Like it or not ... as unions go, so goes America

In light of the now-officially declared war on public and private sector unions and the accompanying anti-tax rhetoric, I'd like to repost an old tale that has been passed around for years among working people to remind them what happens when we lose focus.

As unions go, so goes America.

Remember that.

Joe gets up at 6 a.m. and fills his coffeepot with water to prepare his morning coffee. The water is clean and good because some tree-hugging liberal fought for minimum water-quality standards. With his first swallow of water, he takes his daily medication. His medications are safe to take because some stupid commie liberal fought to ensure their safety and that they work as advertised. All but $10 of his medications are paid for by his employer's medical plan because some liberal union workers fought their employers for paid medical insurance - now Joe gets it too. He prepares his morning breakfast, bacon and eggs. Joe's bacon is safe to eat because some girly-man liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry. In the morning shower, Joe reaches for his shampoo. His bottle is properly labeled with each ingredient and its amount in the total contents because some crybaby liberal fought for his right to know what he was putting on his body and how much it contained.

Joe dresses, walks outside and takes a deep breath. The air he breathes is clean because some environmentalist wacko liberal fought for the laws to stop industries from polluting our air. He walks to the subway station for his government-subsidized ride to work. It saves him considerable money in parking and transportation fees because some fancy-pants liberal fought for affordable public transportation, which gives everyone the opportunity to be a contributor.

Joe begins his work day. He has a good job with excellent pay, medical benefits, retirement, paid holidays and vacation because some lazy liberal union members fought and died for these working standards. Joe's employer pays these standards because Joe's employer doesn't want his employees to call the union. If Joe is hurt on the job or becomes unemployed, he'll get a worker compensation or unemployment check because some stupid liberal didn't think he should lose his home because of his temporary misfortune.

It's noontime and Joe needs to make a bank deposit so he can pay some bills. Joe's deposit is federally insured by the FDIC because some godless liberal wanted to protect Joe's money from unscrupulous bankers who ruined the banking system before the Great Depression. Joe has to pay his Fannie Mae-underwritten mortgage and his below-market federal student loan because some elitist liberal decided that Joe and the government would be better off if he was educated and earned more money over his lifetime. Joe is home from work.

He plans to visit his father this evening at his farm home in the country. He gets in his car for the drive. His car is among the safest in the world because some America-hating liberal fought for car safety standards. He arrives at his boyhood home. His was the third generation to live in the house financed by Farmers' Home Administration because bankers didn't want to make rural loans. The house didn't have electricity until some big-government liberal stuck his nose where it didn't belong and demanded rural electrification.

He is happy to see his father, who is now retired. His father lives on Social Security and a union pension because some wine-drinking, cheese-eating liberal made sure he could take care of himself so Joe wouldn't have to.

Joe gets back in his car for the ride home, and turns on a radio talk show. The radio host keeps saying that liberals are bad and conservatives are good. He doesn't mention that the beloved Republicans have fought against every protection and benefit Joe enjoys throughout his day. Joe agrees: "We don't need those big-government liberals ruining our lives! After all, I'm a self-made man who believes everyone should take care of themselves, just like I have."

Fundraising Event for Local Alzheimer’s Chapter To be “An Affair to Remember”

Fundraising Event for Local Alzheimer’s Chapter To be “An Affair to Remember”

Guests at the Alzheimer’s Association’s annual “Making Memories” wine tasting and auction will enjoy learning about a selection of Brown-Forman fine wines, and will have the opportunity to bid on luxurious auction items. The event will be held at Horseshoe Casino in Southern Indiana on Feb. 18.

Based on the theme, “An Affair to Remember,” the fundraiser will feature wine tasting, dinner and live music. Among the items up for bid is a South African safari.

The event benefits programs of the Alzheimer’s Association’s Greater Kentucky & Southern Indiana Chapter, including the 24-Hour Helpline, Medic Alert/Safe Return Program, Family Support Groups and respite for caregivers. See www.alz.org/kyin.

The Making Memories 2011 Honorary Chairpersons are the Mudd Sisters, a local group of women who are champions in the fight against Alzheimer’s Disease. The sisters’ mother, Trudy Mudd, has suffered from Alzheimer’s for nearly 20 years.

Open seating tickets for Making Memories are $100 per person or $1,500 for a table sponsorship including a reserved table for 10. Contact DeeAnna Esslinger, 502-451-4266, to purchase. A discounted room rate of $129/night at the Horseshoe Casino Hotel also is available for Making Memories guests.

Friday, February 18, 2011, 6:30 p.m. (Dinner and live auction begin 8 p.m.)

Horseshoe Casino
11999 Casino Center Drive SE
Elizabeth, IN
alz.org/kyin
502-451-4266

Thanks to louisville.com for the information.

Good times, bad times: Valley High getting $26 mil. makeover

First, the good/great news: JCPS is going ahead with plans for a $26 million "upgrade" at Valley High School. You can read about the details HERE. Still undecided is the question of renovation versus new construction.

Tax dollars spent on projects like these not only benefit the students and the neighborhood, but also benefit local workers and local businesses that cater to them as the project moves along.

