RED ROCK DEMOCRATIC CLUB

MEETING MINUTES 

Call to order:

The Red Rock Democratic Club (RRDC) regular meeting was called to order at 7:03 p.m. on May 24, 2007 by Steve Fernlund, President.

Approval of the minutes of previous meeting (s):

The April 18, 2007 meeting minutes were reviewed by members in lieu of being read.  Several members moved to accept the minutes as presented and numerous members seconded the motion.  The meeting minutes were unanimously approved. 

Single payer health care—the savior of small business in America

By Steve Fernlund

After 30 years working in, owning and operating small businesses, I’m pretty used to seeing health insurance premiums increase each year, often by double digit percentages. But hearing about one small business that saw a 54% increase this year took my breath away. It’s long past time to separate employers and health insurance.

My friend Phil owns a successful small business in Round Rock, a waypoint on the old Chisholm Trail just a half day ride from the Texas capital in Austin. Entrepreneurs of old made their fortunes in the 1800s driving cattle to the growing consumer markets in America’s heartland along this trail; long before employer paid health insurance was a business decision. Today, Round Rock is home to Dell Computer, an employer of choice offering a full range of employee benefits—including comprehensive health care plans—that make it a formidable competitor for good workers. Just to survive, the small companies in the area have to pay fair market wages and provide an acceptable—certainly not equal—level of none payroll benefits.