workers, replacing them with 401(k) plans in which the company will contribute one dollar to be invested in the stock market for every hour worked;

-- freedom for Chrysler's private equity firm owner, Cerberus Capital, to downsize and close as many of its plants as it wishes with early retirement offers and employee buyouts ahead so expensive current workers can be eliminated;

-- workers' wages will be frozen, and the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) benefit won in the two month 1970 GM strike is now lost;

-- more flexibility for the company to outsource jobs to non-UAW workers at lower pay and benefits; these will include so-called "housekeeping functions" like janitorial and trash handling, grounds keeping, machine and booth cleaning and others;

-- freedom for the company to expand the number of low-paid, low-benefit part-time workers as well as long-term temporary ones who can't gain seniority;

-- the company freed of any commitment to build vehicles at US assembly plants or guarantee the number of jobs at them plus other thus far unreported worker concessions.

The GM, Chrysler and upcoming Ford negotiations herald a new day for UAW workers in the wake of another crushing defeat affecting all working Americans. Gone are one million UAW jobs since 1978 (from 1.5 million to 520,000) along with hard-won gains that took decades to achieve. No longer do men like Walter Reuther represent workers. Today's UAW leadership betrayed its members trust for its own self-interest, and there's no relief in sight for change. Overall, organized labor is on its knees and Wall Street loves it. GM stock alone rose over 5% the day its deal was announced.

Looking ahead, there are no easy answers, just tough choices, and job one for working people is to join in solidarity for their own self-interest and survival. Past successes can be regained, but wishing won't make it so. A new political movement is needed based on social equity and justice with a new breed of leaders to head it. The odds for success are long, but the alternative is intolerable. That should be incentive enough to go for it.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net .

It's amazing how much the union worker has given up already and now the media is making them the villains. Most non-union workers don't realize that their working conditions and pay are directly connected to union workers. Benefits like paid vacations, overtime pay, sick leave can all be attributed to unions. Why do you think big business is fighting so hard to destroy the unions? Slave labor is just around the corner if Americans don't wake up soon.

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: Banks spending billions of taxpayers money

Anyone out there a lawyer, that can take on these banks, and prosecute on behalf of the American taxpayers? Or are we even allowed to sue them? There must be something we can do to get this money back from them and use it where it will do more good.

$1.6 Billion of Bailout Went to Pay Top Execs

Kay
Muldrow Ok

Subject: Cheney "Mr. Potter", Go Back Into the Bat Cave you Live in

Tell the Grinch, Cheney, aka "Mr. Potter" of "It's a Wonderful Life," to get lost and go back into the bat cave he comes out of every so often to trash people left and right and say stupid things about OBL, like he is maybe no longer Commander of Al Q. How does Cheney know all this? Yes I could live without Joe Biden, but I can take him or leave him, as long as he keeps his fingers out of banking forever more. I'll tell you this though. I don't ever want to see Cheney again!

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: Connell Death

The suspicious, disturbing death of election rigger Michael Connell

More written about this please, enough is enough with the financial meltdown and corruption - let's nail Rove and his goons!

Concerned Citizen

Subject: On Rick Warren giving the invocation at President Obama's inauguration

That's what the MUTE button is for on the remote control. Just substitute your own prayer.

Mike Curtis
Greenbrier Ark

Subject: Secretary of Education

Dear BuzzFlash,

You're from Chicago. If you've been paying attention to local progressive voices, you should know that Arne Duncan is an awful choice. Alfie Kohn wrote about it in the Nation a few weeks ago, as did Greg Palast at Huff Post. You're not doing Obama or our students or the future of the US any favors by fawning over every move he makes.

This is a terrible choice for SOE. Much worse than any of the other suspect selections. Please educate yourselves for all of our sakes.

si fish
madrastas, oregon

Subject: ANTHRAX

How come bush supporters are always saying that bush did a good job of protecting us against terrorists after 9/11? They say we never had another attack. Well, what about the anthrax attack? We had a terrorist attack 1 week after 9/11. Remember that strange terrorist attack that seemed to target democrats, warning them to keep their mouths shut?

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: Caroline Kennedy-Schlossberg

I think Caroline Kennedy is being groomed for VP, so that when Biden retires (and he will), she will get that position.

