[Vendorsmi] Fw: Supporting the people you work for

[Joe Sontag]

For your thoughtful consideration.  Are there any mixed messages here?  I must wonder exactly what "personal financial information will be sought, but the BEP administrative rules are very clear about the Agency's right to see the financials of the businesses, operator obligations to the Program, and on the duties of the PAs.  Let's hear from you!
----- Original Message ----- 
From: James Chaney 
To: H Brooks ; Terry Eagle ; Joe Sontag 
Sent: Thursday, December 23, 2010 18:12
Subject: Fw: Supporting the people you work for




      Best Regards,

      James Chaney
      EOC Chairperson

      --- On Wed, 12/22/10, Bill Lozier <flingem at hotmail.com> wrote:


        From: Bill Lozier <flingem at hotmail.com>
        Subject: Supporting the people you work for
        To: hullj at michigan.gov
        Cc: rob.essenberg at yahoo.com, resolutioncomm at sbcglobal.net, "dlayer8954 at yahoo.com" <dlayer8954 at yahoo.com>, drea7139 at yahoo.com, sjx3 at sbcglobal.net, mjcbiz at charter.net, garsvend at aol.com, pilarskij at charter.net, geri.taeckens at isahealthfund.org, cannonp at michigan.gov, margwolfe at usa.net, brlbumps at sbcglobal.net, gregkeathley at yahoo.com
        Date: Wednesday, December 22, 2010, 11:46 AM


        Good Morning James, 
         
               I am writing to you this morning seeking clarification on several things that were said during the EOC meeting Last thru.  During that meeting you stated that the SLA is going to start requiring personal financial information be submitted to the SLA.   it is news to me that the  that OUR agency in now part of tax code and workers comp enforcement branch of government.  
         
               May I remind you of the SLAs purpose, your job is to help provide meaningful employment opportunities for blind people, your job is promote and provide assistance to your clients.  You sir are being paid darn good money to advocate for US and to provide good jobs for blind people!  The BEP is set up to provide business opportunity for blind folks not to police them, there are many many other law enforcement agencies out there to make sure all state and federal laws are being followed.  it is the SLAs job to create a viable training program and oversee a fair and accurate a promotion system, both of these things the agency seems is totally incapable of doing.  How can we trust you with vital financial information the SLA can't even handle a simple points system?  This current training class has not even been trained on any of the things that you are going to try and  require of them starting in April.   The SLA has to provide real quality training and real quality retraining (this is your job) before you can become a tax cop!   the SLAs job is to assist us, not to police us, your job is to advocate for us not against us.   You sir should be OUR main champion against this unfair and unjust 3% TAX.   It took years to get telephony working correctly but it sure didn't take long to get that 3% TAX incorporated into the system, how much of our set-asides were used for that?.  Thanks for having our backs on this you sure looked good to DMB but not the blind community. 
           
               Instead of using OUR money to make your jobs easier, set asides are supposed to be used to make OUR jobs better.  Another reminder the set-aside fund was not put in place to be an agency slush fund.  I for one am demanding to see a clear and accurate report from the agency on exactly what and how OUR money is being spent.   If this is not provide i am going to be demanding a compete audit of the agency and demanding accountability for any misappropriate use of OUR money.   Lets clean your house before you worry about ours.  Start doing inventories yourselves, get rid of all these outside contractors like mcbetty and do your jobs.  If the SLA did its job correctly then i guarantee OUR set-aside account will go up.  Quit falling for every sales pitch you hear and stop buying into flashy product lines, that's our job not yours.  NO MORE BLENDERS OR UNNEEDED OR UNWANTED FRIVOLOUS EQUIPMENT AND STOP THIS OVER THE TOP SITE DEVELOPMENT.  THESE THINGS ALONE WOULD SAVE US WAY MORE MONEY THEN THE 3%!!!!!!! 
         
                   Please show me anywhere in the Randolph Sheppard act or PA 260 that give the SLA the right to request personal private financial information to them, OR THAT WE ARE GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES!!    WE ARE NOT STATE EMPLOYEES AND SHOULD AND WILL NOT BE SUBJECTED TO THESE STRONG ARM TACTICS.  We are independent business people and have the rights and responsibilities of such.  Send a letter to my neighbor asking him for his private financial information and see how far you get. 
         
                  It is so clear that we are not state employees how can we have to pay this 3%?  I can not believe the SLA dropped the ball on us like this, how can we ever trust you again?   Is the SLA staff for us or against us?   Could you please provide to myself and the rest of the committee a copy of the final exam that was given to this current training class and also any information that was provided to them concerning taxes and bookkeeping?   Looking forward to a quick response and the requested information? 

                 WE ARE NOT STATE EMPLOYEES and i am sorry that you are and that you have to pay a 3% tax,  Just because you  have to pay it dose not mean that independent business people do!!!!!!!!!!!!!
         
        Respectfully
         
        Bill Lozier
        Elected Operators Committee
     
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