Murder and Medical Denials

      

   At the same time Mulgrew was making his announcements against a planned Times Square casino, there was an intense police investigation going on nearby concerning a targeted and killed man. The murder was somewhat unusual in that it appeared to be very calculated, and the person targeted was wealthy, powerful and influential. Superficially it doesn’t seem all that interesting, maybe for a movie of the week, but the guy who was targeted was the CEO of a company. His company is very much like Medicare Advantage , which makes incredible profits from denying desperate people much needed medical procedures. This case has certain philosophical aspects that become deeper and deeper as one looks into it. The assassin had certain words etched on the bullets - DENY, DEPOSE and DEFEND. Those were the ways that the murdered individual indirectly caused the demise of the people seeking his company’s help. That of course, does not legitimize what the assassin did. Two wrongs do not make a right. Perhaps corporate greed, and the marginalization of the sick and elderly should be carefully reconsidered. These companies have placed layers of unaccountability, irresponsibility, and indifference between their decisions and their customers. They make their money the new fashioned way - by indirectly killing their customers. 

   Of course, this had me thinking about who was the more egregious in this case. The killer with his silencer or the unsuspecting profiteer of suffering and death. That will have to be for the courts to decide, when the killer is found. The killer made some mistakes, and even if he didn’t make those mistakes, he would still be found. You see if the victim was just a normal average Joe Schmo from Tuckahoe, going home from his day of teaching his killer would never be found and there might or might not be an article in the daily paper concerning it. But this man was not the average commuter - he was one of the wealthy elites who have free rein to rip off the poor and middle class. Thus, even in death, he gets preferential treatment. There’s something profoundly wrong with that. There are two levels of everything in this world, one for the rich and powerful and one for everyone else. This is no more apparent than in medical insurance, justice and education. There was one shining light here in New York. We used to have a union and a city that didn’t work on a class system. A child could go to a public school and get a good education.  If you were a city worker/teacher, cop or fireman you had great medical coverage while working and once retired it took great care of you. Now we have a union president that does not seem to understand (or has made an intentional choice) in trying to put us into a medical insurance plan that makes it’s money denying, deposing and defending. Not only has Mulgrew attempted this, but he has worked in collusion with the Adams administration to facilitate it.  With friends like this who needs enemies? 

   So as you watch this murder mystery unfold, think about the deep ramifications of ethical, moral, fiduciary and human betrayal between the CEO and the killer. Then do the same with NYC, Medicare, Medicare Advantage, the UFT, Mulgrew, Adams and us. 

https://youtu.be/ct0DzPHD5Ok?si=ROZ5ehY-cceu41YD

https://youtu.be/frr4wuvAB6U?si=VD1eO0TzR0Y5qLKp

https://youtu.be/aXGpvNgSjk8?si=mD7AuYuCINg9FC6u

https://youtu.be/sGMgkO1XFIw?si=tJf88oi31ujigp4A

https://youtu.be/-R2WOtBmg7g?si=acMXFQMeyvegTX8c

https://youtu.be/_XGp8o_Tolo?si=UJ4a4CoFuzHb5riX

Mulgrew- No Gambling on Broadway (unless its at 52)

  

  Mulgrew certainly is a busy beaver on topics that don’t have anything to do with teachers. From congestion pricing to the potential annoyance of a casino (that may interfere with his tripping the light fantastic) on Broadway, he is ready for a Battle Royale! If only we could see this much gumption from him over anything to do with his job. Is he aiming for higher office? Does he plan on taking over Mayor Adams’ soon to be vacated position ? And if he did, would he try to help us? I wouldn’t think so. He’s a running joke - but the punchline is on us. Hey, he was voted in. And don’t worry, he’ll make sure that he has that position until his dying day or until he’s promoted to something even more lucrative.  https://nypost.com/2024/12/04/us-news/teachers-union-opposes-casino-in-times-square/

Mulgrew : What’s that you say? Electronic voting? Fuggeddabout it! It’ll never happen! 

What’s that you say, retirees have their people in? Well, you can bet your new dentures that’ll never happen again! We’ll marginalize those old farts and reserve all their seats at every meeting  - they’ll never be able to stand for more than 10 minutes and out they’ll go! Ageism! Common now! I’m only joking! Would I, the President of the UFT and 52 Broadway, ever stoop so low as to make fun of the retirees??! Never!

 What’s that you say? Who’s Marianne? Yes, she was my least favorite castaway on Gillian's Island. I prefer Ginger as she reminds me of Randi.  Now, I’ve got to go! I’m prepared to fight, and watch the Holiday tree be lit! 

Mulgrew - Manipulation and Misrepresentation

  

    The more I look into the manipulative practices of Mulgrew and his band of merry men, the more disgusted I get. I do not see for the life of me how he is still in office. https://youtu.be/JUjeXY5qiZ4?si=4DnKQrG0ou7unc5P  It’s time for a wake up call - he’s totally disconnected from the constituencies he purports to represent and he’s worse than indifferent - he continually makes calculated decisions to work against our best interests. He’s currently screaming about a variety of issues as a distraction. He should be working to protect our healthcare. 

   Here is Marianne’s latest video, watch it in its entirety, as there are layers of information, inferences and fallacies exposed.  https://youtu.be/sP4pRph6NYU?si=x9jhXo-TLBIS_f6D

Mulgrew Thinks We’re Idiots

 

                       Marianne,  Our true friend

  Some of you may have been following the recent juvenile behavior coming out of the unity caucus and their ever slipping control of the Uft. King Mulgrew heads the caucus and is holding on for dear life. His toadies are in an uproar over retirees winning a recent election, and people are noticing. From playbook handout sheets, on how to marginalize and humiliate the newly elected, to offensive memes circulated like poison pen notes in fourth grade home room -their behavior cries out for sharp repudiation from adults and authority. King Mulgrew’s silence on it equates approval which is apparent with the second incident coming so quickly after the first. 

There are things, of course, that Mulgrew will stand up and speak out against. Anything that affects him, or those close to him directly, and can be disguised as somehow beneficial to those he pretends to represent,  will be publicly and vigorously announced or denounced , inside and outside the union. So of  course, when I heard that our beloved governor was going to reinstitute congestion pricing, I immediately knew that this was something that King Mulgrew would howl against. 

This is in sharp contrast to the real issues that he should be politicizing and defending (or battling). The list is quite long, but you know most - the continued trading of our long fought for and held rights for less than inflationary pay increases (for working teachers), a change in the evaluation process , a change in accounting procedures (fair student funding), overcrowded classrooms and completely unsafe schools - many lacking metal detectors and a discipline process to keep students and staff safe. 

In that vein, I saw Marianne’s video this morning on YouTube. All I can say is thank G-d for Marianne.

https://youtu.be/1gc8YH6B8XA?si=k2J7gBLwZpB4T15L

The Fall

 Hopefully everybody’s having a good school year - those of you who are still working. There is a very strong feeling of massive change in the air. I’m not sure exactly what will happen, but I’m aware of the potentialities. The hate, from those who used to be rational people, is beyond understanding to me. The legacy media is keeping hatred stoked, red hot . By legacy media, I mean those channels/avenues of information that we used to watch when we were younger, with a few exceptions - Facebook, X (Twitter), etc. I haven’t watched them in about three years. I get most of my news from a few trusted sources, but occasionally I will watch CNN and Fox back to back; my favorite papers have always been the NY Times and the NY Post - but both are guilty of extreme political bias. It’s quite remarkable how one story could have two entirely different takeaways.  The takeaway for me is that they cannot be trusted, and they are in the business of manipulation, fabrication, and hyperbole. And of course, if the information is so strong, and so against the philosophy of that venue, it will just omit the entire news story. That is not what bothers me the most about the media. What bothers me most is when our government steps in and controls the narrative via the media. We have to stay grounded and think for ourselves . This will be helpful for the time we are about to go in. These are some of the potential threats I see on the horizon. Hopefully, I am very wrong.

Civil Unrest/ Domestic Terrorism/Civil War

Both candidates have their rabid followers. It isn’t difficult to conclude that there are certain people that want Trump out of the picture, by any means possible. Two assassination attempts and it’s all but forgotten a few days later. After listening to the candidates objectively , Trump should win handily. I think some on both sides of the aisle see this. I believe another misfit or (worse) highly trained person (foreign or domestic) may try to get him one more time as this conclusion sinks in. Then there is the high stress level Trump has to be experiencing - always looking over his shoulder. What I’m saying is that he could be out of the picture before the election via natural or unnatural means. What happens then? Would the election be called off? Perhaps. But I believe that if he is killed or found deceased - it will create a great danger and vacuum in our country. This will be especially true if the powers that be try to push Kamala in, without an election process. 

Natural Disasters 

Something is happening with the Earth. Of course, we know the Earth is getting warmer, but there are also some troubling signs in the form of potential problems via the sun. Sunspots, solar flares, solar storms can create all kinds of problems on the earth which can vary from earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, which can cause great devastation. (Don’t buy any coastal property.) If our country is in policial turmoil at the time and something like this happens, we are in real trouble. 

World War 3

Our politicians are heavily invested via stock investment in companies that they have been helping either directly or indirectly. Many of these companies are under the umbrella category of the military industrial complex. Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Black Rock, Goldman Sachs and other companies, directly or indirectly, are supplying arms bought and paid for by the US to keep these forever wars going. As the US continues to escalate the weapon supply in the Ukraine and Israel, it’s just a matter of time before we are directly involved. All of this is about money - it has nothing to do about wanting to help the Ukraine or help Israel. There were ample opportunities for this administration to broker peace, but it made a deliberate choice not to do so. 

Financial Collapse 

The debt crisis that we are going into is beyond scary. A lot of people don’t understand what goes on concerning the unrestrained printing of money by our government. If something isn’t done quickly, our monetary system may collapse. What that means is digital currency and the potential for all our pensions, Social Security and savings to be greatly diminished. 

On a positive note, no matter what changes, we can be ourselves. Stay positive. 

https://youtu.be/Y_kmUG30t80?si=rWwbm-8UYhJlXSeb

https://youtu.be/l0zxgXgLlJo?si=qpCHWNS6p5ayNLnY

https://youtu.be/0Wq5xOvpeFc?si=JM8QDGNh0c5mf08D

https://youtu.be/E5juJfuOKi0?si=XthTDI-7yamcuHw8

https://nypost.com/2024/09/25/opinion/paul-pelosi-scores-again-with-visa-trade-ban-congress-stock-schemes-now-nancy/

The Art of Double Talk

 

I was perusing, The Chief , this morning and something caught my eye and ire. The Chief article, by Richard Khavkine, entitled ‘Mulgrew’s Resolution for Medicare Falls Short, Claims Critic’, in which Mulgrew is publicly touting what he claims to believe - here’s a snippet -

 “To counter what he implied was the avarice of profit-driven health care providers and the indifference of elected officials, the president of the United Federation of Teachers, Michael Mulgrew, last week proposed a resolution calling for federal legislation protecting Medicare and Social Security. Mulgrew’s resolution, among 17 presented and passed at the American Federation of Teachers convention in Houston, Texas, which he attended, notes that the two entitlement programs form a vital part of the nation’s core safety net, and for seniors in particular. It argues that they should not be burdened by uncertainty concerning the two programs given “a national healthcare crisis is affecting all workers.”  

This is yet another picture of Mulgrew in action or rather inaction. He does manage, rather well, to keep himself in the news and in the public eye. The story centered itself around him pushing a bill through the AFT to protect Medicare. It’s hard to fathom the nerve of this guy. He tries to screw everybody into Medicare Advantage and then when it looks like it’s not going to go through, he changes his course. Or so, it seems. In reality, he hasn’t changed a thing. As for protecting traditional Medicare, he is still in favor of putting each and every one of us in Medicare Advantage . He has said so himself on a recent radio show - there’s a link on my last blog post for a deep dive . So why all this BS? It is the art of double talk taken to near mastery. BS flying from both sides of his mouth. For the gullible Uft members, he is the protector of Medicare. For Mayor Adams he is his partner in pushing us all into Medicare Advantage - “Our version is better than Joe Namath’s! But I can’t prove I worked on it!” - (actual quotes from Mulgrew during that radio show). For the AFT he is a wonderful local union boss who is doing everything for his members. For Randi, he’s towing the line - as she’s like a possessed marionette on fire, besides herself in anticipation for a second shot as secretary of education under Kamala. For the public at large, he’s trying to protect Medicare for everyone. He stands for everything and everyone. In reality, he stands for nothing and no one. 

Here’s a little more from the article via The Chief -

 “But the union president has not fully backed off from the plan. That his partial turnabout came about a week after UFT Retired Teachers chapter elections that saw the pro-Mulgrew Unity slate soundly beaten by the Retiree Advocate slate, which had campaigned largely in opposition to the Medicare Advantage plan, led some to suggest that Mulgrew’s shift reflected more his desire to hold on to the union’s presidency than any sincere sentiment. Union elections are next year, although Mulgrew, who will be completing his fifth three-year term has not yet said whether he would seek a sixth. Whatever his motivation, though, Mulgrew’s stance did not allay criticism, and renewed calls for him to renounce to the city’s Medicare Advantage effort entirely.” 

(Remember to buy The Chief  and subscribe - a truly great paper. You will not get this from the Uft’s propaganda rag.)

Stay cool. 

Mulgrew in Conversation

 Yesterday, I listened to a wonderful radio show on WBAI called, ‘What’s going on - Labor Tuesday’ with Bob Henley. Mr. Henley has an excellent grasp of labor issues and has a background with ‘The Chief’ ( the Uft should have all teachers subscribed and thus shutter their ‘New York Teacher’ rag). During the show Henley interviewed Michael Mulgrew and they directly (and also indirectly) discussed the recent and distant UFT events centered around healthcare. I listened to it carefully several times, and I came away with several takeaways. I suppose the most important being that Mulgrew still supports Medicare Advantage. I certainly would not be surprised if it popped up again. He wants to move away from it now and move on with healthcare negotiations - as retirees have won this fight in the courts and in the election booth . 