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: Political Graphics - Subvert the Propaganda

Here's a series of political graphics that takes the spin out and puts the truth in. Some people like it. Once at the website: www.tomloret.com click on "Political Graphics." Thanks,

Tom Loret
Joshua Tree, CA

Subject: Michael Connell

What happened to all the news of Michael Connell's death. A huge HUGE story and you've got it NOWHERE!!!

What, they get to y'all, too

tom
austin texas

[BuzzFlash Note: We've had three posts on that: At Largely: Michael Connell died in a plane crash last night. He was a key witness in the Ohio election fraud case that I have been reporting on. More importantly, however, he had information that he was ready to share. You see, Mike Connell set-up the alternate email and communications system for the White House. He was responsible for creating the system that hosted the infamous GWB43.com accounts that Karl Rove and others used. When asked by Congress to provide these emails, the White House said that they were destroyed. But in reality, what Connell is alleged to have done is move these files to other servers after having allegedly scrubbed the files from all "known" Karl Rove accounts. 12/21; and Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman: The suspicious, disturbing death of election rigger Michael Connell 12/23 ; and Plane Crash Death of Michael Connell Round-up 12/22.]

Subject: The Liars Are Still Lying

Dear Buzz & Friends,

Republicans never change their mind about anything. They may keep quiet for a short while, but when they do speak it's always more of the same. Americans buy into these lies at their peril. I was very happy to see the great dip-shit Shelby selected BF's dip-shit of the week. As a die-cast republican his is a performance that we'll see reprised with regularity. On the GM bailout they're really going at on cable news, doom and gloom, the auto industry will fail anyway, market forces, deep recession - ad nauseam.

Why are they talking about market forces and the auto industry and not the banks? This is the very crux of the problem. Whatever their sins the auto executives are virtual angels compared to Wall Street bankers. These creepy crooks are taking their multi-million bonuses from TARP funds while auto CEOs are taking dollar a year salaries. The WS execs are such money lovers that they'll degrade themselves to the point of licking the sidewalk for one more crooked dollar.

The shoe throwing incident in Iraq (by the World Poet Laureate) may have saved the U.S. auto industry. Bush didn't do what the confederate senators wanted him to do. Why? He always has before. My guess is that bush has realized that most Americans still have at least a pair of shoes and more than a few might be willing to part with them under certain circumstances. Those steel toed shoes can really hurt if they hit you in the face. On top of his many other faults bush is more yellow than red.

The auto industry and many other industries surely will fail if something is not done about the banks. This is the issue that no one wants to talk about. It is also the most important economic issue that President Obama will face when he takes office. Here the unraveling has not finished. The bursting of the housing bubble only triggered the meltdown. The actual amounts involved are many times the sum of failed mortgages.

There is actually only one solution here. The U.S. must take over the next big failed bank, likely CitiGroup, and operate it as a national bank while the rest of the industry works out its kinks. This may involve some death and dismemberment and the drains may backup along Wall Street for awhile. But this is one fight that Americans should stay out of. I don't care how big they are or how international they are. An international asshole is still an asshole. If there's a shortage of dueling pistols or letter openers, then yes perhaps the government should step-in with some kind of a short-term aid package.

As for the American auto industry, I have endless faith in the American worker - they will get the job done and we'll be proud of them. Republicans don't believe in the Green Revolution but they're about to get a face full of green paint. Greed makes bubbles. Tamp down the greed and the bubbling will stop. Most Americans need loans to buy big ticket items like cars. Half the TARP money is said to be left. Some of this money needs to go directly to companies like GMAC whose business is making auto loans. Already the confederate senators are crying about small banks and credit unions that might be hurt from the GMAC becoming a bank holding company. Can you picture Dick Shelby caring a whit about credit unions? Republicans = deception = bankruptcy. It's as simple as that.

I am a strong believer in Barack Obama and Joe Biden. This country doesn't really need an excellent administration to be prosperous. What we do need though is a government that is not corrupt at every level - like we've had for the last eight years. The fact that the Obama/Biden team is superlative is just icing on the cake. We should celebrate on Jan 20 and look forward with confidence of a bright future - it's as inevitable as our current predicament was when bush took office. I believe that Eric Holder will be issuing indictments - maybe not right away - but when they do come it will be all the more reason for Americans to celebrate.

