City Retiree's Plan to sue Stockton

A group of Stockton retirees is seeking a restraining order against the bankrupt city's efforts to cut their health benefits, part of the city's "pendency plan" aimed at keeping it solvent while it seeks protections from creditors.

The city informed retirees by letter they must pay their premiums by July 30 or "medical coverage will be canceled retroactive to July 1."

Promises of lifelong health benefits have been blamed in part for Stockton's failure, which was also brought on by the housing bust, unemployment and borrowing for downtown development that did not bring expected results.

PHOTOS: California cities in bankruptcy

Dwane Milnes, who was Stockton's city manager from 1991 to 2001, has been widely criticized for giving retirees full retirement healthcare in return for agreements from unions not to seek raises. The unfunded liability for those benefits is $417 million.

Milnes now represents the retirees in bankruptcy-related negotiations.

"It is not unfair to make changes in the retirement plan," Milnes said. "The world changes and when the world changes you have to adapt. But the question is, how do you change it in a way that is respectful of those most in need?"

Plaintiff Alfred Seibel, 58, a retired parks worker, said he can't afford the premiums and can't afford to lose coverage.
With the city's cuts, Seibel's health insurance costs would be $1,126.66 per month, or about 51% of his net income.

"I am already taking generic meds for cholesterol and triglycerides against my doctor's advice, I can't afford the $70 co-pay. My wife cries all the time. She don't understand how when they promise you all this stuff, then they [can] just take it away," he said in court documents.

A retired parks caretaker who worked for the city for 31 years, Seibel also suffers from a work-related herniated disc and enlarged lymph nodes that doctors say are from chemicals he used on the job.

The suit seeks class-action status covering all retirees, but Milnes said he and other managers with higher incomes would be willing to give up their benefits.

"The ones we're talking about are the ones who worked for us for years. For crying out loud, we know them, we know their families. We know about their breast cancer, their husband's diabetes," he said.

The budget the Stockton City Council adopted slashed contributions to current employee and retiree health benefits and eliminated benefits for employees with fewer than 10 years of city service. It eliminates city-funded medical benefits for retirees by July 2013.

There are about 2,400 city retirees, about 1,000 of whom receive health benefits. Two-thirds of the city retirees do not meet poverty requirements for California's low-income healthcare program but cannot afford private insurance, Milnes said. Those who are over 65 can get Medicare, but they must pay for medications and doctor's office visits.

Stockton Vice Mayor Kathy Miller said the lawsuit was not unexpected.

"All I can say is that there is a group of retirees who think it's more important for the taxpayers to pay 100% of their retirement than to keep police officers on the street," she said. "They know the situation. They know 80% of our discretionary income is for public safety. There is no way we can close the budget gap without these cuts. But they think they should come first."

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— Diana Marcum

OVER 5,000 FOR RON PAUL AT UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA – DAVIS

Mitt Romney has yet to get a crowd of more than 2,000 to gather in anyone place. Meanwhile Ron Paul is getting crowds of up to 8200, as he did in Berkeley, California in early April. See through the fabrication people. We are no longer being guided by truth and honesty, but some inhumane madmen that are watching us all behave in such a peaceful manner, while being branded. This is a sick reality at what we have in store for us if we choose to not wake-up... SOON!

Alex Jones - Ted Nugent Under Investigation

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Lunch No Longer Required for CA employees

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The California Supreme Court ruled Thursday that employers are under no obligation to ensure that workers take legally mandated lunch breaks in a case that affects thousands of businesses and millions of workers.
The unanimous opinion came after workers' attorneys argued that abuses are routine and widespread when companies aren't required to issue direct orders to take the breaks. They claimed employers take advantage of workers who don't want to leave colleagues during busy times.

The case was initially filed nine years ago against Dallas-based Brinker International, the parent company of Chili's and other eateries, by restaurant workers complaining of missed breaks in violation of California labor law.

But the high court sided with businesses when it ruled that requiring companies to order breaks is unmanageable and that those decisions should be left to workers. The decision provided clarity that businesses had sought regarding the law.

