We must repay our debt: NY Dem, GOP reps say stories of heroes should inspire passage of 9/11 bill

By Carolyn Maloney, Jerrold Nadler and Peter King

Last month, after years of effort, we finally secured a vote by the full House of Representatives on our legislation, which would provide medical monitoring, treatment and economic compensation for those injured or made sick by the toxic cloud that lingered for weeks following the collapse of the World Trade Center towers.

Emotions ran high during the debate, and we were deeply disappointed that the bill did not achieve the two-thirds majority required for passage under “suspension of the rules,” the parliamentary procedure that was used to bring the bill before the House.

However, the battle to provide help to the heroes, heroines and survivors of Sept. 11 isn’t over – not by a long shot. The 255 votes in favor of the Zadroga Act show that it would have more than enough support to pass the House if it is reconsidered under normal rules, which require only a simple majority, or 218 votes, for passage. That is precisely what we intend to do soon after Congress reconvenes on Sept. 14.

Many of our colleagues who voted “no” last month did so because they objected to the way the bill was funded, but have told us they would otherwise support helping those who were harmed by the toxins at Ground Zero. But others who opposed the bill simply don’t understand the severity of this health crisis – and that it affects Americans from all 50 states.

That is a real shame.

For too many Americans, 9/11 is not simply an historical event but an ongoing nightmare that is slowly robbing them of their health, their strength and, in the worst cases, their lives. We would like to share a few stories about the responders and survivors at the heart of this struggle.

Martin Fullam

A New York City Fire Officer, Lt. Martin Fullam braved the chaos and destruction at Ground Zero to aid in the 9/11 rescue and recovery effort, helping evacuate the towers. In the years following the attacks, however, Fullam began to experience debilitating health problems as a result of his service on 9/11, which forced him to retire from the job he loved. He has polymyocitis, an autoimmune disease that caused him to lose 60 pounds and steadily diminished his lung capacity until he required a double lung transplant, which he received in March 2009.

Long experiencing physical weakness and compromised lung capacity, Fullam has paid a heavy financial, physical and personal toll as a result of his work at Ground Zero.

Recently, when the Senate held its first hearing on the Zadroga Act, such was his commitment to the issue that he traveled to Washington to take part and became even sicker as a result. He has since been confined to a hospital.

The Zadroga Act would provide FDNY heroes like Fullam with federally-funded health care and economic relief.

Margrily Garcia

Margrily Garcia worked near the World Trade Center site. Like many others, she evacuated lower Manhattan covered in toxic dust on 9/11. She returned to work shortly after the attacks, relying on the EPA’s assurances that the air was safe to breathe. We now know, however, that Garcia was inhaling toxins that lingered in the air for weeks after the attacks.

In 2006, after battling breathing problems and fatigue, she was diagnosed with chronic sinus inflammation, asthma and sarcoidosis, a disease that causes scarring of the heart, lungs and other vital organs. Margrily’s heart was so damaged that she had to receive a pacemaker. Since she became ill, her diseases have been mentally and physically exhausting, requiring constant doctor visits and treatment.

Garcia says that “it’s a constant battle to remain alive, but I’m very grateful to still be here fighting with the support of the elite doctors and staff in the survivors program at the WTC Environmental Health Center. I cannot imagine how things would be without them.”

The Zadroga Act would make permanent the health care program for survivors like Garcia and expand its funding.

Alex Sanchez and Manuel Checo

After 9/11, hundreds of buildings in lower Manhattan were coated inside and out with toxic dust. Though they played a less visible role in the recovery effort than firefighters and rescue workers, Alex Sanchez and Manuel Checo, proud U.S. citizens both, were among the thousands of workers who cleaned the buildings of lower Manhattan and helped get our city back on its feet.

They often did this work with nothing more than a pail and mop – with no protective gear other than flimsy paper masks.

After working together in toxic conditions for months, the two developed a wide range of illnesses, including asthma, lung nodules and chronic post-traumatic stress disorder. Both men were unable to return to their jobs due to their debilitating health problems. Lost wages and poor health have had a devastating impact on their lives, and Checo has had to sell valued possessions for income.

Today, the two men are barely managing to survive on workers’ compensation. But even when their health is at its worst, Sanchez and Checo, along with Sanchez’s son Jack, can always be counted on to show their support for the Zadroga Act, which would give both men guaranteed health care and reopen the federal Victim Compensation Fund. That would make a huge difference in their lives.

