Posted on 09/11/2013 1:53:29 PM PDT by lbryce
I've always thought it would be a good idea for San Francisco to find a good, god fearing family; do an extensive background check to make sure their legit; and then pay them good money just to stay within the city limits 24/7.
No sweat, just read “Atlas Shrugged.” It’s all there.
Clearly, you have a bit of Biblical knowledge.
It is an elevated electric train. I hope they could get the doors open when the power went off.
Lock and load time.
LOL!
It’s Chicago. They’re stealing Detroit’s electricity.
Skyrocketing employee benefits: City leaders allowed legacy costs — the tab for retiree pensions and health care — to spiral out of control even as the State of Michigan and private industry were pushing workers into less costly plans. That placed major stress on the budget and diverted money from services such as streetlights and public safety. Detroit’s spending on retiree health care soared 46% from 2000 to 2012, even as its general fund revenue fell 20%.
Gifting a billion in bonuses: Pension officials handed out about $1 billion in bonuses from the city’s two pension funds to retirees and active city workers from 1985 to 2008. That money — mostly in the form of so-called 13th checks — could have shored up the funds and possibly prevented the city from filing for bankruptcy. If that money had been saved, it would have been worth more than $1.9 billion today to the city and pension funds, by one expert’s estimate.
Taxing higher and higher: City leaders tried repeatedly to reverse sliding revenue through new taxes. Despite a new income tax in 1962, a new utility tax in 1971 and a new casino revenue tax in 1999 — not to mention several tax increases along the way — revenue in today’s dollars fell 40% from 1962 to 2012. Higher taxes helped drive residents to the suburbs and drove away business. Today, Detroit still doesn’t take in as much tax revenue as it did just from property taxes in 1963.
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