House Legislation today

[CrabClaw]

I was looking at FedSmith and was reading that the recent bill passed by Congress would eliminate social security payments to FERS employees. Did anyojne else see this?

I did not see that. I actually would not have a problem with that if two things happened: 1) I no longer have to pay into SS 2) I get reimbursed for the money I have already paid into SS... ( I think I already know the answer )

 

[jkenjohnson]

I did not see that. I actually would not have a problem with that if two things happened: 1) I no longer have to pay into SS 2) I get reimbursed for the money I have already paid into SS... ( I think I already know the answer )

Actually it was in FedDaily. It says that FERS employees will no longer receive SS benefits, beginning in 2013. Does this mean currently retired Feds, working Feds when they retire, or newly hired feds? I have been paying in for 30 years. I would be pi....ed off if they take that money!

 

[CrabClaw]

Actually it was in FedDaily. It says that FERS employees will no longer receive SS benefits, beginning in 2013. Does this mean currently retired Feds, working Feds when they retire, or newly hired feds? I have been paying in for 30 years. I would be pi....ed off if they take that money!

ya... you and me both, and probably the rest of the federal workforce as well... It would be robbery pure and simple. If there was an option to opt out of that program today, leaving my current SS benefits intact but not having to pay into it in the future, I would do it in a heartbeat.

 

[Show-me]

Like I said we are all second class citizens.

 

[James48843]

I was looking at FedSmith and was reading that the recent bill passed by Congress would eliminate social security payments to FERS employees. Did anyojne else see this?

See? This is how rumors get started.

Perhaps we should log that to the thread on "UFO Conspiricy theories".


The bill that passed the house doesn't eliminate social security payments for FEDS. It eliminates the FERS supplement, paid to employees who are younger than age 62, but older than their minimum retirement age (varies from 55 to 57, depending on year of birth).


And that, folks, is how rumors get started.

By the way- the news is reporting that a deal has been cut for the bill (which also affects payroll taxes into 2012).

But there are NO DETAILS PUBLISHED YET on the deal, and No, the House, which is republican controlled, and said they would not vote on anything until it has been published on the web for at least 72 hours so that people can see what our reps are voting on..... N0- the bill has not yet been posted to the net.

So nobody knows if all those anti-Federal employee provisions are still in the bill, or not.

And they are expected to vote yet today.


(Can we boot them ALL out this time? Please?)

 

[CrabClaw]

well that is good... It does not change the fact that I would love to be able to opt out of SS though.

 

[jkenjohnson]

See? This is how rumors get started.

Perhaps we should log that to the thread on "UFO Conspiricy theories".


The bill that passed the house doesn't eliminate social security payments for FEDS. It eliminates the FERS supplement, paid to employees who are younger than age 62, but older than their minimum retirement age (varies from 55 to 57, depending on year of birth).


And that, folks, is how rumors get started.

By the way- the news is reporting that a deal has been cut for the bill (which also affects payroll taxes into 2012).

But there are NO DETAILS PUBLISHED YET on the deal, and No, the House, which is republican controlled, and said they would not vote on anything until it has been published on the web for at least 72 hours so that people can see what our reps are voting on..... N0- the bill has not yet been posted to the net.

So nobody knows if all those anti-Federal employee provisions are still in the bill, or not.

And they are expected to vote yet today.


(Can we boot them ALL out this time? Please?)

I'm glad you posted this. I went back and read this again and it does mention the supplement. Didn't mean to get everybody stirred up.

 

[James48843]

House floor is now voting on whether to suspend the rules (including the rule that required 72 hours before voting on something, and move forward with debating and voting on the bill--- that hasn't yet been posted publically.


IN short- they are now voting on whether they will agree to hold a vote on the secret bill that nobody's seen.

 

[James48843]

nancy Pelosi just said, on C-SPAN, that the deal isn't written down in a bill yet.

It's not even in writing.

No- this time, it's not even a "We have to pass it so you can see what is in it.".

No- this time, the republicans don't even have a written bill yet, but they plan to hold a vote on it in a few minutes.


http://www.c-span.org/Events/Congress-Reaches-Accord-on-Must-Pass-Legislation/10737426369-2/

 

[James48843]

So- here you have it. The house voted 239-175 to go ahead and waive all the rules, and move forward with a vote, despite the fact there isn't even a written bill yet.

 

[pmcint01]

So is the 1 year pay freeze still on the table to fund the payroll tax reduction? Can't find that mentioned anywhere in the news now.

