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San Diego City Employees pension fund ailing
FF, cops and all gov employees are overpaid and over benefited. I still have not heard Arnold ask for a wage or benefit cut to close the budget gap. In the private sector, when revenue declines, we cut expenses. Usually, the greatest expense is in people, payroll and benefits. The people who get “expense cut” are usually good people who did nothing to deserve it. The ones who keep their jobs and suck up the other cuts, like wage freezes and benefits reductions, are good people, too. In your public-sector world, when revenue declines, you raise taxes and fees so that you can keep what you’ve got — and more — at my expense. Raising fees and taxes is not a viable option simply because the private sector can’t afford any longer to take more out of its pocket. I am confident that there will be a taxpayer revolt among your private-sector neighbors if you don’t start paying the same price they are paying. Rest assured your neighbor — maybe your spouse, sibling, child, parent or significant other — lost a job, took a pay cut, paid more for medical insurance, lost a 401(k) match and never had a pension to begin with. I know it happened to me and those I know best. The private-sector taxpayer simply cannot afford the unrealistic public-sector expectations for wages and benefits.— January 12, 2009 12:46 p.m.
San Diego City Employees pension fund ailing
The sad thing is construction jobs used to provide for a solid middle class life style up through the late 70's, and the unions were a big part of it back then. But illegal immigration really destroyed the construction trades for Amwericans, because you had cheap illegal labor who would work for peanuts, and could be trained eventually in the trades-but without the higher level wages. Illegal mmigrants would undercut American workers and they pretty much destroyed the living wage of contruction trades-with the exception of union jobs, which became more scarce. I last did construction work back in the mid 80's and everywhere I went the entire work crews consisted of basically 100% illegal immigrants and an American foreman who spoke Spanish. Pretty sad how the American life style has deteriorated because third world coutries are able to export their poverty to us.— January 11, 2009 6:42 p.m.
San Diego City Employees pension fund ailing
Incidentally, most firefighters would love to make what a journeyman electrician makes. That's $35 an hour, or almost $73,000 per year plus benefits. ============================ The trades only make close to $35 an hour (I think it is closer to $29/$30 an hour) if they are in the union ( I did framing with a friend during college breaks and made 1/4 of what a union worker made-and yes-those union jobs were highly political because they were small in #), and they also do not work fulltime since the trades are seasonal, which accounts for part of the higher pay scale. Union trades account for about 25% of construction projects today-and it is almost entirely on government projects. JF, you're not fooling anyone-union construction trades are very hard, construction work is much more dangerous, and the jobs have far less security than a FF job-or any gov job for that matter.— January 11, 2009 6:32 p.m.
San Diego City Employees pension fund ailing
Since "anyone can do it" and firefighters make more than attorneys, according to Johnny, ================================= Not only d FF's make more than lawyers, they also make more than dentists, doctors and Harvard MBS's. Even though starting pay for a Harvard lawyer right out of law school is in the $150K range-they also have to work an 80 hour week and do not have the pension/sick days/paid holidays a muni FF has. Take out school loans and it is much less. So if an entry level FF were to work 80 hours per week, and I mean actually work, 40 hours would be at time and a half, add on the generous benefits and it would be more than even the $150K Harvard law school grad. BTW-only about 2-3% of law school grads make $150K right out of law school, the average pay would be about $40K-$60K in a private sector job working 50 weeks per year, at 50-60 hours per week- take out school loans and it is basically a poverty wage.— January 11, 2009 6:22 p.m.
San Diego City Employees pension fund ailing
How about, "I'm on duty 56 hours a week". ================ I think that is much more accurate.— January 11, 2009 6:16 p.m.
Copley Press Sells Posh Condos in Ballpark District to Owner David Copley. The Deal Raises Questions
Craigslist should also be broken up into multiple competing companies. No single company should have a nationwide stranglehold on on-line advertising. By Burwell 8:26 p.m., Jan 10, 2009 ================================= This applies to any business market- and is one of the big reasons for the market meltdown. If AIG is too big to fail then it is too big to exist, same goes for CitiGroup and the major financial institutions. Back in the early 1900's (1908??) Standard Oil (now Cheveron) had 90% of the oil market and because of that moopoly power they were busted into 39 different companies, and over the next 100 years they all merged until we have the 5 major oil companies we have today-which basically puts us right back into the same situation Standar Oil had from the 1860's through 1908, but with an oligopoly, regulators should never let ANY industry consolidate to that level. And when this happens we get higher prices and lower service levels.— January 11, 2009 5:13 p.m.
When Chargers Play in Super Bowl, They Will be Supported by Wall Street's Bears, Despite Tarnished Indicator
The stadium is on hold again, at least unil next season. Chargers lost to a very VERY good Pitt Steelers team, who really fixed the problems with their offensive line, and the Chargers D and O were pretty bad today.— January 11, 2009 5:02 p.m.
If Vegas Can Get Federal Stimulus Money for Organized Crime Museum, Will Chargers Demand Funds for Stadium?
We dodged a financial/stadium bullet with the Chargers losing today...Phewwww...that one was too close for comfort.— January 11, 2009 5 p.m.
San Diego City Employees pension fund ailing
I don't get why you and a few others get so bent out of shape over the internet ========================== Because there are those out there who might actually believe you. That's why almost everything I post correcting you has a link attached. So that other people can see how far off your "2 cents" is. By JF 8:05 a.m., Jan 11, 2009 *********************************** *********************************** Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm............I see.........yes, we don't want anyone to believe things you post JF-like FFs "working" a 56 hour week now do we! Burwell, I have said many times what you have stated, FFing is a blue collar "occupatin"/job that is no different mentally or physically from the contsruction trades, such as plumber, electrician, roofer, painter and so forth-and the pay should be on that level.— January 11, 2009 4:57 p.m.
San Diego City Employees pension fund ailing
You do understand that firefighters currently work a 56 hour week, don't you? By JF 2:52 p.m., Jan 11, 2009 ================ How many times do I have to debunk JF's falsehoods of a 56 hour work week??? NO, you do NOT "work" a 56 hour week, you are ON CALL. Big differnce there JF. Unless you consider, sleeping, exercising, shopping, cooking, eating, washing the big red fire truck and other leisurely pursuits "work"......— January 11, 2009 4:52 p.m.