Comments by JF | San Diego Reader

JF

2005 Audit Shows Internal Accounting Weaknesses; Despite Some Headway, Many More Improvements Must Be Made, Says Accounting Firm

Don, I'm all in favor of all public safety officials (firefighters and cops) taking an annual fitness test. But like anything else, that costs money up front and the city would rather pay the disability. Are you willing to pay a disability retirement to anyone who can no longer pass the entry physical exam regardless of age? Elderly cops and firefighters should still be required to do the same job as the youngsters, no?
— February 4, 2008 1:53 p.m.

2005 Audit Shows Internal Accounting Weaknesses; Despite Some Headway, Many More Improvements Must Be Made, Says Accounting Firm

Um, Johnny, so what's going to happen when you "force" everyone into SS.... and the city is still broke and can't pay that either? Remember, the savings is only so much from the retirement system. The $160 million that the city paid last year included a huge chunk of Corbett settlement money. Even if you saved half of what was left, you'd save, what, $50 million? That's not enough to staff the FD fully, no less fix Balboa park, fix the roads, etc. The mayor estimated that the city has $3 billion in deferred maintenance, was it? So what's your plan for that? And how do you intend to staff the FD with no retirement plan? The problem with your rhetoric is that it gives me an opportunity to dig up documented proof that you're wrong on so many counts... and that certainly doesn't help your case. Oh, and sorry... but you don't get me to meltdown. I've been to more disasters than you can shake a stick at. I've got a little more composure than to freak out over your BS.
— February 2, 2008 6:31 p.m.

2005 Audit Shows Internal Accounting Weaknesses; Despite Some Headway, Many More Improvements Must Be Made, Says Accounting Firm

LOL, Johnny, I know that. I was speaking tongue in cheek. That's why I said, "Imagine that...". I was using irony. Frankly, I think if you were to compare our two political ideologies you'd find that we're very much alike. That's interesting, because it's a fairly odd combination. Obviously I have a large stake in the city's financial future. It affects me personally a whole lot more than it affects you. I've spoken out at union meetings many times against moves that I believe are foolhardy. In these pages, I've written that I'm against POSC under cost, that I'm against presidential retirement perks, etc. However, I feel that many of the parts of our retirement system that you rail against are simply not as large a problem as you make them out to be. Remember that a large portion of today's pension bill is due to the Corbett settlement, requiring the city to pay more to make up what it didn't pay. And remember that the pension is only one portion of this city's ills. Again, if city leaders were doing their part the pension system would be a non-issue because there would be plenty of money to cover it.
— February 2, 2008 9:58 a.m.

2005 Audit Shows Internal Accounting Weaknesses; Despite Some Headway, Many More Improvements Must Be Made, Says Accounting Firm

Don, at 10:36 yesterday morning, you wrote, "Many jobs have occupational health risks. Should society pick up the tab?" When that occupational health risk is incurred in the best interest of society, then yes, society should pay for it. As an example, society (the VA) pays for the care of soldiers injured in service to the country. They receive health care and retirement. Here's another interesting article. http://inquirer.philly.com/specials/2000/fire/ More than 200 emergency workers were at this one fire in 1978. Almost 50 have contracted serious illnesses, with 28 dying. Standards are stricter now, but we still come in contact with unknown chemicals all the time. During the recent fires, I was directly downwind from two large garages that were burning. We're talking 10-12 car garages -- barns, really. What was in those? I don't know. But my face was black and greasy the next day. And I've had a cough ever since. You do the math. Oh, and the family home is still standing.
— February 2, 2008 8:43 a.m.

2005 Audit Shows Internal Accounting Weaknesses; Despite Some Headway, Many More Improvements Must Be Made, Says Accounting Firm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welfare_queen "Origin The first attributed use of the term "welfare queen" is by Ronald Reagan in 1976 during a campaign:" ("'Welfare Queen' Becomes Issue in Reagan Campaign", New York Times, 1976-02-15, pp. 51. ) Maybe you're Reagan reincarnated. Imagine that, Johnny Vegas a Republican. Go get 'em, Gipper.
— February 2, 2008 8:18 a.m.

2005 Audit Shows Internal Accounting Weaknesses; Despite Some Headway, Many More Improvements Must Be Made, Says Accounting Firm

Really? And I thought Ronald Reagan coined that one. Gipper is that you?
— February 1, 2008 7:23 p.m.