 

[James48843]

So is the 1 year pay freeze still on the table to fund the payroll tax reduction? Can't find that mentioned anywhere in the news now.

the final details ARE NOT EVEN WRITTEN DOWN YET- that's what I am saying. It's not even written down, yet they just voted to suspend all the rules, and move forward with debating and then voting on it.

From C-SPAN:

The path to pass a $1 trillion spending bill is set as the House is expected to vote on the measure today. Negotiators emerged from talks Thursday evening announcing a deal, averting a government shutdown and keeping the government running past midnight and through September 2012.
Congressional leaders are also near agreement on extending the payroll tax cut, unemployment insurance and other policies set to expire at the end of the year.
Both measures have been caught in partisan divide as issues of an oil pipeline, a surtax on million-dollar wage earners and travel restrictions to Cuba blocked progress for the past several days. But leaders appeared optimistic though out the day Thursday as negotiators huddled to work out compromises.

So...the budget extension for a trillion dollars is being voted on now, and then they are supposed to deal with the payroll tax cut extension, but the payroll tax cut extension (which includes the federal employees retirement provisions) isn't even written down yet.

 

[nasa1974]

grab your ankles folks.

 

[James48843]

Regarding the payroll tax bill (and Federal Employees grab-your-ankle-retirment slashing bill)


#1. the dems have now officially dropped their proposal to have a millionaire surtax pay for it.

(which leaves...you-know-who-is-going-to-take-it-in-the-shorts to pay for it.)


#2. House Speaker John Boehner is now saying that the pipeline language will NOT be dropped in any case in any payroll tax-cut bill.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/polit.../16/gIQADRkOyO_story.html?tid=pm_politics_pop


So....we STILL have no final bill written down, and it does not look good for federal employees. |

(Buster- do you still want to stay on record saying the right will not slam all us federal employees with massiver retirement changes in a final bill?)

 

[Buster]

Nope!..it ain't over till the fat lady sings..

 

[James48843]

Gosh DANG it- the dems CAPITULATED again!

What is wrong with those people! Without so much as a single punch- they are falling all over themselves to surrender!

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Lawmakers on Friday agreed to extend a payroll tax cut for two months after Democrats bowed to Republican demands to expedite approval of a controversial oil pipeline.

The deal, which still would have to be approved by the full Senate and House of Representatives, fell far short of President Barack Obama’s push for a one-year extension of the tax relief and long-term unemployed benefits to boost the country’s fragile economic recovery.

In an effort to break a stalemate, Obama’s fellow Democrats dropped what had appeared to be a non-negotiable demand for the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada to Texas to be kept separate from the payroll tax cut negotiations.

(Throws hands up in the air in disbelief).
more:

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/12/...-cut-in-exchange-for-quick-pipeline-decision/

 

[James48843]

For the record- the Senate voted AT 9:21 THIS MORNING and passed, by a vote of 89-10 *(Rand Paul was not present) Senate Amendment 1465. That is the two-month payroll tax extension. The underlyuing bill is what had all the federal employee retirement and pay cuts in it.

As of now, more than five hours AFTER the vote, the Senate Amendment is STILL NOT POSTED on the net anywhere to see what was in it.

As Nancy Pelosi used to say.....you'll just have to wait till LONG after it was passed, to see what it says.

No word on whether or not the federal employee retirement and pay cuts were in it or not.

XML U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 112[SUP]th[/SUP] Congress - 1[SUP]st[/SUP] Sessionas compiled through Senate LIS by the Senate Bill Clerk under the direction of the Secretary of the Senate
Vote Summary[TABLE="class: contenttext"]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 4"]Question: On the Amendment (Reid-McConnell Amdt. No. 1465 ) [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Vote Number: [/TD]
[TD]232[/TD]
[TD] Vote Date: [/TD]
[TD]December 17, 2011, 09:21 AM[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD] Required For Majority: [/TD]
[TD]3/5[/TD]
[TD] Vote Result: [/TD]
[TD]Amendment Agreed to[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Amendment Number: [/TD]
[TD="colspan: 3"]S.Amdt. 1465 to H.R. 3630 (Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2011) [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Statement of Purpose: [/TD]
[TD="colspan: 3"]In the nature of a substitute.[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
[TABLE="class: contenttext"]
[TR]
[TD="width: 25%"]Vote Counts:[/TD]
[TD="width: 50%"]YEAs[/TD]
[TD="width: 25%, align: right"]89[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="width: 50%"]NAYs[/TD]
[TD="width: 25%, align: right"]10[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="width: 50%"]Not Voting[/TD]
[TD="width: 25%, align: right"]1[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