The opinion written by Associate Justice Kathryn Werdegar explained that state law does not compel an employer to ensure employees cease all work during meal periods. It stated that while employers are required to free workers of job duties for a 30-minute meal break, the employee is at liberty to use the time as they choose even if it's to work, she wrote.

"The employer is not obligated to police meal breaks and ensure no work thereafter is performed," Werdegar wrote.

Tracee Lorens, lead attorney for the plaintiffs, said she believed the court's decision still allowed some wiggle room for the case to get class-action certification on the meal break claims. Lorens said she was pleased the court did allow a separate claim regarding the plaintiffs' receiving proper rest breaks to proceed as a class-action.

Class-action lawsuits are brought by one or more plaintiffs on behalf of themselves and others facing the same circumstances, and can
include thousands of people in some cases.

Adam Hohnbaum, a former Chili's bartender and server in Encinitas, Calif., who worked for the chain for about six years, said he was pleased with the court's decision allowing at least the rest break aspect of the suit to move forward.

"Most of the time you didn't get a break or a rest period at all, it just wasn't a part of the daily operation," Hohnbaum said.

Hohnbaum hoped the attention paid to the issue would improve working conditions for current employees.

It was unclear whether the opinion would reduce or increase future class-action lawsuits on the issue because the court did not dismiss the meal break violation claim by workers but instead sent it back to be reargued in trial courts.

Lorens said she will argue to the lower court that Brinker's company meal break policies still violate state wage-and-hour laws, even though the court said employers do not have to police when those breaks are taken.

Roger Thomson, executive vice president and general counsel of Brinker, applauded the court's decision on what he thought was the key issue: whether employers must ensure workers take their breaks.

"That was the biggest issue to us," Thomson said. "It has been allowed for our team members to work through lunch if they want or take the time off instead, and this ruling allows our team members that flexibility," he said.

Finish reading @ yahoo!

House GOP unveils budget blueprint

WASHINGTON (AP) — Conservative Republicans controlling the House unveiled a budget blueprint Tuesday that combines slashing cuts to safety net programs for the poor with sharply lower tax rates in an election-year manifesto painting clear campaign differences with President Barack Obama.

The GOP plan released by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan would, if enacted into law, wrestle the deficit to a manageable size in short order, but only by cutting Medicaid, food stamps, Pell Grants and a host of other programs that Obama has promised to protect.

To deal with the influx of retiring Baby Boomers, the GOP budget reprises a controversial approach to overhauling Medicare that would switch the program — for those under 55 today — from a traditional "fee for service" framework in which the government pays doctor and hospital bills to a voucherlike "premium support" approach in which the government subsidizes purchases of health insurance.

Republicans say the new approach forces competition upon a wasteful health care system, lowering cost increases and giving senior more options. But Democratic opponents of the idea say the new system — designed by Ryan and liberal Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon — cuts costs too steeply and would provide the elderly with a steadily shrinking menu of options and higher out-of-pocket costs.

Even as Ryan was describing his plan to reporters, it became election-year fodder for both parties.

"The House budget once again fails the test of balance, fairness, and shared responsibility," White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer said in a written statement charging that the GOP proposal would dole out tax cuts to rich while protecting tax breaks for oil companies and hedge fund managers.

"What's worse is that all of these tax breaks would be paid for by undermining Medicare and the very things we need to grow our economy and the middle class — things like education, basic research, and new sources of energy," Pfeiffer said.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, predicted strong support for Ryan's budget. He also defended Ryan's proposal to cut agency spending below an amount that both parties agreed to in last year's compromise that extended the government's authority to borrow money.

"We all know that we've got a real fiscal problem here in Washington, and frankly we think we can do better," Boehner told reporters.

This year's GOP measure would produce deficit estimates that are significantly lower than a comparable measure passed by the House a year ago, claiming deficit cuts totaling $3.3 trillion — spending cuts of $5.3 trillion tempered by $2 trillion in lower taxes — below Obama over the coming decade. The deficit in 2015, for example, would drop to about $300 billion from $1.2 trillion for the current budget year. Last year's GOP draft called for a 2015 deficit more than $100 billion higher.

