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Aguirre on Emergency Committee; Governor Sought Advice
Don, Here's another "Aguirre Flash" I can't call them newsflashes anymore... Seems Mr. A is unhappy with Mr. L at VOSD cause Mr. A was only making "suggestions" to make a plan. Come on... when has Mr. A ever merely made a suggestion. He recent behaviors in LaJolla and PB show he a take charge, Alexander Haig kind of guy.— October 26, 2007 10:15 a.m.
Watch for Fire Hoopla at Chargers Game Sunday
That's right Don... A million is small potatoes to the NFL but it really go along way to helping those who need it most right now. Especially when insurance companies will be, lets say cautious, about handing out cash.— October 26, 2007 9:46 a.m.
For City to Stave Off Bankruptcy, There Must Be Sacrifices
Regarding the unions; you’re right they've taken a stand and it's their job to defend it. My disappointment has always been City Management or should I say the lack of professional management. Like it or not for many bargaining sessions the City said it was broke, but offered pension benefits in lieu of raises. If they were broke the offers never should have been made. I find it hard to fault workers trying to improve their lives to turn down a raise, even if it's back loaded to pension compensation. The problem, as we know now, is management ALSO back loaded it to the taxpayers. The politician were either afraid, or unwilling, to pass along those costs to the taxpayer for fear of retribution, i.e. getting voted out of office. Or worse, which was probably the case, knew they'd be out of office and NOT accountable. Thus their problems were left to some poor smucks in the future to deal with it. It’s now, only in hindsight, we can clearly see what unethical decisions were made. You absolutely correct, everyone must share the pain to get out of this mess, it should not be solely borne on the backs of the employees. With regards to your comments about the cost neutral DROP program, what's there to say? For years one actuarial says one thing, then later a new actuarial with the benefit of years of data not available to the first, says, nope the first one was wrong. Honestly, I believe actuarial calculations are akin to voo-doo mathematics. For example, we have recently seen new “methods” of projection the pension debt. The result, a reduced the UAAL and by a substantial amount. So which one is correct? I don’t know. In another example, the City’s newest actuary, Mr. Esuchanko, says SDCERS DOES NOT HAVE A PROBLEM funding all of its obligations. Heck, Mr. Aguirre even used Mr. Escuchanko as his expert witness in his failed litigation against SDCERS. My point is NO ONE can predict the future, they only make projections based upon past experience and assumptions. But who could have predicted 9-11 and the financial hit our entire economy took as a result. Those losses combined with the City’s deliberate underfunding of its pension obligation are the causation factors for the bulk of the UAAL. But the numbers, for the public safety employees’ purchase of service credits, have remained consistent, showing a profit for SDCERS over several actuarial audit/projections. In fact those purchases were cost neutral as they were at substantially cost then purchases made by so-called general members.— October 26, 2007 9:41 a.m.
Aguirre on Emergency Committee; Governor Sought Advice
P.S. to Posts #22 and #23 Don, The Reader should update their webpage to headline most current, most important comments like those you ask in Post #24. They need to be headlined in such a way as to attract the most interaction with your readers and draw in more of the community of San Diego on most critical issues like you discuss. There has to be a better way to counter the U-T establishment propaganda machine that far too many people accept without question. And The Reader is the only journal available to us right now to do critical reality checks with at a time when San Diego quality of life is degrading at an unacceptable rate due to far too much control over our elected representatives by U-T powers that be. Tony— October 26, 2007 9:39 a.m.
Aguirre on Emergency Committee; Governor Sought Advice
P.S. to Post #23 Don, you and your readers might also want to read Steve Lopez's column in the L.A. Times this morning: "San Diego set no enviable standard" www.latimes.com/news/columnists/la-me-lopez26oct2… Tony— October 26, 2007 8:51 a.m.
U-T Uses Fire to Smear Aguirre -- Inaccurately, As Always
Of course you believe in Mr. Aguirre! I bet you believe in the tooth fairy too. You know, I heard there were weapons of mass destruction in stashed in Ramona, and that's why the National Guard was called in too stop people from returning. I can hardly wait to read Mr. Aguirre's Interim Report #1,268,343 on this one.— October 26, 2007 8:22 a.m.
Aguirre on Emergency Committee; Governor Sought Advice
Don, interesting U-T Editorial on “Strong leadership” this morning glorifying their U-T establishment politicians, stating their “kind of leadership helped save lives. Who could ask for more?” So the U-T establishment rushes in to glorify itself again. Not one word mentioned about the firefighters, law officers and fellow citizens who actually risked, some suffering hellacious injuries, their own lives performing countless acts of heroism that actually saved those lives in spite of the U-T establishment "leadership." Indeed, “Who could ask for more?”— October 26, 2007 8:17 a.m.
Aguirre on Emergency Committee; Governor Sought Advice
So you're saying Lewis' quotes are misquotes or lies?— October 26, 2007 8:02 a.m.
Watch for Fire Hoopla at Chargers Game Sunday
Well I don't see a new stadium in San Diego near future, but it certainly would be nice to see the NFL make a considerable contribution (1M+) to appropriate San Diego Charities with NO STRINGS ATTACHED.— October 26, 2007 7:54 a.m.
Aguirre on Emergency Committee; Governor Sought Advice
Note on the earlier comments about KUSI reporters allowing Klein to go unchallenged: they let Aguirre go unchallenged every Wednesday morning, why would you expect a challenge to Klein?— October 25, 2007 7:24 p.m.