http://www.eastbayconservative.com/2008/10/24/why-all-our-cities-are-bankrupt/ Words from a Non-Leftist Thu, 08 Dec 2011 03:54:17 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://www.eastbayconservative.com/2008/10/24/why-all-our-cities-are-bankrupt/comment-page-1/#comment-2519 Megan Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:46:17 +0000 http://www.eastbayconservative.com/2008/10/24/why-all-our-cities-are-bankrupt/#comment-2519 What Can we common Poeple do about the Bailout? Nothing.. we just have to wait and see if the company comes up and develops new cars and prototypes to please the americal consumer What Can we common Poeple do about the Bailout? Nothing.. we just have to wait and see if the company comes up and develops new cars and prototypes to please the americal consumer

]]> http://www.eastbayconservative.com/2008/10/24/why-all-our-cities-are-bankrupt/comment-page-1/#comment-2137 SF2OAK Tue, 28 Oct 2008 17:51:21 +0000 http://www.eastbayconservative.com/2008/10/24/why-all-our-cities-are-bankrupt/#comment-2137 There is a way out and that is to have economic growth AND cut gov't. It is laughable (but not funny) that 1. the Mayor didn't know anything about the deficit until 6 weeks ago, 2. that the city council proposes $42M in cuts just now - and they have more to cut. I wrote in a blog - don't know which one- that when the mayor said he would cut $10m which translates into 120 jobs I did the math and that's $83.33K per employee. A subsequent poster said hey that's not too bad it's probably $55K of salary and the rest benefits- but I thought about it and think $83.33K per yr. is a lot especially when I go from retail shop to retail shop -owners of businesses have risked their capital to make a store and they aren't guaranteed $83.33K per yr. nor the vacation time of a city employee- they are working all the time. And for an hourly employee it's even worse- they don't make that kind of $. These are fat plum jobs, and it is so corrupt to get one and many positions are not even needed. So part of me would like to see the city go BK so that it can rebuild and get out of these awful union contracts. On the other hand the $ crisis can force the unions to get real, the city of OAK could put forward an economic vision. The green city is OK, only we don't do it. OAK is chasing recyclers out, it is not business friendly and plants locate in Hayward, the taxes here are high. so where is the economic engine and vision? Why is Emeryville so successful and OAK not? Taxes, bloat, no vision. There is a way out and that is to have economic growth AND cut gov’t. It is laughable (but not funny) that 1. the Mayor didn’t know anything about the deficit until 6 weeks ago, 2. that the city council proposes $42M in cuts just now – and they have more to cut. I wrote in a blog – don’t know which one- that when the mayor said he would cut $10m which translates into 120 jobs I did the math and that’s $83.33K per employee. A subsequent poster said hey that’s not too bad it’s probably $55K of salary and the rest benefits- but I thought about it and think $83.33K per yr. is a lot especially when I go from retail shop to retail shop -owners of businesses have risked their capital to make a store and they aren’t guaranteed $83.33K per yr. nor the vacation time of a city employee- they are working all the time. And for an hourly employee it’s even worse- they don’t make that kind of $. These are fat plum jobs, and it is so corrupt to get one and many positions are not even needed. So part of me would like to see the city go BK so that it can rebuild and get out of these awful union contracts. On the other hand the $ crisis can force the unions to get real, the city of OAK could put forward an economic vision. The green city is OK, only we don’t do it. OAK is chasing recyclers out, it is not business friendly and plants locate in Hayward, the taxes here are high. so where is the economic engine and vision? Why is Emeryville so successful and OAK not? Taxes, bloat, no vision.

]]> http://www.eastbayconservative.com/2008/10/24/why-all-our-cities-are-bankrupt/comment-page-1/#comment-2131 mark ross Sat, 25 Oct 2008 18:12:56 +0000 http://www.eastbayconservative.com/2008/10/24/why-all-our-cities-are-bankrupt/#comment-2131 The euphamism is "legacy costs." Europe is in the same pickle, only worse. The current market melt down is a mere hiccup compared to the actuarial nightmare that has been looming in plain sight for years. Bankruptcy is the best way out, assuming that the contractural obligations to retirees are rewritten in ways to preserve solvency. That loud shriek you hear is NOT a pig being stuck. The euphamism is “legacy costs.” Europe is in the same pickle, only worse. The current market melt down is a mere hiccup compared to the actuarial nightmare that has been looming in plain sight for years. Bankruptcy is the best way out, assuming that the contractural obligations to retirees are rewritten in ways to preserve solvency. That loud shriek you hear is NOT a pig being stuck.

]]> http://www.eastbayconservative.com/2008/10/24/why-all-our-cities-are-bankrupt/comment-page-1/#comment-2130 Al Sat, 25 Oct 2008 14:58:14 +0000 http://www.eastbayconservative.com/2008/10/24/why-all-our-cities-are-bankrupt/#comment-2130 Didn't know these things. Thanks for the info. Didn’t know these things. Thanks for the info.

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