Current and former city workers crowded Cincinnati council chambers today to hear how the Retirement Board plans to deal with a looming $1 billion shortfall.
Recommendations include raising retirement ages, reducing pension rates and cost of living adjustments, lowering and eliminating death benefits, and restructuring healthcare plans. Actuary and board member Bill Partridge says the proposals add up to nearly a half billion dollars in savings.
But retiree Tom Koch says it’s not right to take away benefits people were promised. “What are my thoughts about that,” he asks. “It sort of sucks because I had to sign a contract and everything and the city says this is what I’m going to have and now they want to take it from me. They sent me to meetings and told me ‘This is what you’re going to have, Mr. Koch” and I said, ‘Fine, I’ll take it. I worked for it. You’re going to give it to me. Thank you.’ And now they say, ‘It’s over.’”
At least one union has threatened legal action if the city attempts to change pension benefits.
Yep. It's over there Tom, your pension and health benefits never meant a damn thing. Someone's got to pay to shortfalls like this all over the country, and it's sure not going to be voters, hell no. Just blame it all on city and county employees and make them pay for the budget problems. Can't raise fees for the city or county, that's unconstitutional or something. Instead we'll just rob local government employees, because they're all overpaid leeches anyway, right?
And hey, that's only half the shortfall. Going to have to make cuts, cuts, cuts, cuts...who raises taxes anymore? Soon to be unemployed county commissioners and city council members if they try. Naah, better to stake out the lambs so the goats live another day.
I understand Wal-Mart needs greeters. Who'd want to work for a local government anyway? They'll just slit your throat the second it becomes politically expedient to do so.
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