Mike Moran, WSSRA's newest Lobbyist, Visits BFSRA

Mike Moran

WSSRA's newest lobbyist, Mike Moran, joined us for lunch today at CG Pub House. Mike's group, Moran Public Affairs LLC, provides support to Businesses, Environment Advocates, Government, Law Enforcement and Labor, as well as Social Service Agencies, Tribal Governments, and Labor Organizations.

Mike reports we have been losing income for years via the state pension system.  Couple that with what may, or may not, happen at the federal level and "we are like a frog in the saucepan.  They are turning up the heat and we don't know it yet."

No one can make the change needed, but us.  Maybe it is time to start pushing back, much more significantly.  In his experiences working with government, he says most decisions are based on anecdotal information rather than data collection, analysis, and consequent recommendations.

To that end, when we contact our legislators via email, or on their Facebook pages, we need to share with them anecdotal information regarding either our personal stories, or stories of what we know about other retired school employees who are struggling more and more as the years go by.

He mentioned the importance of our finding someone in the legislature who can serve as a "champion" of the pension system.

"Silence is acquiescence," Mike said.

In the left margin of this blog you will find the legislative email links, and the Facebook page links, for the three legislators from the 8th district.  Let's begin contacting them often, much more often, and work toward them knowing and understanding how their actions can either provide either further escalation of hardship, or some semblance of the comfort planned for by the thousands of retired school employees in Washington state. We recommend using the "message" feature of their FB pages, rather than posting directly on their front page.

It is up to us.