tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7691251033406320222.post618875066743128838..comments2024-03-26T04:19:38.862-07:00Comments on kitchen table math, the sequel: Yonkers bites the dustCatherine Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03347093496361370174noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7691251033406320222.post-35443372752320644672012-04-11T06:28:04.939-07:002012-04-11T06:28:04.939-07:00I think the holidays have taken care of the awaren...I think the holidays have taken care of the awareness issue. We all seem to have gov't worker relatives who retire after 20 yrs or less on very good pension w/bennies and have no problem spouting off to the world about their vacation travels & second homes and fail to notice the others at the table who are on 401K and certainly have done the math,figuring there is no way they can fund a retirement that nice or college for their children while they are paying so much in taxes to support the gov't workers who have full medical for eternity (usually much longer than they actually worked) as well as college aid because their bennies aren't included in the financial calculations. We can vote on what, 2% of the school budget, while these people laugh all the way to the bank as they jack their compensation up each year? Voting is going to have to be done with the feet.lgmnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7691251033406320222.post-86214490444680471642012-04-11T05:32:40.453-07:002012-04-11T05:32:40.453-07:00I agree, but the point I'm making is that when...I agree, but the point I'm making is that when the debate is math vs emotions, emotions win 8 out of 10 times. Moreover, it's not a random 8/10 - emotions win consistently until the math proves insurmountable. By the time most people understand the problem, it's too late to fix easily. I'm surrounded by accountants who are in denial over a problem they're paid to find in other contexts. How do you convince people who've never even thought about their own retirement that there's a problem and that it's been steadily building for forty years?Independent Georgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14559237565237736636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7691251033406320222.post-87999723567543244272012-04-10T20:05:41.789-07:002012-04-10T20:05:41.789-07:00the problem is not with the number of heartless ro...the problem is not with the number of heartless robots, the problem is that what's in the best interest of an individual is counter to the best interest of a functioning society.<br /><br /> We've reached the point where we tell our selves or our children "get a govt job" because it's the only way to be financially secure, even as the inequity grows by doing so. <br /> towns like Irvington are going to rip apart as the "haves" are the schoolteachers in town and they "have nots" are paying for them, while no one has any other town services anymore, and the anger will still be mixed with envy. If only we could have that pension instead!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7691251033406320222.post-49243015340230627192012-04-10T08:13:05.663-07:002012-04-10T08:13:05.663-07:00I work in an accounting firm, and most people here...I work in an accounting firm, and most people here don't really understand the pension problems, either. Not because they can't - clearly, they understand what liabilities and net present value are. It's that they can't comprehend that the money promised doesn't exist. That things could have lasted this long based on vapor.<br /><br />I think this is what most people are inclined to believe, and what will be sold to us - that if there is no money, it's because someone stole it, or didn't pay their fair share. <br /><br />I'm willing to bet that every one of us knows someone we love who has received a generous pension upon retirement. Our natural instinct is to smile and say they earned that generosity, and that everyone should get it. Only a heartless robot would wonder where the money comes from, and what it costs to maintain that generosity.Independent Georgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14559237565237736636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7691251033406320222.post-91662550348682113682012-04-06T19:26:50.299-07:002012-04-06T19:26:50.299-07:00"The union has national backing and expertise..."The union has national backing and expertise to draw upon; the volunteers who serve on local boards are on their own."<br /><br />And money. Our school board specifically commented about this disparity and tried to get the state legislature to allow for combined town or state-wide negotiations. It failed. Of course.<br /><br />The union doesn't want people to see the man behind the curtain. That's why the full-page ad in our paper talked only about the teachers association and how people should support our children and teachers. I'm sure lots of places never see the word "union".SteveHhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03956560674752399562noreply@blogger.com