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Fire Department Compensation Far Higher than Private Sector's: Study
The last gay person I asked about our DA replied; 'Bonnie Dumanis is the Devil". Extreme perhaps, but she may know more than we do.— May 1, 2011 5:01 p.m.
Fire Department Compensation Far Higher than Private Sector's: Study
I try to oppose policies rather than my fellow citizens, but I'll confess to plenty of anger. Perhaps anger is necessary to get people to the polls. Consider Michael Moore for instance, I agree with him on policy, but find him unbalanced and angry in his arguments. But no one is more effective and persuasive on my side of politics. Count me his fan. The danger is demonstrated by the right, where anger merchants like Beck and Limbaugh unhinged a once respectable movement so that blinded by anger, they can't read a birth certificate, or recognize an obvious charlatan. Worse. they blame every failure on their enemies rather than reconsider failed nostrums like lowering tax rates to raise revenues. Perhaps this City needs a little anger on right and left, but I would direct it at the City's leaders rather than employees.— April 30, 2011 6:54 p.m.
Fire Department Compensation Far Higher than Private Sector's: Study
Here in San Diego Mr. Viewer, money is not the only path to happiness. In fact most of the rich seem less happy than their gardeners and maids. Resenting the fortunate is certainly a path to misery. We can fight for pension reform without resentment of the pensioner. We need to negotiate and resentment only clouds the mind. When negotiating. fake friendliness, and always pay for the liquor.— April 29, 2011 1:32 p.m.
Fire Department Compensation Far Higher than Private Sector's: Study
I agree that moral outrage has no place in the solution, even though in some instances, the pensions are outrageous, and probably illegally obtained. There are moral and legal arguments for altering the pensions, but they haven't won the day in court. Right or wrong we must live within the law. but as the employer, the City has power. The City can refuse to sign contracts that have no precise price tag. The City can refuse to make promotions that, as SP points out, effectively pay millions for a single years work. The top positions, whose outrageous compensation is the post office poster child of this scandal, should be eliminated and their functions performed by non vested management. The trouble is the City is run by the most scandalous pensioner of them all. and continues to make the problem worse. First we need new leaders. I hope Bob Filner runs for mayor. I'm ready to consider anyone who passed high school math and has a tethered morality, This rules out supporters of our congressional Republican Party of course.— April 28, 2011 1:33 p.m.
Fire Department Compensation Far Higher than Private Sector's: Study
I don't know the details of the Orange County case, but it seemed that the judge decided that the County could not defraud the workman of his wages, a prohibition that goes back to Hamurabi and Jeremiah, simply because the County deliberately violated Jarvis Gann. Forced to choose between the dictates of God and Howard Jarvis, I think the judge made the right choice, one that few California politicians would dare make publicly. If cheating the workman of his wages is the biblical sin that cries for vengeance. demanding extra money for work completed is also wrong, and these contracts plainly do this. Worse than this, the amount owed by the city is impossible to calculate with any exactness, so we don't know how far in the red the city is. Some city employees are overcompensated, but we should set this issue aside at the next contract negotiation. Going forward the city should sign nothing that doesn't specify exactly what the city owes for every hour of work— April 28, 2011 12:46 a.m.
Fire Department Compensation Far Higher than Private Sector's: Study
It's so easy to tell someone to raise the bet when the money is not yours. Negligent actuaries! Another day another culprit. This City is not run by actuaries nor is it expert in investing, it's time to turn the mess over to the professionals in the insurance industry. The bill might be exorbitant, but at least we would know the figure, and going forward we would know that the city is in compliance with the law forbidding debt.— April 27, 2011 7:47 p.m.
Fire Department Compensation Far Higher than Private Sector's: Study
Insurance companies are in the business of turning defined contributions into defined benefits, California cities should use them to handle their pensions. Sometimes only private business can do a job honestly. Actuaries earn their money. The culprits in this fiasco can plausibly claim they didn't know it would blow up, and the judges can plausibly agree with them, because they are not actuaries and the agreements are mind boggling complex. They aren't idiots but they play one in the courtroom, and in this case that's a defense. Deferring payment of benefits is the same as borrowing. The City can't borrow legally without a vote. The City must hire an insurance company to be certain that it is not breaking the law. The unions should consider cooperation. Five dollars owed by a solvent entity can be worth more than one hundred owed by an insolvent city with no means to pay.— April 27, 2011 3:31 p.m.
Fire Department Compensation Far Higher than Private Sector's: Study
The present contracts violate the law. Fairness is not the issue. Our city can't legally borrow without voter approval, the current contracts break this law by guaranteeing benefits of an unknown price. backed by investments of unknown value. With the citizenry cosigning on the loan unawares. Defined benefits plans must be replaced with defined contribution plans to bring the city into compliance with California Law. The City and the Public Unions must arrive at a precise figure to buy the city's obligations. Insurance companies do this business. The difference between this figure and the pension fund is the amount illegally borrowed, as best it can be figured. And we will also know what our employees cost us. When defined contributions replace defined benefits the City can confidently know when operations return to the black. City services must be cut. This will be painful to all, but most painful to the employees laid off to satiate the greed of senior workers now retired. Workers have a right to the cash value of what they were promised in the past, but going forward, the City's workers must be paid in full every year. Anything else is illegal borrowing.— April 26, 2011 4:04 p.m.
Orange County Loses Fight against Deputy Sheriff Pensions
California's laws can be easily changed so judges will not have the final word on this big issue. The battle will continue until both sides reach agreement. Luckily both sides have powerful reasons to fix this, because so many of these contracts violate basic principles of fairness. After work is performed, the amount paid should not change from what is promised. The trouble is, the pension contracts are structured so that we can only guess at the final amount owed,. Such contracts are certain to make someone unhappy. It's like playing double or nothing at paycheck time, someone will get cheated. Right now it seems the city is the victim, but this could change. These contracts should be renegotiated to an easily defined amount.— April 15, 2011 12:36 p.m.
San Diegan Canned for Airing NFL Sex Bombshells
The truth will set you free--of your employer,— April 14, 2011 11:43 a.m.