"Slave Labor in Alabama: Why Not?"

The first order of business for the Reddest State Legislature in the Reddest State in the Union will be Raiding the retirement fund and health benefits for teachers, cops, firefighters, and other public servants" because if they don't,  Either the costs will have to be reduced or taxes raised drastically which is unlikely given the current taxpayer mood."

State Senator Hank Sanders, Dr. Paul Hubbert and Dr. Joe Reed, tried to tell y'all.

MONTGOMERY -- Top Republican leaders say they believe state government must curb its rising costs of providing health insurance and retirement coverage for teachers and other public employees and retirees.

"We can't afford to keep doing what we're doing. We cannot sustain the growth in expenses," said state Rep. Mike Hubbard, R-Auburn, the nominee of Republicans in the state House of Representatives to be the next House speaker, or leader.

Read the following letters to the editor of The Huntsville Times to gauge the mood of current taxpayers, republican and democratic. Name and personal information redacted.

Letter to the Editor (#1)
Huntsville Times
October 9, 2010
Huntsville Alabama

My name is XXXXX ZZZZZZZZ. I am a Child Nutrition Professional (CNP or
cafeteria) worker at XXXXXXXXXX School in South Huntsville. I have worked
for the Huntsville City School System full time almost five years. My July,
2010 take home payroll check was $ 685.38. This is not a living wage. It is
not a surviving wage. It is economic slavery.

Between my wife and I, we work four jobs - three part-time and one full
time.
W-2 Statements for 2009 total? $ 20,000. Four thousand dollars less than
minimum for POVERTY level ($ 24,000) for family of four.

This is slavery. Slavery exists in Alabama and across the USA. Economic
slavery is worse than slavery of 160 years ago. It destroys lives and
families and cripples communities and economies. Slavery is not accidental.
It is a simple economic factor.

Slavery is hidden. Economic slaves do not want to tell others that they are
slaves. It is un-American. Being poor is bad. What is wrong with you? Lazy?
Not working hard enough? Working two full time jobs, still not able to put
food on the table?

Slave owners valued their slaves. Slaves cost their owners a lot of money.
If you got sick, the slave owner wanted you well (because when sick you
could not help in harvesting the crops). Today's, workers are not valued.
The bottom line does not value workers. If you don't want to work at a
place, don't like the pay, unsafe working conditions, etc. - go someplace
else.



Letter to the Editor (#2)
Huntsville Times
October 9, 2010
Huntsville Alabama

My name is XXXXX ZZZZZZZZ. I am a Child Nutrition Professional (CNP or
cafeteria) worker at XXXXXXXXXX School in South Huntsville. I have worked
for the Huntsville City School System full time almost five years. My July,
2010 take home payroll check was $ 685.38. This is not a living wage. It is
not a surviving wage. It is economic slavery.

Around Christmas time every year, the school administrators takes up a
collection of money from the students for the lunch room workers and
janitors. Why? Because the support workers don't get paid very much. The
administrators they feel sorry about that fact.

Question: Why don't the lunch room workers or janitors get paid very much?
Because the school system CHOOSES NOT to pay them very much. It is kind of
sick, sad and twisted that the children of the school system donate money to
give to the support workers in their school, when the school system itself
is responsible for the slave labor wages the workers receive.

This apparent show of generosity manipulates the children's views of cooks,
and janitors. Why do we give money to these guys and gals? They don't work
hard enough? What is THEIR problem? Why don't we give money to the teachers
too?

Don't you all think it is time to stop slavery in the South? Again.

Maybe next time instead of attacking Sanders, Reed and Hubbert for speaking up and speaking out, y'all will listen to them. But then again, maybe not.

The teabaggers have won, let the blood bath begin. I truly hope that the new republican House, and the soon to be republican Senate in Washington do the exact same thing to federal employees and their contractors who make millions compared to the state of Alabama employees. Teachers in Alabama, who have to pay every cent of the cost of operating their classrooms for the last few years - can you imagine operating a classroom without having paper, pens, xerox copies of tests, etc?- and who have not had a raise in over three years (federal employees get a cost of living every year!), while having to take uncaring students to higher standards year after year after year are now going to have fewer benefits, no retirement except a 401K (and we see how much those grew during 2000-2009)!! What is the incentive for teaching under pretty hostile conditions with a largely unmotivated population and an angry mob that seems to be against you? NONE! Thanks, teabaggers and ill-informed Alabamians for letting the "haves" gain control of the "have nots" once again!

Back to the "good old days"...here we come. The doctors, lawyers, and indian chiefs will have it all, and the common man will work his/her fingers to the bone.

PS from Redeye; The reddest state legislature from the reddest state in the union voted themselves a 63% pay raise last year. They must have known then they could count on the majority of Alabama's white mainstream voters to care more about keeping those darn teachers, cops, firefighters and other public servents from having health benefits than they did their city, county, state or their country.

Redeye tiptoeing away from the computer humming Look away! Look away! Look away, Dixieland.

"The republican health care plan, don't get sick. If you get sick, die quickly"~Rep. Alan Grayson D. FL