Frank Fraone

Frank Fraone, division chief of the Menlo Park Fire Department in California, was thousands of miles away from New York City on 9/11, fighting wildfires. Along with thousands of other brave men and women from around the country, Chief Fraone traveled to New York to aid local rescue workers at Ground Zero. Fraone had seen his fair share of destruction during his career, but nothing prepared him for what he saw here.

He worked 16-hour days with fellow rescue workers, inhaling toxic dust that later left him with lower respiratory airway disease. Now living across the country from New York City, he still feels the effects of working at Ground Zero, which he says limited his ability to respond to other disasters, including Hurricane Katrina.

Fraone has had difficulty getting health care in California for his ailments and says that “living out here in California, I cannot get confirmation or talk face-to-face with anyone affiliated with [9/11] health care issues. I do not know to this date if I am going to be covered for my health concerns. What happens when this health issue disables me and I can no longer work or care for my family?”

The Zadroga Act would fully fund programs to provide health care to 9/11 responders and survivors who live outside the New York metropolitan area and give them access to economic compensation.

Joseph Picurro

At a time when most people were running away from lower Manhattan, Joseph Picurro rushed to the World Trade Center site to volunteer his expertise as an ironworker for the rescue effort.

For 28 days, he helped cut steel beams on the Pile to find survivors and clear debris, often sleeping on the floor of a nearby office building rather than returning to his home in New Jersey at night.

In the years after, Picurro was diagnosed with sarcoidosis, which makes breathing painful, as well as with reactive airway dysfunction syndrome and severe acid reflux. He suffers from constant joint pain, seizures and blackouts and relies on dozens of different medications. He is currently in hospice care and has had to fight to get workers’ compensation for his illnesses.

“Our financial situation is bad – I mean bad. For 6 years I’ve had to beg for help, borrow from family and I just can’t do it anymore and shouldn’t have to. We need to reopen the Victim Compensation Fund. My husband did serve his country and now it’s time for the country to serve him, before he dies,” says Picurro’s wife, Laura.

Leon Heyward

Following the attacks, Leon Heyward was directed by his supervisor at the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs to pick up coworkers at Ground Zero and drop them off at their homes. By doing his job and helping others, Heyward was enveloped by the toxic dust that engulfed lower Manhattan. One year later, he was diagnosed with sarcoidosis of the brain, lungs and eyes, which required frequent hospital visits. By 2003, seizures sustained at work due to his sarcoidosis forced Heyward to stop working. After leaving the workforce, Heyward was initially denied workers’ compensation and he had to ask his friends and family for help paying his health care and living expenses.

While he eventually won some Social Security disability benefits, the toll on his finances and health was irreversible.

Heyward died in October 2008 from lymphoma-complicating sarcoidosis after fighting for seven years to get proper care and workers’ compensation and to have doctors and the government recognize that his illness was caused by 9/11.

Stories like these – and hundreds of people whose names may never be publicized – are why we will never stop fighting to provide proper medical care and economic relief for those who were harmed by the attacks on the United States.

We have a moral responsibility to help those who came to the aid of our nation in one of America’s darkest hours. Nine long years after the attacks, the living victims of 9/11 are still suffering. We must pass this bill. It is the least we can do as a grateful nation.

Maloney (D-Manhattan, Queens), is chair of the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee. Nadler (D-Manhattan, Brooklyn), is chair of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. King (R-Long Island), is the ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee.

AARP says Brand-Name Drug Prices Up 8% in 2009

by Duff Wilson

A new report on retail prices of brand-name drugs shows the 217 products most used by older Americans increased  by an average of 8.3 percent during 2009, the largest increase in years, even as inflation was negative.

Over the last five years, according to the report to be released on Wednesday by the senior lobby AARP, the retail prices for the most popular brand-name drugs increased 41.5 percent, while the consumer price index rose 13.3 percent. An AARP official called for measures to hold down drug prices.

Drug industry officials challenged the finding, however, saying select brand-name prices did not reflect the reality of more people using low-price generic drugs. Generics now account for about 75 percent of all dispensed prescriptions in the United States, according to IMS Health, a research firm.

