Detroit pension protesters offer own bankruptcy plan, vow to shut city down

**Gistok** · February-25-14, 06:52 PM

Ray1936... let me take an educated stab at PERS.... Public Employee Retirement System....

**Ray1936** · February-25-14, 07:59 PM

Originally Posted by Gistok

Ray1936... let me take an educated stab at PERS.... Public Employee Retirement System....

Yes, I'm pretty sure that is it, Gistock. I had a brain fart while typing that post. Happens a lot after I have my two glasses of pinot noir in the afternoon......

**nain rouge** · February-25-14, 08:17 PM

The one thing about these pensions is that I can never remember a time when your average person with keen financial sense thought that the deals Detroit was cutting in the '80s and '90s with the unions were realistic. Hasn't it always been a train heading toward a cliff? I understand that people deserve to be paid for there work, but I never - EVER - would've bet a retirement on it.

When was there a time to be optimistic? The '90s? "Oh, Detroit only lost 80,000 people this decade. It must be stabilizing!" I can understand being optimistic about certain specific sectors within the city, but as a whole it's been going down since the '60s.

I've spent some time working in the book industry, and it always amazed me when workers were shocked that a store was cutting labor or closing. Couldn't you see the writing on the wall, the perpetually lagging sales and emerging competitors? People just want to put their heads down and imagine that some fairy godmother is gonna take care of them. Isn't that how Metro Detroit gets in all these messes, anyhow?

Folks, when you're screwed, you gotta recognize it and accept fate. I entered the book industry expecting it to be a short-term gig, just as I would've entered the DFD expecting I could get screwed out of pensions.

**Wesley Mouch** · February-26-14, 12:38 PM

Originally Posted by nain rouge

The one thing about these pensions is that I can never remember a time when your average person with keen financial sense thought that the deals Detroit was cutting in the '80s and '90s with the unions were realistic. Hasn't it always been a train heading toward a cliff? I understand that people deserve to be paid for there work, but I never - EVER - would've bet a retirement on it.

When was there a time to be optimistic? The '90s? "Oh, Detroit only lost 80,000 people this decade. It must be stabilizing!" I can understand being optimistic about certain specific sectors within the city, but as a whole it's been going down since the '60s.

I've spent some time working in the book industry, and it always amazed me when workers were shocked that a store was cutting labor or closing. Couldn't you see the writing on the wall, the perpetually lagging sales and emerging competitors? People just want to put their heads down and imagine that some fairy godmother is gonna take care of them. Isn't that how Metro Detroit gets in all these messes, anyhow?

Folks, when you're screwed, you gotta recognize it and accept fate. I entered the book industry expecting it to be a short-term gig, just as I would've entered the DFD expecting I could get screwed out of pensions.

My thoughts, exactly. You get on a train speeding to hell -- don't be surprised when you arrive.

**nain rouge** · February-26-14, 02:59 PM

Originally Posted by Cliffy

Gotta love the Republican Circle Jerk in all the pension threads. People in their 70's and 80's and 90's are losing 30% of their income which is not a lot to begin with and the attitude is "oh well". God, what a bunch of compassionate less lowlifes. Get a fucking heart and look at reality for people at this age. They will be eat dog food now.

Here's the thing. Far as I can tell, the majority of the people in the previous generations have NEVER care ONE LICK about my generation. They allowed and/or indulged in all sorts of corruption, assuming the bill would never be due in their lifetime. Well, guess what? It is, and I'm not going to shoulder the whole load for them so they can get away scotfree with the squandering of this country's resources. They can suffer along with us.

**Gistok** · February-26-14, 03:33 PM

Originally Posted by nain rouge

[/COLOR]
Here's the thing. Far as I can tell, the majority of the people in the previous generations have NEVER care ONE LICK about my generation. They allowed and/or indulged in all sorts of corruption, assuming the bill would never be due in their lifetime. Well, guess what? It is, and I'm not going to shoulder the whole load for them so they can get away scotfree with the squandering of this country's resources. They can suffer along with us.

Good lord... would you like some cheese with that whine??

Your lament is the same one that's been going on for generation after generation... don't make it somehow sound like you've somehow been excluded in everything... and that nobody loves you.... After all there's no magic handing over of the baton among generations... so stop your snivelling...

**jt1** · February-26-14, 03:47 PM

Originally Posted by Gistok

Good lord... would you like some cheese with that whine??

Your lament is the same one that's been going on for generation after generation... don't make it somehow sound like you've somehow been excluded in everything... and that nobody loves you.... After all there's no magic handing over of the baton among generations... so stop your snivelling...

Of course you gloss over the fact that gen X will be the first generation whose quality of life will be below that of their parents. So, in some respect, younger people are excluded from the generation to generation improvement that all previous generations were afforded.