tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14162253.post7863010196628948613..comments2024-03-28T18:57:15.124-06:00Comments on Wash Park Prophet: Colorado Springs BrokeAndrew Oh-Willekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02537151821869153861noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14162253.post-91925757568926330522010-02-17T17:36:42.431-07:002010-02-17T17:36:42.431-07:00I grew up in Colorado Springs--this is seriously s...I grew up in Colorado Springs--this is seriously sad. City planning has always been horrible--this won't help. <br /><br />The military population may be growing, but most are not Colorado or city residents. <br /><br />Volunteer-esque part-time mayor? You get what you pay for.District 11noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14162253.post-20731803505473899632010-02-14T00:05:07.029-07:002010-02-14T00:05:07.029-07:00I stayed at the Broadmoor once. The service was a...I stayed at the Broadmoor once. The service was awful for the price.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09835613204417308339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14162253.post-27472777232882788912010-02-02T09:13:08.276-07:002010-02-02T09:13:08.276-07:00Defined benefit plans disproportionately hurt seni...Defined benefit plans disproportionately hurt senior management, and I suspect that senior civil servants see that as a make or break covenant.<br /><br />Also, to the extent that they have opted out of Social Security, they have to have a defined benefit plan.Andrew Oh-Willekehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02537151821869153861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14162253.post-922013414469446462010-02-02T08:16:28.592-07:002010-02-02T08:16:28.592-07:00@Andrew,
When I asked "Why?", I was not...@Andrew,<br /><br />When I asked "Why?", I was not asking for the actuarial reason. I was asking: "Why have they not abrogated their pension obligations". "Why have they not told the employees to pay 100% of their health care plans?"Dave Barneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07355264650239868491noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14162253.post-41539405611935218092010-02-02T06:49:05.463-07:002010-02-02T06:49:05.463-07:00I escaped CS in 2007 to Denver after 5 years there...I escaped CS in 2007 to Denver after 5 years there. One of the most beautiful places I've lived, and one of the weirdest. Moving there from Northern California was quite a culture shock.<br /><br />Steve Bartolin's comparison is insulting. He hires seasonal eastern European kids for peanuts to run the hotel and recently immigrated (legally?) latinos to clean the rooms. He doesn't have to worry much about expertise, training, good benefits, raises, and retirement plans. Lucky him!<br /><br />I wonder if the streetlights in his neighborhood will be turned off.<br /><br />I feel sorry for some of the people I know down there, but I don't think the Doug Bruce style of thinking will change any time soon. Pity...BSRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15466735916045536836noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14162253.post-23648030310266583092010-02-01T18:44:13.074-07:002010-02-01T18:44:13.074-07:00Dave: Probably because the value of the underlyin...Dave: Probably because the value of the underlying investments fell, so the actuarial requirement to stay current increased.<br /><br />Michael: I'm not convinced that the standard of living in the U.S. has declined. We have traded greater affluence for less security, but we continue, I believe, to become more affluent.Andrew Oh-Willekehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02537151821869153861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14162253.post-87044575637566293002010-02-01T16:44:44.267-07:002010-02-01T16:44:44.267-07:00Indeed, the whole switch from defined-benefit to d...Indeed, the whole switch from defined-benefit to defined-contribution is one of the subtle ways real wages have declined over the past 40 years -- but the pain is deferred.<br /><br />It's time for government employee compensation to follow private industry employee compensation down the drain.<br /><br />(The real cause of the decline of U.S. standard of living is globalization, the rise of standard of living of the third world, and scarcity of resources -- there are no easy answers to that problem. But right now, government pensions are out of whack and the government doesn't have GM's luxury of going bankrupt.)Michael Malakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10007582156392845677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14162253.post-85426827192118569902010-02-01T15:16:36.746-07:002010-02-01T15:16:36.746-07:00"while pension and health care costs for city..."while pension and health care costs for city employees continued to soar"<br /><br />Why?<br /><br />Time for the City to drop the pension plan and go with a 401k equivalent.Dave Barneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07355264650239868491noreply@blogger.com