Liberal pensions start to hit authority finances - (Post Gazette, Pgh)

[bleedingheart]

"The Port Authority's liberal pension plan provides such options, not only because of the 25-year retirement rule but also because of the pension formula based on a multiplier of 2.25 times the years of service, which can make early retirement affordable. Non-union managers have a similar pension program."

There are two things that really piss me off about this article.

1. The use of Liberal...I guess when people who work for 25 years or more are rewarded with their pensions, which were agreed upon at the time...and they receive more than enough to live on...well it is a "liberal"/extravangant pension.

2. The fact that people who work for a living and who get their pensions are somehow being pilloried because they happened to be lucky/smart/hardworking enough to have gotten a job that actually has a pension. But yet...where is the outrage that the rich pigs like Richard Scaife inherit millions without working a goddamn day...all because they were fortunate to be conceived in the "right" bedroom......but remember we serfs aren't allowed to have a decent pension...people are only happy if we end up living on fucking dog kibble in our old age...cuz that is what we deserve...

I am considering a nice letter to the editor regarding this piece.

But my question is...where the fuck are we going as a society when we basically can't make up our fucking minds. Either we want people to make decent wages and live out their retirement comfortably...or we want everyone to be working til the day they die and having them lowering the heat until they freeze to death.

To be honest...we should all be able to have a pension of $60K a year...it would be nice to live well, have healthcare and perhaps travel about before our kids plug us in the ground.

[Just Me]

1. If they seek to write about truly "liberal" pensions,...

,...these people should take a damned close look at the military-corporate complex (and the politicians tied thereto). Now, there's some LIBERAL freakin' pensions!!!!

[bleedingheart]

2. but that would mean picking on the "right" pensions...which

are those pensions for people who donate to the GOP...and we musn't argue with the modern robber barons.

[Just Me]

5. Robber Barons?

They've been bleeding us throughout history, huh.

[bleedingheart]

6. are you unfamiliar with the term?

it is frequently used in the Pittsburgh area to describe the Carnegie, Frick and Scaife families...

[Dr.Phool]

3. Pensions are part of labor agreements

And are a trade-off for higher wages. Over the years, we could have made more money hourly, but took smaller raises in wages and small pension increases.

They make it sound like a gift, but it was all part of our earnings over the years.

[4MoreYearsOfHell]

4. Why the nerve of those people

to put 4.5% of their money each year into a pension fund that might actually allow them to retire with dignity...

[Divernan]

7. the Port Authority wastes money on custom painting buses & fireworks

You guys should see the buses operated by the Allegheny County Port Authority. There are dozens of different themes painted on in expensive metallic paint - many different colors, with bizarre designs - there's one with a German phrase I don't know the meaning of and others with the single word "Go" painted all over in different size and design type faces; or the words "here" and "there" scattered all over. No two are alike.The Port Authority has sponsored fireworks displays at the new baseball stadium. Now I challenge anyone to tell me that they have decided to ride the bus because of the way a bus was painted, or because the port Authority paid for fireworks. People in allegheny County/Pittsburgh take the bus to get to and from work, or medical appointments or college. The key factors are frequency of availability and how close the bus routes are to where you live. The County is full of steep hills, Especially in bad weather, people cannot walk great distances to get to a bus stop.
Of course, none of our crack local journalists have ever thought to check out exactly how much each one of those custom paint jobs cost - but I bet some PAT board member's business has got the contract.