Pensions or Potholes?

[SAYIT]

In a tragic twist on the "guns or butter" concept, many of our cities are faced with declining populations and revenues and exploding pension liabilities. Once an easy way for a mayor to kick the can down the street, pensions were negotiated with city workers in lieu of salary hikes. 40 years later with infrastructure crumbling and bloated city workforces, mayors are unwilling or unable to make hard choices.
There's money to pay these pensioners or fix the streets but not both.

 

[DriftingSand]

I feel sorry for all those hard workers who relied (rely) on their retirement pensions. They were fed false promises and now they're stuck with a stark reality. They will be forced to sign up for some government, entitlement program that is next to impossible to survive on.

Never, never, never trust or believe a politician who's lips are moving.

 

[PaintMyHouse]

In a tragic twist on the "guns or butter" concept, many of our cities are faced with declining populations and revenues and exploding pension liabilities. Once an easy way for a mayor to kick the can down the street, pensions were negotiated with city workers in lieu of salary hikes. 40 years later with infrastructure crumbling and bloated city workforces, mayors are unwilling or unable to make hard choices.
There's money to pay these pensioners or fix the streets but not both.

Time to go back to work, fixing potholes.

 

[KNB]

And yet there are still record corporate profits.

 

[SAYIT]

I feel sorry for all those hard workers who relied (rely) on their retirement pensions. They were fed false promises and now they're stuck with a stark reality. They will be forced to sign up for some government, entitlement program that is next to impossible to survive on.

Never, never, never trust or believe a politician who's lips are moving.

Demo or Repub. The pension bomb is real and should be higher on the bankruptcy court's list of payments than potholes. Some cities are selling assets, including City Hall, to once again kick the can down the road. The hard choices - paring bloated city workforces and perks - will only be done in bankruptcy. No politician will do it.
BTW, not all or even most of those city employees work particularly hard. Many of those jobs come with a virtual lifetime guarantee and no penalty for cruisin'.

 

[Truthseeker420]

Why would a city worker fill potholes if they steal his pension?

 

[TruthSeeker56]

And yet there are still record corporate profits.

By what corporations? Wall Street investment firms? Banks? Oil companies?

There sure as hell aren't "record corporate profits" being reported by the retail sector, or the vast majority of corporations that directly affect the average U.S. citizen.

But there are PLENTY of bankruptcies and outright liquidations.

When you make sweeping, generalized statements like you made, it's IMPOSSIBLE for you to back it up.

 

[PaintMyHouse]

Why would a city worker fill potholes if they steal his pension?

Civic pride, but I'm sure we can come up with other incentives. Besides, they worked for it. Best not to accuse them of stealing.

 

[TruthSeeker56]

I feel sorry for all those hard workers who relied (rely) on their retirement pensions. They were fed false promises and now they're stuck with a stark reality. They will be forced to sign up for some government, entitlement program that is next to impossible to survive on.

Never, never, never trust or believe a politician who's lips are moving.

Demo or Repub. The pension bomb is real and should be higher on the bankruptcy court's list of payments than potholes. Some cities are selling assets, including City Hall, to once again kick the can down the road. The hard choices - paring bloated city workforces and perks - will only be done in bankruptcy. No politician will do it.
BTW, not all or even most of those city employees work particularly hard. Many of those jobs come with a virtual lifetime guarantee and no penalty for cruisin'.

Look at Detroit. In bankruptcy, and city finances are being sorted out by a court-appointed trustee. Cutbacks everywhere. A once-thriving city in shambles. Rapidly shrinking tax base. High unemployment. Entire city blocks abandoned. Crumbling infrastructure. Hundreds of empty buildings. Rampant crime (nothing new there). Drastically reduced city services, including police and fire protection. Etc., etc., etc.

 

[DriftingSand]

And yet there are still record corporate profits.

Only because the value of the dollar is WAY lower than it used to be. I remember in the not-too-distant past when $150.00 would completely fill up my shopping cart at the grocery store. Now it doesn't even fill half of the basket. It's likely that folks who don't have to work for their food have a clue what I'm talking about.

 

[TemplarKormac]

Why would a city worker fill potholes if they steal his pension?

"steal"? Really? When your pension is bankrupting the city, aren't you stealing?

 

[DriftingSand]

I feel sorry for all those hard workers who relied (rely) on their retirement pensions. They were fed false promises and now they're stuck with a stark reality. They will be forced to sign up for some government, entitlement program that is next to impossible to survive on.

Never, never, never trust or believe a politician who's lips are moving.

Demo or Repub. The pension bomb is real and should be higher on the bankruptcy court's list of payments than potholes. Some cities are selling assets, including City Hall, to once again kick the can down the road. The hard choices - paring bloated city workforces and perks - will only be done in bankruptcy. No politician will do it.
BTW, not all or even most of those city employees work particularly hard. Many of those jobs come with a virtual lifetime guarantee and no penalty for cruisin'.

Unions and over-regulation are to blame for Detroit's implosion. If I had owned a business there where the unions were squeezing me and local government was over-burdening me with fines, taxes, fees, this regulation, and that regulation then I would have uprooted and moved elsewhere too. Greed works two ways. Union leaders and local governments are no less greedy than profitable business owners and corporations.

 

[SAYIT]

I feel sorry for all those hard workers who relied (rely) on their retirement pensions. They were fed false promises and now they're stuck with a stark reality. They will be forced to sign up for some government, entitlement program that is next to impossible to survive on.

Never, never, never trust or believe a politician who's lips are moving.

Demo or Repub. The pension bomb is real and should be higher on the bankruptcy court's list of payments than potholes. Some cities are selling assets, including City Hall, to once again kick the can down the road. The hard choices - paring bloated city workforces and perks - will only be done in bankruptcy. No politician will do it.
BTW, not all or even most of those city employees work particularly hard. Many of those jobs come with a virtual lifetime guarantee and no penalty for cruisin'.

Unions and over-regulation are to blame for Detroit's implosion. If I had owned a business there where the unions were squeezing me and local government was over-burdening me with fines, taxes, fees, this regulation, and that regulation then I would have uprooted and moved elsewhere too. Greed works two ways. Union leaders and local governments are no less greedy than profitable business owners and corporations.

Profitable businesses have not destroyed these cities. I believe there are dozens of them on the same road as Detroit and without the political will to avoid the crash. Having squeezed out their middle class residents they are increasingly squeezing the businesses. The exodus will continue until bankruptcy is the only solution.

 

[Truthseeker420]

Why would a city worker fill potholes if they steal his pension?

"steal"? Really? When your pension is bankrupting the city, aren't you stealing?

Yes... a job is a contract, that pension is his property.

 

[1776]

Liberal policies always come back to blow up in your face.

Liberals support the public unions now putting their cities in financial danger with bloated pension packages. Hell, some unions have figured out how to make more money "retired" than working for their city.....******* insane.

 

[francoHFW]

LIBERAL POLICIES MY ASS, HATER DUPES- this is about taxing the bloated rich and corporations their fair share and invest in AMERICA AND AMERICANS. AND stopping Pubs and their cronies from stealing from pension plans. HATER DUPES!

 

[1776]

Shitstain.....DETROIT.

LIBERAL POLICIES MY ASS, HATER DUPES- this is about taxing the bloated rich and corporations their fair share and invest in AMERICA AND AMERICANS. AND stopping Pubs and their cronies from stealing from pension plans. HATER DUPES!

 

[francoHFW]

Exactly, hater dupe. The epitome.