tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-771892655051987797.post5742882964753949395..comments2023-07-26T05:01:10.813-07:00Comments on DC's Musings: City Budget Decisions: It's Deja Vu All Over AgainDennis C Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00914332467365539148noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-771892655051987797.post-58838975868731942932010-08-03T18:22:36.605-07:002010-08-03T18:22:36.605-07:00We all share frustration with the deficits faced b...We all share frustration with the deficits faced by state and local governments. Your baseline priorities make lots of sense. In hard times, I'd rather have cops than Mobility Coordinators. And there's little question that some pension benefits seem to have gotten out of hand. <br /><br />The problem with pension benefits is that, short of a major -- and unlikely -- renegotiation, the city can't affect its short-term costs. The primary beneficiaries of the benefits are long-term city workers, who are also well-represented in the ranks of union leadership. They're unlikely to agree to changes that will affect their own benefits. <br /><br />I don't think this is just a matter of political courage, though a little of that might be useful. None of the choices before the City Council is pleasant. All of them will lead to a reduced quality of life for some group of people. What seems a frivolous service to you or me may look essential, for example, to a wheelchair user who won't be able to get a ride after we fire the Mobility Coordinator. <br /><br />And in the long run, what we're witnessing is the slow decline of the United States into a second-class country. It's satisfying to talk of defeating arrogant unions. But we're also talking about continuing and accelerating the decline of America's middle class. Remember when ordinary industrial workers could retire comfortably on their pensions? No more. Remember when a single worker could provide a modest living for his or her family? Those days are past. At the rate we're going, we're going to meet India one day as their standard of living rises and ours declines.<br /><br />So let's all cheer for salary cuts. Let's denounce the recalcitrant unions and their inflated retirement packages. Let's beat down our labor costs. And then let's cry in our beers about the decline of the American worker, their consistent pessimism, their unwillingness to spend much, and the stagnation of our economy. We can notice that corporations earn more every year, while the people who labor for them seem to earn less.<br /><br />And when we're done, perhaps we should ask if their isn't a better way....Bob Schillingnoreply@blogger.com