unions

It's time for getting rid of municipal union pensions

2013-04-19T22:19:00.001-07:00

Plain and simple. The unions have sucked at the taxpayers' money for so long and for such huge wages that they broke the golden egg that built America's cars. Now they are crying in their welfare checks, free cell phones, free medical care and free food stamps. Only the unions get pensions. Pensions paid by taxpayers. But the rest of the working people have to use IRAs - not nearly as profitable for the workers. Sure the police, fire and paramedics preform an important job and thy should be paid a good salary. BUT they should pay for their health care like other non-government workers do. And they should only have IRAs not pensions. Pensions have gone out of use for decades for everyone but politically connected unions. That is not fair and unions do not pay their fair share when they expect huge pensions at 50% tp 95% of their last three years salary. That is "stealing" from the taxpayers. Unions had the reason to be back before world war II. But as union salaries and pensions rose over the decades union pay and union pensions have become the source of more bankruptcies than anything else. It's not about busting unions. It's about unions getting in step with the rest of the working people.
And that's the way I see it...
Straight Talk with Jay Clifford.

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Minimum wage

2013-04-15T19:11:00.003-07:00

On the issue of low prices - How do you think any business can provide low prices? It's by keeping costs low. And the biggest cost is labor. No getting around this cost. As wages go up, prices go up. There is no other magic way to have lower prices without having lower costs.

Minimum wage is supposed to be for young, new employees - not for a middle age person to support a family. Minimum wage is paid while young people learn what working is and what work's responsibilities are.

If the economy is roaring and prices are stable, business margins leave room for increase wages. However, anyone who has lived more than 30 years will now that there are always recessions between the good times; most not as bad as the recession we are now in. So increasing wages in good times usually leads to letting go of a few employees in bad times. That is just the facts of the business world.

When the unions press for higher wages during bad economic times, they know that some employees will lose their jobs. The only issue with the unions is: it is all about union dues and not about benefiting the union workers unless the unions can increase the union dues.

An example of unions pushing too far: The Chicago Teachers Union demanded a major wage increase saying it was about the students. _Pure BS but they got their raises. Then the City of Chicago realized they had a negative gap in their budget. So they closed 52 of the worst preforming schools. Schools with 50% attendance. Schools with students failing.

The idea was both to make up the budget deficit caused by the unions extra-ordinary raise and to consolidate students into other schools. The result would be the letting go of 52 time about 25 to 35 teachers, 52 principles and 52 vice-principles, 52 counselors, 104 secretaries and 52 janitors. Over 1700 union jobs were lost and the City of Chicago balanced their budget.

So the unions now demanded that the schools be re-instaed - again saying it was all about the students. Again - PURE BS. Ir was all about union dues. You see, after a strike, unions usually raise union dues. But this time they lost over 1700 union dues payments per month. Even with the tens of thousands of union teacher raises, the unions budget will not grow as planned. This is the main focus on the unions. Their budget and the increase in union dues. And let us not forget about the raises the union bosses get
when they win a union raise.

Unions in many case have now reached the "peter principle". They are fighting a battle that was won 40 years ago. Yet they continue to stir their members about getting raises and getting better benefits.

Let is not forget who pays for these increased salaries and benefits. YOU AND I PAY FOR THESE UNION SALARIES AND PENSIONS AND BENEFITS WITH OUR REAL ESTATE TAXES OR STATE TAXES.

If you are not a union member, what pension do you have? Will it provide you the same high benefits that union members get. My thought is that it is now time to stop these unions from bargaining with

And that's the way I see it...
Straight Talk with Jay Clifford.

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Unions are busting our states' budgets.

2013-04-01T15:08:00.005-07:00

The unions have wormed their way into the IL State's congressional members and the City of Chicago negotiating billions of dollars in pensions where the union members hardy pay anything into their pensions. Also, the corruption at all levels is so high that 3 of the last 5 IL governors have gone to prison. Between the corruption and the union demands, the State of IL is Billions in debt. An example of union crap. They had a strike to get huge teacher raises, including low cost health care and increased pensions. OK they got that. Then the city of Chicago (in trying to balance the bulging budge with the increased teacher's pay and benefits) decided to close 50 of the poorest preforming schools with the fewest number of students. Now the teachers union is complaining that the students will be hurt and demand that they keep these 50 horrible schools open at any cost. That is how unions operate in Chicago and IL. IL has the worst debt of all 50 states and the worst union problems in all 50 states with the possibility of the long-shoremen unions. The only way this is going to correct itself is for the State of IL to go into bankruptcy --- if it is allowed. Then all union pensions can be cut by 85% and the teachers' salaries can be brought down to the average teacher salary and the CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) bus and train drivers' salaries can be brought down to the average bus & train salaries from all over the US. And we need to brake the connection with the unions ability to negotiate with government. It is your tax money (and part of your rent money) that pays for these union pensions. I do not get a pension. Do You? Do you want to pay for other peoples pensions? I do NOT!!! Let union members contribute to an IRA like I had to do.
That's the way I see it...
Straight Talk with Jay Clifford.

