This is OUTRAGEOUS!!!

Senate committee votes to give insurance to Alabama legislators

By PHILLIP RAWLS
Associated Press Writer

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) -- Sen. E.B. McClain has started a new push to provide state-paid health insurance for legislators, and he has the support of a key Senate committee.

On Wednesday, the Senate Finance and Taxation-General Fund Committee voted 8-5 for McClain's bill that would have the state pay the full cost of health insurance for legislators and the lieutenant governor.

Currently, legislators and the lieutenant governor can participate in the state government's health insurance program, but they must pay the full cost.

McClain's bill would let legislators and the lieutenant governor pay to have their family members covered.

"They will be treated the same as state employees," he said.

Legislative fiscal experts estimated the cost for the state at $1.3 million annually.

Sen. Trip Pittman, R-Daphne, and Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, questioned the timing of the bill during a lean budget year for the state and one year after the Legislature gave itself a 61 percent raise.

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I covered this story when it broke last year. My feelings have only gotten stronger since then.

Last year our governing body voted themselves a 61% pay increase, without voter consent...or even a recorded vote, and then turned out the lights and went home. But, not before this bill was snuck in.

Since, I last reported on this story my family's health insurance costs have risen by $40 a month. We now pay $97 a week on a budget much smaller than Senator McClain or any other member of the governing body is working with.

Considering all the money he paid himself as a consultant for non-profit groups he had the legislature funnel money to, combined with his nice $60,000 + salary as a legislator, plus whatever he brings in from any other work he does, you'd think he could afford the very best health insurance there is.

But no. He wants Alabama citizens, who are struggling to put enough gas in their cars to get to and from work and still be able afford the basic needs of their families...many of who themselves do not have health insurance to fork out some more cash to cover the poor, skinny government pigs at the Alabama government welfare trough.

I've had enough of this! It's time to show up in Montgomery, Alabama in mass numbers and put a stop to this outrageous robbery, gluttony and government run amok! I am sick to death of being robbed!

Who's with me?




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This is really SICK!

Dan over at Between the Links has up a fascinating tidbit on Alabama Senator E.B. McClain and piece of legislation he stuck in at the very last second. According to Dan....


"On the last day of the session, Senator McClain sponsored a curious resolution, SR97, that seeks to provide members of the Alabama Senate with the same health insurance benefits as all other state employees receive. I am told that currently legislators can buy into a state health insurance plan, but family coverage costs $800 a month. The resolution seems to seek the same benefit as other state employees, where there is no premium for single coverage and a $180 a month premium for family coverage.

Bump that!!

My husband works 40 hours a week at a manual labor job for well let's just say it falls waaaaaaaayyyyyy short of that hefty $50,000 our do nothing senate and legislature currently pocket on top of thier other salaries.

We pay $87 a week for family coverage and after that and taxes my husband brings home less than $200 a week for FOUR people to survive on. That's $348 a month for insurance, which is a lot more than what Senator McClain would have to pay if WE start paying their premiums.

We do not accept any state assistance and get by the best we can on less than $200 a week. If we can pay $87 a week for family coverage and live on less that $200 a week I'd wager that our good senators and legislators can eek out at least that much from their fat paychecks and have way more than $200 a week to get by on.

I'd like McClain to explain why he and his fellow senators and their families are more deserving of good insurance coverage at a lower rate (and at the expense of taxpayers) than my family and many thousands of Alabama families can get. Why should those of us who struggle daily be required to cover a fat cat politician's insurance premiums when we barely have enough money to eat and pay our bills after we pay for our insurance?

I remember a few years ago I traveled with my family to the First Baptist Church in Nashville, TN to hear the Rev. Joseph Lowery, father of the civil rights movement, speak. Present at this Sunday morning service was Senator Bill Frist from TN and a few other US Congressmen and Senators. Rev. Lowery smacked them around in a beautiful way when he asked how they can take our money and provide themselves and their families with the very best in healthcare coverage while leaving the rest of us to do the best we can. He said, "How can you take so much from your brother and provide yourself with things using your brother's money that your brother doesn't have?"

Senator Frist had no answer. I don't imagine McClain will either.


H/T Dan