BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Limba - ECPv6.16.5//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://limba.net X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Limba REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20090308T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20091101T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20100314T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20101107T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20110313T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20111106T060000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20100205T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20100205T000000 DTSTAMP:20100205T050000Z CREATED:20100205T050000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20100205T050000Z UID:4385-1265328000-1265328000@limba.net SUMMARY:Congressman Tim Bishop DESCRIPTION:Members and Friends\, \n \nThis morning we were pleased to welcome Congressman Tim Bishop\, of the 1st District in New York.  Mr. Bishop’s talk today was on the economy and job creation. You can see the entire meeting on video including the feisty Q&A session on Pro Image Studios website:  http://proimagegroupinc.com/limba/2-5-10 In his opinion\, there are three keys to recovering from the recession:\n \n\n\nPutting people back to work so they can begin to spend again and get economic demand stoked.\nStabilizing the banking system to get lending moving again\, providing working capital to business.\nForeclosure mitigation\, keeping homeowners in their homes.\n\nMr. Bishop went on to describe the stimulus program (ARRA) as a modest success against those three goals\, and a singular success at pulling our financial system back from the brink of a total depression.  It is easy to take shots at TARP\, but it worked to avoid a complete collapse.  The ARRA has served to begin the process of bringing us out of a deep hole\, with GDP swinging to a positive direction during the year since its announcement.  The Congressman provided many statistics to reinforce his assertion.  He claimed the best evidence for the ARRA’s influence on Long Island is to look at education on Long Island.  He said that the program backfilled the cuts that would have had to happen without the injection of $157 million dollars to the local education authorities.  It saved local jobs\, avoided a property tax increase\, and preserved the quality of education on Long Island. \n \nTim went on to say that until the recovery of jobs takes place\, we can’t claim to be out of a recession.  We desperately need infrastructure investment\, as these are investments whose benefits remain with us for a long time.  The ARRA didn’t include enough for infrastructure\, the Jobs for Main Street program does.  This program also has money in it to continue to backfill education cuts at the state level.  This will hopefully help us avoid a double dip recession which is possible with the upcoming negative stimulus of state budget cuts.\n \nThe congressman went on to describe the differences between the Obama administration’s budget proposal and the House and Senate versions.  The President’s budget focuses more on small business and less on infrastructure.  Four important points in the budget are tax credits for new hiring\, rebates on the employer portion of the Social Security tax\, an increase in the SBA’s 7A loan program\, and the creation of a small business credit facility from the remainder of unissued TARP funds.  This facility would be geared to small businesses of under 500 employees and administered by smaller community banks.  He described this year’s budget as a set of efforts among the administration\, House and Senate that he feels confident will be hammered out into a set of good policies to get us back on track.  Time will tell us whether it is successful\, we have begun to turn things around today.  In closing\, the Congressman said nobody s! hould be crowing about where we are now\, but he asserted that we are in a better place than where we were a year ago.\n \n\nThe Q&A program was feisty\, focusing on infrastructure investment and research. There were questions on MAGLEV\, the Gas Tax\, and the US National debt. It was punctuated by a sharp exchange between one of our guests and the congressman.  See it for yourself on your computer or smartphone at http://proimagegroupinc.com/limba/2-5-10  Come to a LIMBA meeting to participate\, network and greet our elected officials and community leaders. \nCraig Plunkett \nOur efforts to provide the video of these meetings has been very helpful in getting our comunications to our readers. This would be a high profile opportunity for you to sponsor the efforts of our video team.  Pro-Image Studios have been sponsoring the work themselves. and we thank them. Call me I’ll tell you what is involved. \nErnie Fazio 631 757-1698 URL:https://limba.net/calendar/congressman-tim-bishop-3/ LOCATION:NY END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20100212T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20100212T000000 DTSTAMP:20100212T050000Z CREATED:20100212T050000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20100212T050000Z UID:4388-1265932800-1265932800@limba.net SUMMARY:Presidents Day Weekend NO MEETING DESCRIPTION: URL:https://limba.net/calendar/presidents-day-weekend-no-meeting-5/ LOCATION:NY END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20100219T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20100219T000000 DTSTAMP:20190315T061024Z CREATED:20100219T050000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20190315T061024Z UID:4389-1266537600-1266537600@limba.net SUMMARY:Assembyman Michael Fitzpatrick DESCRIPTION:  \nPension Reform for the Political Class \nMr. Fitzpatrick arrived this morning to speak to us about what is wrong with New York State\, and how to fix it.  