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REALITY CHECK

2013-02-25T07:34:00.000-08:00

The government cannot guarantee you any benefits
or services
WITHOUT FIRST TAKING IT AWAY FROM SOMEONE ELSE.

Plain and simple. It is a zero sum game.
The government has only the money it can take from citizens.

And the debt is just an elaborate way to to pretend the government has money.

That is the basis of socialism. Socialism takes from some to give to other.
But as we saw in the brief history of communist Russia, some people get more than others.

Socialism can be seen as the plunder from some to give to others. But the others usually are not the productive citizens. They are the takers of the system. They offer nothing in return for their taking.

Maybe it would be a great time to read ANIMAL FARM.
A short, great book that is fun to read and has a deep meaning - specially now.

And that's the way I see it...
Straight Talk with Jay Clifford.

Proofs Unions do NOT care about its menbers

2013-02-23T09:02:00.000-08:00

Boeing7,000 technicians have voted to strike because they do not want to have their pension funds transferred to an IRA - just like most other wage earners. OK - I can se the self interest in their wishes.
But the other 15,000 Boeing workers who voted for the plan will also be hurt if the 7,000 techs strike.

Then there is the ability of Boeing to become profitable. This is absolutely important. If Boeing goes out of business than all 22,000 Boeing workers will be out of work.

By striking, these 7,000 Boeing union workers will cause financial problem for Boeing. And Brazil's luxury jets or France's Air Bus will replace the orders that were given to Boeing. Gone will be the profits for Boeing. So even if the 7,000 tech union workers win and keep their pensions, they will not get anything contributed into the pensions because there will be no Boeing profits for several years.

The 7,000 tech workers and the 15,000 other Boeing workers would be better served if they just accept what almost all workers (including office workers) have for their retirement savings - the IRA.

I also believe that as part of the negotiated package, that executives making more than 100,000 have their salaries cut by 5%; and those making over 175,000 have their salaries cut by 10%; and everyone making more than 250,000 have their salaries cut by 15%; And everyone making more than 500,000 have their salaries cut by 20%. Now something like this would be fair to all since it is the company that needs bailing out and "sacrifice should be shared by all workers - union members and executives alike."

Additionally, The executive pensions need to be converted to IRAs at the same time all the other workers have their pensions transferred to IRAs.

And that's the way I see it...
Straight Talk with Jay Clifford.

Union's dis0incentive to work

2013-02-16T10:44:00.001-08:00

Let's say you want to build something. If the unions get involved, you have to buy materials from
union companies. When hiring, you have to hire union workers. If a worker is a specific tradesman
such as carpenter or plumber or electrician, you can't ask them to do something easily done if it is
outside their "trade". So you have to WAIT for a particular TRADESMAN to show up and do the simple job. You can't even do the job yourself and save the money. That is not the union way.

The
union way demands featherbedding. That means having more people to do the job then is necessary.
And you can't have anyone on the job that is not union worker - even though they might be better at their work than any union worker and faster at their work than any union worker. And even though you are financing the project, you can't fix a problem yourself. Your have to again WAIT for a specific tradesman to arrive and do the simple work for which they get paid a rich wage and then the
project they were pulled from has to wait until that tradesman gets back to their area.

And have you ever travelled on the highway during construction season. You will see groups of construction workers standing about doing nothing while one or two other union people are doing the work. That is what unions are about too.

Unions have outgrown todays world where there are too many people for two few jobs. The law of supply and demand needs to be at work and that means unions must accept lower expectations. It is the union pensions that are bankrupting almost all the states and many of the cities in the USA. Take away
the union pensions and all the states have a balanced budget and the same foe all the cities.

And I have to remind you once again who pay for these pensions. It is you and me in our Federal,
State and sales taxes.

The solution is easy. Let the States go bankrupt and dissolve the union pensions at 10¢ to maybe 25¢ on the dollar. By the way, that would still give union workers over 50% return on the money they contributed.

And that's the way I see it...
Straight Talk with Jay Clifford.