The measure would cut spending from $3.6 trillion this year to the $3.5 trillion range in 2013 and freeze it at that level for two more years.

The GOP plan doesn't have a chance of passing into law this year but stands in sharp contrast to the budget released by Obama last month, which relied on tax increases on the wealthy but mostly left alone key benefit programs like Medicare.

The resulting political battle is sure to spill beyond the Capital Beltway into the presidential race and contests for control of the House and Senate this fall. As if to underscore that reality, Ryan released a campaign-style video Monday evening telling viewers that "Americans have a choice to make" in a none-too-subtle appeal to voters.

"It's up to the people to demand from their government a better budget, a better plan, and a choice between two futures," Ryan said. "The question is: which future will we choose?"

Visit The Stockton Record's Website To finish reading the article

RON PAUL: ‘IT’S ABOUT TIME’ GOP RIVALS MOVE HIS WAY ON AFGHANISTAN

Reports National Journal:

Paul won standing ovations from some 4,600 people on Wednesday night at a University of Illinois rally–his largest turnout ever–for his calls to “bring our troops home!” He also told the crowd, made up mostly of college students, that “the other candidates on our side are saying we need to fight more wars.”

Asked by CBS News/National Journal about recent comments by Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum that the United States should review its commitment in Afghanistan and possibly back off, Paul replied, “It’s about time.”

“But they’re what we call chicken hawks. And they talk a lot, they push the wars, they themselves haven’t gone, and they don’t serve, and yet they … promote the wars,” he said of his rivals, who talk often of taking military action against Iran to keep it from getting a nuclear weapon.

“Sure, the politics are changing, and that’s great. We’re changing people’s minds. The American people are sick and tired of it,” Paul said…

Quote for Today March 6th, 2012

"To some, Money Matters None." - oh zee 2012

Official defends 'lethal force' against US citizens

US Attorney General Eric Holder on Monday defended the government's use of "lethal force," even against American citizens abroad, as part of the effort to protect the nation against terror attacks.

The speech marked the first time a senior US official has publicly justified in legal terms the drone attacks that are believed to have killed at least three US citizens on foreign soil in recent months, including key Al-Qaeda figure Anwar al-Awlaqi.

"Given the nature of how terrorists act and where they tend to hide, it may not always be feasible to capture a United States citizen terrorist who presents an imminent threat of violent attack," Holder said in a speech at a law school in Chicago.

"In that case, our government has the clear authority to defend the United States with lethal force."

Holder said there were circumstances under which "an operation using lethal force in a foreign country, targeted against a US citizen who is a senior operational leader of Al-Qaeda or associated forces, and who is actively engaged in planning to kill Americans, would be lawful."

Such circumstances included that a thorough review had determined the individual posed "an imminent threat of violent attack against the United States" and that "capture is not feasible."

Thirdly, the "operation would be conducted in a manner consistent with applicable law of war principles," Holder told the audience at the Northwestern University School of Law.

"Some have called such operations 'assassinations.' They are not... assassinations are unlawful killings," Holder said.

"Our legal authority is not limited to the battlefield in Afghanistan... We are at war with a stateless enemy, prone to shifting operations from country to country," he added.

"Our government has both a responsibility and a right to protect this nation and its people from such threats." Civil rights groups have cried foul since the killing of Awlaqi in Yemen in September in a US raid.

Some argued it was illegal for the US military to kill an American citizen on the battlefield, following no attempt to indict him. US intelligence officials believed Awlaqi was linked to a US army major charged with shooting dead 13 people in 2009 in Fort Hood, Texas, and to a Nigerian student accused of trying to blow up a US airliner on December 25, 2009.

President Barack Obama said in September that Awlaqi's killing was a "major blow" to Al-Qaeda's Yemeni branch, and marked "another significant milestone in the broader effort to defeat Al-Qaeda and its affiliates."

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) last month filed a lawsuit seeking the release of documents authorizing targeted drone strikes, such as the one on Awlaqi.

US citizen Samir Khan was killed in the same attack on Awlaqi, and Awlaqi's US-born teenage son was killed in October in a separate suspected US air strike in Yemen.

