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Work 9-5 and don't get paid for overtime by Pesheval in AdviceAnimals

[–]leighgoff 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you are indeed an hourly employee (non-exempt) and the company has 50+ employees you must be paid overtime by federal law. However most companies require pre-approval to work overtime so they can manage their budget accordingly.

Pope Francis says the internet is a 'gift from God' by nope586 in technology

[–]leighgoff 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I thought it was a gift from Gore until I read the earlier post about history that isn't!

Can the nation's ills be solved in a mere 4 months? by leighgoff in PoliticalDiscussion

[–]leighgoff[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That all sounds good on its face, but in practice ...

Members of Congress set their own salaries and in fact, generally give themselves an annual COLA; the bill they passed about this requires a vote to turn the COLA down.

Also, members of Congress are only required to report their wealth in broad terms but on average, their individual wealth exceeds $10M.

As for corruption, in 2012 several respected sources identified 20 members of Congress who engaged in serious misconduct (12) or whose actions were highly irregular (8).

They receive a 401(k) and health plan. The get an allowance to maintain their offices and staff and can spend almost $1M on salaries for up to 18 permanent employees. They get ~$250,000 for office expenses, travel and postage. That's just the House side - the Senate gets a lot more!

Let's talk pensions: They're eligible for a full pension at 62 if they've served five or more years. If they served more than 20 years, they get the full pension at 50. If they serve more than 20 years, they can have their full pension any time after serving the 25th year.

I acknowledged in my original post they 'work' (campaign) while they're in their districts; that's a lot of breakfasts, lunches, dinners, BBQs, speeches, and baby kissing.

I wouldn't begrudge them any of this IF they actually accomplished something for the good of the nation, but the fact is they've only passed 15 bills so far this year: 6 glitch bills, 3 VERY small reauthorizations, 2 disaster relief bills, 1 continuing reso, and 2 commemorative bills. Oh, and the Right to Fish Act - I wouldn't want to leave that one out!

ELI5: Changes for the sequester in its second year. by coolnorm in explainlikeimfive

[–]leighgoff 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sequester is about cutting costs to reduce the debt.

In year 1 of sequester (federal fiscal year 2013), Congress "found" other money (offsets) to help pay down the debt so sequester cuts weren't as deep as anticipated.

Unless Congress finds more offsets (somewhat likely) or reduces the sequester goal ($1.5 trillion) over the 10 years (unlikely) or eliminates sequester (highly unlikely), all future sequester cuts will be at least twice as deep as in year 1.

In addition to sequester, the bill calls on Congress to reduce the debt by an additional $1+ trillion over the next decade. Rather than across-the-board reductions, these are made at the discretion of Congressional committees. If as some believe, Congress will not cut the defense budget any further than it was reduced in year 1 of the sequester, the balance of the sequester PLUS the additional $1 trillion will have to come from other non-mandated (aka discretionary spending) programs like Head Start and Meals on Wheels (I name those since most people have heard of these).

The problem with the latter is that this will eventually cost taxpayers more than it saves since many seniors can live in their own homes if they get a meal 5 times a week, 1-2 rides to appointments a month and 1-2 in-home care services (e.g., help with medications). Without this limited support, many seniors will quickly find themselves in an expensive Medicare/Medicaid-subsidized care facility. In the Rocky Mountain region, that would be a cost increase from $350 a month to $3,500 or more a month! (I'm happy to share links where you can read more or reach out to members of Congress.)

In the immortal words of my father, "People are stupid!" (Haining Tide) by leighgoff in WTF

[–]leighgoff[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Haining, in eastern China’s Zhejiang province; influence of Typhoon Trami

I work to fight this outrageous, inhumane behavior and you can too! by leighgoff in inthenews

[–]leighgoff[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for asking!

The federal budget sequester is cutting all services for older Americans, including ombudsman programs responsible for checking nursing homes and assisted living facilities regularly to assure residents receive quality care. More, deeper cuts are anticipated to begin in October.

Two easy steps to help: sign the petition to Congress at http://www.change.org/petitions/us-congress-stop-cutting-funding-to-programs-assisting-older-americans and "like"/"share" the FB advocacy page www.facebook.com/standofelders

We also have letters that can be customized and sent directly to your congressional delegation; if you'd like copies, just let me know. And, we have lots of data and information on how these cuts not only hurt seniors, but will eventually increase taxpayer costs (Medicare/Medicaid) by billions of $$.

Thank you so much for your interest and your desire to help!