More Union Logic

2013-02-15T14:02:00.000-08:00

Today, I saw a picket of three men on a small building project.
There are usually never more than 4 or 5 people on the job.
it is a slow project with limited funds.

But these three men were stopping deliveries of building supplies.
So the building supplies were never delivered. The company that
delivered the supplies could not make any money but cost them
money for the deliver. - money lost.

The workers could not get paid because they had nothing to work
with and were sent home. - money lost

But the union continued to stop deliveries to this small project.

WHY? I ask. What harm does this one small non-union project
cause to the unions? It's about power, leverage and payoffs. OK,
when I say payoffs, I mean union dues. Money the union can use
to do whatever it wants - usually to bribe congresspeople to vote
in favor of union wants.

This is a cycle that has to stop. It does not help anyone. The 4 or 5
workers will not get any better wages. They are already paid more
then union wages. They are all part-time workers - like most
construction workers. And they are skilled in more than one function,

Therefore, one week a laborer might be installing iron and the next week
they might be installing dry wall and the next month electricity. All
certified by city officials as "up to code."

But in a union workplace, the iron workers would get one wage and only
work for a few days. They would be replaced by dry wall labors and
the electricians would do their work as the dry wall persons go home.

That to me does not make sense. I would rather have a few good all around
workers on the job from start to finish when doing a small project like
the one I'm talking about. Then use those same workers on the next project.

And that's the way I see it...
Straight Talk with Jay Clifford.

More Union Logic

2013-02-14T05:30:00.000-08:00

Remember Hostess?

I have loved their chocolate cupcakes for decades.
And don't forget about twinkies.

The unions demanded a wage increase that the company
could not afford. So what Happened? The company
went out of business and all the workers were laid-off.

But the unions believes they won. They showed the
company that they had the power. And at what price?

So many union workers out of work with no prospects.

Now some companies want to buy the guts of Hostess.

And what is the union doing?

They are demanding that the new company hire the
old workers and re-instate all their pensions. But it was the
high wages and the excessive pensions that put the company
out of business. So what happened???

The new company backed out of the deal and the
workers are still unemployed. And the Cupcakes with
the cream centers will not be baked.

Union logic at work at its best.

And that's the way I see it...
Straight Talk with Jay Clifford.

Union Logic

2013-02-13T19:52:00.000-08:00

The Chicago Teacher's Union demanded more money. And oh yeah, they
wanted something intangible for the students. BUT they wanted more money.

So the City of Chicago finally agreed. The union had won the first round.

Now Chicago is closing schools in order to pay for the salary increases.
That is the only way to pay for the increases. The city is billions in debt and
owes more for city and teach workers' pensions.

How does closing schools pay for the teachers' salary increase.

Simple. The city gets to 'lay-off'' teachers. That saves salaries and
saves pension money.

So who really won? The teachers or the unions?
Neither won. Many teachers will lose their jobs.
The union will lose the month union dues.

That's union logic.

And that's the way I see it...
Straight Talk with Jay Clifford.

Unions and Marijuana

2013-02-12T02:35:00.000-08:00

Marijuana is becoming legal in 17 states so far. And the unions are stepping in.
The unions want to organize the workers of these medical marijuana stores. But
what I think they really want is control over the distribution channels. The unions,
just like the mafia, wants to control marijuana distribution.

There is so many ways to hide money or laundry money in these stores. That
has to be a major draw for the unions and the marijuana cartels. It's like 'prohibition'
all over again. And history tells us that it was a bloody time. It was also a time for
crime syndicates to grow and prosper. Plus the corruption of out police and courts
caused a major problem that still exists today in many cities.

The camel's toes is in the tent. Now we need to keep the unions out of the
marijuana business.

And that's the way I see it...
Straight Talk with Jay Clifford.

Unions have OUTLIVED their days

2013-02-03T18:36:00.000-08:00

Why should the majority of taxpayers have to pay
for the union's pensions while the majority of taxpayers
do not even have a pension.

It's usually ugly when the union guys show up at a rally.
They bring out the bullies and thugs. Who are these big,
ugly bullies?
Do they work for the union or are they union members?

It's time to stop unions being able to negotiate with "public"
funds. Public finds come from you and me in the form of
taxes - state taxes and/or real estate taxes and/or sales taxes.

Taxes nene-the-less.

I would rather have my taxes go towards helping all the citizens
and to balance budgets - not for union pensions.

And that's the way I see it...
Straight Talk with Jay Clifford.

Unions are ANTI-AMERICAN

2012-09-22T09:23:00.001-07:00

At a time when 23,000,000 United States' Citizens are UNEMPLOYED, unions are showing their selfish un-American attitude: "We can screw you and we will get our pay rise."

When the US is in one of two worst recessions in the last 100 years, unions are just selfish to strike or demand any pay raises.

Unions workers are for the most part over-paid and under-worked.

Union workers should be happy to even have a job in this recession. Remember 23,000,000 Americans are unemployed - many of them are unions workers. Union workers who lost their jibs because the company they worked for went out of business - in part because of the large union wages and pensions the businesses were forced to pay.

YET, like the Chicago teachers' union strike or the American Airlines pilot "sick-in," unions are showing how anti-American and selfish they really are.

Unions should not be able to strike or get a pay raise until the unemployment rate drops to below 5%.

And that;s the way I see it...
Straight Talk with Jay Clifford

Chicago Teachers Cheated the Children

2012-09-21T10:14:00.002-07:00

The teachers and their union said it was "ALL ABOUT THE KIDS."

Well in order to meet the terms of the new contract with pay raises,
ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY SCHOOLS NEED TO BE CLOSED!

How's that for helping the children.

Now Children will have to be bused further and spend more time on the buses every day.
That will help the children.

Children will have to get up earlier to meet the new and longer bus schedules.
That will help the children and their parents.

Now children will get home later with less time for play and maybe homework.
That will help the children.

But let us not forget that the highest paid teachers will not get a 16% pay raise.
And that money will come out of extra state taxes and higher real estate taxes.

The Chicago teachers are greedy.
The Chicago teachers have the lowest preforming students in the nation.
The Chicago teachers and their union have screwed the people of Illinois.

And that's the way I see it...
Straight Talk with Jay Clifford.

Chicago Teachers only care about money

2012-09-11T14:35:00.001-07:00

The strike was scheduled weeks before the strike.

How do I know?

On strike day at 12:01 AM RED strike shirts and PRE-PRINTED signs were
being handed out to picketers.

If this strike was not planned, then these items would take 1 or 2 days to produce.

And why are the teachers striking? FOR MONEY.

These teachers must know that the USA economy is deep in a recession.
YET instead of being happy they have jobs, they are asking for a pay raise!!!

They originally wanted a whopping 36% pay increase.

The teachers don't give a damn about the children.
45% of Chicago high school student drop out.
84% of graduating Chicago High School students read at a 4th grade level.

The Chicago school year is the shortest in all of the USA.

The Chicago school day is the shortest in all the USA>

So lets summarize:
1) The teachers can not teach and have not taught..
2) The students are short-changed in an education.
3) The teachers work the least in the USA
4) The teachers want a 36% pay raise!
5) The average teachers' pay salary for 9 months is $77,000
6) The average Chicago household yearly income is $44,000

And where will any teacher pay raise come from???

The money comes from your Illinois state taxes and your real estate taxes.

You and I are paying for these teachers who can not teach, who produce the worst
students in all the USA in the least amount of time spent teaching at the highest salary.

What do you think??

I think ALL these teachers should be fired and replaced with new teachers at
a salary comparable to the average Chicago household income of $44,000.

That's the way I see it...
Straight Talk with Jay Clifford.

Chicago Teachers Union

2012-09-10T11:50:00.001-07:00

The United States of America is in a recession.
There are about 23,000,000 people without job.
That's Twenty Three MILLION unemployed Americans.

Now comes the Chicago Teachers Union demanding a pay increase of about 16% over a few years.

And they say it is all about the children. BullSh#t!!!

The children of Chicago are in school - the least time of ALL USA Cities.
Chicago school years are the shortest in the USA.
Chicago Class time per day is the shortest in all the USA.

The Chicago Teachers do less work per day and per school-year than all the other school districts in the USA.

The net result of all the children learning is - about half of Chicago students drop out plus those who graduate from High School can not read better than a 4th grade grammar student.

And these teachers say the strike is about the children.

I say IT IS ABOUT GREED.

I believe about 25% of all the Chicago teachers should lose their jobs and be replaced with teachers that teach and inspire.

But that will not happen. WHY? Because the union protects bad teachers from being let go.

Why? Because the unions want to increase union dues. And the only way to justify an increase is to get teachers raises.

The Unions DO NOT CARE ABOUT THE CHILDREN.

THE UNIONS DO NOT CARE HOW A STRIKE FOR A PAY RAISE AFFECTS PARENTS.

THE UNIONS ARE SELFISH.

WE NEED TO STOP THE UNIONS FROM BEING ABLE TO HOLD THE CITY OF CHICAGO HOSTAGE FROM THEIR STRIKING.

