September 2015 vol. 9 no. 9
We hope to see all you Long Islanders for our monthly breakfast get-together on Wednesday, September 16th at around 9:30 - 10:00 am at The Millennium Diner, 156 East Main Street, Smithtown, NY 11787 – located at the junction of Rte 111 and 25A - phone:(631) 724-5556.
This month's “T” shirt color is BROWN
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Your Retiree Benefits
I haven’t heard that any of our members have had difficulty receiving information about the buyout offer, but according to a Lucent Retirees Organization (LRO) notice I received, some of their members have not received notification or personal details relevant to the ALU buyout offer because of glitches in the Company’s records.
Keep in mind the LRO is a Management retiree organization – the only reason I belong it is to gather any that may be useful to us. They often have different problems than we do.
Time is a wastin’. If you decide on making a change you must do it by September 25, 2015
If you retired after March of 1990 and haven’t received notice of the buyout The LRO suggests the following:
When you call the Benefit Center record the date and time and the name (full name if they will give it) of the individual you are talking with. Do this each time you call.
A number of people have been unsuccessful in getting them to call you back but it is still a good idea to ask.Document what they tell you about when you should inquire that the problem is fixed.
If you are requested to send documents, we would suggest that since time is short you consider overnight mailing with a return receipt. In fact, if they are sending you something ask that it be sent over night.
When you call the second or more times tell the representative the name of the individual, date, and time you spoke to previously ALU has made an executive decision to offer (at least in Downstate NY) only one what they call an option for your healthcare coverage in 2016.
ALU has eliminated the Traditional Indemnity (Supplemental to Medicare) option and have announced that we will all (NYers) be enrolled in the UnitedHealthcare Group Medicare Advantage Plan, a Preferred provider Organization (PPO) which replaces Medicare.
The announcement wasn't clear as to whether we will keep the Express Scripts prescription drug plan we now enjoy (and I mean enjoy, it is one of the best I've seen and I see a lot of them). I will be surprised if we will. I am guessing but the UHC plan will probably cover Medicare Parts A (hospital), B (Medical) and D (Prescription drugs).
The Murphy Institute for Worker Education and Labor Studies at the City University of New York issued a report this month that found that black union members in New York City earned higher wages than black nonunion workers. In addition, they had more access to employer-sponsored healthcare, other benefits and pensions.
The study authored by professors Ruth Milkman and Stephanie Luce, found that
“Unionism offers black workers an economic advantage in regard to earnings — to a greater degree than is the case for non-blacks”
The study reflects the condition of New York City blacks and its findings are not valid outside of New York City where almost 40% of black workers are employed at Union jobs while in the rest of the country that number is 13%.
In NYC where like the rest of the country, blacks earn less than whites.
Membership in a union narrowed that gap considerably – by half. Non-union African-Americans Made on average $4.00 less an hour than whites and unionized African-American workers made $2 less.
This is good news for all, African and All the Other- Americans for more reasons than one. It reflects the importance of union strength in maintaining a middle class and the dignity of the American worker.
After a big decline in membership in the last several years – we are beginning to see a rebound.
25% of workers in the City were union members (in a 18 month period) as compared with only 20% in 2012.
If you want to read the complete report, CLICK HERE
Many persons of a certain age who opt to create a Trust do so because either thy want to avoid probate or protect their assets for Medicaid eligibility.
When you die (notice I didn’t say IF you die) your Last Will and Testament will be submitted to a Probate Court which will oversee the distribution of your assets to assure that they are distributed according to your wishes as stated in the will. The Probate Court can (and will) slow down the distribution of your assets and cost your Estate money.
A Revocable Trust (a/k/a Living Trust) is a way to eliminate probate. If you have a Revocable Trust your will dictates how your assets are distributed on your passing without the intercession of the probate court, saving your heirs time and money and making it difficult (nearly impossible) for anyone to challenge the will.
A Revocable Trust (like any type of trust) requires that you appoint a Trustee to manage the assets in the trust. You may appoint yourself as Trustee allowing complete control of your assets while you are alive.
Irrevocable Medicaid Trusts avoid probate and also provide asset protection should you need Medicaid to provide long term care. You may not serve as your own trustee and you are only entitled to use the income earned by the trust. Once assets have been transferred to the trust for 5 years they are unavailable asset as fare as Medicaid eligibility is concerned.
Some people turn over assets to their children to accomplish the same end, but this option forces them to impoverish themselves and exposes their assets to unforeseen consequences.
If you apply for Community Medicaid (a growing, relatively new benefit that provides in-home care) the assets are exempt for eligibility one month after being placed in the Irrevocable Trust.
Both trusts are complicated legal entities and should not be accomplished without the assistance of an Elder Law attorney.
Here are some of the problems associated with the establishment of a trust.
1. Finding a trustee you can trust to manage your money.
2. With an Irrevocable Trust you are restricted access to your funds – This is a relatively easy problem to get around if your trustee is cooperative and willing to abide by your wishes. With a Living Trust you can make yourself the trustee and keep control of your assets.
3. After establishing a trust, some persons fail to place their assets in the trust either out of fear of losing control or inability to handle the process. Some entities, banks in particular, make it more complex than necessary (get another bank). Most attorneys are not helpful in the process of transferring assets and often refer clients to another professional for advice (another cost factor).
There are other types of trusts including the Pooled Income Trust for Community Medicaid that can work for people of any age who need community Medicaid services (namely in-home care)
MY OPINION – most attorneys charge too much – be sure you know what you are getting into.
My wife and I had to manage two trusts and I can tell you – it is not easy - it requires time and effort.
Our experience was good – it accomplished what the owner wanted.
A Market genius - a financial “guru” who managed to show a profit from investments when the market was going up. now she/she/it just makes loud noises…just like they always did.
Check out this Felix Salmon interview by host Bob Garfield on PBS's on the media program. Mr. Salmon is a financial journalist, formerly of Portfolio Magazine and Euromoney and a finance blogger for Reuters, where he analyzed economic and occasionally social issues in addition to financial commentary.Very Interesting - Listen - draw your own conclusion - it is informative and on a certain level - entertaining.
Just CLICK ON the Stock Market Volitity Edition List above
You're gonna' like this if you enjoyed Senor Wenches and his talking head in a box. - "Easy for you - difficult t for me".
Even Simon Cowell liked it.
Bill Duggan sent us this piece. It is written by Richard Lederer who teaches, writes and lectures about the English language.
FADED WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS FROM BYGONE DAYS - WORDS AND PHRASES REMIND US OF THE WAY WE ‘WORD’.
by Richard Lederer
About a month ago, I illuminated some old expressions that have become obsolete because of the inexorable march of technology. These phrases included "Don’t touch that dial," "Carbon copy," "You sound like a broken record" and "Hung out to dry." A bevy of readers have asked me to shine light on more faded words and expressions, and I am happy to oblige:
Back in the olden days we had a lot of moxie. We’d put on our best bib and tucker and straighten up and fly right. Hubba-hubba! We’d cut a rug in some juke joint and then go necking and petting and smooching and spooning and billing and cooing and pitching woo in hot rods and jalopies in some passion pit or lovers’ lane. Heavens to Betsy! Gee whillikers! Jumpin’ Jehoshaphat! Holy moley! We were in like Flynn and living the life of Riley, and even a regular guy couldn’t accuse us of being a knucklehead, a nincompoop or a pill. Not for all the tea in China !Back in the olden days, life used to be swell, but when’s the last time anything was swell? Swell has gone the way of beehives, pageboys and the D.A.; of spats, knickers, fedoras, poodle skirts, saddle shoes and pedal pushers. Oh, my aching back. Kilroy was here, but he isn’t anymore.
Like Washington Irving’s Rip Van Winkle and Kurt Vonnegut’s Billy Pilgrim, we have become unstuck in time. We wake up from what surely has been just a short nap, and before we can say, “I’ll be a monkey’s uncle!” or “This is a fine kettle of fish!” we discover that the words we grew up with, the words that seemed omnipresent as oxygen, have vanished with scarcely a notice from our tongues and our pens and our keyboards.
Poof, poof, poof go the words of our youth, the words we’ve left behind. We blink, and they’re gone, evanesced from the landscape and wordscape of our perception, like Mickey Mouse wristwatches, hula hoops, skate keys, candy cigarettes, little wax bottles of colored sugar water and an organ grinder’s monkey.
Where have all those phrases gone? Long time passing. Where have all those phrases gone? Long time ago: Pshaw. The milkman did it. Think about the starving Armenians. Bigger than bread box. Banned in Boston. The very idea! It’s your nickel. Don’t forget to pull the chain. Knee high to a grasshopper. Turn-of-the-century. Iron curtain. Domino theory. Fail safe. Civil defense. Fiddlesticks! You look like the wreck of the Hesperus. Cooties. Going like sixty. I’ll see you in the funny papers. Don’t take any wooden nickels. Heavens to Murgatroyd! And awa-a-ay we go!
Oh, my stars and garters! It turns out there are more of these lost words and expressions than Carter had liver pills. This can be disturbing stuff, this winking out of the words of our youth, these words that lodge in our heart’s deep core. But just as one never steps into the same river twice, one cannot step into the same language twice. Even as one enters, words are swept downstream into the past, forever making a different river.
We of a certain age have been blessed to live in changeful times. For a child each new word is like a shiny toy, a toy that has no age. We at the other end of the chronological arc have the advantage of remembering there are words that once did not exist and there were words that once strutted their hour upon the earthly stage and now are heard no more, except in our collective memory. It’s one of the greatest advantages of aging. We can have archaic and eat it, too.
See ‘ya later, alligator!
If you enjoyed the above - check out Mr. Lederer's website there is more of the same intelligent, entertaining stuff about words.
CLICK HERE
March 2013 Vol. 7, No. 3
We hope to see all you Long Islanders for our monthly breakfast get-together on Wednesday, March 20th at around 9:30 am at The Millennium Diner, 156 East Main Street, Smithtown, NY 11787 – located at the junction of Rte 111 and 25A - phone:(631) 724-5556.This month's “T” shirt color is [WHAT ELSE] GREEN
Each March I try to do a story with an Irish theme –the reason being obvious – St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17th. Since history is an interest of mine, I usually write about Irish history in America. Last year I wrote a piece about two people who were instrumental in building St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
I started the piece with, “One of the heroes of this piece is a young man who immigrates to America where he is ordained as a priest after failing to accomplish that in his native Ireland. The other is a black slave brought to America from his native Haiti.
