Re: your Sept. 25 article, “Retiree benefits may bankrupt public agencies�:
California Assemblyman Keith Richman, R-Northridge, and other fiscally minded citizens have been pointing out this monstrous problem for years.
The problem is coming to the public eye because of new accounting laws, which force governments to show the numbers of these expenses.
Over the years, unions for public employees have threatened to strike if they don’t get their demands met. The government negotiators, who are not fiscally responsible, easily hand over benefits the union demands.
The article states, “Union officials say it’s not their fault that municipalities put themselves in a hole by promising more than they can deliver.� Is that called “passing the buck?�
Steve Regenstrief, head of union retirement, says, “This is a monumental problem, and government is going to have to deal with it.�
Don’t you love it? The union threatens, government caves in to the demands, and then the union says, “You deal with it.� Pass the buck.
John Abraham of the American Federation of Teachers, said, “Union negotiators have long been aware that future retirement benefits must be paid from shrinking reserves.�
The unions know there are “shrinking reserves� but continue the threat of striking? Pass the buck.
The article says the retirement payouts may threaten some local governments with bankruptcy and all but guarantee cuts in services like education and public safety.
I say, for the vast majority of us citizens who are not getting these outrageous benefits, don’t cut services we deserve, but cut benefits for the minority who are causing the problem. We simply can’t afford it. It was a mistake.
— Dennis Gaiser, Camarillo
Never blame all the conservative policies by conservative governors but ALWAYS blame the unions.
Never blame the corporatists that have taken advantage of public resources for their own usurious profits but ALWAYS blame the unions.
Never blame the Republicans who would, and have(remember Enron) mined the state for all the gold that they could purloin and laugh their way to the bank? No, blame the unions instead.
If you and your conservative and theological friends ever took responsibility for ANY deleterious actions that you foist on the public, that would be a day that would go down in history!
There is no connection whatsoever to private corporations and the pension fiasco that threatens to bankrupt cities. The entire cause of this problem rests with incompetent and corrupt public officials (from both political parties) and public employee unions who use political pressure to get what they want. Enron has nothing to do with this issue and to hide behind statements like that and ignore these very real problems is dishonest and deceptive. This particular (and massive) problem directly involves unions and has nothing to do with Enron. Do your research and get your facts straight, or at least learn to tell the truth Mr. Rogers.
Or his name is not xyzpdq....
It is xyzpdq.
Isn't there a rule about using fake names? Are you not breaking the rules?
It's a blog Mr. Stein, and it is well within the rules for any person to use a pseudonym. I'm sure your relatives would appreciate it if you used one so as to not further taint the family name.