JUST LIKE THE STATE OF WISCONSIN, WE NEED TO CHANGE THE RULES ABOUT UNIONS' ABILITY TO NEGOTIATE WITH THE CITY AND THE STATE.

REMEMBER, ANY RAISE FOR TEACHERS' PAY COMES DIRECTLY OUT OF ILLINOIS TAXPAYERS POCKETS THROUGH STATE AND REAL ESTATE TAXES.

And that's the way I see it...
Straight Talk with Jay Clifford.

Who really pays for the teachers?

2012-09-02T05:00:00.000-07:00

Teachers are paid out of yours and my real estate taxes.

We, the citizens, are the real employer.

We need to be able to control when or IF teachers can strike.

AND we need to demand more from the teachers.

AND we need to demand more of our children.

We need to break the connection between any union and the government. We need to change the rules which allow teachers, fire and police to demand negotiations with the state or city - specially when the state and city are millions or billions of dollars in debt.

Teachers - fire and police unions should not be able to strike or "just not show up on a selected day."

These unions are SERVANTS of the people - not the other way around.

Particularly, the Chicago teachers do not need nor have they earned a raise in pay. The Chicago teachers are over paid now and are offered excessive pension benefits. The "product" these Chicago teachers produce is sub-standard. And the drop-out rate is excessive compared to all other school districts or even a minimum standard.

When these teachers retire, your real estate taxes with pay for their retirement every year.

What will you get from your real estate taxes??? Absolutely nothing!

Someone needs to stand up to these quasi-governmental service professions and stop the automatic pay raises.

And that's the way I see it...

Straight Talk with Jay Clifford

Union strikes hurt everyibe

2012-09-01T08:38:00.004-07:00

When union teachers threaten to walk out on strike, the teachers do it with zero consequences and the children get the shaft. The children pay the price of a teachers' strike.

Let me explain.

The children lose class time. Pure and simple - the children lose.

The teachers get paid an hourly salary to walk the strike lines while knowing that after the strike they will get all their back-pay. And the teachers have less time to send in the classrooms. Teachers have nothing to lose to vote for a strike and go out on a strike.

WHAT IS WRONG HERE???

WHAT LESSON DOES THIS TEACH THE CHILDREN?

And that's the way I see it...
Straight Talk with Jay Clifford

UNIONS - Do they really help?

2012-08-12T12:57:00.003-07:00

One city after another is crumbling under the with of union pensions and too small payments for health care premiums. WHY? Because unions have negotiated for these benefits. So who is to blame?

The people in government are to blame. Unions can only do what they can get away with.

And the VOTERS ARE TO BLAME !!!

WHY ???

Because the people who get elected have an obligation to "look out" for the needs of the community they were elected to serve. Whether it's a mayor or village manager or governor of a state, their first obligation is to protect the people of their jurisdiction.

When unions spend their union members' dues to get a "friendly-to-unions" person elected, they are working for a few union members at the expense of many citizens. After all, it is the citizens that have to pay the salaries of the elected officials and it is the citizens who have to pay for the pensions of government employees and union members.

HOW do citizens pay for these salaries and pensions?

The citizens pay excessive real estate taxes or sales tax or state and federal income tax.

All these taxes would be much lower if the pensions agreed by government elected employees were
downsized and reduced to level approaching the private sector (The private sector is the part of the business community that encompasses all businesses and none of the government entities.)

So what does this mean? In Stockton, CA real estate taxes have soared over 100% and still that was not enough to cover the pension and government salaries. So the city went bankrupt.

Five other cities have also gone bankrupt for the same reasons. And the number of cities, counties and states that will soon declare bankruptcy will climb.

The state of Illinois has 5 to 6 Billion in debt. The state of Illinois have the highest sales tax and the highest liquor tax and the highest gasoline tax in the USA. And still the debt is increasing.

The City of Chicago's budget is a mess and now the Chicago teacher's union is threatening a strike if they do not get a guaranteed 3% raise every year for several years. With the student drop out rate among the worst in the nation, these teachers should be happy with their $55,000 to $136,000 salaries for 9 months of work. Instead these greedy teachers are demanding a raise and not having to increase their medical insurance premiums.

THIS IS THE UNION'S FAULT !!! THE UNION WANTS MORE UNION DUES. SO THEY FIGURE IF THEY GET A LARGER SALARY FOR THIER MEMBERS, THE UNIONS CAN RAISE THE UNION DUES. AND WITH THAT EXTRA UNION DUES, THEY CAN SPEND THAT MONEY TO HELP ELECT UNION FRIENDLY GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES.

SO IT BOILS DOWN TO THE CITIZENS. THEY HAVE TO BE INFORMED AND THEY HAVE TO ELECT PEOPLE WHO HAVE FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY.

If this out of control debt continues, it could cause your city or state to go bankrupt next. And moving is not an option when a city bankrupts because property vales drop like a rock immediately. The only way to move is to walk away from your home and declare bankruptcy yourself. Then you can move to another state. But beware, that city or state might be the next bankrupt city and state.

So again, we need to vote our pocket books. THERE ARE MORE NON-UNION CITIZENS THAN UNION MEMBERS. SO YOUR VOTE CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE. VOTING FOR THE FISCAL RESPONSIBLE PERSON IS IN YOUR SELF-INTEREST.

Tell your elected officials that you want to stop the unions' ability to be able to negotiate with any government city, county and state. And that will begin a first step towards solvency.

Want proof ????????

Look what the governors of New Jersey and Wisconsin did. They were able to reduce the state's debt and reduce the real estate taxes. Proof is in the real action. Follow the real action --- not the politicians' words and you will have better government and lower taxes.

And that's the way I see it...
Straight Talk with Jay Clifford.

2012-07-20T12:13:00.004-07:00

Ever hear the phrase: "Bulls and Bears make money - Pigs get slaughtered?"

What this means is that when negotiating, you can never expect to win all the time. You have to end the negotiations so that both sides feel good or at least not taken advantage of.
That is being a bull or a bear.

But if you always demand to win 100% and never give anything to the other side, that is described as a PIG. And no one ever helps the PIG when they are down.

You meet the same people on the way up as you do on the way down. SO being kind to the people you meet in life and as you rise in life, is prudent, costs nothing or very little and offers you a safety net should you ever find yourself on the way down.

UNIONS are always demanding overly large salary increase PLUS additional excessive health and pension benefits.

These pension benefits are what is bankrupting cities and large companies all over the USA.

W,hen a company or a city bankrupts they can wipe out the excessive pension growth payouts and
re-set the pension payouts to a more "normal" expectation.

I have zero empathy for unions that demand 8% or 10% or 12% pension growth for its members. That is excessive expectations and unsustainable. But pensions never care about that. They are by definition PIGS. And what happens to PIGS??? They get slaughtered.

SO I am in favor of cities going bankrupt and for companies going bankrupt.
That does two things.

It levels the playing field for pensions between union and non-union.

It reduces real estate taxes or reduces corporate expenditures that are strangling the city or the corporation. That is good for everyone ...

And that's the way I see it...
Straight Talk with Jay Clifford.

OVERPAID TEACHERS WANT A 35% SALARY RAISE

2012-07-19T11:02:00.003-07:00

When teachers in the teacher's union say they will strike because it is about the students - who are they kidding. IT IS NOT ABOUT THE STUDENTS. IT IS ABOUT AN UNREALISTIC 35% SALSRY RAISE AND IT IS ABOUT THE UNION GETTING MORE UNION DUES FROM THESE TEACHERS.

Who does the union think they are fooling? Not me. They are trying to screw you and me, the Taxpayer into believing they are in this only for the children. BUT all that is being asked of the teachers is that the teachers teach Chicago students. If they can't get a group of students to listen to their teaching, then something is wrong with the teacher's ability to manage a class.

All that is being asked is that the Chicago teachers spend a only FEW MORE MINUTES in the classroom.
And what is the Chicago teachers' response??? They want more money. Not a little bit more BUT 35% MORE OF YOURS AND MY TAXES. THEY WANT A 35% SALARY RAISE.

WILL ANYONE BE GETTING A 35% SALARY RAISE FOR DOING A MEDIOCRE JOB IN THIS ECONOMY?
OF COURSE NOT. THEN WHY ARE THEY ASKING FOR THE 35% SALARY RAISE? IT IS JUST GREED AND IT SHOWS THAT THE TEACHERS DO NOT CARE ABOUT THE STUDENTS.

These teachers should be happy they are employed in this terrible economy. BUT these 'piggy' teachers lead by a greedy union want 35% more pay. THERE IS ONLY ONE PLACE THAT 35% SALARY RAISE CAN COME FROM AND THAT IS INCREASED REAL ESTATE TAXES AND INCREASED STATE TAXES.