The industry pointed to a broader survey of drug prices showing they rose by 3.4 percent during 2009. The survey, conducted by the government for its official Consumer Price Index, includes generic as well as brand-name drug prices, Jonathan Church, an economist at the Bureau of Labor Statistics, said on Tuesday.

John A. Vernon, an assistant professor of health policy at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, praised the AARP for changing its methods to count retail prices instead of wholesale prices. But Professor Vernon, who had consulted for drug companies and challenged the AARP wholesale price report at a Congressional hearing last year, said its new report was still flawed.

“It can easily be shown that branded prices are higher here than they are in other countries, but we have the lowest and the most competitively priced generic drugs in the world, and the generic share is going up rapidly,” he said. “Just focusing on brands I think is unfair.”

John C. Rother, executive vice president for policy and strategy for the AARP, agreed that generic drug prices had held stable or declined. But he said the group’s new retail price analysis showed why many older Americans were struggling to pay the cost of brand-name drugs they needed for chronic medical conditions.

AARP has changed the method of its annual drug report to look at retail prices, responding to industry complaints last year that measures of wholesale prices, showing brand-name increases far in excess of inflation, were misleading because they did not consider manufacturer discounts. The new report, however, finds the same result on price.

“Brand-name retail prices have been accelerating year-to-year even when inflation has been nonexistent in the rest of the economy,” Mr. Rother said in an interview by phone Tuesday.

The incontinence drug Flomax led the way with a 24.8 percent rise in retail price last year, to $4.09 a pill. Flomax sells for $4.42 a pill on drugstore.com, while its generic equivalent, tamsulosin, sells for $3.63 a pill.

Ann Wainwright, a spokeswoman for Boehringer Ingelheim, did not answer questions about Flomax prices in an e-mail, but said the company was committed to access to medicines, including free medication for eligible low-income patients.

The Flomax patent expired this year, opening the gates for generic competition.

During 2009, among the most popular brand-name drugs, retail prices rose 6 percent, to $5.40 a day, on Nexium from AstraZeneca; 8.8 percent, to $5.06 a day, on Plavix from Bristol-Myers Squibb; 7 percent, to $5.50 a day, on Prevacid from Takeda; 6.8 percent, to $4.21 a day, on Protonix from Wyeth; and 4.1 percent, to $4.03, on Lipitor 20-milligram tablets from Pfizer, the report says.

The AARP reported overall increases of 8.3 percent in 2009, 7.9 percent in 2008, 7 percent in 2007, 6.1 percent in 2006, when Medicare drug benefits started, and 6 percent in 2005. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, including generic prices, reported drug price increases for the same years of 3.4, 2.5, 1.4, 4.3 and 3.5 percent. Both used weighted averages to account for product usage.

The AARP report says many older Americans rely on brand-name drugs for chronic illnesses. It says higher prices push them more quickly into a coverage gap known as the “doughnut hole,” where they have to pay the full cost of drugs.

That gap is being phased out over the next 10 years under the new health care law, including drug industry discounts on brand-name drug prices in the coverage gap.

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the industry trade group in Washington, released a statement on Tuesday saying “prescription medicines represent a small and decreasing share of growth in overall health care costs in the United States.”

“Not only is the recent rate of growth for prescription medicines historically low, but the recent decline in drug spending growth has contributed to one of the lowest rates of total health care growth in the past 50 years,” the group said.

The statement cited reports that Medicare drug spending had been far less than initially projected, partly due to generics.

BALCONY Celebrates 75th Anniversary of Social Security with Events in NYC

From Left to Right (Nancy True, Director, IBT-Local 30 Retirement Division, David B. Roosevelt, Congressman Charles Rangel; Birthday Cake for Social Security; Charles B. Roosevelt, Speaker of the NY City Council, Christine Quinn; Lou Gordon, Director, BALCONY, Bruce Ventimiglia, Co-Chair, BALCONY, Alan Lubin, Co-Chair, BALCONY)

New York City (August 19^th, 2010) – Throughout the month of August, BALCONY, the Business and Labor Coalition of New York (www.balconynewyork.com), has worked with the New York State Office for the Aging, AARP, the New York State United Teachers, Hunter College’s Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute, and many others to celebrate the 75^th anniversary of Social Security with events across New York State. 