Grouped By Vote Position[TABLE="class: contenttext"]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 3, align: center"]YEAs ---89[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="width: 33%"]Akaka (D-HI)
Alexander (R-TN)
Ayotte (R-NH)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Baucus (D-MT)
Begich (D-AK)
Bennet (D-CO)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Blumenthal (D-CT)
Blunt (R-MO)
Boozman (R-AR)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Brown (R-MA)
Burr (R-NC)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Cardin (D-MD)
Carper (D-DE)
Casey (D-PA)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coats (R-IN)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Collins (R-ME)
Conrad (D-ND)
Coons (D-DE)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Crapo (R-ID)
Durbin (D-IL)
Enzi (R-WY)
[/TD]
[TD="width: 33%"]Feinstein (D-CA)
Franken (D-MN)
Gillibrand (D-NY)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Hagan (D-NC)
Harkin (D-IA)
Hatch (R-UT)
Heller (R-NV)
Hoeven (R-ND)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Inouye (D-HI)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johanns (R-NE)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kerry (D-MA)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Kohl (D-WI)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Lee (R-UT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lieberman (ID-CT)
Lugar (R-IN)
McCain (R-AZ)
McCaskill (D-MO)
McConnell (R-KY)
Menendez (D-NJ)
[/TD]
[TD="width: 33%"]Merkley (D-OR)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Portman (R-OH)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Risch (R-ID)
Roberts (R-KS)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Rubio (R-FL)
Schumer (D-NY)
Shaheen (D-NH)
Snowe (R-ME)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Tester (D-MT)
Thune (R-SD)
Toomey (R-PA)
Udall (D-CO)
Udall (D-NM)
Vitter (R-LA)
Warner (D-VA)
Webb (D-VA)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wicker (R-MS)
Wyden (D-OR)
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
[TABLE="class: contenttext"]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 3, align: center"]NAYs ---10[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="width: 33%"]Corker (R-TN)
DeMint (R-SC)
Johnson (R-WI)
Kirk (R-IL)
[/TD]
[TD="width: 33%"]Leahy (D-VT)
Manchin (D-WV)
Moran (R-KS)
Sanders (I-VT)
[/TD]
[TD="width: 33%"]Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
[TABLE="class: contenttext"]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 3, align: center"]Not Voting - 1[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="width: 33%"]Paul (R-KY)
[/TD]
[TD="width: 33%"][/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

Makes me sick to my stomach that they can't even publish what was voted on.

 

[Show-me]

Oooo the web we weave.

I'm telling you this will pass, the public does not want its employee's to make more than themselves and when push comes to shove Congress will throw us all under the bus because we are servants.

So build the damn pipeline so we can get off of Arab oil and put more American's back to work.

Public servants don't get a vote when the budget is in shambles the the debt is outrageous. Don't you guys watch the coverage of the Greek riots? Why are they rioting? lol Can you connect the dots and see the correlation?

Also, you need to accept that you are a second class citizen even to the poor. Even according to them, they help pay your wages and your vote is the minority and in self preservation according to them. Welcome to government service, service being the key word.

We are second class to them because we are on the taxpayer tit. No real production value or innovation, just service. The public hates us because we have good pay and benefits and they feel that anything government is dysfunctional and not worth making half of what they make in a factory slaving over a machine or assembly line. It is a reality that I have witnessed and it makes me keep a very low profile in my rural community where everyone knows everyone's personal business. They still believe we have the cushy civil service retirement where you get 100% of you wage and pay zero health care. LOL Really, I've met those people.

Just remember that here on the MB and at work you are with your peers and we all think we are under paid and over worked, but to the private sector we are way over paid and way under worked with way too many holiday's, vacation days, sick days and benefits.

Like I said, the bill will pass and we will have FERS 2.0 just like we have CSRS and FERS. Two tier and going to be three tier as the economy and the public budgets and debt become more critical.

Welcome to democracy or mob rules.

Like I said we are all second class citizens.

 

[James48843]

Boehner says today, on Meet the Press, that they are going to reject the bipartisan Senate payroll tax two month extension. Not enough federal employee retirement cuts in it for House republicans.

http://news.yahoo.com/house-gop-leaders-want-payroll-tax-cut-bill-171155539.html

"Instead of threatening middle-class families with a thousand-dollar tax hike, Speaker Boehner should bring up the bipartisan compromise that Senator McConnell and I negotiated," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said in a written statement.

"It's pretty clear I and our members oppose the Senate bill," Boehner said on "Meet the Press" on NBC. He added, "I believe two months is just kicking the can down the road.".

So, once again. House (R)'s blocking the bi-partisan Senate compromise that was worked out to move it for two more months.

 

[nnuut]

You're pretty hard on the Republicans would you like to hear a few things about the democrats?:suspicious: