Posted on 07/08/2014 5:05:54 PM PDT by Kaslin
A large majority of those ‘poor pensioners’ were also liberal public employee union members and partisan liberal democrats. They made the mess, both by the ways they did(n’t) their jobs and by the way they ran Detroit’s politics for at least the last 50 years. Nail the hypocritical whiners! Send a message to their ilk all around the country that consequences are possible.
Manipulation and blackmail aren't necessary. Unions turn out the vote for rats, rats reciprocate by approving hefty pay and benefit increases. Rinse, repeat, every two years. You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours.
“...the unions manipulated and blackmailed the politicians...”
I’d call it collusion. We are talking about Democrats here. The unions colluded with Democrat politicians to carve out generous benefits in return for votes. It worked very well for both groups...until OPM ran out.
The city of Detroit and the American auto manufacturers: Numbers one and two on the Hit Parade of Liberal spending failures.
I don't see evidence they want to.
The "Ryan budget" itself was a gimmick. It would have no control over what future Congresses spent.
Why don’t the retirees sue the Democrat Party? The Democrat politicians lived high on the hog and left the retirees holding an empty bag. The Democrat Party has lots of money. Heck, Obama is going to a dinner in Texas where all the Democrats there are paying $32,000 for the meal. How many retirees could be paid with that kind of money?
We shouldn’t even call the retired city employees of Detroit “retirees”. If they aren’t smart enough to go after the Democrat Party, then they should be called “suckers”.
“Those politicians were willing participants.”
You beat me to it, but I see we agree. The unions weren’t manipulating the politicians so much as working together to plunder taxpayers. The education establishment is very much the same. They basically sell their votes to those politicians who can best deliver the goods. It has nothing to do with delivering better service to the community (as government workers) or educating the children. It’s all about payola.
What you said.
I’ve got lots of reasons to dislike Rick Snyder but I am really glad that he finally forced this to a head and brought it all out in the open. I just wish someone had done it 30 years ago.
Most people have defined contribution plans like a 401(K). Gov’t workers usually have a defined benefit plan, where they are guaranteed a certain amount of monthly benefits no matter how much was contributed, how the investments performed, or how long they live.
I say "tough toenails!". I certainly didn't vote for your mayors and city councilmen who were in charge of your pension funds. I certainly shouldn't have to pay your squandered pension now.
Politicians and public sector unions sit at the table and trade favors using taxpayers’ money. Politicians get re-elected, unions get feather beds, and the taxpayers are stuck with the check after politicians and the unions have sated themselves.
Public sector unions should be against the law.
The biggest problem I have with this is it treats the retired manager sucking up $200,000 a year the same as a retired janitor getting $17,000 a year.
The cut should be 10% off anything over $35,000 a year, with a $100,000 hard cap. COLA’s should be kept until reaching the $35,000 level. I would bet that would save more money and would better represent what pensions are supposed to do, give retirees a respectable, moderate level of income.
At some point the hog trough becomes empty and all the piggies squeal they are still hungry.
defined benefit plans are stupid, especially when the “worker” hardly contributes anything.
“Politicians and public sector unions sit at the table and trade favors using taxpayers’ money. Politicians get re-elected, unions get feather beds, and the taxpayers are stuck with the check after politicians and the unions have sated themselves.
Public sector unions should be against the law.”
Too true; what happened in Detroit is happening statewide here in NJ. A cop I know retired at 46 (had 25 years on the job), and now we’ll pay a nice pension to him for probably another 30 years. The taxpayers are screwed, and fleeing these costs.
4.5 percent cut
HAHAHAHAHA
“well they voted for it, now they can pay for it”
Exactly. They are getting what they voted for.
The main reason they don’t know is because none of them are educated and smart enough to handle finances.
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