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Chapter ConnectionConnie’s Corner - Voter Suppression
The right to vote, the most fundamental and cherished right in our democracy is under attack. State after state has passed, or are in the process of passing laws that greatly restrict our access to the polls.
The advocates for this heinous legislation refer to it as “Voter ID” but these state laws are much more restrictive than producing an ID at your polling place. Some of these new laws limit early voting, end same day registration and make it difficult for groups to register new voters.
The voter ID requirements are designed to confuse and ultimately make it more difficult for many vot-ers to cast their ballots on Election Day. For example, in Texas the law allows handgun licenses but not student IDs for voter identification. In Ohio during their most recent primary an 86 year old vet-
eran was denied his right to vote when a poll worker refused to accept his photo ID issued by the De-partment of Veterans Affairs. In Tennessee a 96 year old woman was denied the right to vote because she did not have her marriage certificate. Her birth certificate, (her primary proof of identity) and voter registration card were two different names. Her birth certificate had her maiden name and since she was married when she first registered to vote. Her mar-ried name was on her voter registration card.
Sanity is now starting to enter the debate. Maine voters overwhelming rejected the legislatures attempt to end same day voter registration. In Texas and South Carolina, the Justice Department stepped in to block their laws requiring voters to present personal identification before going to the polls. In Wisconsin, two judges found their Voter ID law unconstitu-tional because it would abridge the right to vote.
Wisconsin Judge Richard Niess wrote in his eight page ruling that “voter fraud is no more poisonous to our democracy than voter suppression.” Although the Legislature and Gov. Walker have the power to enact laws regulating elections, they had exceeded their authority. “A government that undermines the very foundation of its existence – the people’s in-herent, pre-constitutional right to vote – imperils its legitimacy as a government by the people, for the people and espe-cially of the people,” Niess wrote. Voter suppression through new laws that make it more difficult to register to vote and cast a ballot and aggressive tactics to intimidate voters at the polls are undermining the country’s democratic foundations and must be stopped!
Connie Entrekin, SOAR President
District 7
On February 25, our union led a rally including SOAR members, union members, along with faith-based, community and occupy activists in solidar-ity with the Mexican miners at the Mexican Consulate in Chicago. In addi-tion to demanding closure for the families of the miners killed in Pasta de Conchos, they also protested the Mexican government’s attacks on unions in Mexico.
Scott Marshall, SOAR Coordinator
MARCH,2012
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From The Director’s Desk - Obama Cares
March 23 was the second Anniversary of the Affordable Care Act. For those who want to destroy it, either out of ignorance or partisan politics, it is sometimes referred to as ObamaCare. Well, I think the opponents got it almost right. But it should read Obama Cares, because if you take the time to read the law it most surely demon-strates that President Obama does cares about middle America and especially senior citizens. You might be surprised to know that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) strengthens Medicare. It added seven years of solvency to the Medicare Trust Fund. It will save an estimated $450 billion in the first ten years of the program. The Medicare Part B premium for 2012 rose significantly less than projected to $99.90 per month due to the positive effects of this legislation. In addition the Part B annual deductible de-
creased by $22 from $162 to $140. It closes the infamous donut hole for prescription drugs and improves prescription drug coverage for low-income sen-iors. It made necessary changes to Medicare Advantage plans and mandates that these plans spend at least 85% of revenue on senior care rather than profits or overhead, beginning in 2014. ACA provides “No-Cost Preventive Care,” for immunizations, blood tests, and mammograms. Private health insurance can no longer require cost sharing, like co-pays, for preventive care. It regulates annual premium increases and after 2014 insurance companies will no longer be allowed to refuse coverage for adults due to a pre-existing condition. There is a whole lot of good in the Affordable Care Act. I just mentioned a few. It does a lot more than just help seniors. The ACA benefits everyone. The truth is, the new law is helping millions of Americans better afford to see a doctor and fill a prescription. It truly demonstrates Obama Cares!
Jim Centner, SOAR Director
Is AARP Playing Games with your Future?
