Scranton Mayor Slashes Pay For All City Workers—Including Police And firefighters—

[merrylander]

Republicans should not be paid at all.

[whell]

Originally Posted by bobabode

If you bothered to read the article you might have noticed that the reason the mayor took this action was because the city council refused to raise taxes.
Did you read anything more than the headline? I know it's hard for you and the OP but read a little more than the first paragraph before crowing about Scranton's problems.

That's even funnier, Bobby. A bunch of Dems on the city council refused to raise taxes, and now the Dem mayor is bitching about it!

[bobabode]

Originally Posted by whell

That's even funnier, Bobby. A bunch of Dems on the city council refused to raise taxes, and now the Dem mayor is bitching about it!

What's sad is your take on it Whellie. It's going to court.

[d-ray657]

So much for the Democrats being in the public employee unions' hip pocket. This incident will be forgotten about, however, when that narrative is again useful.

Regards,

D-Ray

[whell]

Originally Posted by bobabode

What's sad is your take on it Whellie. It's going to court.

Yup. Dems suing dems because the they've sucked the public trough dry. Then watch the blame game start.

Cities all over the the country are under financial stress or going into bankruptcy because they're overspent. One of the biggest financial challenges that most cities face is trying to figure out how to fund their pension obligations for pensions that far more generous than the private sector. They're trying to figure out how to cover the nut for health care costs, which are typically more generous than the private sector. Since these cost have been rising for years and administrations like Scranton have kicked the can down the road, the costs are now beyond what the cities can sustain.

See? Ain't that hard to figure.

[whell]

Originally Posted by d-ray657

So much for the Democrats being in the public employee unions' hip pocket.

Regards,

D-Ray

I think its a case of "eating their own" once the money runs out.

[Boreas]

Originally Posted by bobabode

WTF is ridlen?

I think the dear boy was trying to say Ritalin.

John

[finnbow]

I wonder how much of the high earners in the tax base of Scranton have been able to hide income and avoid taxes as Romney seems to have.

[merrylander]

Originally Posted by whell

Yup. Dems suing dems because the they've sucked the public trough dry. Then watch the blame game start.

Cities all over the the country are under financial stress or going into bankruptcy because they're overspent. One of the biggest financial challenges that most cities face is trying to figure out how to fund their pension obligations for pensions that far more generous than the private sector. They're trying to figure out how to cover the nut for health care costs, which are typically more generous than the private sector. Since these cost have been rising for years and administrations like Scranton have kicked the can down the road, the costs are now beyond what the cities can sustain.

See? Ain't that hard to figure.

Not hard to have a better pension than the private sector since many in the private sector declare bankruptcy then get some judge to let them walk away from their underfunded pension plans - United Airlines ring a bell?

Of course then you and I pick up the tab under the fed pension guarantee fund.

So it is not only the public sector that has been kicking the can down the road.

[beej]

I've seen similar dilemmas in other municipalities. There is no good solution to any of it. Camden, NJ imposed massive lay-offs of police and firefighters. Other cities closed schools and laid off teachers. And, in my judgment, there's lots of blame to go around. It's a union's job to get the best deal they can for their membership but there has to be a modicum of reason and rationality to their proposals. It's a municipality's responsibility to negotiate in good faith and good faith includes fiscal restraint and an honest appraisal of what is feasible.

What the mayor did was an act of desperation and I don't think that anyone who isn't directly involved has a real sense of the details of how this all came to be.