Thursday, April 5, 2012

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 6

John Mica and Sandy Adams will no longer represent any of our Chapter members after the next election. John Mica and Sandy Adams will compete for the Republican Congressional Representative seat from the new District 7. At the present time four Republicans candidates, Fred Costello, Craig Miller, Ron DeSantis and Richard Clark have announced for District 6. The Democrats candidates are: Heather Beven and Vipid Verma.

Our Chapter 2247 goal should be to make ourselves known to each candidate. Ultimately the ideal situation would be a face to face meeting with the Republican and Democratic candidates who will face each other in the fall election.

The following contains a detailed plan how we might achieve our ultimate goal.

Please read the following and volunteer to participate in the plan. For now I will be the contact person 441-9250.

A five part plan:

1. Information Gathering: Prepare a one-page summary on each candidate taking information from their web-sites giving basic biographical information and their known positions on Federal Employee issues.
2. Meet with each candidate: We will request a meeting with each candidate for two purposes: (1) To provide essential information on the Federal Civil Service and let them know who we are (put a face on the faceless bureaucrat) , and (2) find out their positions on issues important to us: i.e. (a) Employee pay freezes, (b) Changes to Federal Employee Retirement programs, including increasing amount Federal employees must pay into their pension, (c) Changes to FEHB including increasing employee/annuitant contributions, (d) cutting of Federal Workforce by 10% and (f) Social Security provisions on Pension Offset and Windfall elimination. We will invite a representative from each chapter to participate in scheduled meetings. If the candidate is sympathetic to Federal issues, we will inform them on how they can contact the NARFE PAC for financial support. The above summaries will be modified to include positions provided and whether they met with us.

3. Sponsor a debate after the primaries inviting the Democratic and Republican nominees to participate. Since Ormond Beach is central to the District, the Ormond Chapter has agreed to host the debate. All members of the 7 chapters will be invited to participate.

4. Encourage members to support the candidate that best reflects their opinions both financially and as campaign workers.
5. Monitor positions of candidates and notify members of changes in position on our core issues.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

ABOLISHING MEDICARE

Four prominent senators called a press conference to announce their plans for Medicare reform or more precisely abolishing Medicare. They called for dismantling Medicare as we know it in favor of a private plan that would raise the eligibility age from 65 to 70 and shift much of the cost of health-care coverage from the government to the elderly. This will eventually affect every one of us. It may well affect our earned medical health plan as well.

“This will be the new Medicare,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), the proposal’s author, announced.
April is Volunteer Appreciation Month.


The heart of a volunteer is not measured in size, but by the depth of the commitment to make a difference in the lives of others. -- DeAnn Hollis