It’s been reported AARP’s CEO is convening a small group of Washington insiders to discuss the future of Social Secu-rity. This closed meeting will be heavily stacked with powerful Washington establishment figures who are on record fa-voring cuts to Social Security and Medicare. You may recall, last year AARP faced a massive backlash when it’s board dropped its opposition to cutting Social Security and it's policy director signaled a willingness to consider benefit cuts. After the public outcry, AARP backtracked and claimed it did not in fact support cutting Social Security. But know it looks like AARP is at it again and this time backtracking will not be good enough! We need the AARP to stand up and fight for the benefits their members have earned through their hard work and payroll tax contributions. I-ronically, while the CEO of AARP is set to hold a private meeting with people who want to cut Social Security and Medi-care benefits, the organization has also launched an effort where it is advertising that it will “simply listen and gather in-formation” and “give everyday citizens a chance to weigh in with proposals and recommendations” on the future of Social Security and Medicare. So if their is ever a time to speak out to AARP, it is now. The wealthiest nation in the world can certainly afford a decent retirement for those who have contributed to building this nation throughout their lives. Contact AARP today! Tell them we need them to stand up and fight for the benefits we have earned. AARP should be fighting to improve Social Security and Medicare, not having secret closed-door meetings that jeopardize our benefits for some political chip to be cashed in down the road.
By E-mail - [email protected] - by phone toll free Nationwide888-OUR-AARP (888-687-2277)By mail: AARP 601 E Street NW Washington D.C. 20049
MARCH,2012
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ObamaCare(s) for Seniors
by Barbara J. Easterling
Of all the lies and confusion that still surround the 2010 health reform law, perhaps the greatest is that the Affordable Care Act – or “ObamaCare” some derisively call it – is bad for seniors.
The truth is the new law is helping millions of retirees better afford to see a doc-tor and fill a prescription. The 3.6 million seniors with the highest drug costs have already saved an average of $600 on their prescriptions. 32 million seniors have received free, life-saving tests for chronic diseases.
Unfortunately the law’s new benefits for seniors are being threatened by what I call the “three R’s” – Repeal, Romney, and Ryan.
The effort to repeal this law is being bankrolled by the big insurers and other corporations who have long profited hand-somely at our expense. They are targeting seniors – the highest turnout voting bloc – with shameless scare tactics and misinformation to convince them to repeal the law.
Both presidential candidate Mitt Romney and U.S. House Budget Committee chair Paul Ryan (R-WI), not only want to repeal these new benefits, but also replace traditional Medicare with a voucher program. Under this plan, seniors would receive a small voucher, or coupon, to purchase coverage in the expensive, unfair private insurance market. Unlike Mitt Romney, who upon turning 65, declined Medicare in favor of private coverage. Those who are not Romney’s need afford-able Medicare to stay healthy.
While the new law makes historic gains for seniors, I worry that with all the fear, misinformation, and name-calling in today’s political climate, not enough seniors know how this law helps them. We cannot allow these important gains for seniors to fall victim to fear and ignorance. To protect the health of current and future retirees, we must help our friends and neighbors separate fact from fiction in this new law.
Barbara J. Easterling is president of the Alliance for Retired Americans. She was previously the secretary-treasurer of the Communications Workers of America. For more information, visit www.retiredamericans.org or call 1-800-333-7212.
Chapter 12-7
We had the Mayor of Albany, Oregon, Sharon Konopa, at our last chapter meeting. Sharon is a friend of labor and has been instrumental in helping the union purchase a building for ICD (Institute for Career Development) and in getting an addition for our union hall.
A couple of representatives from the Hanford Resource Center made another visit for more face to face interviews and to explain the medical cards needed when a physician is neces-sary. The Energy Employee Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act is over $14,000,000.
I had the privilege of attending the Alliance for Retired Americans Western Regional Con-ference last month. The Alliance is the umbrella organization for retirees just as the AFL-
CIO is the umbrella organization for the unions. Our chapter is considering joining the Oregon State ARA.
SOAR helped SEIU Local 49 rally at the Albany Hospital last week. They have been working without a contract since January.Garry Steffy, SOAR Coordinator
MARCH,2012
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Inspirational and Remembering
I recently attended two events. One was very sad but caused me to remem-ber and reflect on those who have fought and sac-rificed for us to enjoy the things and benefits we have today.
The sad event was the funeral/visitation of our Brother Mr. Tommie Rochelle who passed way on March 10, 2012. Tommie helped form and was a Trustee of SOAR Chapter 7PC-3. Before his retirement Tommy was a member of our Local 7-268 for over 40 years. Tommy was a Local Union Trustee for 20 years, and Local Union Safety Coordinator at Sherwin Williams Paint Company. He was active with the Interna-tional Union Safety program, a Hazmat Trainer and active member of the Chicago area safety and health organiza-tions.
Tommy, while actively at work, was fighting for workers’ rights and protection. In retirement he continued his fight for workers’ rights and the rights and interest of retirees through SOAR. His commitment and dedication for work-ers’ rights and the rights of retirees and seniors should rep-resent inspiration for all of us to continue our efforts for the same causes.
Tommie’s loss may create a temporary void of a lost voice but I am sure that a recent retiree will step up to continue to fill that void in pursuit of the cause and rights we all believe in.
The other event I attended was the Alliance for Retired Americans conference in Milwaukee, WI. It was very in-formative and educational.
But what was inspiring was to see and hear all the retirees and seniors who are dedicated and committed to working and organizing to not only protect the interest of retirees including Social Security and Medicare but the interests of our children and grandchildren.
It makes one reflect and remember that solidarity is not only a term for active workers but retired workers and their spouses as well and a call to action among new retirees. Bill Gibbons, Pace SOAR Board Representative
MacPherson ReportWho, what and where we are….
Bathurst, New Brunswick is home to Chapter 6-SA1, one of the larger chapters on the east coast of Canada. Drawing its membership from the retired members employed in the mine and smelter industries of the area.
The population of Bathurst is approximately 13,000-about evenly split between folks of French and English back-grounds; it’s a tremendous advantage to be bi-lingual in
Bathurst, as are most of the offi-cers and members of Chapter 6-SA1.
The Chapter Presi-dent is Phil Best and the chapter is very active in the political life of the province and in-volved with the retirement com-
munity. Recently the guest speaker at the monthly meeting was Cecile Cassista, President of the New Brunswick Fed-eration of Union Retirees (NBFUR) who brought the members up to date on what issues the provincial and fed-eral governments were engaged in that would affect the lives of retirees as well as the various campaigns in which the federation and the national organization were engaged in.
Doug MacPherson, Canadian Coordinator
MARCH,2012
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L-R Front row Valentine Ward, Secretary; Phil Best, President; Middle row Cecile Cassista, President, NBFUR; Back row Armand Frenette and Leo Frigault Executive members; Gary Levi-gne, Vice President; Anne Marie Gammon and Betty Lavigne, executive members.
District 10 - Strength in Numbers
Working with Pennsylvania Rapid Response and local unions, Pennsylvania SOAR members are building at least three new chapters across the state. SOAR has the reputation of of speaking up, showing up and bringing all their experience to defend our union, social security, medicare and the standard of living we spent a life time earning. “You can count on SOAR,” said local union 5852 president Bruce Mains. “With the pressure our members are under, SOAR makes it possible to not only fight back but win.” Speaking to SOAR Chapter 10 - 4, Director Centner hammered home the point that if members want to have even an arm's length say in contract negotiations, “SOAR has to have a bigger membership. Nobody listens if only a few retirees out of a local join SOAR. But if they all sign up, you have more clout and SOAR has more clout. Companies and their politician cronies pay attention if we have thousands of members who speak up with one voice.”
A bigger, badder SOAR could halt the never ending attack on Social Security by bankers who spend all their time figur-ing out ways to close plants, ship our jobs overseas and turn our communities into dangerous ghost towns. Throughout the winter, Pennsylvania SOAR members have marched and lobbied with USW members fighting to stop Sunoco from closing three facilities, 1200 jobs, in the Greater Philadelphia area. Adding insult to injury this multi-national oil company is closing down refineries while gasoline prices skyrocket. Money doesn't talk. It swears. Across the mountains, Western Pennsylvania SOAR members are zeroing in on both Washington and Harrisburg with the primaries just around the corner and the November general elections coming up on the horizon. Despite an aggressive campaign where SOAR worked with the Pennsylvania Alliance of Retired Americans, Republican governor Corbett signed the voter suppression bill into law, March 14. There is already talk of law suits to restore the right to vote to nearly 700,000 Pennsylvanians who lack government issued photo ID. This would take effect for the November general election.SOAR members don't get mad, they get even with Democratic Congress members who stab them in the back. For the April 24 primary, retirees are campaigning for Mark Critz to replace a Democratic incumbent who lied and danced on health care and other issues SOAR worked to improve. Critz is well known to Johnstown SOAR members who trust him and know that he is a straight shooter. In this right-wing polluted atmosphere, getting a contract is almost as difficult as organizing in the first place. Despite a driving, cold rain, Pittsburgh SOAR members joined a picket line at the local ABC TV affiliate demanding that Hearst owned station negotiate a contract with the AFTRA local. Local TV personalities and technicians have been working without a contract for nearly 18 months because the corporation will not negotiate. Thousands of supporters signed post cards in solidarity with AFTRA members which were attached together and laminated to form a chain stretching out for blocks around the station.
