I joined the United Airline Pilots, Air Line Pilots Association, the Association of Flight Attendants, Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, Professional Airline Flight Control Association, and International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers on the picket line today.Their experience is a symptoms of what is happening to many workers throughout Colorado and the U.S. Are we watching the end of an era of any corporate Patriotism?

When United was going through bankruptcy, United’s workers were asked “share in sacrifice” for the survival of the company. So how has that sacrifice been “shared”?

WORKERS “SHARE”:

• Experienced a 50% cut in pay and benefits since 2003
• Lost more than $1.4 Billion annually from 2003 - 2010
• Had Health Insurance reduced by more than 20%
• Loss of Retirement Pensions

CEO / MANAGEMENT “SHARE”:

• 3,533% Compensation Increase for the CEO
• $40 Million paid to the CEO

The company posted a quarterly profit of $274 million.

When CEOs give themselves pay increases while cutting their workers wages and benefits, it doesn’t looking like “sharing the sacrifice” to me. My grandfather, was an airline pilot for United, and would be rolling over in his grave to see the fate of a company that used to make the American Dream come true.

In the modern era a CEO makes an average of 500 times his or her average worker (up from 40 times the average salary in the 1980’s).

You, and I, and our workers, are paying for this decadence in the form of higher prices, lower wages, reduced benefits, and reduced services.

Hats off to these workers who are doing their part to raise important issues that impact us all!

PDC Presents

War Made Easy

How Presidents and Pundits Keep

Spinning Us to Death

Wednesday August 8, 2007

7 P.M.

The Public is Invited

Colorado State Democratic Headquarters

777 Santa Fe - Denver, Colorado

Norman Solomon has created a documentary which examines the role our mainstream
media played in helping the Bush administration sell our invasion and subsequent
occupation of Iraq. The documentary also explores other examples where our national
media has failed to critically examine the case presidents have made for taking
U.S. troops into war. A free, critical and independent press is essential for
maintaining a democracy and our national media has failed to fulfil that role.

PDC is planning to have Norman Solomon available for questions and discussion
after the documentary via phone in opportunity.

Please join us for an important look at our mainstream media, a discussion
of the film and some of the problems that exist with our national media and
its approach to covering news in America today.

Further information email mark@pdcolorado.org
or visit our web site www.pdcolorado.org

Our current health care “system” is in crisis. Colorado consumers have seen sky-rocketing premiums (82% increase 2000 – 2004 for families, 140% increase 2000 – 2005 for small employers) and plummeting benefits. So what has changed over the decades? Profit. We’ve seen a corporate take-over of healthcare and most people don’t know what hit them. Ever wonder what is really driving up the cost of our healthcare? I want to share with you my assessment of the problems and some of my thoughts on solutions.

• Pharmaceutical Advertising: Companies are spending billions per year on direct television advertising for prescriptions (a practice that used be illegal under federal law that is driving up the cost of prescription medicine.) Most are spending 4 or 5 times as much on marketing as on research.

Solution: Reinstate prior federal prohibition against direct TV advertising for prescription drugs (FEDERAL).

• Overcharging Insurance Premiums: Most states require a rate-review process before an insurance company can file rate increases. Colorado doesn’t. Colorado allows insurance companies to file rate increases in any amount, at any time, without any oversight. It works well for them ($$$), but not so well for consumers.

Solution: Implement insurance rate review for price gouging in Colorado (STATE).

• Cuts in Funding Public Research: As the states and federal government pulled back on funding public research there are fewer public medical patents. Private companies now own most of the patents, allowing monopolies over healthcare pricing, driving up the cost of healthcare.

Solution: Increase publicly funded research and therefore publicly held healthcare patents consider reducing duration of healthcare patents (STATE & FEDERAL).

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