One of them became one of the (I believe the most) influential Catholic clergyman ever to grace this country, and the other is on the path to sainthood.”
If you haven’t read that story, you may want to check it out in the Archives section (March 2012 v. 6 no.3). The Irishman mentioned above figures in this piece too.
Archbishop John Hughes and Pierre Toussaint were an unusual pairing, but somehow they came together to build one of New York’s most visited landmarks and a center, if not the center of the Catholic Church in America.
That anomalous pairing has nothing on the following bit of Irish-American history.
1. In a protest against the Civil War and particularly the draft, Irish immigrants staged the largest and most violent civil insurrection in American history.
2. Irish-born men in both the North and the South volunteered to fight - 140,000 served in the Union Army. Go figure -
If you told anyone alive on July 12th 1863 that Irish immigrants from New York City would be among the bravest, most effective and most decorated in the Union Army, they would think you were craiceáilte (that’s Irish for loony).
From June 13th to July 16th, mobs in NY, made up mostly of Irish immigrants, participated in riots that ended only when the National Guard was called out to restore order.
The mayor’s residence, several police stations and numerous other buildings were attacked and burned. An orphanage that housed black children was attacked and Horace Greeley’s office at The New York Tribunenewspaper was set afire. The protests were fueled by alcohol and when a bar in the path of the rioters refused to serve liquor, it was burned down. Ordinary policemen (mostly Irish) were attacked and the Chief of Police (Irish) was pummeled into unconsciousness by the marauding protesters.More than 120 people were killed (mostly African American men) and more than 2,000 suffered injuries. Many blacks were tortured and beaten and at least one was lynched and incinerated.
I started the piece with, “One of the heroes of this piece is a young man who immigrates to America where he is ordained as a priest after failing to accomplish that in his native Ireland. The other is a black slave brought to America from his native Haiti.
One of them became one of the (I believe the most) influential Catholic clergyman ever to grace this country, and the other is on the path to sainthood.”
If you haven’t read that story, you may want to check it out in the Archives section (March 2012 v. 6 no.3). The Irishman mentioned above figures in this piece too.
Archbishop John Hughes and Pierre Toussaint were an unusual pairing, but somehow they came together to build one of New York’s most visited landmarks and a center, if not the center of the Catholic Church in America.
That anomalous pairing has nothing on the following bit of Irish-American history.
1. In a protest against the Civil War and particularly the draft, Irish immigrants staged the largest and most violent civil insurrection in American history.
2. Irish-born men in both the North and the South volunteered to fight - 140,000 served in the Union Army. Go figure -
If you told anyone alive on July 12th 1863 that Irish immigrants from New York City would be among the bravest, most effective and most decorated in the Union Army, they would think you were craiceáilte (that’s Irish for loony).
From June 13th to July 16th, mobs in NY, made up mostly of Irish immigrants, participated in riots that ended only when the National Guard was called out to restore order.
The mayor’s residence, several police stations and numerous other buildings were attacked and burned. An orphanage that housed black children was attacked and Horace Greeley’s office at The New York Tribunenewspaper was set afire. The protests were fueled by alcohol and when a bar in the path of the rioters refused to serve liquor, it was burned down. Ordinary policemen (mostly Irish) were attacked and the Chief of Police (Irish) was pummeled into unconsciousness by the marauding protesters.More than 120 people were killed (mostly African American men) and more than 2,000 suffered injuries. Many blacks were tortured and beaten and at least one was lynched and incinerated.
Most of the NY Irish were pro-slavery, anti-black, anti war, anti-Lincoln and his Republican Party.
Resentment toward blacks had been brewing for some time.
Unlike other immigrants to America, the immigrant Irish (Catholics) often lived in abject poverty and suffered soul-killing discrimination at the hands of nativists. They came to these shores to escape the potato famine (most between 1845 and 1852) without possessions or money - with nothing but need.
With the thought of four million blacks coming onto the labor market with a Northern victory and the end to slavery it promised, the War was widely unpopular among the Irish. Their precarious economic status was dependant on the low-wage jobs they saw threatened.
Poor whites, all poor whites, not only Irish immigrants, were in as bad or worse economic position as black slaves. Slave owners had an economic incentive to keep their property (slaves) healthy and safe. Poor whites (and especially Irish-Catholics) were left to fend for themselves.The Democratic Party, led by Tammany Hall, used the fear of job competition to enlist many Irish in the anti-war campaign that opposed the election of Lincoln in 1860. The so-called “Copperhead” Democrats who opposed Lincoln (a Republican) and the War had riled up saloon-based groups with fiery speeches and free drinks The specific outrage stemmed from the draft for Civil War soldiers—a draft that had no effect on the rich who could simply buy their way out of service for $300.
A civic association named after an old English bawdy song, whose words "Sublime was the warning which Liberty spoke" appealed to Americans, began the four day melee. The Black Joke Engine Company 33, a politically influential group of firemen, left the Ivy Green tavern on Lafayette Street to protest the onerous provisions of the draft law.
They rallied a crowd of 500 on July 13, marched to the draft office, and burnt it down.
The mob then headed to Bull’s Head Tavern on 44th Street and demanded free booze. When they were refused, the rioters burned down the tavern, and moved on to more violence, mostly aimed at blacks. Many of the attacked and tortured victims were black, since rioters perceived them to be the root cause of the Civil War.
An early 20th century architect-historian, Isaac Newton Phelps, wrote a description of the goings on in New York on that first day of the riots in The Iconography of Manhattan Island.
“Before the day was over, gangs of thieves had joined the crowd and availed themselves of the general disturbance to reap a harvest of plunder. While the up-town mob was destroying a brownstone block on Lexington Avenue, a detachment of marines, some fifty in number, with muskets and blank cartridges, was sent to quell the riot……..As the marines advanced, they fired blank cartridges at the mob which immediately rushed upon them, broke up the little band, seized their muskets, trampled the men under foot, beat them with sticks, and laughed at their impotance [sic]….
The mob was particularly infuriated against African Americans. Restaurants and hotels whose servants were of that race were taken possession of by the rioters, who smashed windows, destroyed furniture and maltreated guests, and tried to kill fleeing blacks. No coloured person’s life was safe…
The number of buildings burned by the mob, from Monday until Wednesday morning, was more than fifty, and included besides the Colored Orphan Asylum, two police stations, three provost-marshall’s offices, and an entire block of houses on Broadway. A large number of stores and dwellings were sacked though not burned and their contents destroyed or carried away. The entire amount of property stolen or destroyed amounted to upward of one million two hundred thousand dollars.”
[Based on an historic standard of living formula, this amounts to $44,400,000 in 2013 dollars.]
The four days from July 13th to July 16th contained the largest civil insurrection in American history.
When Confederate soldiers fired on Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, a little over a month after Lincoln’s inauguration on March 4 the same year, Irish-American newspapers, notably the Boston Pilot,nicknamed the “Irish Bible”, politicians and religious leaders supported the Union cause.
It should be noted though that Archbishop John Joseph Hughes of New York warned Lincoln that “if Irish-American soldiers had to fight for the abolition of slavery, then, indeed, they will turn away in disgust from the discharge of what would otherwise be a patriotic duty.” It would be incorrect to say that “Dagger John”, the “bishop in chief” of New York, was anti-slavery.
When Confederate soldiers fired on Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, a little over a month after Lincoln’s inauguration on March 4 the same year, Irish-American newspapers, notably the Boston Pilot,nicknamed the “Irish Bible”, politicians and religious leaders supported the Union cause.
It should be noted though that Archbishop John Joseph Hughes of New York warned Lincoln that “if Irish-American soldiers had to fight for the abolition of slavery, then, indeed, they will turn away in disgust from the discharge of what would otherwise be a patriotic duty.” It would be incorrect to say that “Dagger John”, the “bishop in chief” of New York, was anti-slavery.
It should be noted though that Archbishop John Joseph Hughes of New York warned Lincoln that “if Irish-American soldiers had to fight for the abolition of slavery, then, indeed, they will turn away in disgust from the discharge of what would otherwise be a patriotic duty.” It would be incorrect to say that “Dagger John”, the “bishop in chief” of New York, was anti-slavery.
After John Hughes, the most famous Irishmen in America were Thomas Francis Meagher and Michael Corcoran.
Corcoran was the first Irish-American war hero; he was captured at the First Bull Run, behaved valiantly during his confinement and was released a year later. He was beloved by the Irish for his refusal to present his regiment (69th NY Militia) for review when the English Prince of Wales visited in 1860.
Like Meagher, Corcoran had a drinking problem. In fact he was in the process of being court-marshaled when the war broke out; his bad behavior was overlooked because he was seen as essential to the war effort.
Thomas Francis Meagher was a politician who had no problem using his Irish ethnicity to advance his career.
After John Hughes, the most famous Irishmen in America were Thomas Francis Meagher and Michael Corcoran.
Corcoran was the first Irish-American war hero; he was captured at the First Bull Run, behaved valiantly during his confinement and was released a year later. He was beloved by the Irish for his refusal to present his regiment (69th NY Militia) for review when the English Prince of Wales visited in 1860.
Like Meagher, Corcoran had a drinking problem. In fact he was in the process of being court-marshaled when the war broke out; his bad behavior was overlooked because he was seen as essential to the war effort.
Thomas Francis Meagher was a politician who had no problem using his Irish ethnicity to advance his career.
Both men had less than sterling reputations, but both thought that serving in the military on the Union side would be a blow to the anti-immigrant No-Nothing Party which had joined with the Democratic Party. To them military service offered an opportunity for Irishmen to earn their place as full-fledged citizens in the eyes of their fellow Americans.
Meagher said in a rally speech that an Irish veteran could "take his stand proudly by the side of the native-born, and will not fear to look him straight and sternly in the face, and tell him that he has been equal to him in his allegiance to the Constitution.”
With Bishop Hughes’ somewhat reluctant backing, Meager was able to sign up 3,000 volunteers in New York. By November 1861 The Irish Brigade was complete with the NY 69th Regiment at its core and 63rd New York Infantry and the 88th New York Infantry to fill its ranks. A regiment of mostly German immigrants, the 28th Massachusetts, was also part of the Brigade.
When the Irish Brigade left NY to join the battles with (recently appointed) General Meagher in command, Archbishop Hughes presented each Regiment with flags that pictured a gold harp, white clouds and sunburst on a green background. The Brigade's motto, written on the banner in Gaelic, was: "Who never retreated from the clash of spears."
Meagher said in a rally speech that an Irish veteran could "take his stand proudly by the side of the native-born, and will not fear to look him straight and sternly in the face, and tell him that he has been equal to him in his allegiance to the Constitution.”
With Bishop Hughes’ somewhat reluctant backing, Meager was able to sign up 3,000 volunteers in New York. By November 1861 The Irish Brigade was complete with the NY 69th Regiment at its core and 63rd New York Infantry and the 88th New York Infantry to fill its ranks. A regiment of mostly German immigrants, the 28th Massachusetts, was also part of the Brigade.
When the Irish Brigade left NY to join the battles with (recently appointed) General Meagher in command, Archbishop Hughes presented each Regiment with flags that pictured a gold harp, white clouds and sunburst on a green background. The Brigade's motto, written on the banner in Gaelic, was: "Who never retreated from the clash of spears."
The Brigade saw its first action during the ill-fated Peninsula Campaign commanded by General George B. McClellan. In that meeting Robert E. Lee foiled McClellan’s plan to march on Richmond. The campaign ended at the Battle of Malvern Hill, Virginia where the Brigade performed gallantly. Lee’s soldiers suffered 5,300 casualties but gained no ground.
After the battle, when one of the Brigade’s officers requested new rifles to replace those damaged in the fight. His request was refused. The corps Commander assumed that the men had been careless and lost them.
He changed his mind when he was shown piles of rifles with broken stocks, bent barrels and crooked bayonets.
After the battle, when one of the Brigade’s officers requested new rifles to replace those damaged in the fight. His request was refused. The corps Commander assumed that the men had been careless and lost them.
He changed his mind when he was shown piles of rifles with broken stocks, bent barrels and crooked bayonets.
The Brigade soldiers had fought hand-to-hand with the Louisiana Tigers. One young soldier confided, "The boys got in a scrimmage with the Tigers, and when the bloody villains took to their knives, the boys mostly forgot their bayonets, but went to work in the style they were used to, and licked them well, sir." The Irish had used the rifles as cudgels.That battle made their reputation and they continued a tradition of valor in combat.
The Brigade performed valiantly at the battle of Antietam and most famously at Fredericksburg, Va., on Dec. 13, 1862.
The battle ended in disaster for the Union Army led by General Burnside, but the valiant fight put up by the Irish Brigade at Marye's Heights against a Georgia unit added to their glory.
Of the 1,400 men who charged toward Confederates positioned behind a stone wall perched on a rise 545 became casualties. All of the officers of the 69th New York were lost in that one battle.
In the aftermath, a Confederate officer wrote, "The last charge was made ... o'er the bloody field by Meagher's celebrated Irish Brigade which was almost destroyed. The gallant fellows deserved a better fate."
The Brigade performed valiantly at the battle of Antietam and most famously at Fredericksburg, Va., on Dec. 13, 1862.
The battle ended in disaster for the Union Army led by General Burnside, but the valiant fight put up by the Irish Brigade at Marye's Heights against a Georgia unit added to their glory.
Of the 1,400 men who charged toward Confederates positioned behind a stone wall perched on a rise 545 became casualties. All of the officers of the 69th New York were lost in that one battle.
In the aftermath, a Confederate officer wrote, "The last charge was made ... o'er the bloody field by Meagher's celebrated Irish Brigade which was almost destroyed. The gallant fellows deserved a better fate."
By the end of the War, the Irish Brigade suffered the third-highest number of battlefield casualties of any Union Brigade.
7,715 men served in its ranks, 961 were killed and 3,000 were wounded. Eleven of the Brigade’s members were awarded the Medal of Honor.
When Lincoln visited McClellan's army at Harrison's Landing, Va., the president grasped a corner of one of the Irish flags, kissed it and said, "God bless the Irish flag."
At the end of the war, 400 Brigade survivors paraded for the people of New York City and were addressed by Thomas Meagher
Now if you really want to celebrate you can sing along with this Irish Brigade Fight song. It helps to have a few first.
Click here to sing along The words are below.
The Irish Volunteer -
My name is Tim McDonald, I'm a native of the Isle,
I was born among old Erin's bogs when I was but a child.
My father fought in " 'Ninety-eight," for liberty so dear;
He fell upon old Vinegar Hill, like and Irish volunteer.
Then raise the harp of Erin, boys, the flag we all revere--
We'll fight and fall beneath its folds, like Irish volunteers!
When I was driven from my home by an oppressor's hand,
I cut my sticks and greased my brogues, and came o'er to this land.
I found a home and many friends, and some that I love dear;
Be jabbers! I'll stick to them like bricks and an Irish volunteer.
Then fill your glasses up, my boys, and drink a hearty cheer,
To the land of our adoption and the Irish volunteer!
Now when the traitors in the south commenced a warlike raid,
I quickly then laid down my hod, to the devil went my spade!
To a recruiting-office then I went, that happened to be near,
And joined the good old "Sixty-ninth," like and Irish volunteer.
Then fill the ranks and march away!--no traitors do we fear;
We'll drive them all to blazes, says the Irish volunteer.
When the Prince of Wales came over here, and made a hubbaboo,
Oh, everybody turned out, you know, in gold and tinsel too;
But then the good old Sixty-ninth didn't like these lords or peers--
They wouldn't give a damn for kings, the Irish volunteers!
We love the land of Liberty, its laws we will revere,
"But the divil take nobility!" says the Irish volunteer!
Then raise the harp of Erin, boys, the flag we all revere--
We'll fight and fall beneath its folds, like Irish volunteers!
Then fill your glasses up, my boys, and drink a hearty cheer,
To the land of our adoption and the Irish volunteer!
7,715 men served in its ranks, 961 were killed and 3,000 were wounded. Eleven of the Brigade’s members were awarded the Medal of Honor.
When Lincoln visited McClellan's army at Harrison's Landing, Va., the president grasped a corner of one of the Irish flags, kissed it and said, "God bless the Irish flag."
At the end of the war, 400 Brigade survivors paraded for the people of New York City and were addressed by Thomas Meagher
Now if you really want to celebrate you can sing along with this Irish Brigade Fight song. It helps to have a few first.
Click here to sing along The words are below.
The Irish Volunteer -
My name is Tim McDonald, I'm a native of the Isle,
I was born among old Erin's bogs when I was but a child.
My father fought in " 'Ninety-eight," for liberty so dear;
He fell upon old Vinegar Hill, like and Irish volunteer.
Then raise the harp of Erin, boys, the flag we all revere--
We'll fight and fall beneath its folds, like Irish volunteers!
When I was driven from my home by an oppressor's hand,
I cut my sticks and greased my brogues, and came o'er to this land.
I found a home and many friends, and some that I love dear;
Be jabbers! I'll stick to them like bricks and an Irish volunteer.
Then fill your glasses up, my boys, and drink a hearty cheer,
To the land of our adoption and the Irish volunteer!
Now when the traitors in the south commenced a warlike raid,
I quickly then laid down my hod, to the devil went my spade!
To a recruiting-office then I went, that happened to be near,
And joined the good old "Sixty-ninth," like and Irish volunteer.
Then fill the ranks and march away!--no traitors do we fear;
We'll drive them all to blazes, says the Irish volunteer.
When the Prince of Wales came over here, and made a hubbaboo,
Oh, everybody turned out, you know, in gold and tinsel too;
But then the good old Sixty-ninth didn't like these lords or peers--
They wouldn't give a damn for kings, the Irish volunteers!
We love the land of Liberty, its laws we will revere,
"But the divil take nobility!" says the Irish volunteer!
Then raise the harp of Erin, boys, the flag we all revere--
We'll fight and fall beneath its folds, like Irish volunteers!
Then fill your glasses up, my boys, and drink a hearty cheer,
To the land of our adoption and the Irish volunteer!
Dick Usewicz has a heads up for those of us (men) of a certain age who may be victimized by this scam aimed at them in particular. Dick has been burned by these villains and he asked me to pass this warning along.
I think you will all agree that he is doing us a great service by passing this along. Thanks Dick -
Women often receive warnings about protecting themselves at the mall and in dark parking lots, etc. This is the first warning I have seen for men. I wanted to pass it on in case you haven't heard about it.
A 'heads up' for those men who may be regular customers at Lowe's, Home Depot, Costco, or even Wal-Mart. This one caught me totally by surprise. Over the last month I became a victim of a clever scam while out shopping. Simply going out to get supplies has turned out to be quite traumatic. Don't be naive enough to think it couldn't happen to you or your friends.Here's how the scam works:
Two nice-looking, college-aged girls will come over to your car or truck as you are packing your purchases into your vehicle. They both start wiping your windshield with a rag and Windex, with their breasts almost falling out of their skimpy T-shirts. (It's impossible not to look).When you thank them and offer them a tip, they say 'No' but instead ask for a ride to McDonald's.
You agree and they climb into the vehicle. On the way, they start undressing. Then one of them starts crawling all over you, while the other one steals your wallet.
I had my wallet stolen Mar. 4th, 9th, 10th, twice on the 15th, 17th, 20th, 24th, & 29th. Also Apr. 1st & 4th, twice on the 8th, 16th, 23rd, 26th & 27th, and very likely again this upcoming weekend.
So tell your friends to be careful. What a horrible way to take advantage of us older men. Warn your friends to be vigilant.
Wal-Mart has wallets on sale for $2.99 each. I found even cheaper ones for $.99 at the dollar store and bought them out in three of their stores.
Also, you never get to eat at McDonald's. I've already lost 11 pounds just running back and forth from Lowe's, to Home Depot, to Costco, Etc.
So please, send this on to all the older men that you know and warn them to be on the lookout for this scam. (The best times are just before lunch and around 4:30 in the afternoon.)
I personally can't thank Dick enough for the heads up.
I think you will all agree that he is doing us a great service by passing this along. Thanks Dick -
Women often receive warnings about protecting themselves at the mall and in dark parking lots, etc. This is the first warning I have seen for men. I wanted to pass it on in case you haven't heard about it.
A 'heads up' for those men who may be regular customers at Lowe's, Home Depot, Costco, or even Wal-Mart. This one caught me totally by surprise. Over the last month I became a victim of a clever scam while out shopping. Simply going out to get supplies has turned out to be quite traumatic. Don't be naive enough to think it couldn't happen to you or your friends.Here's how the scam works:
Two nice-looking, college-aged girls will come over to your car or truck as you are packing your purchases into your vehicle. They both start wiping your windshield with a rag and Windex, with their breasts almost falling out of their skimpy T-shirts. (It's impossible not to look).When you thank them and offer them a tip, they say 'No' but instead ask for a ride to McDonald's.
You agree and they climb into the vehicle. On the way, they start undressing. Then one of them starts crawling all over you, while the other one steals your wallet.
I had my wallet stolen Mar. 4th, 9th, 10th, twice on the 15th, 17th, 20th, 24th, & 29th. Also Apr. 1st & 4th, twice on the 8th, 16th, 23rd, 26th & 27th, and very likely again this upcoming weekend.
So tell your friends to be careful. What a horrible way to take advantage of us older men. Warn your friends to be vigilant.
Wal-Mart has wallets on sale for $2.99 each. I found even cheaper ones for $.99 at the dollar store and bought them out in three of their stores.
Also, you never get to eat at McDonald's. I've already lost 11 pounds just running back and forth from Lowe's, to Home Depot, to Costco, Etc.
So please, send this on to all the older men that you know and warn them to be on the lookout for this scam. (The best times are just before lunch and around 4:30 in the afternoon.)
I personally can't thank Dick enough for the heads up.
Ole’ lyin’Ryan is at it again. Ryan, who in spite of his party’s best efforts to hide him from public view during the last Presidential campaign, is in the limelight again. He is being used as the Republican Party’s stalking horse for an effort to privatize Medicare by suggesting a system of vouchers.Ryan, or the moonlighters from the Kukla Fran & Ollie Show who manipulate him , suggests that he is going to save Medicare by replacing the present single-payer system with a voucher system that would subsidize seniors so that they could buy private insurance rather than participate in Medicare.
The plan would begin in 2021 and newly eligible seniors would no longer be covered under the current system, but would instead receive a voucher (subsidy) worth about $5,900 (on average) toward the purchase of private health insurance. The voucher would be increased based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI). More about that later.
Together with that bit of chicanery, his plan would incrementally redefine “senior’ for persons born after 1956. Those lucky ducks wouldn't be seniors until they reach the age of 69. Think of all the lunch specials and $6.50 movie tickets that they will be losing out on - but then again they will delay being the butt of senior jokes.
Why is it chicanery? Try buying a private healthcare plan today at age 64 that has the same benefits as Medicare. You would spend your $5,900 by February or March.
What you will be able to buy is crappy managed care -
Ryan calls it “A Road Map for America’s Future”. Yeah, right-
Apparently he doesn't know the difference between cost saving and cost shifting - He wants to shift the cost of medical care onto Medicare beneficiaries.
The plan would begin in 2021 and newly eligible seniors would no longer be covered under the current system, but would instead receive a voucher (subsidy) worth about $5,900 (on average) toward the purchase of private health insurance. The voucher would be increased based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI). More about that later.
Together with that bit of chicanery, his plan would incrementally redefine “senior’ for persons born after 1956. Those lucky ducks wouldn't be seniors until they reach the age of 69. Think of all the lunch specials and $6.50 movie tickets that they will be losing out on - but then again they will delay being the butt of senior jokes.
Why is it chicanery? Try buying a private healthcare plan today at age 64 that has the same benefits as Medicare. You would spend your $5,900 by February or March.
What you will be able to buy is crappy managed care -
Ryan calls it “A Road Map for America’s Future”. Yeah, right-
Apparently he doesn't know the difference between cost saving and cost shifting - He wants to shift the cost of medical care onto Medicare beneficiaries.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) calculates that the share of standardized medical expenses paid out-of-pocket by the typical 65-year-old in 2030 would be 68% under Ryan’s plan, compared with 25% under Medicare as we know it. The Office summed it up by stating “a typical beneficiary would spend more for health care under the proposal than under CBO’s long-term outlook [for Medicare]” for several reasons.
Private plans like your PPO, and other Medicare Advantage plans cost the government more per enrollee than does Medicare.
Increasing the voucher based on the rise in the CPI is a sham. Medical costs outpace the CPI by a long shot. You can expect the cost of policies to increase much faster than the value of the vouchers.
The result - the number of uninsured or under-insured elderly adults will increase.
Everyone enrolled in Medicare Advantage Plan (private insurance) is subsidized by myself and every Medicare enrollee not in such a plan. The subsidy amounts to about 20% more than what it costs Medicare for each individual. Obamacare is adjusting the subsidy down, so that by 2017 the subsidy will achjieve parity with Medicare costs.
Bottom line – Over time fewer of the elderly would be covered by health insurance, or their levels of coverage under private insurance would be less than under Medicare.
Read the CBO’s report by clicking HERE
Private plans like your PPO, and other Medicare Advantage plans cost the government more per enrollee than does Medicare.
Increasing the voucher based on the rise in the CPI is a sham. Medical costs outpace the CPI by a long shot. You can expect the cost of policies to increase much faster than the value of the vouchers.
The result - the number of uninsured or under-insured elderly adults will increase.
Everyone enrolled in Medicare Advantage Plan (private insurance) is subsidized by myself and every Medicare enrollee not in such a plan. The subsidy amounts to about 20% more than what it costs Medicare for each individual. Obamacare is adjusting the subsidy down, so that by 2017 the subsidy will achjieve parity with Medicare costs.
Bottom line – Over time fewer of the elderly would be covered by health insurance, or their levels of coverage under private insurance would be less than under Medicare.
Read the CBO’s report by clicking HERE
I don’t want to beat a dead horse BUT (I really do – what’s better than saying –I told you so) I’ve already done more than one piece about Republican hypocrisy (see last month’s newsletter) that allows them to support a position that would be detrimental to their constituency and/or the country at large while seldom having to pay the piper because their positions are seldom enacted and when they are they are circumvented. Remember Lyin’ Ryan’s diatribe against federal spending and his subsequent fawning letter to Joe Biden requesting a piece of the federal pie.
Since last month, New Jersey, Texas and Florida jumped on the Obamacare bandwagon.
The reason is not complicated –. Failure to adopt the Medicaid expansion included in the Affordable Care Act would leave millions of Americans in the lurch; about 11.5 million adults earning less than 100% of the poverty level would have no healthcare coverage. Unless these staunch ideologues were willing to see people dying in the streets of their states, or would be willing to pay retail prices at hospitals for the care of the uninsured – they had to sign up. We welcome them to the club.
Since last month, New Jersey, Texas and Florida jumped on the Obamacare bandwagon.
The reason is not complicated –. Failure to adopt the Medicaid expansion included in the Affordable Care Act would leave millions of Americans in the lurch; about 11.5 million adults earning less than 100% of the poverty level would have no healthcare coverage. Unless these staunch ideologues were willing to see people dying in the streets of their states, or would be willing to pay retail prices at hospitals for the care of the uninsured – they had to sign up. We welcome them to the club.
Last month, together with anther installer, I attempted to help the family one of our recently deceased colleagues determine if the family was entitled to any veteran benefits.
Access to records was difficult, the death was unexpected and there were geographical issues that were difficult to overcome.
It pointed out to me how important it is for veterans make and maintain contact with the Veteran’s Administration so they know what their rights and benefits are.
The situation is constantly changing and many more vets are eligible for benefits than ever before.
There is a ton of good information and links at the Veteran Benefits section of this newsletter.
Go to that section and Click on the To Determine your eligibility for benefits link and sign up or investigate what you may be eligible for.
Beyond that – make sure your family knows where your service documents are kept.
On the same subject:
Some time ago I prepared a presentation for an organization that I am part of. Our Speakers Bureau gives talks to senior groups about issues like Medicare, Caregiving, Senior Scams and Organizing the material possessions and records you accumulate.
The handout I developed for the Organizing presentation was prepared with the guidance of a senior caseworker and an Elder Law attorney and other professionals who are involved in senior issues.
It provides valuable information that may make you familiar with what documents are essential and how to store them so they are available when and if you or your family members need to get to them.
I am putting a link to the handout HERE and a permanent link in the Your Retiree Benefits section of the newsletter – just click onGet Organized!.
Access to records was difficult, the death was unexpected and there were geographical issues that were difficult to overcome.
It pointed out to me how important it is for veterans make and maintain contact with the Veteran’s Administration so they know what their rights and benefits are.
The situation is constantly changing and many more vets are eligible for benefits than ever before.
There is a ton of good information and links at the Veteran Benefits section of this newsletter.
Go to that section and Click on the To Determine your eligibility for benefits link and sign up or investigate what you may be eligible for.
Beyond that – make sure your family knows where your service documents are kept.
On the same subject:
Some time ago I prepared a presentation for an organization that I am part of. Our Speakers Bureau gives talks to senior groups about issues like Medicare, Caregiving, Senior Scams and Organizing the material possessions and records you accumulate.
The handout I developed for the Organizing presentation was prepared with the guidance of a senior caseworker and an Elder Law attorney and other professionals who are involved in senior issues.
It provides valuable information that may make you familiar with what documents are essential and how to store them so they are available when and if you or your family members need to get to them.
I am putting a link to the handout HERE and a permanent link in the Your Retiree Benefits section of the newsletter – just click onGet Organized!.