Friday, March 11, 2011

Business Making Money

On Monday night, I watched my to start with, The Very last Word host Lawrence O’Donnell.
Though O’Donnell laudably tried using to emphasis the audience’s consideration onand hopefully previous, Charlie Sheen trainwreck interview, courtesy of the tragic undertow that threatens to pull Sheen under for fantastic, I was overtaken, not from the pulling around the thread, as well as the voracious audience he serves. It did not make me depressing, it manufactured me angry.

In relation to celebrities, we could be considered a heartless region, basking in their misfortunes like nude sunbathers at Schadenfreude Seaside. The impulse is understandable, to some diploma. It can be grating to pay attention to complaints from most people who like privileges that the majority of us cannot even envision. If you should cannot muster up some compassion for Charlie Sheen, who helps make far more money for a day’s effort than the majority of us will make in a very decade’s time, I guess I cannot blame you.



Along with the fast pace of activities on the net and therefore the info revolution sparked through the Online, it’s really very easy for that technological innovation community to suppose it is exceptional: regularly breaking new ground and performing issues that nobody has ever before completed ahead of.

But you'll find other types of corporation that have already undergone a number of the identical radical shifts, and also have just as outstanding a stake inside potential.

Take healthcare, for example.

We normally imagine of it as a enormous, lumbering beast, but in fact, medicine has undergone a series of revolutions within the past 200 a long time which can be not less than equal to those we see in solutions and facts.

Significantly less understandable, but even now within the norms of human nature, would be the impulse to rubberneck, to slow down and investigate the carnage of Charlie spectacle of Sheen’s unraveling, but on the blithe interviewer Sheen’s existence as we pass it during the proper lane of our each day lives. To become truthful, it may be challenging for people to discern the big difference among a run-of-the-mill interest whore, and an honest-to-goodness, circling the drain tragedy-to-be. On its own merits, a quote like “I Am On a Drug. It is Termed Charlie Sheen” is sheer genius, and we cannot all be anticipated to get the full measure of someone’s everyday living just about every time we listen to something humorous.

Extremely fast ahead to 2011 and I'm looking to look into signifies of getting a bit more business-like about my hobbies (typically music). Through the finish of January I had manned up and commenced to promote my blogs. I had produced a number of unique weblogs, which were contributed to by colleagues and colleagues. I promoted these activities via Facebook and Twitter.


Second: the small abomination that the Gang of 5 about the Supream Court gave us a year or so in the past (Citizens Inebriated) in reality is made up of a bit bouncing betty of its very own that may very effectively go off while in the faces of Govs Wanker, Sacitch, Krysty, and J.O. Daniels. Because this ruling extended the concept of “personhood” to both equally companies and unions, to strive to deny them any best suited to operate inside of the legal framework that they were organized under deprives these “persons” of your freedoms of speech, association and movement. Which suggests (after yet again, quoting law school skilled loved ones) that either the courts need to uphold these rights for your unions (as individual “persons” as assured from the Federal (and most state) constitutions, or they've to declare that these attempts at stripping or limiting union rights need to apply to main companies, also.


As Americans, we’re often taught that trusts and monopolies are the product of big business and are bad. However, if trusts and monopolies are bad when Big Business engages in monopolistic ways, why isn’t it bad when Big Labor engages in the same sort of behaviors that are condemned when committed by Big Business?



For over a week now, the nation has watched tens of thousands march in protest to Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s budget plan. Democrat lawmakers (aka Fleebaggers) have fled the state in order to avoid doing their duty, while Obama’s OFA has bussed in the astroturf from out of state. While the union meme has been that Walker’s plan is “union-busting,” perhaps a more apt description would be “trust-busting.”


One of the most vocal opponents of Scott Walker’s budget plan has been the Wisconsin Education Association Council [WEAC]. As a union affiliated with the NEA, WEAC (according to its website) represents 98,000 “educators” in the State of Wisconsin.


Like any union, WEAC has a vested interest in maintaining the status quo when it comes to forced dues from Wisconsin school teachers, as well as automatic dues deduction from teachers’ paychecks—both of which would be eliminated under Walker’s proposal.


Employers will be prohibited from collecting union dues and members of collective bargaining units will not be required to pay dues.


In essence, Walker’s proposal threatens the life blood of the WEAC which, according to its most recent financial report on file (FY 2009), raked in over $25 million from teachers in a one year period.


Another threat to WEAC, which no one in the mainstream media is talking about is the threat to the union’s insurance trust, called WEA Trust. The WEA Trust is, in essence, a union-run “multi-employer” health insurance trust (the employers, in this case, are school districts).


The way it works is that WEAC has, through collective bargaining (negotiations), convinced school districts to pay into the WEA Trust and, in turn, the WEA Trust is responsible for administering teachers’ benefits. According to PublicSchoolSpending.com, Walker’s proposal would give school boards the ability to shop freely for more competitive insurance rates and save the state millions.


Last year, the Education Action Group issued a report which stated, among other things, that:


WEA Trust, an insurance company established and closely associated with the Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC), siphons millions of crucial dollars from K-12 schools and their students every year.


WEA Trust has grown very fat on public school dollars, with a net worth of $316 million and a team of 12 administrators all receiving compensation packages worth six figures per year.


Sadly, this insurance swindle is endorsed by state law.


The group’s Communications Director, Steve Gunn, explains:


The pressure derives from state law, which makes the identity of a school’s health insurance carrier a topic of collective bargaining between local unions and school boards. That allows union representatives to come to the table demanding expensive WEA Trust coverage, and frequently school boards give in.


[snip]


Once school districts sign up for WEA Trust coverage, and write the carrier into collective bargaining agreements, the shackles are on. And they aren’t easily removed.