 The other takeaway I got was a question - Does Mulgrew know his role and who he is working for? Branching out from that, I would also ask, ‘why is Mulgrew permitted to make unilateral, EXTREMELY important decisions in a so-called democratic union?’ He seems to have a fundamental misunderstanding of his role. While I understand all roles have layers of responsibilities and goals, his (and Randi’s) have transcended many that could be held as reasonably acceptable. Many of the realms, that Mulgrew has ventured into, appear to be in order to curry favor with those who might help later on. It’s an abject plan. It’s like going up to an intimidating bunch of thugs on the street and giving them $10; thus hoping that it will keep them from robbery and assault. He obviously has some trauma left from his time with Bloomberg.  Upon seeing Bill de Blasio come in with a smile, he went from Silent Mike to Accommodating Mike - and gave freely to deBlasio in matters big and small. Mr. Henley referenced this in a non-confrontational manner (excellent interviewing). Here’s the link for the interview and a breakdown of it. The times are approximate (within a few seconds) and from the countdown clock’s time on the right side. I tried to be brief. The writing in brackets are secondary comments and thoughts. I urge you to listen to the program and make your own conclusions. This interview is important coming so close after Mulgrew’s letter. My statements and opinions here are filtered through my own lens as a retiree, human being and disaffected former ATR. There are underlying issues and inferences in almost all Mulgrew’s statements and in his omissions. My emphasis on them, or lack thereof, are what I found to be important and may be different to yours. Cheers.

https://www.wbai.org/archive/program/episode/?id=50526

Bob Henley 51:30 intro

50:30 Mulgrew - we were aggressive, always negotiating healthcare

49:50 Mulgrew - City has a big surplus ( !!!) and shortage of city workers including teachers ( both statements have huge implications!)

49:15 Mulgrew calls out city. We have to team up with the city to fight health care industry- not the workers (!!!)

49:05 Henley - Retirees get to vote?!

Mulgrew- (Doesn't explain why. Interesting because of his former history of catering to them and of them keeping him in office,)  Mulgrew is  astounded that we are unique! Double talk / changes convo towards strength of retirees 

46:00 interviewer remarks on the destructiveness of Michael Bloomberg and the appearance of deBlasio - Mulgrew agrees on the misery of Bloomy and miraculous advent of deBlasio. BDB wanted to change healthcare and asked Mulgrew to change it and there was no drama because benefits weren’t diminished and costs were saved. Interview asks for explanation. Mulgrew says costs were saved for the city(!) he rationalizes it, in that the money saved was money that would have to have been spent, but he doesn’t come out and say by who. (It’s the city, of course.) He mentions that the city uses zero sum accounting and that he saved the city money and DeBlasio saw that as well(!) OMB disliked and dislikes Mulgrew and his actions as they felt it was their job, not his. His rationalization was if they could’ve done it they should’ve done it, but he had to do it. (Why? this gets into his role; who he’s working for; is he a CPA or have UFT CPAs advising?)

41:57 - health stabilization fund $1 billion dollars? Mulgrew states it’s old and antiquated from the 80s. Several inferences. Hip and Ghi - one could get more expensive than the other. So what he wanted to do was get them to equalize so that the city wouldn’t have to pay more for one than the other. (Why? Isn’t that the city’s job?) He states deBlasio didn’t care as long as the city didn’t have to pay. After po- pooing the fund, he says the fund has to be protected to be kept safe(!).  Drug costs are the problem. 

39:32 - interviewer makes the remark that this has created the optics of two types of human beings - active members and retirees, which creates a problem in any labor movement. He basically states it seems to pit one group against the other in order to get premium free healthcare for one versus the other. 

39:21 Mulgrew doesn’t directly answer that comment, but talks about med advantage and the  UFTs version of Med Advantage- his is a better one than Joe Namath's. He says he can’t prove that he worked on this(!). But the city is the problem - “so now it’s time to move on from beating a dead horse on a road” (of course, I’m thinking the horse is the retiree and the road is the hospital ). 

37:20 Henley : Important presidential election - not seeing anything on healthcare, no discussion on fundamental problem of medicare advantage model which makes profit by denials and  is backed by the UFT (!)

Mulgrew states that he was involved in tailoring these Advantage plans to get the absolute best. More double and triple talk. Mulgrew still supports med advantage(!!! ) (WHY?!)

33:35 - Henley - so what’s the solution Mike?  a no cost healthcare that represents everyone? 

Mulgrew - Yes, working with AFT. Medicare is under attack and he and Randi are protecting it (!).

32:20 Henley : what about the nyc situation? 

Mulgrew- meetings are scheduled; we can do the work with a willing partner / UFT has pushed for hospital transparency (lol)