Denise Edwards, District 10
Splice The Mainbrace
Elaine sure does enjoy travel. This year she intends to go to Ireland. For the life of me I don’t understand why anyone would want to be in a plane for that length of time just to see what I’m imagining to be a drab, desolate place. Don’t get me wrong. I’m happy that she has the inquisitiveness, stamina and energy to go to far away places and is willing to go with friends and not pressure me to go along. She’ll have a great time, I’m sure. As for me, well, I got my fill of travel while in the Navy. Taking a cruise across Lake Michigan on the Amtrak ship is about all I can stomach.
Charlie Averill
MARCH,2012
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District 12
The Alliance for Retired Americans held the 2012 Western Regional Confer-ence at Bally’s Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada Febru-ary 29-March 2. The pur-pose of the Conference was to provide an opportu-nity to strengthen our skills as retiree activists. At-
tendees participated in training sessions and interactive workshops concerning Social Security, Medicare, the 2012 elections, learning to use different communication tools to educate our local members as well as learning how to build and grow local SOAR chapters that can im-pact policies that can affect our retirees.
I am very pleased to report that SOAR was very well rep-resented at the Western Conference by Jim Centner, our SOAR Director; Al Becco, SOAR Western Vice Presi-dent, Colorado; Garry Steffy, SOAR State Coordinator, Oregon and Bill Harris, SOAR Chapter 12-8, California. They all reported how much they enjoyed the conference, the speakers and the information. On March 15, we had a SOAR luncheon meeting at USW 675. 12-8 President Bill Harris did an excellent presentation about the Conference and he distributed several handouts to the membership about the 2012 elections, Social Security, Medicare, as well as how the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) that was signed into law in 2010 affects seniors in a positive manner in 2012, giving us better coverage, as well as reducing our costs.
We have always encouraged our SOAR chapters to be affiliated with the Alliance for Retired Americans (ARA). Out here in District 12, most of our states have ARA Alli-ances. Here in Southern California, all of our SOAR Chapters are affiliated and at different times speakers from (CARA) California Alliance of Retired Americans have been invited to speak about different senior Issues.
The Alliance for Retired Americans has four million members and 1400 local chapters. They have a simple goals, to better inform retirees on issues that affect them and where candidates running for public office stand on these issues.
Bob (Big Red) Rankin, SOAR Board Member
Emeritus Report
It’s March and so far this 2012 year the weather is much more talked about than politics. I don’t know how you have been liking this winter weather that we have been having especially in the Toronto area, but I love it. This has been the best winter Toronto has ever had. All of Ontario has had a great weather change here.
We are all hoping that it will not get us a bad summer. Ontario Federation of Union Retirees (OFUR) are holding their bi-annual convention on April 19 & 20 in Sudbury, Ontario. They are expecting a good turnout of delegates. We are looking forward to many SOAR members across Ontario attending. Just a reminder, on March 24 & 25, a new leader will be chosen to lead our Federal New Democratic Party (NDP). There are, I think eight people running for this top position. No doubt whoever wins will have some pretty big shoes to fill. Jack Layton was one of a kind and will be hard to replace. Every member of the NDP has a vote and I hope that they all exercised this important chance to have their voice heard. On the US political scene, I am pleased that the Steel-workers are in full support for the re-election of Barack Obama. There is not a doubt in my mind that he is the best person and represents the best party, The Democratic Party. I shudder to think what will happen if the Republi-cans come into power again. But lets think positive. In November 2012, I’m sure Americans will choose Presi-dent Obama.
Dan McNeil, SOAR Board Member
“Of all forms of inequality, injus-tice in health care is the most
shocking and inhumane.”
--- Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
MARCH,2012
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Patients Aware is a national network of doctors, nurses, and caregivers who provide information directly to seniors about the Affordable Care Act. Many seniors are still not aware of the new benefits provided in the Af-fordable Care Act such as free preventive care services, closing the Part D prescription drug donut hole and in-centives for providers and hospitals to keep patients healthy and independent.
