Now we know just what Representatives Moyle and Loertscher think of PERSI retirees AND active public employees, BEWARE!

There's an article in the Statesman today that is so illuminating about the way things work at the Capitol during the legislative session.  The article is written by Dan Popkey and it concerns the relationship between the majority party leadership of the Senate and the House, who are apparently at odds now because the Senate chose to stop the action of the House to block PERSI retiree's COLA.  


This validates IPEA's position that we need to replace a few of the Representatives in the upcoming election and it gives more urgency to our call to find good candidates to run against these guys.  IPEA would like to see retired or laid off public employees run for these offices because you know how government works, and when these guys bring up really bad ideas, you would have the arguments to stop them and protect not only public employees, but the Idaho taxpayers.  


To quote Popkey's article, "Moyle [Mike Moyle, Majority Leader] was so mad he wouldn't speak. . .His beef: The Senate caved to state and local government retirees and didn't have the spine to follow through on a leadership plan to kill a 1 percent cost-of-living increase in their pensions."  


Really, Representative Moyle?  That's how you're spinning this?  The Senate "caved" to the 33,000 plus retirees that now will not vote for you and your colleagues in this fall's election?  I wouldn't call that "caving", I'd call that "listening", or maybe "responding" to your constituents.  


Representative Loertscher said the same thing.  Here's a quote from him in Popkey's article:  "You have a few retirees show up out here on the steps of the Capitol and all of a sudden they get their way.  It sends a signal that the way you ply the Legislature is go stand on the steps and holler a little bit and we'll fold up."   Well, IPEA organized that press conference (even though the Statesman keeps saying it was organized by AARP), and we think that's exactly the signal we want to send.  Representative Loertscher, you are a public servant, and its important that you listen to your public, even though it may cause you a little inconvenience or challenge your preconceived idea of the way things should be done.


This cavalier attitude of Representatives Moyle and Loertscher should cause all PERSI members, whether retired or still actively employed, very great concern.  It shows that they simply don't care about public retirees once they have gotten all they can out of them during their years of service.  And if you're an active public employee, you'd better think twice about voting for either of these guys this fall.  


Here's a link to the full article: Idaho Statesman article by Dan Popkey

Our Hero!

Well, we all have our heroes, but today my hero is Senator John Andreason (R) Boise.  Senator Andreason is the Chairman of the Senate Commerce and Human Resources Committee, and he was responsible for killing the legislation to stop the PERSI Cola for retirees.  I know he had some help from a couple of the other Republicans and from the Democrats on the committee, but since the hearing was cancelled and we didn't see a vote, I can't give them credit here even though I'd like to. THANK YOU Senator Andreason! 

Thanks to all of our members and the members of the other organizations who helped by contacting the Senators on the committee.  Your voices were heard!  I know some of them received hundreds of emails and telephone calls.  

This just shows the importance of speaking in a collective voice when we talk to state legislators and when we vote for state legislators.  Having said that, we need more members so we can have an even stronger voice in the future.  I'm pretty sure there are some that will be trying to attack our PERSI plan again next year, but this time they will be trying to change it from a Defined Benefit plan to a Defined Contribution plan.  This is a terrible idea for many different reasons, not the least is that changing the plan over would actually cost the taxpayer more money.  If you want to know more about why that would be a bad idea, contact me donnayule.ipea@gmail.com  

While the majority of our members are state employees, we represent public employees in any sector, so if you work for a county, city, or any other entity that is a PERSI employer, you need to join with us.  Contact IPEA's office if you'd like to have a presentation at your workplace.

Let's use the momentum of our success now to guarantee success in the future

We helped save the COLA for PERSI retirees this time around, but here at IPEA we are concerned that our retirement system will come under attack next year by the House Republicans who voted to pass Representative Lake's legislation in this session. 

IPEA is a nonpartisan organization, but this issue clearly demonstrated to us that the majority of the House Republicans are not going to be friendly to Idaho public employees any time soon.  There are clear exceptions to that rule, though, and there are some who, while not yet voting the way we think they should on all public employee issues, we believe will come around to our way of thinking.  

So I'm encouraging all of you to consider running for local office or helping us to find someone you feel would be a good candidate for local office.  There are enough public employees and public employee retirees in every single district in Idaho to have a strong, determining effect on local elections.  We can either fight these same battles year after year, or we can begin to elect candidates to public office who will have our best interests at heart.  If you or someone you know would make a good state legislator, please contact our office (donnayule.ipea@gmail.com or 800.632.6679) and I'll put you in touch with someone who can help you through the process. Come on now, don't be shy.  I know you're out there.  Let's start being part of the solution! 

But we can't wait long!  The filing period for candidates is March 8 through 19.  Let's find some good candidates (retired public employees, you would make great state legislators!) and get them elected!  

Now I know the task is great, there are 43 out of 70  Representatives we would like to see challenged.  But let's do the math:  We need 36 Representatives on the floor to vote FOR public employee issues.  We now have 27 Representatives who either already vote in favor of our issues, or who we think we can sway in the future.  That means we really only need to replace NINE of the legislators in the following list.  When you think of it that way, it's entirely doable.  

Now, part of the problem is the Republican leadership in the House of Representatives.  I believe they pressured the Representatives who voted for us before they voted against us, to change their votes.  Replacing these people should be our highest priority.  They are:

Speaker of the House: Lawerence Denney, Midvale   District 9

Majority Leader: Mike Moyle, Star                           District 14

Asst Majority Leader: Scott Bedke, Oakley              District 27

Majority Caucus Chair: Ken Roberts, Donnelly          District 8

But we should also find someone to run against at least some of these Representatives:

Eric Anderson, Priest Lake            District 1

George Eskridge, Dover                 District 1

Dick Harwood, St. Maries              District 2

Jim Clark, Hayden                         District 3

Phil Hart, Hayden                          District 3

Marge Chadderdon, Coeur d'Alene  District 4

Frank Henderson, Post Falls          District 5

Bob Nonini, Coeur d'Alene              District 5

Paul Shepherd, Riggins                 District 8

Judy Boyle, Midvale                      District 9

Darrell Bolz, Caldwell                    District 10

Carlos Bilbao, Emmett                  District 11

Steven Thayne, Emmett                District 11

Gary Collins, Nampa                     District 12

Steve Kren, Nampa                       District 13

Brent Crane, Nampa                     District 13

Lynn Luker, Boise                        District 15

Marv Hagedorn, Meridian             District 20

Joe Palmer, Meridian                    District 20

Clifford Bayer, Boise                     District 21

Richard Jarvis, Meridian                District 21

Pete Nielsen, Mountain Home       District 22

Rich Wills, Glenns Ferry               District 22

Stephen Hartgen, Twin Falls          District 23

Jim Patrick, Twin Falls                  District 23

Sharon Block, Twin Falls               District 24

Bert Stevenson, Rupert                  District 26

Fred Wood, Burley                        District 27

Jim Marriott, Blackfoot                   District 28

Dennis Lake, Blackfoot                  District 28

Ken Andrus, Lava Hot Springs        District 29

Marc Gibbs, Grace                        District 31

Thomas Loertscher, Iona                District 31

Janice McGeachin, Idaho Falls       District 32

Russ Mathews, Idaho Falls            District 33

Jeff Thompson, Idaho Falls             District 33

Dell Raybould, Rexburg                 District 34

Mack Shirley, Rexburg                  District 34

Lenore Barrett, Challis                   District 35

If we are not able to get people elected to these offices, we can expect more dirty dealing in the future when it comes to public employee issues.  Let's deal with this problem in the election this fall.  

Ambushed!

Well, guess what.  The House State Affairs committee overturned their vote yesterday and they have decided to pass Rep. Lake's legislation to do away with retiree's COLA and send it with a recommendation to pass to the House floor.  So I'm giving you my opinion of what happened today in that committee.  

It was really ugly.  The item wasn't put on the agenda, and Chairman Leorstscher (R) kept it to the very end of the meeting.  He even admitted to reporters afterwards that the decision to keep the issue off the agenda was intentional so nobody could come to testify.  

All of the Republicans who voted in our favor changed their votes. 

Here's what I think happened.  When the legislation first came up, all of the Democrats and about half of the Republicans voted their conscience and rejected the bill.  They made the decision based on solid information given to them by the PERSI Board members and several of us who testified against the bill.  But sometime after the meeting, Rep. Lake (R), who sponsored the bill, put his head together with Republican leadership and the Governor's office and they decided that this action simply couldn't stand.  

Sometime last night Wayne Hoffman (a right-wing blogger who used to work for Bill Sali, R) sent an email out to all of the members of the committee with some actuarial tables saying how big the "unfunded liability" will grow if we don't take this little bit of money away from our retirees.  The people who changed their votes used that table to "hang their hat on", and several of them spoke of how angry they were at the PERSI Board because they hadn't given them all of the information.  

The first point is that all of these Representatives should have considered the source of the material they were getting.  Wayne Hoffman is hardly an expert on investments.  Secondly, even if the material they received from Wayne Hoffman raised some questions in their minds, they should have given the PERSI Board members an opportunity to explain the information and to tell them why it was not applicable to this situation.  But they didn't.  

The fact that they would take information provided by a right wing-nut (my opinion) of the conservative movement over the wise and considered advice of the PERSI Board should be frightening to every voter in Idaho.  Frankly, I think many of these Representatives are smart enough to know this, which leads me to believe that they were given the information simply to have an excuse to change their votes to keep the Republican leadership and the Governor happy.  

Although these Representatives said that this information given to them by Wayne Hoffman was intentionally kept from them by the PERSI Board, that simply isn't true.  Unfunded liabilities were discussed in the first hearing, and all of the Representatives had an opportunity to express their concern.  Yet, they didn't. So all this drama and sudden concern about this unfunded liability looks to me to be pure theatrics.  

One very telling point was that Representative Raul Labrador, who voted in favor of the COLA yesterday, was conspicuously absent from today's committee hearing.  Of course, he's running for a statewide office, and he was certainly smart enough to know he didn't want to go on record as voting against a COLA for more than 33,000 PERSI retirees!  I just wish he had the courage of his convictions to come and stand up to the rest of the Republicans, who apparently are willing to sell out due to some pressure from above.  

The Dems were really angry.  They all testified and all of them said how this action was reprehensible and they all complained that the Chair did not put this on the agenda and how they did not give PERSI a chance to address this concern by not informing them of the hearing.  

It will go to the floor quickly, probably tomorrow, and then it will go to the Senate.  They are advancing this very quickly because they only have until next Wednesday to get it passed because at that time the COLA will have taken effect.  

Please contact all of your state Representatives and urge them to vote against this bill.  And, if you sent a "thank you" to any of these Republicans who were for the COLA before they were against it, please send them an email right now and let them know how you feel.  Here's a link to the state house membership website: http://legislature.idaho.gov/house/membership.cfm

  

Rep. Lynn Luker (R)

Rep. Eric Anderson (R)

Rep. Max Black (R)

Rep. Carlos Bilbao (R)

Rep. Raul Labrador (R) 

Rep. Russ Mathews (R)

Rep. Steve Kren (R)

Rep. Erik Simpson (R)

  

Success on HCR 42!

Well, we had a real success this morning.  The House State Affairs Committee voted to hold HCR 42 this morning.  Quite a surprise!  And yet, why should we be surprised when our legislators do the right thing?  We should expect it, am I right?  What this means is that, unless Rep. Lake (R) Blackfoot, the sponsor of the bill, finds a way to bring it back or slip it through in some other fashion, we should be okay on this and the PERSI retirees will get the 2.48% COLA that was recommended by the PERSI board.  

What bothered me most about this legislation was that the justification for the legislation was touted to be "fairness" and "equity".  By this they meant that we shouldn't give PERSI retirees a COLA because active public employees are suffering from furloughs and layoffs.  As active public employees and as retired public employees, we all need to band together to stand up for each other.  To me this looked like a way to further attack the morale of our state workers and divide us as a group. 

It is true that active state employees are suffering from furloughs, layoffs and a lack of raises.  But visiting that suffering on our retirees, who just last year were forced off state health insurance, won't do anything to ease the suffering of active public employees.  

Here is the truth about the COLA:  

• If it were eliminated, there would be NO SAVINGS of state money.  The money in the PERSI fund comes from contributions of retirees in the years they were working, contributions of active employees, contributions of employers, and investment income.  
• Part of the COLA will be to make up for deferred COLAs from previous years
• Contribution changes for active employees are determined by many factors, but will NOT BE AFFECTED by this COLA. 
• The PERSI Board recommended this COLA, and the legislature, to our knowledge, has NEVER over-ridden their recommendation.
• PERSI retirees are not just retired state employees, but are retired teachers, firefighters, ditch riders, police officers, and many others. 

Here are the people who voted to support public employees and retirees and who have confidence in the PERSI Board of Directors.  Please call or email them to say "thank you".   

Rep. Elfreda Higgins (D)

Rep. Anne Pasley-Stuart (D)

Rep. Lynn Luker (R)

Rep. Elaine Smith (D)

Rep. Eric Anderson (R)

Rep. Max Black (R)

Rep. Carlos Bilbao (R)

Rep. Raul Labrador (R) 

Rep. Russ Mathews (R)

Rep. Steve Kren (R)

Rep. Erik Simpson (R)

Rep. Mary Lou Shepherd (D)

Rep. Phylis King (D)  

Here are the people who voted against public employees and retirees and who apparently do not have confidence in the PERSI Board of Directors.  Please contact them to find out why they are not supporting public employees and retirees.   

Rep. Thomas Loertscher (R)

Rep. Bert Stevenson (R)

Rep. Ken Andrus (R)

Rep. Brent Crane (R)

Rep. Joe Palmer (R)  

Here's a link to a page with all of their contact information: http://legislature.idaho.gov/about/contactbycommitteePrinterFriendly.htm?searchText=22&house=House

Cut your wasteful spending, Governor Otter!

Governor Otter continues to advocate trimming government spending which not only costs the jobs of state employees, but also costs services to other Idahoans who are in desperate need of those services.  Families are going hungry at an alarming rate, and yet the current administration and most of our Idaho legislators still refuse to look at raising taxes on the wealthy or even cutting sales tax exemptions for large corporations.  There are many ways the state could raise the revenue side of the budget equation without raising taxes on low and middle income Idahoans, but for some reason, the powers that be simply refuse to even consider taking these actions.  

But what is even more frustrating is Governor Otter's unwillingness to look at his own contributions to wasteful spending.  "Big spending amid cuts" in the Statesman is an article about how ITD used almost $70,000 of taxpayers money on groundbreaking or dedication ceremonies since last June.  The article said "Otter's office wanted [these ceremonies] to be the 'governor's signature events.'"  In this time of recession and state employee lay offs, this doesn't seem like a good use of my tax money.  The article is interesting (and long), but the most interesting part of the story to me is that no one seems to be responsible.  At least no one is claiming responsibility.  I'd like to see whose name is on the contract and who approved the signing of the contract.  And I'd like a Governor who is responsible enough to question whether this expense was justified, rather than just claiming he didn't know how much the ceremonies cost or which budget was paying for it.  Certainly he's smart enough to know someone was paying for the events, and he should be responsible enough to make the call to cancel this type of event at least until we've climbed out of this recession hole.  

We have to give kudos to Representative JoAn Wood (R), Rigby.  She seems to be the only one who is outraged by this expense.  "I am appalled. I am appalled," she told the Statesman.  So are we, Representative Wood.  So are we.  To spend almost $70,000 of our taxpayer money to give the Governor a nice photo op is unacceptable in this economy.  Here's the link to the whole story: http://www.idahostatesman.com/newsupdates/story/1062582.html