| Retiree News |
Are You Angry?Sunday at church, I happened to be standing close by the priest after the service. As the pastor was greeting the parishioners in line, a woman appeared who hadn't attended services for quite a while and who hadn't responded to calls and written correspondence. When the priest asked if everything was okay, she replied by saying she was angry with God. Why? She'd lost her job, she said, and couldn't find another one. Are you angry, too, like this woman? There's plenty to be mad about: the 2008 recession that won't go away, the poor economy, jobs lost, home foreclosures, the national debt, "drill, baby, drill" effects of the B.P. catastrophe that fouled the Gulf of Mexico. Then there's the A.I.G.-big bank-Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac bailouts! Are you feeling ripped off when you hear about excessive whopping fortunes made from inscrutable financial transactions, such as the toxic traffic in socially useless credit derivatives? Our savings, retirement accounts and home values are ravaged because too many brokerage firms and financial institutions disregarded their fiduciary responsibilities. Because of their reckless behavior, tens of millions of American families are living three or four paychecks from disaster. This is wrong! American workers are proud and hard-working people. They want jobs at a living wage-not a hand-out, but a hand-up! But Sen. Bill Brady (R), a candidate for Illinois Governor in this November's election, is suggesting that the federal minimum wage of $7.25 be the standard for Illinois workers. Does he deserve our votes? I don't think so and hope you agree. President Obama hasn't shirked from the huge challenges he promised to tackle when he assumed office. He became our leader in the midst of ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq; he was saddled with the biggest economic meltdown since the Great Depression. The recession had already kicked in with one of the highest unemployment rates our nation has ever faced, and 47 million Americans were without health insurance. He didn't create the B.P. oil leak disaster that erupted because the oil bigwigs hadn't previously allowed for containment procedures because they arrogantly assumed nothing would go wrong. While Obama passed a stimulus package to revive the economy, Republican Congressmen voted down an extension of unemployment benefits for Americans who have been out of work over six months, which will put even more people at risk of financial ruin. When you go into the voting booth this November, remember it's the Republican Party that stands for big business and the Democratic Party that legislates for the average hard-working American. Think about this and then cast your vote. Notice for all Local Retirees Noon to 1:00 p.m. is Greet & Meet time at the Retirees Club meeting on the 2nd Wednesday of the month. The regular meeting continues until 2:30 p.m. at the Union Hall, 600 W. Washington Blvd. Louis Rodriguez |