In Kentucky, there are prevailing wage laws and rules that allow for Project Labor Agreements (PLA's) which require contractors to use a certain percentage of local workers. That's important, as many of our skilled trades workers are laid off or "on the bench", as they say.

Which leads us to the bad news.

There is a movement underway to undermine any Project Labor Agreements that may come before the the Jefferson County Board of Education. In this case, intimidation is the chosen tactic. You can read all the sorry and sordid details of that mess by clicking HERE.

Here we are in 2011, still trying to convince people that employing local workers on local projects is a good business and economic policy. Unbelievably, there are those that still swear by the practice of using out-of-town workers while our own are drawing unemployment benefits. The main driver for that behavior is greed, and if greed wins, greed will ruin us all.

If you have a moment today, it wouldn't hurt to contact your school board representative and let them know you want the Valley High School project to move forward with a strong PLA that guarantees employment for Louisville workers.

Your Thursday update of 'good stuff' is ready

- Doing well: The city of Shively has extra money lying around and Mayor Conner has a plan to give some of it back. [CJ]

- Moving forward: An agreement has been reached on the Big Four Bridge. The abandoned bridge is finally on its way to becoming a pedestrian/bicycle link between the states. [Leo Weekly]

- Moving on: The 46th annual Farm Machinery Show has begun and the question of "how much longer will it last" is looming, as Louisville's Iranian-style strip club ordinance is implemented. Meanwhile, here's some show info..[Business First]

-Looking back: Ever wonder what happened to all those grand plans for new, big-time construction in Louisville? Insider Louisville takes a look at what was supposed to be downtown. [Insider Louisville]

Women’s Health Fair in District 13 this Friday

Councilwoman Vicki Aubrey Welch is sponsoring a Women’s Health Fair and Breast Cancer Screening on Friday, February 18th.

“We want to make sure women have the information they need to lead a healthier life,” says Welch. “These health fairs have gone a long way in the past to help women understand the risk of breast cancer and other diseases.”

The Women’s Health Fair will get under way at the Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Church, 903 Fairdale Road. It will run from 8:30am to 3:30pm.

The event focuses on two key areas; breast cancer screening and general health information.

“We have a great group of working partners who have helped us get out information on not only breast cancer but blood pressure, diabetes and other lifestyle information for those who want to be healthier,” said Welch.

Women who would like to be involved in the breast cancer screenings with mammograms must meet the following qualifications:

* Program is for women age 40 & over

* No cost to program eligible women w/o insurance

* Insurance filed for women with coverage

The screenings are by appointment. Call Phyllis at 502-762-1410 to schedule an appointment.

Welch has also partnered with several groups to provide additional information at the health fair. They include; Norton Healthcare, Norton Cancer Institute, Passport Health Plan, Louisville Metro Public Health & Wellness Department, Colon Cancer Prevention Project, Friends for Life Cancer Support, PACS Now (nutrition counseling), Lung Cancer Alliance, Hollern Chiropractic and Elderserve.

“My thanks to these groups and their willingness to help us make health care and prevention accessible to the people of District 13,” says Welch. “It is truly an important partnership.”

For more information about the Women’s health Fair, contact Councilwoman Welch’s office at 574-1113.

On again, off again: SW Cracker Barrel deal turns sour.

Parody: Not to be taken seriously.

Chris Thienenman's deal with the folks at Cracker Barrel has taken yet another twist.

After jumping through flaming hoops for the neighbors, the city and the people running the company, Thieneman says the restaurant chain is now demanding city tax credits to build the project in Valley Station. If newly-elected Greg Fischer doesn't come of his wallet, the ol' hacks at Cracker Barrel will balk on the deal.

Good. Let 'em go somewhere else, I say.

One day people will look back on this extortion by the corporate chain and be amazed that such a demand could be made of the citizens. It is, indeed, who pays for "tax credits" to businesses in the first place.

Interested parties are already saying that this is Fischer's "chance" to "do something" for southwest Louisville.

I disagree.

This isn't about creating jobs. Restaurant servers earn $2.13 an hour. That's not an amount that's enough to justify dumping a truckload of city money on the corner to entice them to operate here.

This is about a rich company's attempted hold-up of this community by first agreeing to do business here, then not agreeing to do business here unless its potential customers foot the bill for construction, training, or whatever else they say they need.

Recently, much was made of a proposal in the state legislature to make mandatory drug testing a requirement to receive government assistance. In that spirit, I would demand a hair and urine sample from the businessmen making these tax credit demands over at Cracker Barrel headquarters.

We will be in touch after the results are in, fellas.

As far as Chris Thieneman is concerned, the local Tea Party's sweetheart sure was singing a different tune when he was running for mayor. The one-time "free market" supporter is now demanding the "boot heel" of metro government be applied in the form of free tax money so he can close his deal and line his own pockets.

As for me, I will continue spending my money at locally owned and operated businesses that don't threaten the city over tax credits. The money spent at these establishments stays in the area.

I hope you will join me in buying local first, and resist this destructive and dangerous trend of corporate welfare without any guarantees.