On Thursday, August 19^th, the Social Security Diamond Anniversary Committee, whose members include the New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA), the Business and Labor Coalition of New York (BALCONY), AARP, the NYS Alliance for Retired Americans (NYSARA), Local 237/IBT/Retiree Division, Services Now for Adult Persons (SNAP), the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT), and the Institute for Puerto Rican/Hispanic Elderly, Inc. (IPR/HE), convened a series of Social Security birthday celebration events in New York City. The programs included brief speeches by beneficiaries, experts, relatives of the Roosevelt family, and elected officials, as well as entertainment, refreshments, and testimonials – as well as an evening panel moderated by journalist Jane Pauley.

The message of the day was clear:  Social Security works for the nation and for the residents of every state and America cannot afford to cut it.  Citing Social Security’s $2.6 trillion dollar surplus (projected to grow to $4.3 trillion by 2023) as well as the drastic consequences for beneficiaries were the program to be slashed or benefits reduced (without Social Security nearly half of seniors over 65 would sink below the poverty line) speakers argued that efforts in Washington to cut or privatize Social Security as a means to reduce the nation’s growing federal debt are essentially political posturing and unwarranted. The idea of raising the retirement age from 67 to 70 was universally rejected.

 On August 14^th, 1935 President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Social Security program into law, asserting his belief that every American has a right to freedom from want and to certain critical protections from the unforeseeable and the inevitable. 

75 years later the promise of Social Security continues to deliver – providing a critical social safety net for all Americans and ensuring that no American suffer unduly just because they are old, or sick, or the victim of catastrophic circumstance. 

Bruce Ventimiglia , Co-Chair of BALCONY and President/CEO of Saratoga Capital Management - “BALCONY, like Social Security, was created with the intention of leveling the playing field; of protecting all Americans, whether old or young, sick or healthy, fortunate or not.  We applaud the spirit of Social Security and will continue to work to ensure that it is available for future generations of Americans.”

Lou Gordon, Director of BALCONY, said, “We are thrilled to be a part of the celebration of 75 years of Social Security.  BALCONY believes in maintaining and promoting the integrity and the promise of Social Security now and for future generations of Americans.”

Additionally, two groups, Social Security Works and Strengthen Social Security, released a new joint report, “Social Security Works for New York.” The data presented in this impressive report speaks volumes about the importance of Social Security to families, communities and state and local economies as well as the future viability of the program. Nancy True, Director of the Retiree Division of Local 237, IBT, and Suleika Cabrera-Drinane, President and CEO of the Institute for Puerto Rican/Hispanic Elderly, Inc. (IPR/HE) (pictured above) introduced the findings of the report and discuss their significance at both events. 

At a final evening event the eminent journalist Jane Pauley moderated a panel Thursday night at Hunter College’s Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute that featured academics, historians, and policy analysts who discussed the history and future of America’s Social Security program. 

 

The panel (from left to right) Eric Kingson, Professor of Social Work, Syracuse University School of Social Work as well as Co-Director of Social Security Works and Co-Chair of the Strengthen Social Security Campaign; Jane Pauley, panel moderator; Kirstin Downey, author of “The Woman Behind the New Deal: The Life of Frances Perkins, FDR’s Secretary of Labor and his Moral Conscience” ; and John Rother, Executive Vice President of Policy and Strategy, AARP; Barbara Kennelly, President & CEO, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare

 

Hunter College President Jennifer Raab gave the opening remarks.

The goal of the panel was to gain a better understanding of the origin and early years of Social Security and to use that understanding as a pretext to engage in a broader conversation dealing with the future of the program, questions over its solvency, and the veracity of charges that Social Security must be cut or privatized in order to deal with the nation’s rising deficit. 

Alan Lubin, Co-Chair, BALCONY and moderator Jane Pauley

Giving the closing remarks Alan Lubin, Co-Chair of BALCONY and former Executive Vice President of the New York State United Teachers, said, “Social Security is a hugely important program, not only for seniors and the retired, but for younger Americans who are the victim of job related injury, disability, or death of a parent or spouse.  An estimated 3 out of 10 working men and 1 out of 4 working women will become severely disabled before reaching retirement age.  For these folks Social Security is more than a convenience, it is a vital safety net.  Additionally, Social Security is the major life and disability insurance protection for more than 95% of New York’s children.  Social Security is a cornerstone of the American promise and we must remain vigilant in our support of it, especially in these tough political times when special interests and partisan politics threaten the integrity of this critical program – we cannot allow it to become watered down.”

