BLE NJSLB Chairman's Corner

Chairman's Corner

THE LEVEL PLAYING FIELD

March, a month that means many things for many people; the first changes in the weather indicating that spring is not far away, if you are a television fan, it’s the network sweeps where we are teased with the possibility of some intelligent programming, or if you are a sports nut, it’s the “March Madness” of basketball. If you are none of the above, but rather an interested party in the political arena, then you know that the March primaries represent that point in the campaigning where the final prospects for office emerge.

This year’s caucuses and primaries remind me of the early seventies. The pack of candidates was so thick, if you were blindfolded and shot a BB gun, at the crowd, you were sure to hit at least two of them.

When you think about it, there are a lot of similarities between today and thirty years ago. We were at the end of a war that was not popular with a large percentage of the population. At least this time around, we have recognized that the fault, if there is one lies not with the soldier, but with the decision-makers. The control of the White House and Congress was in the hands of the Republicans, and the Democrats were hell bent on preserving jobs and fighting for funding for a whole slew of civil rights issues.

Today, the make up of Congress and the White House are similar and the Democrats are fighting the outsourcing of jobs to India, China, and the Philippines. On the domestic scene, we are facing a number of civil issues including Medicare and Medicaid reform, health insurance for the poor, and continued arguments on the morality of stem cell research and same sex marriage.

These are all important issues which each side feels deeply about, but the truth is, that the only significant battle most Americans have to wage is the battle to meet our financial obligations each month, and may be have enough left over to help our kids get through it a little easier than we did.

The only way to assure winning that battle is to have a job. A job you chose to do not one that is forced upon you because the one you trained for is no longer available in this country. As more and more technical and production line jobs leave this country, more and more Americans are forced to accept less skilled jobs. Please don’t think this is to disparage those dedicated people working the most menial jobs. Far from it, because if allowed to continue, those people will be forced from those positions by people holding College Degrees.

I wonder how many blue-collar workers today feel better off then their blue collar parents did thirty years ago? Thirty years ago, most people were on their own financially by the age of 20. Today, the generation of 20 somethings can’t imagine making ends meet financially, much less the thought of being able to support a family and purchase a modest home.

If there is a change in the leadership of our Country, we would hope that those arguments they present next month would bear fruit. In all likely hood however, they will only be able to influence a shift in a better direction. And even at that, it will be several years before the benefits are seen. This all sounds rather dismal and hopeless. But it does not have to be that way.

Most every American that has a dependable income regardless of how big or small is making some effort to protect their later years by investing in some type of pension plan. I’m referring to the popular 401(k) and the IRAs. We are putting as much as we can afford into them to assure our later years. This is good. It is responsible. God only knows if Social Security will be any security at all. We are greasing the wheels of progress by providing big corporations the money necessary to hire over paid CEOs and CFOs to spend their corporate days investigating ways to assure you the investor a good return on your money. The best way to do that is reduce the operating cost of the company. To see if there is a location where for a couple of million dollars investment, they can employ vast numbers of people at less than half the wages of Americans to produce the same product. This might be good if the product, which now costs less to make, could be bought for less money.

Unfortunately, you the American buyer has now lost his job to outsourcing, and can no longer afford to purchase that necessary item. Where is all this leading you say? Well, I don’t know any marginally successful gambler who does not hedge his bets. Maintains a little side bet to assure he has some kind of a profit. You need to do the same thing. If you fail to protect your investment in that 401 (k) or IRA, you are likely to lose it to corporate out sourceing.

The way to protect that money and future return is to hedge your investment by contributing to your PAC fund. Put a few dollars towards assuring that someone will be there fighting to see that your investment is not lost to corporate greed. Your contribution will be used to see that your interests are heard that your job is being fought for, that CEOs and CFOs can’t profit on the expiration of your source of income. You can level the playing field by supporting your PAC. You can help assure that those with your interests at heart will be successful in their campaign to change the economic direction we are headed in.

Contact your Division Legislative Representative or the State Legislative Board and sign up for a payroll deducted contribution. Five dollars per month per worker will go a long way to assure that those who you feel best represent your goals will be elected to office.