Patients Aware will connect America’s seniors with front-line healthcare experts nationwide to help close that information gap. Doctors, nurses and other care providers are among the most trusted sources of health care information for seniors and their families. Together, with the support of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare Foundation, the National Physicians Alliance, and the Herndon Alliance, these providers will reach out to seniors and their families in local town halls across the nation.
Q&A on Health Care Reform
Q My out-of-pocket costs are expensive enough as it is. Why should I support cutting Medicare as a part of health care reform?
A Despite the rumors you may have heard, health care reform does not cut Medicare’s traditional, guaranteed benefits. Quite the opposite: the new law explicitly prohibits such benefit cuts. There are significant Medicare savings in the bill, but the money does not go to pay for covering the uninsured — it just looks that way because of our government’s budget and accounting rules.
In fact, the Medicare savings stay in the Medicare program — which is why the Part A Trust Fund will stay solvent at least seven years beyond what we expected before health care reform, and premiums and other out-of-pocket costs will grow more slowly in the future. Most of the savings were voluntarily agreed to by hospitals and other affected provider groups because they believe the additional insured patients and efficiencies included in the law will save them money. They contributed part of these savings back to the Medicare program by agreeing to slower rates of growth in future pay-ments. It also phases down subsidies for private Medicare Advantage plans over time so that, on average, plans will re-ceive payments comparable to what it would cost traditional Medicare to cover the same seniors.
Q Is there anything good for seniors in the law? What’s in it for me?
A Over time, the overwhelming majority of seniors in the United States will have lower out- of-pocket costs and better coverage as a result of the enactment of health care reform. The Medicare Part B premium for 2012 rose significantly less than projected to $99.90 per month. In addition, the Part B annual deductible decreased by $22 from $162 to $140.
The biggest immediate improvement for Medicare is in its drug coverage. The law phases out the donut hole in the Part D prescription drug program. The donut hole is the gap in coverage where seniors continue to pay full premiums, but also pay the cost of their drugs — a gap that does not exist in other health insurance programs. As a first step to help seniors struggling with the high cost of prescription drugs today, anyone who fell into the donut hole in 2010 received a $250 payment from the government. Currently, deep discounts in drug prices are being phased in to close the gap for seniors.
The Affordable Care Act also includes significant benefit improvements to keep seniors healthy by eliminating copay-ments and deductibles for preventive care and providing coverage for an annual wellness visit and personalized plan.
Finally, many of the payment reforms that will save money for Medicare are also designed to provide better quality health care for seniors. For example, hospitals will be encouraged to implement programs that prevent hospital-acquired infec-tions and unnecessary readmissions, while doctors will receive bonus payments to improve access for seniors. In future years, the entire health care system will be redirected away from a model that pays based on the number of procedures and tests that are ordered and focuses more on rewarding providers based on the quality of the health care they provide.
MARCH,2012
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Q I still don’t understand how you can cut Medicare by over $400 billion and not hurt seniors. Where does the money come from?
A Most of the savings come from reducing the annual increase in Medicare payments to hospitals, skilled nursing facili-ties, and home health agencies. They will continue to get larger payments every year; those payments will simply get smaller inflation increases in the future. Hospitals will also see gradual reductions in the payments they receive to help cover the cost of uncompensated care because they will have fewer uninsured patients to treat.
Additional savings come from bringing Medicare Advantage payments in line with traditional Medicare. Medicare Advan-tage is the privatized portion of Medicare. In order to entice private insurers to cover seniors, Congress has been subsidiz-ing these plans — at a cost of $11 billion in 2009 alone. This raises the government’s costs and shortens the solvency of the Part A Trust Fund. Seniors are also subsidizing these plans through higher Part B premiums whether they are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan or not.
The new law does not cut the benefits Medicare Advantage plans offer — it slowly reduces reimbursements to the private insurance plans over time so they are closer to the amounts traditional Medicare would pay to cover the same seniors. The new law also includes significant new protections for those enrolled in the plans.
Finally, the new law strengthens efforts to reduce waste and fraud in the Medicare program, and puts in place the building blocks for significant new cost savings in the future through changes in our health care delivery system.