In a refreshing perspective\, he described to us how the pension system for the Political Class works.  In opening\, he said if you want to change politics\, you need to change the defined benefits plan pension system. (DBP).  The path of least resistance is the road most often taken in Albany.  DBPs are the place to focus on.  Term limits are not the answer\, because as we have seen\, politicians move to find jobs within the patronage system as they are term limited out.  This keeps them in the pension system and it operates at all levels of NYS government\, from the state down to the town and village levels.  Term limits don’t remove people from politics.  Mr. Fitzpatrick handed out reprints of! several articles that appeared in the Wall Street Journal ( Henninger\, Merrick )and New York Post regarding political spending and benefits.  He also called DBPs “Fiscal Carbon Monoxide”.  Very few members of the public understand how the system works\, and we need to get people to focus on the issue.  Moving the Political Class to Defined Contribution Plans like 401K’s would clean up the system and eliminate the practice of “pension spiking”\, where an official in the system moves to a high paying job for the last three years! of their career to boost their pension. \nMr. Fitzpatrick is happy to be known as one of the most conservative assembly members and is sponsoring a pension reform bill.  Right now\, there is no incentive to be fiscally responsible in government.  The unions and the government don’t really negotiate with one another for the common benefit\, instead there is much public posturing and threats to oust the incumbent.  The reform bill is designated A.06932.  The bill would cap present pensions and introduce a Defined Contribution Plan for retirement.  Changing the rules of the game is what is needed\, and this bill will be a start on the road.  Term limits don’t change the game rules\, they simply force the players to find new spots.  He gave the illustration of an elected official moving to a patr! onage job to boost that last three years of salary\, which determines the pension payout. \nAllowing pension contributions to be amortized over time\, simply makes them more expensive and puts it on the governmental credit card.  Government is operating on an antiquated business model and the time of reckoning is arriving quickly.  Quoting Herb Stein\, “Anything that can’t go on\, won’t”.  His bill is not addressing the vast majority of public employees yet\, it is addressing the Political Class.  He is expecting a fight over the State Constitutionality of the bill around the diminishment of benefits\, and described a debate that he had with a staffer in the Comptroller’s office around this.  His assertion is that if you don’t carve out the Political Class from DBPs\, you will not change the culture of Albany.  The Political Class will no! t do anything against their self-interest unless it is forced to. \nThe Assemblyman wound up his passionate pitch by emphasizing that pension reform is the place to start.  As an ex-banker he understands the pension system\, and how it works.  The Political Class’s benefits are far outstripping the benefits available to the general public\, and it is sowing the seeds of revolution.  To have a healthy public sector\, you need a healthy private sector\, and the path that the government is on is the wrong direction.  A Defined Contribution Plan stops the gaming of the pension system.  Starting with the Political Class\, create new tiers of pension systems\, eventually moving the entire state employee system to Defined Contribution Plans.  He closed with a plea to ask candidates for office their stand on the following question:  “Should taxpayers continue to fund Defined Benefit Plans for Politi! cians?” and listen very carefully to their answers. \nThe Q&A portion of the program was excellent\, as usual. \nA question from Jovanna Little about Section 211 waivers prompted an explanation.  A section 211 waiver is something that allows a pension collector to draw a salary from a new job\, essentially double-dipping.  This is often illustrated by the case of a police officer retiring from the force in their mid-forties and starting another career in the public sector while drawing their police pension.  The Assemblyman related that the screams about these waivers will get louder as the fiscal walls keep closing in\, and that State Senator Jeff Klein is leading the effort to close this loophole. \nOnce again\, a revealing look at a subject that not many of us know about\, but affects us all greatly.  LIMBA offers you the chance to interact with knowledgeable people in positions of power for a very reasonable price.  The heaviest price is getting an early start on a Friday morning\, but it is well worth the effort. \n\nCraig Plunkett\nTest URL:https://limba.net/calendar/assembyman-michael-fitzpatrick/ LOCATION:NY END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20100226T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20100226T000000 DTSTAMP:20100226T050000Z CREATED:20100226T050000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20100226T050000Z UID:4405-1267142400-1267142400@limba.net SUMMARY:Program Cancelled because of weather DESCRIPTION:Anticipating sever snow particularly in Nassau County we cancelled the meeting that featured Regional Plan chairman\, John Cameron. Mr Cameron will join us on May 14th and there will be some other items to report at that time. \nAnyone who was preregistered will be given credit to that meeting or another meeting. URL:https://limba.net/calendar/program-cancelled-because-of-weather/ LOCATION:NY END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR