Anois tá an t-am (Now is the time)
 Live events 

Planning meeting for Awake the State Action in Brevard

DEC Office

1103 Hibiscus Blvd Suite 402

Melbourne, Florida 32901 

Thursday 24 February 7PM

Fl. rep Tobia/Workman Town Hall Meeting

28 February 1 PM session and 6PM session

Palm Bay City Hall

120 Malabar Rd.

Palm Bay, Fl.

That's right the same ground that we stood on fighting for

the pension justice for our brother and sister fire fighter,

How long must we sing this song- until victory is ours!

AWAKE THE STATE MARCH 8--ORLANDO RALLY

March 8 at 5:30pm at Senator Beth Johnson Park 

(adjacent to the Chamber of Commerce), 

Orlando, FL

Parking available in hotel parking garage across the street, as well as nearby street parking.

IBEW 606 will be Marching from their Hall on Virginia Ave to this rally. I could use some confirmation

of this from 606.

Awake the State on March 8 - Tampa Tuesday, March 8 · 5:00pm - 7:00pm

Location TBD (but likely Curtis Hixson or Gaslight Park)

Tampa, FL

On line events

Conference call

Tony Fransetta, Pres. FLARA

Sat. 26 February 10 am

 Many groups and a needed action are in line.

 There will be a very big rally on Tally the 2nd week of

session.  There is a conference call set up for all to join

in this Sat. at 10 am.  Here is the call in number.

866 285-7778  passcode 6180203 #.  Nancy Argenziano

will be administrating the call.

  

At this event it is expected there will be sheriffs,

corrections officers, firefighters, nursing homes

advocates, SEIU, AFSCME state workers, water activists

 and PSC reformers.  FLARA will be an active participant.

 Please call in Sat if you can

Jobs with Justice March 2nd Day of Action http://tiny.cc/wgqom For the past weeks we have seen students, workers, faith and community 

come together and prevent attacks to the public sector across the country. 

These attacks are threatening the basic structures of our society, 

including the right to an education and the right to full and fair employment.

It is time to take action and demand a stop to the cuts! Sierra Club: Stand With Unions and Sign The Petition! http://tiny.cc/zcjbf Hard hats and tree huggers share fundamental values --including the right to safe and healthy

working conditions and the creation of good clean energy jobs. Take a stand by adding 

your name to the petition: "I stand with working families. We deserve the right to form unions 

as we see fit to protect our jobs and our communities."

Articles of interest

Florida Tech flight instructors vote to join union | http://tiny.cc/br0zy

Florida Tech flight instructors voted Wednesday to join a union, 

a move that they believe will address unfair pay and benefit policies.

Please help the Cause and distribute these events by any means at your disposal.

 

Fla. Scraps Plan For High-Speed Train

http://www.clickorlando.com/travelgetaways

/26885383/detail.html?treets=orlpn&tml=orlpn

_break&ts=T&tmi=orlpn

_break_1_09090102162011 

Fla. Scraps Plan For High-Speed Train
Florida Gov. Rick Scott Rejects $2B In Federal Funds

Florida Chamber CEO calls upcoming

 Legislative session "our time"

 http://www.clickorlando.com/travelgetaways/26885383/detail.html?treets=orlpn&tml=orlpn_break&ts=T&tmi=orlpn

_break_1_09090102162011

Forgive Mark Wilson, head of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, 

if he sounds supremely confident that his probusiness agenda

 to "realign the way government works" will largely sail

 through Tallahassee this upcoming session.

Senate president: "Superior" state worker benefits

 need to be brought in line.

http://fltrib.com/senate-president-superior

-state-worker-benefits-need-be-brought-line 

Senate President Mike Haridopolos made it clear on Monday that 

changing state employee benefits -- including both pension benefits 

and health insurance benefits -- will be a part of his agenda

 for the upcoming session.

Former Members Get Millions From Pensions

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/56_80/-203229-1.html 

Taxpayers are likely to foot the bill for at least $26 million in pensions

 for former Members of Congress this year, even as Congress

 embraces austerity by curbing its annual pay raises and 

voting to slash office budgets.

'Noles throw FSU's Fisher $950,000 pay raise

http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20110217/SPORTS

/102170319/1002/SPORTS 

The new five-year deal that runs until January 2016 is worth $13.75 million,

 nearly $5 million more than the five-year, $9 million contract 

Fisher signed a year ago.

Kentucky Rising: A Statement from Wendell Berry,

 February 12, 2011, 10:58 a.m.

It is now Feb. 12.  By now we expected to be either in jail or bailed out.

  Instead, by Gov. Beshear’s invitation, we are staying in his 

reception room in the Capitol

Gov. Rick Scott's budget slashes spending for homeless

, other vulnerable groups - 

TALLAHASSEE — Last year, agencies that help Florida's homeless

 received nearly $7 million in state funding to assist more than 74,000 people.

64-Year-Old Kayaker Completes Trans-Atlantic Voyage

US Chamber’s Lobbyists Hired Hackers To Sabotage 

Unions, Smear Chamber’s Political Opponents 

2

ThinkProgress has learned that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce,

 the big business trade association representing ExxonMobil, AIG,

 and other major international corporations, is working with set

 of “private security” companies and lobbying firms to undermine

 their political opponents, including ThinkProgress, 

with a surreptitious sabotage campaign.

Flagler on national list of most-stressed counties 

PALM COAST -- Just a few years ago, Flagler County was

 at the top of the list of the nation's fastest-growing counties. 

Now the county has made another list, but it's one officials 

probably would have preferred to avoid.

State’s top elderly advocate removed from job 

After years of fighting for the protection of nursing-home residents,

 Florida’s top advocate for elderly people was abruptly canned Monday

 by Gov. Rick Scott amid longstanding conflict over the group’s role in 

helping thousands of frail elders.

Editorial: The Great Big, Fat Lie About Social Security 

One of the reasons for Social Security's success is that it runs at an

 amazingly low administrative cost of less than 1 percent. 

Thrasher would curb union dues used for politics

TALLAHASSEE -- A leading Senate Republican has filed a bill

 that could strip unions of some of their political strength,

Taxes (As A Percentage Of Economy) Drop To

 Lowest Level In 60 Years

WASHINGTON — Taxes too high? Actually, as a share of the nation's economy, 

Uncle Sam's take this year will be the lowest since 1950, when the

 Korean War was just getting under way

House GOP looks at tough health insurance realities 

Ask any House Republican about repealing President Barack Obama’s

 health care law, and you’ll get the same fiery, self-assured talking points

 about tearing down what Speaker John Boehner has called a “monstrosity.

”

Florida pension overhaul: Unions will fight, but expect Gov. Rick Scott to get his way on pensions 

Police officers, teachers and government workers across Florida had harsh words Wednesday for Gov. Rick Scott's plan to have public employees contribute toward their pensions, but the unions representing them expressed little hope that they'll be able to stop it.

Voters unsure of Gov. Rick Scott but like his tax, pension plans 

TALLAHASSEE — In his first month in office, Gov. Rick Scott is barely known and barely liked by voters, yet they approve of his job performance and are optimistic about Florida's future

News from Florida Alliance for Retired Americans

WE will be preparing a Social Security Video
This month. WE will be using it to help our plea to preserve our legacy.
A big part of our legacy is S.S.

Fewer people moving to Florida, census estimates show 

WASHINGTON — Faced with a dramatic decline in the number of Americans moving to Florida, community boosters are promoting the Sunshine State as a cluster of research and technology, not just a balmy place to live.

Downturn's Ugly Trademark: Steep, Lasting Drop in Wages 

In California, former auto worker Maria Gregg was out of work five months last year before landing a new job—at a nearly 20% pay cut.

Orrin Hatch plays ball with tea party 

But this ultimate establishment Republican is mounting perhaps the most aggressive courtship of the grass-roots movement of any sitting senator.

 Large decline in Florida’s unauthorized immigrant population 

The Pew Hispanic Center held a press conference Tuesday to release a study that estimates the overall number of unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S. as of March 2010 at about 11.2 million people

Uninsured kids propel Florida's low health care rating 

It's a good thing for Texas, Arizona, Mississippi and Nevada.Without those states' abysmal child health systems, Florida's would rank last in the nation, according to a new analysis compiled by the Washington-based Commonwealth Fund

Gum, patches help reluctant quitters smoke less 

 When smokers don't want to quit, nicotine gum or patches can help them smoke less, says a new study from Hong Kong.

Private sector job gains beat expectations 

U.S. private employers added more jobs than expected in January, underscoring views the employment picture is slowly improving

FactChecking the GOP Response 

FactChecking the GOP Response
Ryan and Bachmann made two new false claims, and repeated other talking points, in their responses to the president's State of the Union address

State investments in  Florida Retirement System have bounced back

State investments supporting the Florida Retirement System have bounced back to within about $1 billion of their pre-market collapse level, the state's top money manager told state legislators Wednesday

Florida lawmakers turning toward pension plan cuts 

TALLAHASSEE - With a state shortfall likely to top $3.6 billion in the coming fiscal year and pledges from legislative leaders not to raise taxes to fill the shortfall, lawmakers are increasingly looking at the state's pension plan as one avenue to reduce spending

CNBC's Erin Burnett Douses Debt Hysteria: "We Don't Have A Crisis Right This Second On Debt" 

Amy Chua’s ‘Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother’ 

“There are all these new books out there portraying Asian mothers as scheming, callous, overdriven people indifferent to their kids’ true interests,” Amy Chua writes. 

Articles available at Space Coast Working News

Scott proposes Department of Commerce

Activists to Protest as Billionaires’ Caucus

Plans Political Agenda

First Issue Tackled  GOP  Gutting the  Health Care System

U.S. Chamber Attacks FCIC as "Job-killing" Wikileakers

Big Things and the Workforce  to Get Them Done

.

Report Shows How to Protect Public in Privatization Schemes 

In response to the fiscal crisis, many cash-starved state and local governments are considering privatizing core public assets, potentially costing thousands of jobs and decreasing the quality of service to the public

If Only Employees Enjoyed the Same Rights as Criminals

Union-haters want to make public employees public enemiesIn the United States, employers can legally fire employees without cause, and no amount of evidence can save that employee's job. 

Since the November elections attacks on public employees and their unions have exploded.

Raising False Alarms

 Without Social Security today, nearly half of all Americans aged 65 or older would be poor. With it, fewer than 10 percent live in poverty.

Private Funerals Now Streamed Online

In an age of commemorating birthdays, weddings and anniversaries on Facebook and Twitter, it was perhaps inevitable that live Web-streaming funerals for friends and loved ones would be next

.