Gas prices climb again, topping $3.76

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- The nationwide average for gasoline prices rose for the 26th straight day Sunday, topping the $3.76-a-gallon mark, according to the motorist group AAA.

The average price of regular unleaded gasoline climbed 0.7 cent in the latest 24-hour period. The price of gas is up from $3.47 a month ago and $3.69 a week ago. Last year at this time, gas was $3.49 a gallon.

The average price is 35 cents, or about 8.5%, lower than the record high of $4.114 set on July 17, 2008.

Average prices for regular gasoline top $4 a gallon in California, Alaska and Hawaii. At $4.38 a gallon, Hawaii ranks as the nation's high. Prices are within a nickel of the $4 mark in Connecticut, New York and Oregon, according to AAA.

Wyoming became the last state to reach the $3.20 mark, but still has the nation's lowest gas prices, about 3 cents a gallon lower than Colorado.
Gas prices have been rising on the back of soaring oil prices, which have surged 10% over the past month amid fears that tensions with Iran will lead to an all-out war that causes a disruption in oil supplies.

Signs of an improving economy have also boosted oil prices, as has the stock market. All three major indexes hit multi-year highs this week, and the S&P 500 (SPX) has risen by more than 8% in 2012.

But some economists worry that high gas prices could be the tipping point that brings on a new economic downturn. "I don't think for a minute consumer confidence levels can be sustained in the face of sustained high gas prices," said Bernard Baumohl, head of the Economic Outlook Group, a Princeton, N.J., research firm.

As gas prices soar, Republican presidential candidates have tried to tie President Obama's policies to the increase.

On Thursday, Mitt Romney said Obama "should be hanging his head" over his energy policies and accused the president of slowing domestic production. Romney advocated opening federal lands to drilling and easing regulations on fracking, a controversial policy that involves pumping water into rocks to harvest gas.

Also on Thursday, Obama delivered a speech in New Hampshire that stressed that domestic oil and gas production is at its highest point since 2003. But he also emphasized the need to develop new energy sources, as domestic production alone is not enough to keep up with U.S. demand.

The president called on Congress to end the $4 billion in subsidies to the oil industry so as to better incentivize companies to seek out clean-energy technologies.

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Quote for Today

"One can only give his all, if he has all of his to give." Oh Zee - 2012 www.knkt.me

All Delegates Belong to Ron Paul

No Other candidate has been awarded any delegates, but Ron Paul. Don't believe what they are telling you!

CNN Poll: Landslide Victory for Ron Paul

Moody's downgrades Stockton's credit

STOCKTON, CA - Moody's downgraded Stockton's credit-worthiness Friday to below investment grade, affecting nearly $341 million of debt.
The rating for Stockton's 2007 pension obligation bonds were downgraded to Ba3 and 2006 lease revenue bonds were downgraded to B1.
"Moody's rates over 12,000 municipalities in the United States. Fewer than 30 are currently rated non-investment grade (Ba1 or lower)," Moody's spokesperson David Jacobson said. "With yesterday's downgrade, Stockton is now rated Ba2. The most notable city on the same list is Detroit, which is currently rated Ba3 and is under review for a potential downgrade."
Moody's also downgraded the city's water enterprise rating to A3.
Moody's decision to downgrade Stockton's credit-worthiness comes after city officials said they will vote Tuesday on whether or not to start the 60-day meditation period required before filing for bankruptcy.
During the meditation process, the city would suspend payments to creditors and work with them on payments. Stockton City Manager Bob Dies proposed that payments only be suspended for the rest of the fiscal year and payments would be made through other revenue sources.
RELATED STORY: Official: Bad money moves, bad luck got Stockton in trouble
Moody's Senior Vice President Eric Hoffmann said "the proposed suspension and entry into a mediation process demonstrates significantly reduced willingness, if not ability, to make full and timely debt service payments."
"The downgrade also reflects the city's indication that it is in the process of restating prior year audited financial results," Hoffmann added. "While this process is in its preliminary stages and only estimates have been released, the potential for restatement reduces the credibility of the city's financial reporting to date. The preliminary estimates released by the city indicate that adjustment to the city's fiscal 2010 audit report will likely be negative and material."
The highest rating is AAA.
"Moody's currently rates the state of California A1 with a stable outlook," Jacobson said. "California is our second lowest rated state. Illinois, rated A2, is the lowest."
Hoffmann said Stockton's credit rating could be further downgraded if the city files for bankruptcy.
Stockton city councilman Dale Fritchen and the Stockton police union have expressed concern over filing for bankruptcy.
"This will hurt Stockton, hurt my neighbors, my family, and my community," Fritchen said. "I'm putting everything in to make sure this doesn't happen."
In a statement, the union said the city is starting to work its way back financially, but filing for bankruptcy would be disastrous.
"Sales revenues are up and residents' confidence is coming back," the police union said in a statement. "Bankruptcy would send the city spiraling backward with no recovery in sight."
The union is calling for residents to show up at Tuesday night's council meeting and push for a public release of the city's budget.
News10/KXTV