When Americans hear republicans speak they should exercise the same sort of skepticism that they give to advertisements on cable news. As a Tivo person I don't watch these ads, but simply note who they are so that I don't inadvertently buy one of their products. Giving the lie to proven liars is what this is all about. Americans need only look over their shoulders to obtain all the impetus that they need to move resolutely forward. The future is ours - we need only claim it.

Tim Mooring
San Francisco

Subject: Wrong Movie.

"It's Like the Shining. He's Back. "

Wrong movie.

Maezeppa
Los Angeles

[BuzzFlash Note: Sorry about that. It's the Friday the 13th films.]

Subject: Blago ... whatever

I am waiting until the final word is in...I know that he is from Illinois...and that is enough...how much closer can anyone get to Obama? They have to do something...by they...I mean the MSM...what the heck would they do, if they did not have someone to tear down??? I am still waiting...to see if he gets indicted with anything...I really don't think so, I think most righties would love it...but, they cannot just do what they did to Clinton...and not push him out of office...he will end up with the really good name...remember Bill Clinton, anyone?

His approval rating was higher all the time, than Bush after about 3 years...now the putz is in the basement...so, are most of his cohorts. I'm waiting.

Shirley......St. Louis

Subject: Re 12-19-2008 Mailbag, O What Fools These Mortals Be

You rhymed a bunch of words which make no sense at all. Your comments stink like turds Upon the restroom wall.

Good grief, Charlie Brown, the man hasn't even been inaugurated yet!

http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/mailbag/753

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: Rick Warren

When I first learned of Rick Warren several years ago I was skeptical about his philosophy, and so I researched his book and himself and all that I could find about him from many sources. I was dismayed that so many churches and organizations were ordering his book and using his techniques, which I found to be completely Rick Warren's own interpretations of everything rather than what Christ, Himself, had said and taught.

Also, in my own church I found that his advice and tactics did not work. His series of teachings was supposed to be geared to increasing the members of a congregation, but my church, after buying all of those books and the other required material, did not gain one single new member. Furthermore, they lost members, myself being one, as I felt the Warren version of biblical principles was deeply flawed. And I certainly object to his remarks and anguish he causes segments of the citizenry who are all made in God's image, whether he likes it or not.

I think Obama has seriously erred her and shows a lack of understanding and judgment. Therefore, while I still believe in him in many instances and feel he is much better than the alternative, I am deeply hurt and disappointed in him in this matter.

Mildred Perry Miller
Chattanooga, Tennessee

Subject: Thoughts on Rick Warren

Well maybe you're old enough to remember the comic strip Peanuts where Lucy would do something to get on everyone's nerves...Snoopy, ever on point in life, would just give her a wet sloppy dog kiss on the nose. It always disarmed her. And after all, didn't someone say we had a messiah complex about Obama? It's not entirely our country, you know - we gotta share it with the ones who just don't get it - we gotta change their minds about believing progressives have horns and triple 6's branded on our butts! I know, sometimes Democracy is a little hard to take when we don't get our way...but, outstanding Barack! It was the right thing to do even though it hurts and others will see we're not out to crucify them as they tried to do to us.

Lurk

Subject: Gates, Warren, etc.

I am a seventy-six year old retired teacher. I and many of my friends were "progressives" before there was any such thing. All of my life I have fought against all kinds of discrimination. I have fought for unions (including the one I belonged to). I have fought for social and economic justice and the environment. And I have watched the Democratic Party tear itself to shreds internally time and time again. I worked and voted for Obama, and for the first time in my voting life, I voted for someone I actually wanted to see as President rather than the lesser of two evils. I am sick of whimpering, whining "progressives," who seem to be just as one-issue as the Wingnuts on the Right, criticizing Obama for choices that don't fit their pre-conceived models. The sky is falling! The sky is falling! Obama did something I don't like. Obama will do things I don't support.

That's a given, but for the first time in my life, I have a President I can respect even though we disagree. Obama is clearly committed to social and economic justice and gay rights. And, as he pointed out, we can disagree without being disagreeable. What!? no screaming and shouting? No name-calling?

A BuzzFlash Reader

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