Rotary Log for Meeting of December 6, 2018
It was a beautiful, sunny December day. We began our meeting with respectful and admiring comments about George H. W. Bush. The 41st president passed away earlier in the week. We recalled fondly that he was the only sitting chief executive to visit our club. So today, the Star-Spangled Banner was dedicated to him. And we did a decent job of it!
Lots of guests and lots of announcements. Ramona Dow announced that Basic Needs gave $1500 to Friends in Action, and $1500 to Catholic Charities. Barb Miller told us that the Cash committee awarded $1500 to Friends Forever. The money goes to build a shed. An additional contribution will be made at the request of Dave Underhill to address New Hampshire’s opioid crisis.
Joanie made lots of announcements about the Interact kids and all the wonderful things they have been doing. Activities like collecting crutches, stuffing stockings, helping to unload Christmas trees, working the soup kitchen and a lot more….Maureen Sullivan thanked the Jeremy Alex Fund for money to help with child advocacy programs… Our club also made a donation to PMAC. That gift goes to those who love music but need a little scholarship support.
As usual, the Rotary historical minute was brilliant. Today we put out baskets to collect tips for the wait staff at the Portsmouth Country Club. It turns out on December 24, 1931, our club gave the head waiter, Otto, an annual gift of five dollars. In today’s dollars that would be about $76.55. Each waitress was given two dollars or $30.62 in 2018 currency.
Ben Wheeler won the raffle and the $25 bonus! Don't spend it all in one place, Ben.
Local physician, Dr. Tom Clairmont, spoke to us today about affordable healthcare. Turns out, with all the "questions" from the audience, we actually had three or four speakers. This is certainly a topic that generates a wide variety of opinions, some of them very passionate.
Dr. Clairmont believes that we should demand Medicare expansion to cover all employees. He feels that all employees should be completely covered by the employer's contribution to the care. Further, he maintains that there should be no deterrence to somebody seeking health care. Employers shouldn’t have to read insurance proposals or consider whether an employee is full-time. In fact, under a new Medicare system, an employer won't have to figure out your individual plan based on the number of employees. All you pay is a percentage of payroll to cover all of your employees.
Lots of other good things could happen with an expanded Medicare program. Worker's Compensation insurance will decrease since the medical component is covered by Medicare. Auto and liability insurance is reduced because the medical component is covered. Retiree health care costs go down because they are already covered. Your future cost will be more predictable since they will be based on payroll, not the whim of an insurance executive. Business owners won't have the risk of hiring new employees with pre-existing conditions.
In addition to all that, Clairmont maintains that unions won't be negotiating healthcare costs and you won't need to employ a benefit manager. Even your property taxes will decrease because towns will no longer need to pay for employee health insurance!
Have a merry Christmas!
Respectfully submitted, Jon Flagg
Photos By Matthew Randall