FOX NEWS: 'we like to dismiss polls, that Ron Paul wins.'

Ron Paul's New Ad: "Is This Dude Serious"

Haley Barbour Tells ABC News, 'Somebody Else Might Get In"

Could the battle for the Republican nomination go all the way to the Republican convention in August? Could we see an entirely new candidate getting into the race?

One long-time Republican leader tells ABC News the answer to both questions is yes.

"If the Republican primary voters continue to split up their votes in such a way that nobody is close to having a majority, then there is a chance that somebody else might get in," former Republican Party chairman Haley Barbour said in an interview with ABC News. Barbour calls such a scenario unlikely, but not out of the question.

"I think the odds of having a contested convention are not good but the fact that we are where we are and there is actually a possibility, I guess this is why there is so much talk," he said.

A contested convention would mean another six months of Republicans battling Republicans, but Barbour says that's not necessarily bad for the party.

"It is not accurate to say that a hotly contested convention is necessarily bad," Barbour said. "I am not saying it is necessarily good, but I don't think it is accurate to say it is necessarily bad. Let's just see."

Barbour, who has not endorsed any candidate, says Mitt Romney has never really been a true front-runner.

Continue Reading this story at Yahoo! "Who Is coming into an already highly contested Race??? I hope Donald Trump, stays in the Back-Room of his 300 year old house." - Oh Zee

Santorum Called America 'Satan' in CNN Debate

If you view Rick Santorum as a legit presidential candidate, you should be slapped hard in the face. This man has a mad-man who is trying to hard to connect to the Christians. Calling this great country, "Satan?" What was he thinking? That has to be the scariest thing I have ever heard coming from a presidential hopeful. Pure Insanity.
Iran's PM isn't a Dictator, he was voted into office. Why can't we all know the truth?
And they are still trying to keep Ron Paul out of the Debate as much as possible. Each round of questions, he is asked the question last, and they keep trying to cut him off. I agree with Ron, our country doesn't have the means to continue fighting these wars in the middle east. We have spent 4 Trillion Dollars over the past ten years! All the while Americans are losing their homes, their jobs, and now we've lost our Civil Liberties.

Ron Paul Quotes

“I'm convinced that you never have to give up liberties to be safe. I think you're less safe when you give up your liberties.”
― Ron Paul

“Truth is treason in the empire of lies.”
― Ron Paul, The Revolution: A Manifesto

“Liberty is lost through complacency and a subservient mindset. When we accept or even welcome automobile checkpoints, random searches, mandatory identification cards, and paramilitary police in our streets, we have lost a vital part of our American heritage. America was born of protest, revolution, and mistrust of government. Subservient societies neither maintain nor deserve freedom for long.”
― Ron Paul

“Failure of government programs prompts more determined effort, while the loss of liberty is ignored or rationalized away...whether is it is the war on poverty, drugs, terrorism...or the current Hitler of the day, an appeal to patriotism is used to convince the people that a little sacrifice of liberty, here or there, is a small price to pay...The results, though, are frightening and will soon become even more so.”
― Ron Paul

“Let it not be said that no one cared, that no one objected once it’s realized that our liberties and wealth are in jeopardy.”
― Ron Paul

“When the federal government spends more each year than it collects in tax revenues, it has three choices: It can raise taxes, print money, or borrow money. While these actions may benefit politicians, all three options are bad for average Americans.”
― Ron Paul

“Don't steal - the government hates competition!”
― Ron Paul, End the Fed!

“It is true that liberty is not free, nor is it easy. But tyranny - even varying degrees of it - is much more difficult, and much more expensive. The time has come to rein in the federal government, put it on a crash diet, and let the people keep their money and their liberty.”
---- Ron Paul

“Ideas are very important to the shaping of society. In fact, they are more powerful than bombings or armies or guns. And this is because ideas are capable of spreading without limit. They are behind all the choices we make. They can transform the world in a way that governments and armies cannot. Fighting for liberty with ideas makes more sense to me than fighting with guns or politics or political power. With ideas, we can make real change that lasts.”
― Ron Paul, Liberty Defined: The 50 Urgent Issues That Affect Our Freedom

Obama To Congress: 'Keep Going' On Economy Front

WASHINGTON (AP) — Relishing a political victory, President Barack Obama said Tuesday that Congress "did the right thing" by extending payroll tax cuts for millions of Americans. He urged lawmakers to push forward on more measures, from assistance to struggling homeowners to increased taxes on the wealthy, saying the looming election was no excuse for inaction in Washington.

"Don't stop here. Keep going,'" Obama said during a White House event marking the passage of the tax cuts. "Keep taking the action that people are calling for to keep this economy growing. This may be an election year, but the American people have no patience for gridlock," he said.

Obama was celebrating a tax cut that is already in place, but due to expire at month's end. He said the extension of the tax cut for the rest of the year will have a spillover effect: More people will spend money and more businesses in turn will be prodded to hire workers, and so "the entire economy" gets a boost.

Congress overwhelmingly passed the $143 billion measure on Friday. The bill extends both a 2 percentage point reduction in the tax that funds Social Security and extends jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed. The measure also averts a big cut in the reimbursements doctors get for treating Medicare patients.

But Tuesday's event was not a bill-signing because the bill is not yet in Obama's hands. Not knowing when the legislation will come down from Capitol Hill, the White House decided to go ahead and hold its event now, while the victory is still fresh in people's minds. No major event is planned for the actual bill-signing.

The payroll tax cut was a centerpiece of the jobs plan Obama unveiled last year — and of a re-election strategy that seeks to cast his GOP foes as protectors of the rich out of touch with the worries of working families.

Obama never mentioned that a real driver of the deal Congress approved Friday was the political fallout on Republicans if they didn't give ground. Having endured a debacle in December, when they were seen as holding up the tax cut before caving, Republicans this time went along, and without demanding that the cost be paid for, either.

The White House said the average family would have lost $40 per paycheck had the tax cut not been extended. Throughout the payroll tax debate, the White House encouraged people to write in on social networking sites about how losing that money would affect their lives. Several members of the public who submitted their thoughts were invited to join Obama at events promoting the tax cuts, including his remarks Tuesday.

"This got done because of you," Obama said. "Because you called, you emailed, you tweeted your representatives and you demanded action. You made it clear that you wanted to see some common sense in Washington."

White House officials have called the payroll tax cut the last "must-do" legislation Obama has to work with Congress on ahead of the November presidential election. Still, Obama made a push Tuesday for several other priorities outlined in his jobs bill and last month's State of the Union address, including legislation to assist small business owners and struggling homeowners.

Obama earlier this month proposed a vast expansion of government assistance to homeowners that would make lower lending rates a possibility for millions of borrowers who have not been able to get out from under burdensome mortgages. The proposal has special resonance in election battlegrounds such as Nevada and Florida that have faced record foreclosures.

Obama wants Congress to pass legislation that would make it easier for more borrowers to refinance their loans, creating a new program through the Federal Housing Administration that would have the government assume the risk for the new mortgages. The proposal faces a difficult path in Congress.

Obama also said he wants Congress to pass the so-called Buffett rule, which seeks to ensure that people making more than $1 million a year pay at least 30 percent of their incomes in taxes.

___ Associated Press writers Ben Feller and Jim Kuhnhenn contributed to this report.