Re: Overtime bill-This is Rank, This is Mean, This is Political....

[Guest guest]

Trivia Answer - The movie is " Network. " I believe it was said by Jack Lemmon.

EMS will never matter to politicians because EMS doesn't get active. Wonder

why your local FD has all sorts of grants awarded? Well, there's a little

social club called the IAFF that lobbies at levels of government. An

" endorsement "

of a politician by firefighters is like political gold. After all,

firefighters rank right up there with Mom and apple pie. Who opposes

firefighters? It's

like supporting cancer. You just don't do it.

Until there's a viable national EMS group and until we have a viable Texas

EMS association, you can expect more shaftings on OT, reorganizations of state

EMS agencies, and dare I say -- no license plates and ugly renewal certificates.

The solution? First, get involved in politics. Every race from county

commissioner or city council up to the presidency has some effect on EMS. Take

the

time to research your candidates. Take time to contact candidates and

officeholders to tell them what you think EMS needs.

And most importantly, continue to represent EMS professionally. Strive to

educate yourself. You're a medical professional. Act like one. Doctors and

nurses

don't appear at the state house or Capitol Hill wearing T-shirts advertising

their hospitals. Take the time to look and act professional and be informed.

You might be amazed what a little personal lobbying will do.

-Wes Ogilvie

[Guest guest]

Trivia Answer - The movie is " Network. " I believe it was said by Jack Lemmon.

EMS will never matter to politicians because EMS doesn't get active. Wonder

why your local FD has all sorts of grants awarded? Well, there's a little

social club called the IAFF that lobbies at levels of government. An

" endorsement "

of a politician by firefighters is like political gold. After all,

firefighters rank right up there with Mom and apple pie. Who opposes

firefighters? It's

like supporting cancer. You just don't do it.

Until there's a viable national EMS group and until we have a viable Texas

EMS association, you can expect more shaftings on OT, reorganizations of state

EMS agencies, and dare I say -- no license plates and ugly renewal certificates.

The solution? First, get involved in politics. Every race from county

commissioner or city council up to the presidency has some effect on EMS. Take

the

time to research your candidates. Take time to contact candidates and

officeholders to tell them what you think EMS needs.

And most importantly, continue to represent EMS professionally. Strive to

educate yourself. You're a medical professional. Act like one. Doctors and

nurses

don't appear at the state house or Capitol Hill wearing T-shirts advertising

their hospitals. Take the time to look and act professional and be informed.

You might be amazed what a little personal lobbying will do.

-Wes Ogilvie

[Guest guest]

See Ron's post. It applies to everybody, fahr, pOlice, EMS, hospitals,

everybody.

GG

[Guest guest]

You got it, bud!

GG

In a message dated 3/18/2004 9:51:36 AM Central Standard Time,

jbabaa@... writes:

Gene,

I have e-mailed, mailed and tried to talk to the state representative

and the US congress person about several EMS related subjects with no avail.

Politicians are like mangers at this one company a know of, the more wrongs

you have done and the more people you s*** on, then the further career

advancement there is. Politicians have always told lies and we have always

listen and voted them into office and kept some of them in office. Your

concern is very warranted and everyone should listen very clearly. Because

if any of our brothers and sisters are on their employers s*** list this is

the perfect bill that will allow them to pressure them out of their

position. Basically, I won't be discriminative against you, but you can't

work no more overtime, because the law allows them (management) to group you

in the no overtime category ( the unworthy category). The ones that tell it

like it is, that don't like the corruption that pelages management teams

these days and the ones that don't kiss a**, will be the first to be in the

no overtime group you watch and see. Its just another way to make the click

thing work.

" De Oppresso Liber "

Jelal Babaa,

CCEMTP/NREMTP

Arlington, TX

Overtime bill-This is Rank, This is Mean, This is

Political. So Don't Read it!

> Troops:

>

> " I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore. " (Trivia Question:

> What movie is that from)?

>

> The subject of the current administration's overtime bill has been

mentioned

> and against my better judgment I'm gonna comment about it.

>

> Folks, this bill will allow employers to reclassify many of you into

> employment categories that will allow them to deny you overtime pay. Ask

your chief

> operating officer if s/he supports it. If s/he does, it's against you.

>

> Unless you're an owner of your company, your interests are invariably the

> opposite of management's interests. If management supports this bill,

it's by

> definition bad for you.

>

> This bill is a gift to big companies that support the politicians in power

> and will screw us troops who work on the streets, in the ditches, and so

forth.

> The politicians who are pushing this owe their positions to the Captains

of

> Business, not to us who do the work. They don't give a rat's patoot about

us.

> Oh, they'll put on fire hats and stand with us for Photo Opportunities,

> appear at the VFW and the Union Hall, but don't think for one minute that

they ever

> would want to be one of us or get their soft little manicured hands dirty.

> The use us. They manipulate us, and we fall for it over and over again.

We're

> like fawning little dogs at the heels of the big politicos. We need to

just

> STOP IT!

>

> This bill is touted as being an important part of the regeneration of the

> economy. Whose economy? My economy is DOWN and has been for the last

several

> years. I haven't had a raise, not even a cost of living. I pay lots more

for

> gasoline, lots more for prescriptions, and have less buying power than I

did

> when I first went to work in 1965.

>

> This is one of the most cynical bills that I've seen in a long time, and

I've

> seen a bunch of them. The sponsors talk like it will bring many more

people

> into eligibility for overtime, but in fact it will do the opposite. It's

an

> example of the big lie. It's the sort of propaganda that cynical

politicians

> put out. They use the same techniques that Hitler's regime used. Tell

the lie

> loud enough and often enough, and people will believe it.

>

> WAKE UP! Realize what is being done to the working class by politicians.

> Politicians are responsible for the dismal situation with TDH now, which

> threatens all the progress that we have made in the last 20 years to

improve EMS.

> The present governor doesn't give a rat's ass about EMS and neither do the

butt

> kissers who crawl around him. Harsh language? You bet. Am I mad? You

bet!

> Should you be too? You bet!

>

> Do I think that a simple change in administrations will make things

better?

> Hell no. The only thing that will make things better is for each and

every

> one of us to personally engage the politicians and make our interests

personal

> to them. Get up front and personal with your politicians and maybe we'll

get

> noticed. And vote against the people who flick you the finger while

wearing

> the mantle of public service. Vote their sorry asses out of office.

That's the

> only thing that makes a tinker's damn to them.

>

> Have you called your state senator or state representative lately to talk

> about EMS concerns? Have you called your US Congressional Representative

to tell

> him what you think? Have you ever said to a Congressional staff member

that

> they haven't a clue about EMS and demanded that they listen to you? Have

you

> ever written to Cornyn or Kay Hutchison and told them your

> concerns? Probably not.

>

> Well, if you haven't, don't whine about the loss of overtime pay or

anything

> else that happens to you. We live in a republic that allows us to control

> those who govern us. The problem is that we don't vote, so we've let the

forces

> of evil, the fat cats, the Ken Lays of the world buy our politicians and

run

> the country as they see fit. Don't think that those people own the

President,

> the Vice President, and most of Congress? Get some Risperdal. You need

it.

>

> Whew! I feel better. Anybody got a cigarette?

>

> GG

>

>

>