tagged w/ war on workers
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"PHOENIX - Arizona lawmakers are free to raid cash for injured workers in the State Compensation Fund to balance the budget, the state Court of Appeals ruled Friday.
Reversing a lower court ruling, the judges said it was the Legislature itself that authorized the collection of money from employers. That means lawmakers are free to take that money for other uses, they said.
Judge Maurice Portley, writing for the unanimous court, acknowledged the money in the account is earmarked to pay the medical bills and lost wages of workers injured on the job. And he said those workers have "vested interests or rights" in those payments.
But Portley said attorneys for the fund as well as a host of employer groups presented no evidence that taking nearly $4.7 million from the fund would prevent it from being able to meet its obligations.
And even if that were the case, he continued, there is a separate law that details how money must be transferred into the fund.
Under Arizona law, all companies are required to provide coverage for employees who are injured or killed in work-related accidents. Some firms buy private insurance; others self-insure.
The Industrial Commission, which administers workers' compensation laws in Arizona, also maintains a special fund for cases in which an employer has not obtained the proper insurance. The cash is earmarked for medical bills and other benefits for injured workers.
It also provides coverage for workers who, having been injured elsewhere, are hurt again. That is designed to encourage companies to hire these previously injured workers.
The account is funded by a special levy on employers.
Lawmakers, looking to balance the 2009 budget, voted to take money from various special accounts, ranging from the Central Arizona Project to tobacco-education funds. The special fund at the Industrial Commission was one of those on the list.
Gov. Jan Brewer signed the legislation authorizing the fund transfers.
..." more at link
There is still the AZ Supreme Court to appeal to. Frankly, that generally does not generally work well for people not in the top economic bracket.
Gonna be REALLY difficult for GOP pols, even in Arizona, to convince the working people and middle class that there isn't a war on them. They just marched over another bridge too far in plain sight. Again, taking from working people to cover operational expenses not met because of tax cuts which benefit the rich most.
We are gonna hear more about the need for Pima County to pull out of AZ and form Baja Arizona. Only this time, I'm not sure it will only be half jest."PHOENIX - Arizona lawmakers are free to raid cash for injured workers in the... more
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I love the smell of austerity in the morning…even more, I love the smell of god-forsaken austerity. There is a certain amount of gloating that comes into play here. Why? Well…
http://veracitystew.com/?p=31697I love the smell of austerity in the morning…even more, I love the smell of... more
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Are we talking about the American peoples’ dream of a corruption free government? Or, is this simply the wet dream of the hedge fund managers, the banksters on Wall Street, and people like the Koch brothers who want to abolish every regulation in place for the sake of profits? Is this really an effort to expand democracy, or is this simply another attempt at a corporate coup d'état?
http://veracitystew.com/2011/12/14/is-wall-street-backing-americanselect-org-to-fool-voters/Are we talking about the American peoples’ dream of a corruption free... more
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No one is opposed to young people learning a strong work ethic. It's a natural part of growing up and proper parenting. But that's not what Gingrich and his cohorts are referring to. They truly believe that child labor laws should be relaxed or abolished all together in order to create a permanent working class of children.
http://veracitystew.com/2011/12/11/gop-debate-crowd-cheers-for-gingrichs-child-labor-video/No one is opposed to young people learning a strong work ethic. It's a natural... more
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The system isn't working for the 1% either. You know if you were a CEO, you would be making the same choices they do. The institutions have their own logic. Life is pretty bleak at the top too - and all the baubles of the rich are this phoney compensation for the loss of what's really important. The loss of community, the loss of connection, the loss of intimacy. The loss of meaning.
http://veracitystew.com/2011/11/23/occupy-wall-street-the-revolution-is-love-video/The system isn't working for the 1% either. You know if you were a CEO, you would... more
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"Issue 2 was defeated by a nearly whopping 23-point margin. Regardless of the margin, last night was historic as no Governor of Ohio has ever seen voters repeal any portion of their agenda within the first year in office...is itself incredibly rare...this is the only time it worked. So even a one-vote victory...would have been historic. A twenty-point margin, by comparison, just looked like overkill.”
http://veracitystew.com/2011/11/09/voters-kick-kasich-its-clear-the-people-have-spoken-video/"Issue 2 was defeated by a nearly whopping 23-point margin. Regardless of the... more
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