While the dollar value of these savings is a lot of money, it’s important to remember it represents just a small percentage of Medicare spending. The government is projected to spend about $6 trillion on Medicare during the next decade. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated the savings in the new law will trim the growth of Medicare spending by about 2 percent a year.
Q So how does all this get paid for? I don’t want to leave the bill to my grandchildren.
A The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the combination of Medicare savings and increased revenues in the bill reduces the deficit, both over the first ten years as well as over the longer term. And this estimate uses extremely conservative cost estimates, as CBO economists refused to “score” as savings any part of the bill that could not be verified through their economic models. Many of the savings health experts expect from changes such as payment reforms and coordination of care models were not counted because CBO considered them “too speculative.” For this reason, many experts believe much greater savings will result from enactment of health care reform than is currently estimated.
Just an Opinion
On March 26, the U.S. Supreme court will begin to decide whether it’s constitutional to require everyone to have medical insurance or pay a fine.
With 50 million people in our country without medical insurance, it will be a real shame if the court says its un-constitutional because without the mandate, I’m afraid the whole thing will fall apart.
The Republicans who have called it unconstitutional during the time that President Obama tried to get the law passed are the same people who at one time wanted the mandate. Go figure.
The court will probably hand down their ruling in June and the mandate wouldn’t go into affect until March of 2014.
Charlie
MARCH,2012
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Are You Up-To-Date on Your Preventive Services?
Medicare covers a full range of preventive services to help keep you healthy and help find prob-lems early, when treatment is most effective.Ask your doctor which of these services is right for you.
√ Preventive Service Date Notes
One time “Welcome to Medicare” Preventive Visit -- within the first 12 months you have Medicare Part B
Yearly “Wellness” Visit -- get this visit 12 months after your “Wel-come to Medicare” preventive visit or 12 months after your Part B ef-fective date
Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening
Bone Mass Measurement (Bone Density Test)
Cardiovascular Screenings (cholesterol, lipids, triglycerides)
Colorectal Cancer Screenings
Diabetes Screening
Diabetes Self-management Training
Flu Shot
Glaucoma Test
Hepatitis B Shot
HIV Screening
Mammogram (screening for breast cancer)
Medical Nutrition Therapy Services
Pap Test and Pelvic Exam (includes a breast exam)
Pneumococcal Shot
Prostate Cancer Screenings
Smoking Cessation (counseling to stop smoking)
Your “Medicare & You” handbook has more information about these preventive services, including costs and conditions that may apply.
MARCH,2012
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MARCH,2012
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Elaine Sez
Although I have been trying to get Elaine to give me something to type into “Elaine Sez”, she is so wrapped up in basketball that it’s impossible to get her away from the tube. It’s been like that since our wedding day. When you take off the month of March (March madness) for each year, it means that we’ve only been married 42 years...Charlie Averill
The McNeil ReportI did not know this; When you drink vodka over ice, it can give you kidney failure.When you drink rum over ice, it can give you liver failure.When you drink Whiskey over ice, it can give you heart failure.When you drink gin over ice, it can give you brain problems.
Apparently, ice is really bad for you.Warn all your friends.
Internet Links
Official SOAR web site:http://www.usw.org/resources/soar
Unofficial SOAR web site:http://web.mac.com/soar3/SOAR/welcome.html
Charlie’s Blog:http://charlieaverill.blogspot.com/
If you do a Google search for Charlie Averill you will find links to:Charlie’s blog
The Voice of SOAR PodcastCharlie’s Facebook Page
Celebrate Our Unions 70th Anniversary, Next Generation With May Events
The United Steelworkers is celebrating the 70th Anniversary of its founding on Thursday, May 24, 2012, in Cleveland, Ohio. In conjunction with the celebration events, we are holding our first USW Next Generation young members conference on Friday, May 25, 2012. USW Glass Workers and the USPA also will be having events in conjunction with the anniversary celebration.
Elaine and I were sitting at a table at my high school reunion, and I kept staring at a drunken lady swigging her drink as she sat alone at a nearby table. Elaine asked, “Do you know her?” I sighed, “She's my old girlfriend. I understand she took to drinking right after we split up those many years ago, and I hear she hasn't been sober since.”Elaine said, “My Gosh”! who would think a person could go on celebrating that long?”
SOAR Chapter
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Address editorial material to:
Connection Editor,6700 East S.R. 10Knox, IN 46534
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