2005 Audit Shows Internal Accounting Weaknesses; Despite Some Headway, Many More Improvements Must Be Made, Says Accounting Firm

I saw a comment by someone elsewhere along the lines of, "Why are we putting the interests of those who don't live here yet in front of the interests of those who do." Excellent observation. I think all of us can agree that politicians pandering to the sports empires, developers, other politicians, etc. is a huge piece of the pie. After all, wasn't some of the pension deal linked to Golding's desire to host the RNC? I'll be the first to admit that some portions of the pension deals have hurt the city. But they're not the only parts. Frankly, I get sick of hearing about "greedy welfare queens" when employee compensation packages are really only a small portion of the problem. If politicians made the above named parties pay their fair share, the city would have plenty of money and the pension problems would be a non-issue.
— February 1, 2008 3:37 p.m.

Liarless in Seattle

San Diego did not host a SB in 84 or 98 or 2003, the only one it hosted was 1988, Redskins and Broncos. By JohnnyVegas 8:37 a.m., Feb 1, 2008 Go to http://www.supernfl.com/SuperBowl.html and scroll down. San Diego hosted the SB in 1988, 1998 and 2003.
— February 1, 2008 1:43 p.m.

2005 Audit Shows Internal Accounting Weaknesses; Despite Some Headway, Many More Improvements Must Be Made, Says Accounting Firm

How about this? From the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, Volume 17, Issue 4, pages 493-504: "Excess mortality from leukemia (SMR = 503, n = 3) and multiple myeloma (SMR = 989, n = 2) was observed among fire fighters with 30 years or more fire combat duty. Lung cancer mortality was elevated (SMR = 177, n = 18) among fire fighters 65 years old or older. We also analyzed the data by considering fire fighters at risk only after 30 years from first exposure. In this analysis, a trend of increasing risk with increasing exposure was observed for diseases of the circulatory system. For this cause of death, fire fighters with 30 years or more fire combat duty had a relative risk of 1.84 compared to those with less than 15 years of fire combat duty." In a nutshell, the longer you work as a firefighter, the higher your risk goes. You're confusing me with the union. I'm not on the union board, I often disagree with what the union does, but I still fight for firefighters. You haven't yet, nor will you see me claim that. Again, I haven't found a citation, so I won't claim that firefighters die younger. However, my claim that firefighters have a higher incidence of cancer is absolutely valid.
— February 1, 2008 9:24 a.m.

2005 Audit Shows Internal Accounting Weaknesses; Despite Some Headway, Many More Improvements Must Be Made, Says Accounting Firm

Johnny, it is a valid study, based on the scientific work of many other studies. No matter what I say, you're going to say, "Nuh uh". It's pretty damn childish. From the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, Volume 50, Issue 5, pages 339-334: "Firefighting was associated with testicular cancer (odds ratio = 1.54, 95% confidence interval: 1.18-2.02), melanoma (1.50, 1.33-1.70), brain cancer (1.35, 1.06-1.72), esophageal cancer (1.48, 1.14-1.91), and prostate cancer (1.22, 1.12-1.33)."
— February 1, 2008 8:56 a.m.

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JF

2005 Audit Shows Internal Accounting Weaknesses; Despite Some Headway, Many More Improvements Must Be Made, Says Accounting Firm

2005 Audit Shows Internal Accounting Weaknesses; Despite Some Headway, Many More Improvements Must Be Made, Says Accounting Firm

2005 Audit Shows Internal Accounting Weaknesses; Despite Some Headway, Many More Improvements Must Be Made, Says Accounting Firm

2005 Audit Shows Internal Accounting Weaknesses; Despite Some Headway, Many More Improvements Must Be Made, Says Accounting Firm

2005 Audit Shows Internal Accounting Weaknesses; Despite Some Headway, Many More Improvements Must Be Made, Says Accounting Firm

2005 Audit Shows Internal Accounting Weaknesses; Despite Some Headway, Many More Improvements Must Be Made, Says Accounting Firm

2005 Audit Shows Internal Accounting Weaknesses; Despite Some Headway, Many More Improvements Must Be Made, Says Accounting Firm

Liarless in Seattle

2005 Audit Shows Internal Accounting Weaknesses; Despite Some Headway, Many More Improvements Must Be Made, Says Accounting Firm

2005 Audit Shows Internal Accounting Weaknesses; Despite Some Headway, Many More Improvements Must Be Made, Says Accounting Firm

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