Mayor Ganim,
Thank you for your continuing generous acknowledgement of the role played by so many public and private workers who served the public these last few months in their regular responsibilities that have taken on new and added meaning because of the pandemic known as COVID-19. I will guess that your comments are welcome and appreciated by the workers. Today’s “virtual town hall” spent 30 minutes highlighting the heroes and the “Heroes Fund” as a financial reward to “front line workers” who have had to adapt to the demands of COVID 19,. It was something none of them anticipated when they formulated resolutions for 2020 around New Years Day but the work fit within their job descriptions broadly and they responded as do “warriors” in other contexts.
.
The unique feature of COVID 19 is that there are so few in our population who can claim that they have been unaffected by the virus or immune from its threat and damage. The threat has been to the health of everyone with airborne infection, new symptom characteristics, and elevated mortality risk, in face of weak Federal public health program responsibility (re-structured since 2017,) denial of moral leadership by President, and refusal to use available tools to ramp up production of all PPE items necessary, among other issues.
All of these and more have placed more responsibility in the hands of leaders at State and local levels. But I do not see how at this moment in time, a notion of “hazard pay” comes to the fore as a priority item to address. Do we routinely use a “hazard” concept in working out basic compensation and benefits for public employees today? For instance, public safety overtime pay for traffic control at contractor sites in Bridgeport is automatically set at overtime rates. Does this mean that those four hour or more shifts have greater value than the work of those officers on homicide, narcotics or vice to the citizens of Bridgeport?? Does a school security officer, in contrast to an SRO, receive similar pay and benefits, while they are protecting the lives of future generations, as an officer on the street? Who is keeping track of such information?
Is a taxpayer who has met all tax obligations (in the face of personal financial pressures perhaps) through the pandemic, eligible for being regarded as a hero also? In the face of multiple health threats, perhaps being a part of a group more vulnerable to COVID-19 and the actual distancing which sets emotions on edge for many folks? Is there a rush to financially reward some folks when the plans have not been fully seen in print, the dollars have not been delivered from Federal taxpayers to other government levels, and the taxpayer has not been consulted for a response? Time will tell.
John Marshall Lee, you posed a number of questions, now would you answer your own questions, it’s good to put others on notice with your question but it’s also good to hear your answers.
Ron,
As a fireman you ran into burning buildings as I used to read with Andy Fardy (r.i.p.) so you have a better understanding of the way compensation for hazardous work is won in the public service workplace. On OIB one can be provocative in a variety of different ways:
** by calling people names that are insulting,
**by misstating or failing to understand history, governance or current facts,
**by asking people for behavior or thinking in unnatural ways,
**or by asking questions; too many questions, or articles too lengthy for reader attention spans, etc. etc.
Sometimes I even find myself writing a piece, editing it, reading it a final time and then posting it before getting to the answers I may know already. I have followed a saying: LIVE THE QUESTION . It may mean promoting a questioning public marketplace with many questions and few easy answers?
I also raise multiple issues often. What questions trouble you the most seriously or are most topical to you today?
Here we are with trillions discussed for necessary distributions and you did not want to venture into the easy part of this which might be an opportunity for the public to weigh in as taxpayers looking for the total expenses or costs in a comprehensive report? Time will tell.
JML, firefighters don’t like to publicize what they do, they won’t talked about anything that they might have been involved with in some type of rescue be cause they know that’s it’s a team effort and more importantly we know that someone made a call to 911 and they needed our help and our job is to respond to all health and life issues My job is to protect myself because I can’t help anybody if I don’t protect myself and my crew so that we can serve and protect the public. I knew that Andy Fardy (r.i.p.) would do everything he could Don Day and myself were in trouble at a fire even though we would fight like cats and dogs, Don won’t talk about any awards that he has because we all were doing our job. The word “hazard” concept in working has changed during this pandemic has change, intensive care nurses and critical care nurses deal more life and death in one day than what most Americans have to deal with in their entire life during this pandemic, in fact just ask a nurse.
JML, I have no problem with you asking questions but I would like for you to list a few answers to the questions that aske elected officials. You can show leadership as a public citizen and a taxpayer.
Ron,
You now have asked me to answer some of the questions that I ask TWICE. Which question or questions might you prioritize for early answer (or sharing of my opinion?) since you have made your desire known.
Of course you could call me for an offline chat as is frequently done in the City. But you choose not to call or meet if past offers are observed. Now you tell me that I can “show leadership as a public citizen and a taxpayer”. by providing these responses? Help me find the way, please? Time will tell.
Does anyone seriously believe that every ‘essential frontline worker’ in the United States of America should receive extra compensation for doing the job they signed-on to do?
Democrats are on a pandemic pandering frenzy.
Pander. Pander. Pander.
Democrats have been warned that it will not reach a vote in the Senate.
Let’s see how they vilify Republicans who expose the pandering.
Does anyone seriously believe that every ‘that every big business’ in the United States of America should receive extra compensation for making money and laying off workers and sharing that extra taxpayers money with executive bonus and dividends for stockholders keeping that extra ?
Mayor Ganim,
Thank you for your continuing generous acknowledgement of the role played by so many public and private workers who served the public these last few months in their regular responsibilities that have taken on new and added meaning because of the pandemic known as COVID-19. I will guess that your comments are welcome and appreciated by the workers. Today’s “virtual town hall” spent 30 minutes highlighting the heroes and the “Heroes Fund” as a financial reward to “front line workers” who have had to adapt to the demands of COVID 19,. It was something none of them anticipated when they formulated resolutions for 2020 around New Years Day but the work fit within their job descriptions broadly and they responded as do “warriors” in other contexts.
.
The unique feature of COVID 19 is that there are so few in our population who can claim that they have been unaffected by the virus or immune from its threat and damage. The threat has been to the health of everyone with airborne infection, new symptom characteristics, and elevated mortality risk, in face of weak Federal public health program responsibility (re-structured since 2017,) denial of moral leadership by President, and refusal to use available tools to ramp up production of all PPE items necessary, among other issues.
All of these and more have placed more responsibility in the hands of leaders at State and local levels. But I do not see how at this moment in time, a notion of “hazard pay” comes to the fore as a priority item to address. Do we routinely use a “hazard” concept in working out basic compensation and benefits for public employees today? For instance, public safety overtime pay for traffic control at contractor sites in Bridgeport is automatically set at overtime rates. Does this mean that those four hour or more shifts have greater value than the work of those officers on homicide, narcotics or vice to the citizens of Bridgeport?? Does a school security officer, in contrast to an SRO, receive similar pay and benefits, while they are protecting the lives of future generations, as an officer on the street? Who is keeping track of such information?
Is a taxpayer who has met all tax obligations (in the face of personal financial pressures perhaps) through the pandemic, eligible for being regarded as a hero also? In the face of multiple health threats, perhaps being a part of a group more vulnerable to COVID-19 and the actual distancing which sets emotions on edge for many folks? Is there a rush to financially reward some folks when the plans have not been fully seen in print, the dollars have not been delivered from Federal taxpayers to other government levels, and the taxpayer has not been consulted for a response? Time will tell.
John Marshall Lee, you posed a number of questions, now would you answer your own questions, it’s good to put others on notice with your question but it’s also good to hear your answers.
Ron,
As a fireman you ran into burning buildings as I used to read with Andy Fardy (r.i.p.) so you have a better understanding of the way compensation for hazardous work is won in the public service workplace. On OIB one can be provocative in a variety of different ways:
** by calling people names that are insulting,
**by misstating or failing to understand history, governance or current facts,
**by asking people for behavior or thinking in unnatural ways,
**or by asking questions; too many questions, or articles too lengthy for reader attention spans, etc. etc.
Sometimes I even find myself writing a piece, editing it, reading it a final time and then posting it before getting to the answers I may know already. I have followed a saying: LIVE THE QUESTION . It may mean promoting a questioning public marketplace with many questions and few easy answers?
I also raise multiple issues often. What questions trouble you the most seriously or are most topical to you today?
Here we are with trillions discussed for necessary distributions and you did not want to venture into the easy part of this which might be an opportunity for the public to weigh in as taxpayers looking for the total expenses or costs in a comprehensive report? Time will tell.
JML, firefighters don’t like to publicize what they do, they won’t talked about anything that they might have been involved with in some type of rescue be cause they know that’s it’s a team effort and more importantly we know that someone made a call to 911 and they needed our help and our job is to respond to all health and life issues My job is to protect myself because I can’t help anybody if I don’t protect myself and my crew so that we can serve and protect the public. I knew that Andy Fardy (r.i.p.) would do everything he could Don Day and myself were in trouble at a fire even though we would fight like cats and dogs, Don won’t talk about any awards that he has because we all were doing our job. The word “hazard” concept in working has changed during this pandemic has change, intensive care nurses and critical care nurses deal more life and death in one day than what most Americans have to deal with in their entire life during this pandemic, in fact just ask a nurse.
JML, I have no problem with you asking questions but I would like for you to list a few answers to the questions that aske elected officials. You can show leadership as a public citizen and a taxpayer.
Ron,
You now have asked me to answer some of the questions that I ask TWICE. Which question or questions might you prioritize for early answer (or sharing of my opinion?) since you have made your desire known.
Of course you could call me for an offline chat as is frequently done in the City. But you choose not to call or meet if past offers are observed. Now you tell me that I can “show leadership as a public citizen and a taxpayer”. by providing these responses? Help me find the way, please? Time will tell.
Here is a summary of the bill: (the bill is 1,800 pages)
https://www.democrats.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Heroes%20Fund%20FINAL%204.7.20.pdf
Just read the first paragraph.
Does anyone seriously believe that every ‘essential frontline worker’ in the United States of America should receive extra compensation for doing the job they signed-on to do?
Democrats are on a pandemic pandering frenzy.
Pander. Pander. Pander.
Democrats have been warned that it will not reach a vote in the Senate.
Let’s see how they vilify Republicans who expose the pandering.
Does anyone seriously believe that every ‘that every big business’ in the United States of America should receive extra compensation for making money and laying off workers and sharing that extra taxpayers money with executive bonus and dividends for stockholders keeping that extra ?