IN OTHER WORDS, WE ARE BEING ASKED TO SHELL OUT INCREASED REAL ESTATE TAXES AND STATE TAXES SO A FEW TEACHERS CAN MAKE AN ADDITIONAL 35% SALARY INCREASE. I SAY MAKE AND NOT EARN BECAUSE THE TEST RESULTS OF THE CHICAGO STUDENTS SHOW THEY ARE NOT LEARNING.

And that's the way I see it...
Straight Talk with Jay Clifford

2012-07-18T20:10:00.002-07:00

Here we are in the second depression in 80 years with about 14.4% of total unemployment. That os about 48,000,000 people. 48,000,000 million people with a job!!!
Middle class Americans are losing their incomes and life's-savings with no jobs in sight to get these people back to work and what does the CHICAGO TEACHERS UNION DEMAND???

THE CHICAGO TEACHERS UNION WANTS 25% TO 35% RAISES.

The Chicago students are among the dumbest in the nation by test standards. The drop out rate is closing in on 35% and more. And to help these children, the Mayor has suggested that the teaching day be extended by a few minutes. A few minutes and the CHICAGO TEACHERS ARE THREATENING A STRIKE IF THEY DO NOT GET HUGE RAISES while saying it is about the students. Yeah, right!!!

THE CITY OF CHICAGO CAN NOT AFFORD THESE RAISES UNLESS THEY RAISE REAL ESTATE TAXES AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN. PLUS, THEY WILL HAVE TO RAISE THE SALES TAX - ALREADY THE HIGHEST IN THE NATION.

A salary raise in these times is unAmerican. A salary raise in these time is not paying their fair share. A salary raise in these times when students are failing badly is just being piggy. A salary raise in these times would force many people out of their homes because they will not be able to pay their real estate taxes. A raise in this depression when 48,000,000 people are unemployed or under-employed is not paying their fair share.

CHICAGO TEACHERS SHOULD BE ASHAME OF THEMSELVES. THEY ARE ASKING TO BE ABLE TO GORGE THEMSELVES ON FILET MIGNON WHILE OVER A MILLION CHICAGO AREA RESIDENTS ARE WITHOUT A JOB, GOING HUNGRY AT NIGHT AND DROPPING OUT OF SCHOOL.

UNIONS. WHAT GOOD ARE THEY? THEY WILL BANKRUPT THE CITY OF CHICAGO AND THE STATE OF ILLINOIS. AND FOR WHAT? THEY DO NOT NEED THE EXTRA MONEY FOR ANYTHING BUT LUXURIES.
TEACHERS ARE SERVANTS OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO AND THE STATE OF ILLINOIS.

WE NEED TO ELIMINATE THE TEACHERS RIGHT TO NEGOTIATE WITH THE GOVERNMENT.

Why should an unemployed person have to shell out their real estate tax increase so the few teachers can have a salary raise in this depression while bankrupting the city of Chicago and the State of Illinois.

THAT'S WHAT UNIONS DO!!!

Some one must stand up to these teachers. The union must learn to not always be asking for more money. The teachers are overpaid as it is with salaries reaching $75,000 to $125,000 and with a failing student learning effort.

WE NEED TO ELIMINATE THE RIGHT FOR THE UNIONS TO NEGOTIATE WITH THE CITIES AND STATE GOVERNMENTS - OR WE WILL ALL BE BANKRUPT.

And that's the way I see it...
Straight Talk with Jay Clifford.

Why does CA need a high speed rail?

2012-07-07T13:09:00.001-07:00

California, prone to earthquakes, has approved a high speed rail project. Really? And how much faster will CA residents be able to travel from San Diego to San Francisco? Maybe save a few hours - at best. This looks like a highway for illegals traveling north as well.

Who really benefits from this high speed rail project? The union members who will build it and the union members who will run the trains. That means more pension expense for the state. But the towns along Highway 5 or 101 will lose all that business from drivers that would travel through these towns to gas-up and grab a bite to eat or even sleep over on their way - just like the towns along highway 66 that lose most of their business when highway 66 was replaced.

So lets look at this financially.
Less city and town sales taxes.
Less local gasoline taxes.
Small businesses that depend on the traffic from people driving up and down CA will close.
More local people will be out of jobs.
Less jobs means less Social Security and medicare taxes will be received into the US Treasury.
More unemployment means more stress on the CA's state deficit - almost as large as Greece's debt.
All this means that many CA cities and towns will have to increase real estate taxes.

And why are we building this high-speed rail system???

Because the unions want this project.

Everyone else in CA will lose.

And that's the way I see it...
Straight Talk with Jay Clifford

Unions and Real Estate Taxes

2012-07-06T15:16:00.002-07:00

Just received my Real Estate taxes. They are up just over 11% WHY??? Union jobs are up. WHY??? Because the 1.4 Trillion dollar bailout to the States allowed States to keep going without making any budget cuts or enough budget cuts. And what are the biggest expenses of these States? Union pensions. And who will pay for these unfunded pensions? People who pay Real Estate taxes and State Taxes.

What can I do to relieve myself of this unfair burden? I'm looking at various States to re-locate to.
States with the lowest State Taxes, Sales Taxes and Real Estate Taxes.

In the meantime, I live in a blue state where welfare takers and unions are the majority. So there is little I can do the persuade enough voters to vote for a Change in the President this November. But as an American, I believe it is my duty to point out current administration lies and mis-directions.

One thing we need in my State and every state is to eliminate the ability of unions to negotiate their salaries and pensions with the States. This is absolutely wrong. Why should non-voting people have the power to take my money when taxes have to increase to pay for their negotiations???

Talk about paying your fair share. Unions should only get at most a modest 2.5% return per year. Not a dime more. And if the market declines their pension payout needs to decline just like my 401K. And these union workers need to reduce their expectations of their retirement pay-out in their pensions. And these union workers need to WAIT UNTIL THEY ARE 67 before they get a dime in pensions just like my social security.

Obama keeps talking about paying your fair share. Well that works for union workers as well.!!!

And that's the way I see it...
Straight Talk with Jay Clifford.

Unions are stalling jobs growth

2012-07-03T18:25:00.001-07:00

The other day, I past a small construction site. They were rebuilding a burned out home.

There were at most 6 or 7 workers - all non-union tradesmen who were doing a job

that would have taken many more union workers to accomplish the same thing at three or

four times the cost.

So why does having a union with more workers not make sense. Because with union workers

the owner could not afford to re-build and the property would have stayed a burned out lot

for years.

But there is more to this scenario. The union was picketing this small construction project.

This put these few tradesmen out of work for weeks at a time. Every now and then a cement

truck would arrive when the union picketing was absent and work would get done.

When I asked the picketers why they are picketing, their answer was for better wages. Then I

asked why picket a non-union small personal project. Their answer was that: "They all had to

stand together." But I said they were not union and picketing would not affect the union's

negotiating plus stopping or delaying this project hurts other businesses that would supply the building materials for this project. Their answer; "We all have to stand together."

Then I tried another approach by asking isn't it better to have a job with current earnings than to be without a job for weeks or months because the union is picketing? They just shrugged and repeated

the party line.

What do you think? You, the readers, must have an opinion. Lets hear from you. And please be polite.

Non- polite or vulgar e-mails will be deleted.

And that's the way I see it...

Straight Talk with Jay Clifford

Tenure - WHY?

2012-06-30T12:40:00.002-07:00

Who has tenure? Mostly union members: tradespersons, teachers, firepersons, police, teachers and professors who are mostly union members. WHY? There is zero reason unless you make up some anti-management reason. If a tradesperson doesn't do a good job, a business or home could burn down. Shouldn't we be able to fire them? What about teachers? Whatever you think, teachers for the most part are not doing a good job in teaching our grades 1 thru 12. At least that is what the world ranking of USA students suggest USA = #17). Our teachers are paid the highest of all countries. WHY?

Then there are the police and firepersons - all public employees. They have unbelievable pensions. WHY?
Because the unions negotiate them with the people we elect. Why should these people have power over my real estate burden??? Over half the states are unable to meet the obligations the unions demand for pensions of police and firepersons. And these states are running budget deficits plus raising sales taxes and state taxes and real estate taxes. WHY???

Least of all are professors. Colleges have been drinking at the public dollar for decades now.
HOW???
Because we have student loans and the colleges know that. So they raise the tuition which suggests that students borrow more.
WHY?
Who says that college is for every one??? If less students apply for colleges, tuition will have to fall. That's competition and it works. That will keep the tuitions lower and then less student loans would need to be made and then college professors would not get any raises or maybe lose their jobs. This brings us to where we started.
Why tenure?
Tenure is a penalty tax on the rest of the USA tax paying community which is only about half of all citizens.
Again why? Cut Federal taxes and replace with a sales tax. Then almost 98% of all the people will be paying taxes.
Tenure? Who needs it? Only the few at the expense of the many. We need to get rid of the concept of tenure. If you are good, no employer would think of firing you. If you are a bad worker/teacher who needs you. They need to find work elsewhere.

And that's the way I see it...
Straight Talk with Jay Clifford