It's Official, I am now on the board as assistant health benefit's officer, FSNA (Toronto). I need to re-evaluate who I vote for.

Today I was at our fall National Association of Federal Retirees meeting at our Toronto branch. We were honoured with the presence of the President of the Association, a retired RCMP Officer. I did not realize that his position was a volunteer position and his passion did not go unnoticed. Though I have been assisting for a while as I mentioned in an earlier blog, today I was actually sworn in as an assistant Health Benefits Officer, and therefore, I will no longer utilize humour. Ethics is important to me and so is humour, but I understand what is humorous for one may not be for another. Therefore, officially today, no more humour (when I speak of FSNA). My position is simply passing on information regarding the public service health care. The government is presently trying to charge us 50% more. It is sad that the government keeps dipping at the expense of retirees. Agreements made prior to retirement seem to no longer be honoured. But we still have a voice and politicians should remember that they are elected. That is why it is so important to vote. I encourage all retirees of the Federal Public Service to join our Association. When I retired, this information was provided in a flyer and I immediately joined. I have been part of this organization since 1994. It appears that flyers no longer are automatically enclosed in all retirement packages. Many do not even know of our existence. When the government dipped into the military pension surplus, I was astonished. This is a democratic country and I expected that to be the partaking of a communist community who do as they wish. People need to protect their pension and reserves for future requirement. Governments need to take responsibility to its people. I remember my counsellor's advice to stay out of politics when I toyed with the idea of supporting a city office. I intend to stay out of politics. However, when my pension may be tampered with and my health plan may be tampered with, I need to examine what I consider is politics and what I consider is advocacy. I do not think that anyone in the world should be hungry. I do not think that anyone in Canada should be hungry. I need to take a closer look at why Seniors and the vulnerable are hungry or neglected or both. I need to examine my present government closer from the city level where a counsellor posted a sleeping employee on line for the world to see and then have the argument introduced that city employees should be replaced by contractors. If this wasn't an excellent example of being fallacious, I do not know what is. If this is not against the human rights of the city employee, I do not know what is. Imagine if every employer started posting who they considered a bad employee on line, rather than taking appropriate disciplinary action? There is a process. I am not in favour of anyone losing their jobs nowadays when our world and finances are so unpredictable. I am taking a closer look at my city and a closer look at all levels of government. I received a letter back from my Liberal representative regarding the Conservative government trying to take more from pensioners. I have been a conservative for many years. But, I may have to take another look at who I vote for and why. Every once in a while, I need to regroup. I marvelled when Obama became President. I feared for his life, when he became President. I see what he has been trying to do with bringing fair health care for the American people. I know and have heard of Americans coming to our country because of our health care system. I have heard of Canadians losing their shirts when travelling without insurance or if they have not filled in the forms properly for greedy insurance companies. Perhaps it is time to take a closer look at fat corporations, getting fatter and fat corporations getting bailed out by governments using our tax dollars. Perhaps, it is time to slap the wrists of those tampering with what has been paid into and earned. Perhaps it is time for people to utilize the voice given to them and to say no to bullying at all levels. What do you think?