3rdnlng Posted March 5, 2014 Author Share Posted March 5, 2014 Nice way to run away from: Not sure what I am running away from - The OP was making a statistical statement that failed cities have a common denominator. I am refuting that - many successful cities have the same attributes and are successes - so how is the original post valid? I am telling you that my position does not originate from being a "lib" - as I don't fit the definition in either practice or thought - so you can't just say i am an idiot lib.....I just don't think things are as cut and dry..... First and foremost you need to know what you are talking about. Here are the top 10 cities with the lowest percentage of funding for pension liabilities City Total Liability % Funded Charleston, W. Va. $270 million 24 Omaha, Neb. $1.43 billion 43 Portland, Ore. $5.46 billion 50 Chicago, Ill. 24.97 billion 52 Little Rock, Ark. $498 million 59 Wilmington, