Andy Stern Will Vote No On Deficit Commission

The Plum Line :

Former top labor leader Andy Stern has privately informed deficit-commission co-chair Erskine Bowles that he will vote against the commission's package of proposals, a source close to Stern tells me, effectively ending hopes of getting the desired 14 members to support it.

Read the whole story: The Plum Line

Comments

[Marnie1]

12:28 PM on 12/04/2010

It should be voted down.

Any plan that illogically threatens current SS, which is self funding, in order to balance the budget is doing so for political motives of pure hatefulness and destructiveness.
With that as it motivation not such plan can be good for the people of this country.

[binksmom85]

07:56 PM on 12/03/2010

so his tentative remark the other day get some bad press? " maybe I will, maybe I won't" He just got a look at how that position looks in real life and backed away quick; he should have a future in politics

[Carolyn LeBeauf]

05:47 PM on 12/03/2010

Thank you Mr. Stern.

[Recycle congress]

03:31 PM on 12/03/2010

We need to get rid of Andy Stern and all of the unions. They have outlived their usefulness.

[pesfb]

03:42 PM on 12/03/2010

Sure, who wouldn't like to go back to working 12 hours a day, six days a week with no overtime pay or other benefits. Anti-unionists are mo rons.

[heckmepitus]

07:00 PM on 12/03/2010

When have you ever worked in a non union job?

[samtee]

02:14 PM on 12/03/2010

What was this idot even doing there, shows just how much he want's to help the nation

[pesfb]

02:42 PM on 12/03/2010

Maybe if you read the commission's recommendations, which put the burden of deficit reduction on the middle class and poor, you recognize just who the id iot is. Here's a hint: Go look in the mirror.

[Countess]

01:03 PM on 12/03/2010

Any reasonable person would do the same because this commission of wealthy elites goes after the weakest people in society in order to protect the interests of their own class. Stop the subsidies to the richest corporations and put the brakes on the runaway greed that is driving the obsession of tax cuts for the rich. Token cuts in so called defense will not do much good. The budget for the corrupt overseas empire must be slashed by a minimum of 50-70 percent.

[binksmom85]

07:57 PM on 12/03/2010

defense more than doubled under Bush, so there should be some good savings there

[senatortruth]

12:57 PM on 12/03/2010

senatortruth
.

That's because HIS suggestion­s would end the CORPORATE WELFARE

that has BANKRUPTED THE COUNTRY.

But YOUR suggestion­s wouldn't really help, because

YOU WANT the CORPORATE WELFARE to CONTINUE, huh???
********************************************************

Recycle congress

Because I don't want to raise and support everybody. Any problem with that. An able bodied person should be working for their money unless someone else, not me, not you (perhaps a husband or family member) is supporting them.
And by the way, my suggestion­s WILL HELP. Understand­, huh???
*********************************

No, they won't.

The Raygun tax cuts were the FIRST STEP in the CORPORATE WELFARE.

The Buhs cuts and the ILLEGAL WARS were the NEXT.

YOU want CORPORATE WELFARE for THIEVES.

REAL Americans do NOT.

Understand, huh??

LOL!!

[Recycle congress]

02:04 PM on 12/03/2010

Get real, we all need to take responsibility for ourselves. We do not need Uncle Sam to send us a check every month because we are too d a m n lazy to work. If we all felt that way, you better pray that the corporations stay big and make money because someone will have to be making money to fund those that won't work and nurse on the government teat.
Seems like I struck a nerve, huh???
LOL

[binksmom85]

07:59 PM on 12/03/2010

don't quite know what universe you're living in, maybe that Faux one; in ours at least 10X the number of applicants for every new job

[b525]

11:58 AM on 12/03/2010

1/2 of the trade deficit in the U.S. is caused from importing oil into the U.S. at the rate of 20 million barrles a day. (1 billion barrels every 50 days).

Before we begin slashing social welfare benefits to the elderly, mentally and physically disabled and African Americans, who are still recovering from 400 years of slavery and economic disenfranchisement in the U.S., we should first work on reducing our dependence on foreign oil.

Although most of us cannot afford to power our entire houses with solar panels we can afford to place a few solar panels on our garages (with covers to protect against hail) to power electric or hybrid/electric cars. This would eventually eliminate most oil demand in the U.S.

Most of the oil/gas usage, which is causing half of our national trade deficit, is coming form auto usage in the U.S.

[Recycle congress]

12:10 PM on 12/03/2010

What about people that don't have a garage??? And why do African Americans need social welfare benefits because of 400 years of slavery and economic disenfranchisement. This is a different country now. There are many blacks who were not alive or old enough to remember the years before the 60's. They are now free to live where they want, eat where they want, overnight where they want, go where they want, get an education and make a living. Time to move on......

[senatortruth]

01:00 PM on 12/03/2010

WHY do YOU want CORPORATE WELFARE to CONTINUE??

TRAITTOR Raygun, dupe of the Buhs oligarchy, helped implement its beginnings.

Blaming a person who buys an orange with food stamps, and then buying Vodka with

the "change". "THAT'S what's wrong with this country".

The TRAITTOR Buhses will soon be BURNING with him...

[chevy706]

01:09 PM on 12/03/2010

Well Obama's ban on offshore drilling extending to the east coast of the Gulf of Mexico certainly isn't going to reduce our dependency on foreign oil any, now is it?

[senatortruth]

11:41 AM on 12/03/2010

Kevin Atlanta

This Holy Republican Cults of Jesus Inc's InsaniTEA running on the destructio­n of Social Security and Medicare / Medicaid is as disgusting a Cat Food Commission ever assembled.

Cut the Military 30%.
Tax all income for Social Security.
Collect Corporate Income Tax instead of giving them a free ride with subsidies to off-shore jobs.
Collect 39% of all income over $250K for individual­s and $500K for couples.
End the Hedge fund "Capital Gains" and tax profits as income at 39% over $500K.
Initiate an Investment Tax on all financial transactio­ns and end this "flash-tra­de" nonsense.
Cut the Military Budget 30% now and 10% every year until it is less than 8% of GDP.
End the War on Drugs and put the $16 Billion to medical care.
End this insane "Homeland Security" and put our Military to work at home.
End the Nation Building in AfPak and Iraq and bring our troops home.
Re-Build America.

This Corporate Collective rule is InsaniTEA.

*****************************************
Recycle congress

And while we are at it, why not cut welfare, "crazy checks", review disability claims and dump most of them, build a fence between US and Mexico, send illegal immigrants home. This could save a lot, but I'm sure you would not agree with these suggestion­s.

***********************************************

That's because HIS suggestions would end the CORPORATE WELFARE

that has BANKRUPTED THE COUNTRY.

But YOUR suggestions wouldn't really help, because

YOU WANT the CORPORATE WELFARE to CONTINUE, huh???

[Recycle congress]

11:59 AM on 12/03/2010

Because I don't want to raise and support everybody. Any problem with that. An able bodied person should be working for their money unless someone else, not me, not you (perhaps a husband or family member) is supporting them.
And by the way, my suggestions WILL HELP. Understand, huh???

[WarrenPease]

10:39 AM on 12/03/2010

Some members of the bipartisan deficit commission are moving toward measures that could cripple the middle class and cause a double-dip recession; they want to scale back or, eliminate, tax deductions for mortgage interest and health insurance, thereby threatening to stall the stuttering housing industry (a linchpin of the economy) and make it impossible for many employers to offer health insurance to workers. Some politicians have wanted to push health insurance premiums onto workers for a long time. Health insurance is part of compensation and, do you think your employer will give you a raise in place of health insurance? I would not hold my breath.

[derspado]

10:13 AM on 12/03/2010

Whats the matter Mr. Stern, does the commission not want to let your brother embezzle millions as you did at SEIU?

[hopeisalive]

10:13 AM on 12/03/2010

That the commission kept to the mantra that tax cuts for all, especially the upper 2%, diminishes the reasonability of their claims. I would hope that more of the members of that group would say that the conclusions reached by the chairpersons is not held by all of them.

[jmpurser]

10:44 AM on 12/03/2010

The fact that they attacked SS which has NOTHING to do with the deficit also gave the game away.

[jestermine]

10:08 AM on 12/03/2010

9.8%.

If we can have 100% employment during wartime, why can't we have 100% employment during peace time ?

If we can have 100% employment killing men, women and children in wartime, why can't we have 100% employment during peace time building hospitals, schools, roads and taking care of the hungry, the poor and the elderly?

[Recycle congress]

10:17 AM on 12/03/2010

Because if we had 100% employment, we would not have the poor and hungry to care for.

[Kevin Atlanta]

09:46 AM on 12/03/2010

This Holy Republican Cults of Jesus Inc's InsaniTEA running on the destruction of Social Security and Medicare / Medicaid is as disgusting a Cat Food Commission ever assembled.

Cut the Military 30%.
Tax all income for Social Security.
Collect Corporate Income Tax instead of giving them a free ride with subsidies to off-shore jobs.
Collect 39% of all income over $250K for individuals and $500K for couples.
End the Hedge fund "Capital Gains" and tax profits as income at 39% over $500K.
Initiate an Investment Tax on all financial transactions and end this "flash-trade" nonsense.
Cut the Military Budget 30% now and 10% every year until it is less than 8% of GDP.
End the War on Drugs and put the $16 Billion to medical care.
End this insane "Homeland Security" and put our Military to work at home.
End the Nation Building in AfPak and Iraq and bring our troops home.
Re-Build America.

This Corporate Collective rule is InsaniTEA.

[Recycle congress]

09:53 AM on 12/03/2010

And while we are at it, why not cut welfare, "crazy checks", review disability claims and dump most of them, build a fence between US and Mexico, send illegal immigrants home. This could save a lot, but I'm sure you would not agree with these suggestions.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

11:38 AM on 12/03/2010

Your recommendation "Tax all income for Social Security," is a good one.

Take it a little further for corporate executives:
Subject all corporate "loans" from corporations to their executives making $100,000 or more, for one year or more, to the Social Security tax.

[USNDC]

09:39 AM on 12/03/2010

Paralyzed in re-election fear !

It is absolutely ridiculous that our politicians are paralyzed in re-election fear ... and unable to make sound decisions.

The Deficit Commission needs to recognize that our corrupt career politicians ARE THE PROBLEM.

The Deficit Commission needs to get the money out of politics.

Term Limits ... no more corruptabl­­­e career politician­­­s.

Publicly Financed Campaigns ... no more corrupting campaign contributi­­­ons.

Consumptio­­­n Tax ... replace the thoroughly corrupted income tax code with a fully transparen­­­t consumptio­­­n based tax ... no more corrupt preferenti­­­al tax treatments­­­.

These measures are desiged to eliminate the corrupting influence of money from the business of governing.

Maybe then ... our policticians will be able to make sound decisions ... because they won't be owned by special interests ... and they'll be going back home after a term or two.

Add this to the Deficit Commission report.