[scottw]

Originally Posted by TheSpecialist

L
Here is what I mean by plenty of blame to go around. You had people, managers, Mayors, Selectmen giving everything under the sun to public employees for years. Times were prosperous, no one saw what the future held. Now thirty or more years later, these things like pensions, exorbitant medical costs, pension calculation formulas are catching up to them, it's understandable that things need to change. But it's not fair that someone that has 15 or 20 years of service, has his or her benefits ripped out from under them, or because the municipality was run poorly they shouldn't get raises.

it's not fair??...is it fair that taxpayers should continue to pay pensions, benefits and raises to people who, through their unions worked to elect "people, managers, Mayors, Selectmen giving everything under the sun to public employees for years"....sounds like they made their own bed, they should do what many Americans are doing...get a part time job....the poorly run municipality is broke many times over....the "someone with 15-20 years of service" has "benefitted" during that entire time thanks to the "people, managers, Mayors, Selectmen giving everything under the sun to public employees for years" was that "fair"?

It's how municipalities deal with public sector unions that needs to change. Instead of taking from tenured employees, change all of the benefits that need changing for new hires, and scale back the benefits of tenured employees over time..

it's not the new hires benefits that are grossly unfunded(yet)...it's the tenured employees....have ya noticed/observed what happens when you try to "scale back" benefits?....did ya miss the whole Wisconsin thing??.....it can be done...but please go back and understand how difficult it is and how uncooperative the benefiters can be...great isn't it?...you get to participate in the pillaging for years and then cry that it's "unfair" when the tipping point is finally reached....benefits(entitlements) without responsibility(except to the sugar daddy at voting time).....pretty much where we're at....

If you worked for a company for 20 years, non union, and you came into work one day and the boss said, "Jim I am sorry your pension is being frozen, we are making you pay 10% more for your healthcare, cutting back holidays from 7 to 5, and by the way no raise this year" What would you do? I know I would quietly start looking for another job. I see this happening now a days. ..

yes...it's called reality