The way it is

From a friend of mine:

The gap between what U.S. States have saved and what they have promised to retired public workers for pension and health care benefits. States have saved $2.35 trillion of the 3.35 trillion owed to workers.


Source: The Pew Center on the States



Editorial Comment: Last time I read the City of Clearwater newspaper it was deeper than it's elbows in shortfall of savings for promises and commitments. Why would anyone expect their property tax burden to be reduced in an older city when this hard cost will comes due at the expense of people who never received the services?



See Oldsmars 93 per cent defeat of its proposed acquisition of the East Lake Corridor (unincorporated Pinellas County). The Oldsmar fight to annex our 3600-3800 residential homes (Lansbrook) was to make up for Oldsmars shortfall in meeting its substantial fixed obligations of which a substantial portion is for former public worker retiree benefits for Oldsmar workers, one of our older communities.



It's also my understanding from my read of a Wall Street Journal article yesterday that America is tapping our Social Security bonds for the first time to pay for recipients, which translates to less money coming in to social security than going out in benefits.



Hi, I'm Charlie Crist, Republican Governor in Florida. I'm from the government, I'm here to help.


How about a $90 million dollar high school in Venice, Florida?


How about a multi-billion dollar transient railroad system run by Union workers?


How about a multi-million dollar baseball stadium? ...or football stadium?


The Florida House Republican proposal to create bathroom monitors in all of Florida's public schools to make sure kids aren't bullied there will create jobs?


Let's create artificial prices for sugar about twice that of the free market price for our campaign contributors, it's a hidden cost that's certainly regressive but who really understands regressive tax structure anyway?


How about me shutting up and getting back to work because somebody has to pay these charges.