Pictures from Left to Right (Bill Henning, VP, CWA Local 1180; Congressman Anthony Wiener; Michael Burgess, Director, New York State Office for the Aging; Lois Aronstein, New York State Director, AARP;Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer; Dennis Hughes, President, NYS AFL-CIO; Andy Pallotta, Executive Vice President, NYSUT; Social Security Beneficiaries; Beneficiary Speaks; Mel Aronson, Treasurer, UFT; Bruce Ventimiglia, Co-Chair, BALCONY, Jane Pauley, Lois Aronstein, Director, New York State AARP; Evening Panel at Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute, Hunter College)

Report by Nicholas Kapustinsky, Research and Communications Director, BALCONY

BALCONY * 481 8th Ave. * Suite 1202 * New York, NY * 10001 * 212-219-7777

loug@balconynewyork.com * balconynewyork.com *

Social Security Works for New York

A report by Social Security Works and Strengthen Social Security

Debate rages in Washington about how to reduce our nation’s growing federal deficit,
and pundits and politicians alike propose cutting Social Security.

It doesn’t seem to matter that Social Security has not caused the federal deficit, and the program has a $2.6 trillion surplus today, which is projected to grow to $4.3 trillion by 2023.1 Nor does it seem to matter that the housing equity and retirement savings of many Americans collapsed during the nation’s Great Recession. Cutting Social Security’s protections – especially for middle‐aged and young workers – will undermine Social Security as a financial
foundation, and often a financial lifeline.

Read the full report by clicking here: SS Works

BALCONY Celebrates 75 Years of Social Security

New York City (August 19th, 2010) – Throughout the month of August, BALCONY, the Business and Labor Coalition of New York, has worked with the New York State Office for the Aging, AARP, the New York State United Teachers, Hunter College’s Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute, and many others to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Social Security with events across New York State.

On August 14th, 1935 President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Social Security program into law, asserting his belief that every American has a right to freedom from want and to certain critical protections from the unforeseeable and the inevitable.

75 years later the promise of Social Security continues to deliver – providing a critical social safety net for all Americans and ensuring that no American suffers unduly just because they are old, or sick, or the victim of a catastrophic circumstance.

Speaking about the importance of Social Security Alan Lubin, Co-Chair of BALCONY and former Executive Vice President of NYSUT, said, “Social Security is a hugely important program for seniors and the retired providing financial security for millions of Americans. Moreover Social Security is a major benefit for younger Americans who are the victim of job related injury, disability, or suffer the death of a parent or spouse. An estimated 3 out of 10 working men and 1 out of 4 working women will become severely disabled before reaching retirement age. For these folks Social Security is more than a convenience, it is a vital safety net. Additionally, Social Security is the major life and disability insurance protection for more than 95% of New York’s children. Social Security is a cornerstone of the American promise and we must remain vigilant in our support of it, especially in these tough political times when special interests and partisan politics threaten the integrity of this critical program – we cannot allow it to become watered down.”

Bruce Ventimiglia, Co-Chair of BALCONY and President and CEO of Saratoga Capital Management, LLC added, “BALCONY, like Social Security, was created with the intention of leveling the playing field, of protecting all Americans, whether old or young, sick or healthy, fortunate or not. Social Security is important for America’s businesses as it helps to provide for the financial security of workers and their families. We applaud the contributions that Social Security has made to our country and to our fellow New Yorkers. BALCONY will continue to work to ensure that Social Security’s crucial benefits are available to future generations of Americans.”

Lou Gordon, Director of BALCONY, said, “BALCONY celebrates 75 years of Social Security. BALCONY believes in maintaining and promoting the integrity and the promise of Social Security now and for future generations of Americans.”

BALCONY, the Business and Labor Coalition of New York, represents more than 1,000 New York businesses, labor unions, and trade associations. BALCONY seeks common ground in the public policy debate in New York to spur economic development through the adoption of business/union friendly, socially responsible common sense laws that maintain and improve the quality of life for working New Yorkers.

Remarks of President Barack Obama on Social Security

Remarks of President Barack Obama
As Prepared for Delivery
August 14, 2010
Washington, DC

Seventy-five years ago today, in the midst of the Great Depression, Franklin Roosevelt signed Social Security into law, laying a cornerstone in the foundation of America’s middle class, and assuring generations of America’s seniors that after a lifetime of hard work, they’d have a chance to retire with dignity. We have an obligation to keep that promise; to safeguard Social Security for our seniors, people with disabilities, and all Americans – today, tomorrow, and forever.

Now, we’ve been talking for a long time about how to do that; about how to make sure Social Security is healthy enough to cover the higher costs that are kicking in now that baby boomers are retiring. And I’m committed to working with anyone, Democrat or Republican, who wants to strengthen Social Security. I’m also encouraged by the reports of serious bipartisan work being done on this and other issues in the fiscal commission that I set up several months ago.

One thing we can’t afford to do though is privatize Social Security – an ill-conceived idea that would add trillions of dollars to our budget deficit while tying your benefits to the whims of Wall Street traders and the ups and downs of the stock market.

A few years ago, we had a debate about privatizing Social Security. And I’d have thought that debate would’ve been put to rest once and for all by the financial crisis we’ve just experienced. I’d have thought, after being reminded how quickly the stock market can tumble, after seeing the wealth people worked a lifetime to earn wiped out in a matter of days, that no one would want to place bets with Social Security on Wall Street; that everyone would understand why we need to be prudent about investing the retirement money of tens of millions of Americans.

But some Republican leaders in Congress don’t seem to have learned any lessons from the past few years. They’re pushing to make privatizing Social Security a key part of their legislative agenda if they win a majority in Congress this fall. It’s right up there on their to-do list with repealing some of the Medicare benefits and reforms that are adding at least a dozen years to the fiscal health of Medicare – the single longest extension in history.

That agenda is wrong for seniors, it’s wrong for America, and I won’t let it happen. Not while I’m President. I’ll fight with everything I’ve got to stop those who would gamble your Social Security on Wall Street. Because you shouldn’t be worried that a sudden downturn in the stock market will put all you’ve worked so hard for – all you’ve earned – at risk. You should have the peace of mind of knowing that after meeting your responsibilities and paying into the system all your lives, you’ll get the benefits you deserve.

Seventy-five years ago today, Franklin Roosevelt made a promise. He promised that from that day forward, we’d offer – quote – “some measure of protection to the average citizen and to his family against poverty-stricken old age.” That’s a promise each generation of Americans has kept. And it’s a promise America will continue to keep so long as I have the honor of serving as President. Thanks for listening. Thanks for watching. And have a nice weekend.

by Paul Krugman

Social Security turned 75 last week. It should have been a joyous occasion, a time to celebrate a program that has brought dignity and decency to the lives of older Americans.

But the program is under attack, with some Democrats as well as nearly all Republicans joining the assault. Rumor has it that President Obama’s deficit commission may call for deep benefit cuts, in particular a sharp rise in the retirement age.

Social Security’s attackers claim that they’re concerned about the program’s financial future. But their math doesn’t add up, and their hostility isn’t really about dollars and cents. Instead, it’s about ideology and posturing. And underneath it all is ignorance of or indifference to the realities of life for many Americans.

About that math: Legally, Social Security has its own, dedicated funding, via the payroll tax (“FICA” on your pay statement). But it’s also part of the broader federal budget. This dual accounting means that there are two ways Social Security could face financial problems. First, that dedicated funding could prove inadequate, forcing the program either to cut benefits or to turn to Congress for aid. Second, Social Security costs could prove unsupportable for the federal budget as a whole.

But neither of these potential problems is a clear and present danger. Social Security has been running surpluses for the last quarter-century, banking those surpluses in a special account, the so-called trust fund. The program won’t have to turn to Congress for help or cut benefits until or unless the trust fund is exhausted, which the program’s actuaries don’t expect to happen until 2037 — and there’s a significant chance, according to their estimates, that that day will never come.

Meanwhile, an aging population will eventually (over the course of the next 20 years) cause the cost of paying Social Security benefits to rise from its current 4.8 percent of G.D.P. to about 6 percent of G.D.P. To give you some perspective, that’s a significantly smaller increase than the rise in defense spending since 2001, which Washington certainly didn’t consider a crisis, or even a reason to rethink some of the Bush tax cuts.

So where do claims of crisis come from? To a large extent they rely on bad-faith accounting. In particular, they rely on an exercise in three-card monte in which the surpluses Social Security has been running for a quarter-century don’t count — because hey, the program doesn’t have any independent existence; it’s just part of the general federal budget — while future Social Security deficits are unacceptable — because hey, the program has to stand on its own.

It would be easy to dismiss this bait-and-switch as obvious nonsense, except for one thing: many influential people — including Alan Simpson, co-chairman of the president’s deficit commission — are peddling this nonsense.

And having invented a crisis, what do Social Security’s attackers want to do? They don’t propose cutting benefits to current retirees; invariably the plan is, instead, to cut benefits many years in the future. So think about it this way: In order to avoid the possibility of future benefit cuts, we must cut future benefits. O.K.

What’s really going on here? Conservatives hate Social Security for ideological reasons: its success undermines their claim that government is always the problem, never the solution. But they receive crucial support from Washington insiders, for whom a declared willingness to cut Social Security has long served as a badge of fiscal seriousness, never mind the arithmetic.

And neither wing of the anti-Social-Security coalition seems to know or care about the hardship its favorite proposals would cause.
The currently fashionable idea of raising the retirement age even more than it will rise under existing law — it has already gone from 65 to 66, it’s scheduled to rise to 67, but now some are proposing that it go to 70 — is usually justified with assertions that life expectancy has risen, so people can easily work later into life. But that’s only true for affluent, white-collar workers — the people who need Social Security least.

I’m not just talking about the fact that it’s a lot easier to imagine working until you’re 70 if you have a comfortable office job than if you’re engaged in manual labor. America is becoming an increasingly unequal society — and the growing disparities extend to matters of life and death. Life expectancy at age 65 has risen a lot at the top of the income distribution, but much less for lower-income workers. And remember, the retirement age is already scheduled to rise under current law.

So let’s beat back this unnecessary, unfair and — let’s not mince words — cruel attack on working Americans. Big cuts in Social Security should not be on the table.

Report: 1.2M fewer uninsured in state

NEW YORK — About 1.2 million New Yorkers will get health insurance under the federal health reform approved this year by Congress.

About 1.4 million will remain uninsured, including 400,000 illegal immigrants, according to the report by the New York State Health Foundation. The report analyzes how health reform will affect New York and looks at the challenges of setting up health insurance exchanges and increasing primary care services to serve more people. The report also explores new payment methods the state could use to lower health care costs.

Copies of the report are available at http://www.nyshealthfoundation.org.

– Cathleen F. Crowley

One Bridge Fixed…But our infrastructure needs new funding sources

By DENISE RICHARDSON
Managing Director of the General Contractors of New York

Whaddya know? You can get there from here.

Today, the new Willis Avenue Bridge is due to be eased into place, completing its carefully planned journey by barge to its permanent home. It will replace a structure built in 1901 and now one of the lowest-rated bridges in New York City.

The replacement arrived literally in the nick of time. More than 70,000 vehicles a day use the bridge, which has been past the point of no return for years.

Yet this is just one success story among a limitless need to replace and upgrade our transportation network. These days, it’s all too common for infrastructure projects to be put on hold, delayed or cancelled.

We’re going from bad to worse — and fast. Earlier this year, the transportation think-tank TRIP released a report highlighting the crisis state of New York’s infrastructure. Some 82 percent of major roads in the city are in poor condition, and 35 percent of bridges are structurally deficient. Traffic congestion costs the average driver 44 hours a year.

A lack of funding is delaying such critical projects as the renovation of Kosciuszko Bridge and the expansion of the Major Deegan Expressway, while officials are reducing the scope of other projects so that they only meet immediate needs and provide no room for growth. The state Department of Transportation and MTA five-year capital programs face a $20 billion funding gap over the next five years.

Too many elected leaders opt to postpone the decisions to launch genuine infrastructure improvements because they don’t want any vote in favor of a tax hike coming anywhere near their names — and are also unwilling to fully disclose to their constituents how the “dedicated” taxes they already pay are diverted to other uses

Our dedicated highway and bridge trust fund is broke – with 37.7 percent of its revenues over the last 16 years having gone to cover state operating expenses rather than to pay for the repairs and other basic work it was set up to fund.

On top of that, the state collects $1.15 billion a year in gasoline-sales taxes, supposedly to fund transportation needs — yet the money instead goes to the general fund, never to be seen when it comes time to fund a road, bridge or transit project.

The problem is not exclusive to New York. Federal transportation policy is stuck in its own holding pattern because no politician wants to venture near the hot-button issue of raising the gasoline tax, the proven generator of user fees that have paid for our transportation infrastructure since 1956.

The continued deterioration of our ability to move people and goods has chilling implications for America’s economy.

A partial solution is found at the pump. Without question, taxes have become the bane of our society — yet few can offer an alternative to gasoline taxes as a funding source to repair the roads that move our economy.

Yes, the public has every right to be cynical that gas taxes will yield a smoother, safer ride — since officials already siphon off dedicated highway-trust money for other government spending.

To win public acceptance of these taxes, infrastructure advocates need to do far better at proving the direct connection between the taxes charged at the pump and the condition of our roads and bridges. And the revenue must go to irrevocable trusts that will reliably direct the taxes to the specific purpose they were raised for.

Organizations like the US Chamber of Commerce, the American Trucking Association and AAA are now united in support of a gas-tax increase to fund transportation improvements – because they all recognize that safe roads and bridges keep the economy and the drivers moving.

Overall, Americans are paying the lowest gasoline taxes since the early days of the automobile. Federal fuel taxes have lost 33 percent of their purchasing power since the last increase in 1993 — yet there’s plainly no support for a new hike. Meanwhile, states continue to pilfer from gas-tax trust funds and underfund capital programs.

Elected officials face a simple choice: Either preside over a crumbling and often dangerous transportation infrastructure — or build political support for a funding structure that can do the job, and so strengthen our city, our economy and our future.

The arrival of the new Willis Avenue Bridge is a dramatic demonstration of a success that’s been years in the making. We can get there from here. But we need to be willing to pay for it.

Denise Richardson is the man aging director of the General Contractors Association of NY.

BALCONY Announces 21 New Members Since January 2010

NEW YORK, NY (08/05/2010)– BALCONY, the Business and Labor Coalition of New York (www.balconynewyork.com), today, Wednesday, announced 21 new members since January 2010. The members of BALCONY include labor unions, businesses, trade associations, not-for-profits, and chambers of commerce.

Bruce Ventimiglia, co-chair of BALCONY and president and chairman of Saratoga Capital Management, expressed his excitement that the BALCONY coalition (formed in 2006) is growing so rapidly, “It’s really great to see the commitment BALCONY has received from both the business and labor ends of the spectrum as they are coming together to find common ground on New York public policy issues that effect all of us.”

“It is wonderful to see so much interest in BALCONY and what it represents,” said Alan Lubin, a co-chair of BALCONY and formerly the Executive Vice President of the New York State United Teachers, “what’s great about our members is that they know it’s not what you get out of BALCONY that’s important, but what you put into it. We don’t always agree on everything, but we are all deeply committed to finding and pursuing common sense, common ground solutions to the problems facing New Yorkers.”

New BALCONY Members Since January 2010:

Rochester and Genesee Valley Area Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, (www.rgvalf.org), MVP Health (www.mvphealthcare.com), Infrastructure USA (www.infrastructureusa.org), Northeast Securities (www.nesec.com), Concrete Alliance (www.theconcretealliance.com), Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc. (www.tpna.com), Residential Home Funding (www.rhfunding.com), The Advance Group (www.theadvancegroup.com), Transparent Health Network (www.transparenthealthnetwork.com), Impact Plus, HAKS (www.haks.net), Content Critical (www.contentcritical.com), readMedia (www.readmedia.com), Life Line Screening (www.lifelinescreening.com), Entre Computer (www.entrecs.com), GSP Network (www.gspnetwork.com), JuniperHill (www.juniperhillam.com), OTG Management (www.otgmanagement.com), Pulse Marketing (www.pulsemarketinggroup.com), Belluck & Fox (www.belluckfox.com), and BMRx (www.bmr-inc.com)

BALCONY, the Business and Labor Coalition of New York, represents more than 1,000 New York businesses, labor unions, and trade associations. BALCONY seeks common ground in the public policy debate in New York to spur economic development through the adoption of business/union friendly, socially responsible common sense laws that maintain and improve the quality of life for working New Yorkers.

BALCONY has relocated our offices to: 481 8th Avenue * Suite 1202 * New York, NY * 10001
Our phone number remains the same: 212-219-7777

www.balconynewyork.com

Permalink: http://readme.readmedia.com/BALCONY-Announces-20-New-Members-Since-January-2010/1662533

Posted under News from BALCONY

 

« Previous Entries