Local unions often refuse to have the provision stricken from school labor contracts in subsequent negotiations. If a school board presses the issue in an effort to save money, WEAC will frequently take the case to arbitration.


The Trust’s business practices also complicate the problem.


Districts need employee claim histories to provide to potential bidders, but WEA Trust sometimes refuses to surrender the information, making it more difficult, if not impossible, for competitors to draft an accurate insurance estimate.


WEA Trust also reportedly threatens districts with higher premiums – by removing them from regional insurance pools with lower rates – if they consider a cheaper carrier.


Some districts have managed to break WEA Trust’s shackles and the savings tell the story. Officials from 15 districts recently told EAG that they saved six figures the first year under new coverage, while still providing quality health benefits for employees. They also say the cost of their new coverage has remained steady in subsequent years.


But there is a catch. Officials at all of the breakaway districts said they had to surrender, or at least share, the insurance savings with their local unions, generally in the form of salary increases. That left them with little or no extra revenue to cover other costs.


In other words, WEAC, the union that has been most vocal during the last week’s protests has a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.  If the union can defeat Scott Walker’s reform plans, not only does it keep the union dues of teachers, it also gets to keep its health insurance monopoly intact.


Of course, you’re not hearing this in the press as it doesn’t fit the convenient narrative of class warfare. So, the next time you have someone tell you how “mean” Scott Walker is for attacking the teachers’ union, you can simply reply: Follow the money.


_________________


“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776


[Photo credit: Vaxomatic]


X-posted.




As Americans, we’re often taught that trusts and monopolies are the product of big business and are bad. However, if trusts and monopolies are bad when Big Business engages in monopolistic ways, why isn’t it bad when Big Labor engages in the same sort of behaviors that are condemned when committed by Big Business?



For over a week now, the nation has watched tens of thousands march in protest to Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s budget plan. Democrat lawmakers (aka Fleebaggers) have fled the state in order to avoid doing their duty, while Obama’s OFA has bussed in the astroturf from out of state. While the union meme has been that Walker’s plan is “union-busting,” perhaps a more apt description would be “trust-busting.”


One of the most vocal opponents of Scott Walker’s budget plan has been the Wisconsin Education Association Council [WEAC]. As a union affiliated with the NEA, WEAC (according to its website) represents 98,000 “educators” in the State of Wisconsin.


Like any union, WEAC has a vested interest in maintaining the status quo when it comes to forced dues from Wisconsin school teachers, as well as automatic dues deduction from teachers’ paychecks—both of which would be eliminated under Walker’s proposal.


Employers will be prohibited from collecting union dues and members of collective bargaining units will not be required to pay dues.


In essence, Walker’s proposal threatens the life blood of the WEAC which, according to its most recent financial report on file (FY 2009), raked in over $25 million from teachers in a one year period.


Another threat to WEAC, which no one in the mainstream media is talking about is the threat to the union’s insurance trust, called WEA Trust. The WEA Trust is, in essence, a union-run “multi-employer” health insurance trust (the employers, in this case, are school districts).


The way it works is that WEAC has, through collective bargaining (negotiations), convinced school districts to pay into the WEA Trust and, in turn, the WEA Trust is responsible for administering teachers’ benefits. According to PublicSchoolSpending.com, Walker’s proposal would give school boards the ability to shop freely for more competitive insurance rates and save the state millions.


Last year, the Education Action Group issued a report which stated, among other things, that:


WEA Trust, an insurance company established and closely associated with the Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC), siphons millions of crucial dollars from K-12 schools and their students every year.


WEA Trust has grown very fat on public school dollars, with a net worth of $316 million and a team of 12 administrators all receiving compensation packages worth six figures per year.


Sadly, this insurance swindle is endorsed by state law.


The group’s Communications Director, Steve Gunn, explains:


The pressure derives from state law, which makes the identity of a school’s health insurance carrier a topic of collective bargaining between local unions and school boards. That allows union representatives to come to the table demanding expensive WEA Trust coverage, and frequently school boards give in.


[snip]


Once school districts sign up for WEA Trust coverage, and write the carrier into collective bargaining agreements, the shackles are on. And they aren’t easily removed.


Local unions often refuse to have the provision stricken from school labor contracts in subsequent negotiations. If a school board presses the issue in an effort to save money, WEAC will frequently take the case to arbitration.


The Trust’s business practices also complicate the problem.


Districts need employee claim histories to provide to potential bidders, but WEA Trust sometimes refuses to surrender the information, making it more difficult, if not impossible, for competitors to draft an accurate insurance estimate.


WEA Trust also reportedly threatens districts with higher premiums – by removing them from regional insurance pools with lower rates – if they consider a cheaper carrier.


Some districts have managed to break WEA Trust’s shackles and the savings tell the story. Officials from 15 districts recently told EAG that they saved six figures the first year under new coverage, while still providing quality health benefits for employees. They also say the cost of their new coverage has remained steady in subsequent years.


But there is a catch. Officials at all of the breakaway districts said they had to surrender, or at least share, the insurance savings with their local unions, generally in the form of salary increases. That left them with little or no extra revenue to cover other costs.


In other words, WEAC, the union that has been most vocal during the last week’s protests has a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.  If the union can defeat Scott Walker’s reform plans, not only does it keep the union dues of teachers, it also gets to keep its health insurance monopoly intact.


Of course, you’re not hearing this in the press as it doesn’t fit the convenient narrative of class warfare. So, the next time you have someone tell you how “mean” Scott Walker is for attacking the teachers’ union, you can simply reply: Follow the money.


_________________


“I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as ABC, hold up truth to your eyes.” Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776


[Photo credit: Vaxomatic]


X-posted.





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