The Health, Social Security, Pension seminar

April 8, 2008

IAMAW Local Lodge 1725

At the airport (Charlotte)

      The President of the lodge Eric Wiggins would like to thank the lodge for sending him to this seminar. This seminar was hosted by Maria Cordone from the Placid Harbor training center, Roger Hare retired Grand Lodge Rep, and Jack Marion for the Alliance for Retired Americans, Maria Cordone is also a super delegate pledged to Hillary Clinton, some of the things discussed was the lowering of property taxes for seniors, and the plight of health care that is not provided to everyone impacting the cost that is past along to those who can afford to pay being a growing burden for seniors today who retire at rate of 5,000 a day to about 10,000 a day in 2011. The worst thing that has ever happened to seniors has been deregulation that has failed whether it is in banking in the sub-prime lending mess or oil and natural gas whose cost is being borne by everyone and especially seniors and has adversely affected all people as well as seniors standard of living. Social security has enough money to be fully funded until 2040 and if the government would have just paid the interest on the monies it took out of social security over the years the fund would have more than enough money to run on for many years to come.

 When we think of raising the minimum wage we usually think of young people working in retail and fast food establishments, but minimum wages are now being used as a source of income for those seniors who lost or never had pensions to pay for health care and the bare necessities of living. So when you hear of a proposal to raise minimum wage remember it my be for a senior family member or another relative or neighbor just trying to survive.

  Right now there are 350,00 IAM retirees and this number is growing everyday and headquarters is trying and encouraging through retiree clubs at all locals to harness this voting block use this block to help gain access to promote the change in government that is needed today more than ever. Retirees built this country and have always been loyal and should not be taken for granted.

 Maria Cordone also announced the upcoming retiree in Reno Nevada to be held in 2010. Maria is encouraging everyone to call Mel Watt or Sue Myrick to vote against the Columbia free trade agreement.

 There were many slides and graphs showing the plight of seniors as well as our grand children, and an interesting web sight called zfacts .com.

                                                                                             In Solidarity,  

                                                                                                Eric Wiggins