Here We Are 2014 - What Can We Expect and Hope For?

What Will 2014 Bring?

Photo by www.chicagotribune.com

Here are some Laws That Go Into Effect

Colorado - Today in Colorado people of legal age can purchase pot, cannabis sativa, hemp, ganja, reefer, maryjane, in different brands. Acapulco Gold, Panama Red, Maui wowie, and more. Starting today, January 1, 2014, if you are 21 or older you can buy the pot not only for medical use but for recreational use. There are tight limits placed on nonresidents. Colorado residents can possess up to one ounce or grow as many as six (6) plants at a time. Some reports say that at least 20 stores will open today to sell medical and recreational marijuana and that is expected to grow to about 100 stores within 6 months. 

Photo by www.cnn.com

California -  AB 60 accomplishes something immigrant advocates have sought for years – driver’s licenses for immigrants who are in the country illegally. The California Department of Motor Vehicles will spend this year designing the licenses, which will become available by Jan. 1, 2015. SB 4 seeks to regulate hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” a gas-harvesting practice that involves blasting a mix of pressurized water and chemicals underground. Rules taking effect at the start of 2014 mandate groundwater monitoring, require neighbors to be notified of new wells and have energy companies publicly disclose the fracking chemicals they use. READ MORE from The Tribune

Graphic by bonzerwolf.squarespace.com

Illinois - Huffington Post came out with a list of 10 of the Most Important Laws to Take Effort Jan. 1 in Illinois rounded up some of the most important new Illinois laws of 2014. For a complete list, visit the Illinois Senate Democrats' website. Plus, of course, there's a slew of new federal laws -- including the new ban on incandescent light bulbs. Here's just one:

ANNIE, GET YOUR GUN
Earlier this year, Illinois became the final U.S. state to pass a concealed carry law and, starting this week, it will formally go into effect. Beginning Sunday, Illinois residents can apply online for a concealed carry permit on the Illinois State Police's website. State Police are required by law to approve a license, should no problems arise, within 90 days and the first licenses are expected to be issued by mid-January, ABC Chicago reports. (HB 183)

Graphic by www.statepolitics.lohudblogs.com

Minimum Wage Goes Up in 13 States

The state of Washington will remain the state with the highest minimum wage in the country with a minimum wage of $9.32 per hour. There are counties and cities that will also be raising their minimum wage like San Francisco who is raising their minimum wage to $10.74 per hour. The municipality with the record for the highest minimum wage in the country is due to a ballot measure where voters in SeaTac, Washington approved a $15.00 per hour minimum for about 6,000 airport workers. The new wage goes into effect today. It is currently being challenged in court. 

Ten states have tied their minimum wage to the inflation index which guarantees that their minimum wage will rise with the cost of living each year. Governor Jerry Brown of California signed legislation that will eventually raise their minimum wage to $10.00 by 2016, although the first increase will be to $9.00 and won't take effect until July of 2014. 

31 states rely on the federal minimum wage and don't mandate a higher one. The federal minimum wage was last raised in 2009 ending a series of increases that were signed into law by President George W. Bush. Although the federal minimum wage is not tied to a cost of living (COL) increase the Democrats in Congress and President Barack Obama say it should be. The minimum wage bill put forth by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) would raise the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour and tie it to inflation.

Below is a list compiled by the Employment Policies Institute of the increases taking place today:

• Arizona: $7.80 to $7.90
• Colorado: $7.78 to $8.00
• Connecticut: $8.25 to $8.70
• Florida: $7.79 to $7.93
• Missouri: $7.35 to $7.50
• Montana: $7.80 to $7.90
• New Jersey: $7.25 to $8.25
• New York: $7.25 to $8.00
• Ohio: $7.85 to $7.95
• Oregon: $8.95 to $9.10
• Rhode Island: $7.75 to $8.00
• Vermont: $8.60 to $8.73
• Washington State: $9.19 to $9.32
• Albuquerque, N.M.: $8.50 to $8.60
• Bernalillo County, N.M.: $8.00 to $8.50
• San Francisco, Calif.: $10.55 to $10.74
• San Jose, Calif.: $10.00 to $10.15
• SeaTac, Wash.: $9.19 to $15.00

Meme by theliberloc.com

Read more here: http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2014/01/01/2857554/californias-new-laws-what-changes.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2014/01/01/2857554/californias-new-laws-what-changes.html#storylink=cpy

 There's Much More That Needs To Be Done

There is so much more that needs to be done in 2014 following "The Least Productive Congress in the History of the United States," 113th Congress. Each member of Congress will earn a minimum of $174,000 for working about 125 days. That equates to $1,392.00 per day, or $174.00 per hour if they worked 8 hours on each of those days. In addition to, and as part of, their salary they receive employer (taxpayer) paid health insurance. The health is part of their salary. Since they have a golden plan that covers almost everything they would have to pay at $3,000/mo for the plan if it weren't paid for by their employer, the taxpayer. That would bring their annual salary to $210,000, or $1,680/day, or $210/hr. In addition to this straight salary they get much, much, more in benefits.

You would think that they would actually do something for their pay but that didn't happen in the 113th Congress. The House Republicans did make things up and legislate them to make people beleive that they were actually doing something. One of my pet peeves was the "Vitter Amendment." This was something totally fabricated, and actually never of happened. Yet they wasted time and money, in addition to going to the media and totally blowing the fabrication out of proportion. 

To refresh your memory the Vitter Amendment goes way back to when Chuck Grassley's effort to embarrass Democrats back during the Affordable Care Act debate by sponsoring an amendment to force members of congress and their staff to use the ACA exchanges. Except instead of being embarrassed, Democrats accepted the amendment. The Office of Personnel Management has interpreted this Grassley proposal as simply modifying the form that the existing benefits package takes. Instead of the government giving congressional staff free health insurance, the government will give congressional staff money to shop on the exchange. The original Vitter Amendment would have prohibited the OPM from giving staffers that money—thus forcing an across-the-board cut in congressional staff pay. The new Vitter Amendment makes the proposal less pernicious by narrowing its reach. But it's still a bizarre idea, government by trolling.

The OPM would of never allowed them to change the benefit package for the Congress and their staff. There's even a new version of the amendment. They were still playing games with this total crap in October 2013 when they proposed a new version of the amendment!

The way the "New Vitter Amendment would work is that House members, senators, the president, the vice president, and Cabinet officers would all lose their employer-provided health insurance (which will never happen, and they could never make it happen). Then they would be told to go buy health insurance on the Affordable Care Act exchanges. And the government would not be allowed to use the money it saves by no longer providing the insurance to raise salaries or to subsidize exchange purchases. In other words, all the top-ranked officials take a pay cut for no reason.

This is the kind of crap they occupy themselves with instead of passing a farm bill, passing a jobs bill, immigration reform, financial reform, infrastructure repair and replacement since 80% of our infrastructure is deemed obsolete or in need of repair or replacement, or any of the other much needed things to bring back the middle class and the economy, and lower the deficit. We have to hope that John Boehner will stand up to those groups (Heritage Action, Club for Growth, Freedom Works, and others) like he did to put the Ryan-Murray budget up for a vote. Get involved, use your power, by calling your Senators and Congressmen/women on a regular basis. Below is a link to assist you in finding and contacting your Representatives.

This all goes back to 

As an aside, including the president in the New Vitter Amendment is particularly nonsensical since the president has a staff physician provided by the White House Military Office and doesn't really need a health insurance plan per se at all.

health insurance. Not