The New York Times reported today on an internal memo written by Wal-Mart’s executive vice president for benefits.
I found quite a difference between the way the Times reported the substance of the memo, and, having read it, the actual contents.
The memo proposes ways to lower Wal-Mart’s total benefits costs by focusing on life insurance, retirement and health care.
In my opinion as a former benefits manager, the memo is a craftsmanly piece of work and does a good job of balancing corporate and employee concerns.
It Is a Dark and Stormy Day…
The weather people were right, the Cape is being “pummeled” with high winds from a confluence of atmospheric disturbances, including a cold air mass from the West and the remnants of two hurricanes, Wilma and Alpha.
Letter to the Governor
I am no fan of Mitt Romney, but he did the right thing this week by challenging the Massachusetts House of Representatives, which gutted Melanie’s Law, the bill intended to curtail drunk driving.
Here’s the text of a letter I sent earlier today:
Waiting for Nineveh
The success or failure of the referendum on the Iraqi constitution rests on the vote from Nineveh, one of the provinces with a significant Sunni Arab population.
If 3 of the 14 provinces reject the document with 2/3 or more of the vote, the referendum will fail.
So far, Anbar and Salaheddin provinces have rejected the document, with votes of 96% and 82%, respectively. This was expected.
Meanwhile, the Iraqi electoral commission is already looking into possible voting irregularities, and expressed “surprise” at Secretary Condoleeza Rice’s assertion in London last week that the constitution would be approved.
Riddle Me This
Since opening my first email account, and especially over the last two years, I’ve received hundreds if not thousands of SPAM about housewives looking for love, hot Latinas, phone sex solicitations, etc.
I haven’t received one, not ONE, SPAM email about lonely men looking for a “date”.
Seriously, why is that?
Correction
In an earlier blog, I blasted Massachusetts for allocating $25 million for the 230 or so Katrina evacuees airlifted to Camp Edwards, providing $108,000 in largesse for each man, woman and child in that group.
I stand corrected.
Chief Porkers
The PorkBusters website contains a lot of helpful info on wasteful spending by the Federal government, and one of their pages breaks the taxpayer-funded lard down by state.
We’ve all read about the “bridge to nowhere in Alaska”, but there are 8 states ahead of them in wasteful Federal spending.
Winter’s Here
We haven’t had a frost or Indian Summer yet, and the leaves haven’t even started turning, but yesterday, I turned on the heat for the first time, so Winter has arrived.
Ugh.
The Truth Hurts
Adam Pertman, executive director of the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, sent letters earlier this week to Saks and FAO Schwartz, blasting them with words like “insidiously offensive”, “stigmatizing” and “demeaning”.
The reason for Mr. Pertman’s fury? A new toy called the “Newborn Nursery Adoption Centers”.
$108,000
That’s the allocation of public funds FROM MASSACHUSETTS ALONE that have been granted by the state Legislature for EACH evacuee transported from New Orleans to Camp Edwards on Cape Cod.
Put another way: that’s over half a million dollars for a family of five.
In addition, evacuees can choose between a federal cash benefit of $26,000 for housing, transportation, etc., or assistance covering 100 percent of rent and utilities for a year.
Peter, Bonnie and the kids should be so lucky.