Jim Kimmel and Molly Janczyk discuss health care and more

Jim Kimmel to Molly Janczyk, December 23, 2006

Subject: Re: HC: STRS Board
Well said Molly!

While it is true that the perks would not make up much for health care it does reveal the insensitive attitude that led to poor planning for health care. And that resulted in big bucks lost., not lost as in disappear but lost as in "otherwise spent". I still think that 99 million for a new building and bonuses should not have been spent. But it is more than ethics - it was a calculated ideological strategy (Republican) to deconstruct the public pension system so that 1)it would help the brokers and bankers and 2) remove public pensions as a center of influence over Corporate America. After all, a pension fund of civil servants, cops, firefighters, teachers (perish the thought), and school janitors and cooks which holds a large block of a corporation like P and G or GM or AT&T and can influence the proxy vote at stockholder meetings which would otherwise be rigged by the Board of Directors is totally unacceptable(to them). This is the strategy that Herb Dyer and Fiends ( I mean Friends) had planned from the start, at least in my opinion. It wasn't Enron (Dyer admitted only one tenth of one percent of STRS funds were in Enron when pressed as to why STRS hung on to the stock so long.) It mostly was a plan of the 1990's and the keystone, I think, was using health care as one would use a Vernier precision dial on a piece of electronic equipment to fine tune the calculated decline of STRS. This would make STRS weaker thus encouraging young teachers to go it alone in one of the other programs. The air is being let out of the balloon and retirees, the "end users," are of course feeling the draft the most... and can do the least about it. And as I understand it the broker fees are paid not by the young teacher in one of the individual stock plans but by STRS. Gee - I wonder how fast THOSE fees are rising. That could be a big bite out of the retirement funds just at a time when fewer teachers are paying in due to staff cuts from state funding issues and low Charter School salaries as well as lower raises for public school teachers. Dyer pulled the plug on the Titanic and fiddled along like Nero when he burned down Rome and blamed the Christians. Only it's us old teachers who get sick and go to doctors instead. Let's hope some Democrats in Ohio government will make a difference!
It is interesting that people used to be called "customers," which denotes some respect since they have money, the business has goods, and you bargain on an equal basis. Then a few years ago we were called "consumers" which if not precisely derogatory did bring to mind little piggies nosing up to the sow and greedily trying to take more than their share. Not exactly respect either! NOW we are "end users" which means everybody can pass on their losses and take their profits - everybody but the people who buy services. and goods. We as retirees are the end users and are treated as such with the same contempt as some businesses treat customers today all too often.Next thing will be some entrepreneur selling places at Esquimo Ice Floe Village where we can spend our last days without worries about the Gas and Electric bills!

Merry Christmas to All and to some STRS fiends :: Bah Hum Bug!!

Jim Kimmel

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From Molly Janczyk, December 23, 2006

Subject: Re: HC: STRS Board
Rationalization is a powerful thing, Jim. Believe me when I tell you they sleep just fine. I asked Dyer that question. "Do you see us, Herb? Do you see our faces in the night?" He said, he did. Didn't change anything. Still wanted out of the HC business. Told me, "We all have to row, Molly." I said, "Yeah, but we hang onto timbers from the Titanic while you sail by on your yacht." We had quite a few late night email conversations. Just never saw the point just as Sidaway, Chapman (Jack), Eugene, Scott, Dyer, Mike B. never did. "That money would never have paid for HC," they all said. We knew that. It was just wrong to skim it. There's legal according to a not even semi quasi state system who writes its own bylaws and there's ethics. Was it legal? Yes. Was it ethical? OEC said No. But they knew precisely where that line was and made very sure they stayed just on that border. Legal according to their own written laws. Let us write the laws. Won't be legal. We'd change daily food allotments, paying for stuff such as fax, computers, phone lines for folks like Mike who make triple figures and can sure afford to pay for his own phone line.

WHY? It is not that much? True. So what is the fuss? Principal of the thing. For years of being skimmed and for not planning longterm to preserve HC and as Jack Chapman said, "We rode the wave and it crashed!" I knew it would. Didn't everyone else know as well? It never stays up all the time. Why wouldn't he be in there finding ways to preserve and protect? Cause he wasn't going to be around and because his golf buddy, Herb, wanted out of the HC business. So, take what you can while you can. That was Jack's seeming philosophy anyway as he was heard in a restaurant saying, "Drink up! It's on STRS!" Hazel paid bar bills. Golf for Herb and Jack instead of inservices. You know all this. So, WHY? It's just not right, that's all. Retirees suffer so you don't get frivolous perks unless you buy them as because as Mooney said, "It just doesn't look right! Needs to be a cooling off period." (A period of real concern for retirees and only retirees with real action and real results). OFT has to use their own cell phones vs. paid for calls to home when gone, he told me.

Simple folks want simply represented not salt in wounds. Do you want to see those who rep you at Lindey's or with new laptops or staying the night in places better than you can afford, etc. when you eat modestly if you go out and use old and cheap computers if you have one or stay at Red Roof or other modest lodgings? No one should ask for anything unless the poorest among us is taken care of. We are no better than they. We have spent hundreds of dollars ourselves for retirees asking for no reimbursement because we know how hard it was for some to get $5 to send us. One lady had to wait months to send that in. Why would I ask CORE to pay me back for something I did when I know? Some have been reimbursed for running many copies in their regions during elections and such things. Many are offered to be reimbursed for mailings, phone calls, etc. for CORE. Some have run many copies themselves at home asked for ink for example, planning more copies which were obviously done and distributed. Others who ran hundreds of copies at stores were reimbursed at a said rate which was the cheapest found. If someone chose to do copies at places over that, the individual paid the difference. Long distance phone records for contacting areas for elections or important decided issues can be refunded. Most defer calling it a contribution if they can and refunds are given when costs go beyond one's available money. We operate like we work for membership regardless of when our funds are higher or lower. Much was spent on the last election with enormous numbers of flyers mailed to all areas of the state. So, it is rebuilding again though we can take on an election if we wish, we are in a holding pattern for a bit.

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Jim Kimmel to Molly Janczyk, December 22, 2006

Subject: Re: HC: STRS Board

I wonder if Ms. Ramser would shed a tear if she were indicted like Sidaway and friends. There are a lot of people in the world- I have met quite a few- whose attitude is " I got mine and to hell with you.!" So my conclusion about the suggestion is that it probably would not do much good because some of the board members have already been exposed to stories of some of the poorer retirees and displayed an attitude of frigid indifference. Guess I am still too idealistic about human nature. But I do sleep nights!

Jim Kimmel

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From Molly Janczyk, December 21, 2006

Subject: Re: HC: STRS Board

Guess it takes multiple times as no response yet. Al Rhonemus stood before the old Board several times with tears in his eyes telling them of his friends selling their homes and moving in with children. No dent; no expression. This Board has heard us say these things but, I agree, perhaps more is needed to bring it face to face. Many of those most in need refuse to say anything due to pride and not wanting deferential treatment. They suffer silently. I wish they would all tell their stories. Leone and Lazares simply wanted to explore any and all options for the medicare increases in premiums and decrease in benefits as they do understand how $15 or $20 dollars means so much for some. Heck, that's only a cheap dinner to many on the Board. It means a month's RX for some they do without. Sad.

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Jim Kimmel to Molly Janczyk, December 21, 2006

Subject: Re: HC
I wonder if there is some way to make us retirees more "real" to some of the board members. Maybe we could prepare a list of real teachers who have retired and their present REAL situations. Not some statistical"report" from STRS in which everything is just peachy but how real retirees are doing financially. I wonder what a couple of thousand "retirement autobiographies" would do ? We could present them to the board members at a meeting. people would have to volunteer to write them but that might not be too much of a problem. With pictures even ! We could send them to the board members' homes rather than the board meeting if Damon Opposed them. coulnd't hurt!! Or would it just solidify in their Ramsier minds that "too bad, they are suffering but I am not - so good for me!" Not sure but something to think about!

Jim Kimmel

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From Molly Janczyk, December 20, 2006

Subject: Re: HC

Only Lazares and Leone really get it! Mooney got it and he's gone. Others - it's removed and they feel bad but not enough to remember each and every minute they sit there, in my opinion , or they wouldn't ask for or do things that cost extra money when they have other options-maybe not so convenient. Re: laptops, as Johnson said, it is a generational thing; translates to me: not a necessary thing.

We know people are starving in the world and we give a bit or put it out of our minds. That is how I regard most Board Members on our issues - as long as it is not too inconvenient, they give up time and sit there and do think on matters, I am sure. But, are you real to them? Hard to answer that. YOU ARE real to Lazares and Leone and they never forget. Just can't get anywhere without a major hassle is all and then it's bit by bit.

Harsh about folks who say they devote their time, I know. Actions are what I judge by as well as comments I cannot believe come out of their mouths proving to me how little they understand your daily life.

That's my take. Enough press and enough yelling and enough trouble and little by little some things change and finally, HC is put to legislators. Far, far late but it is now there.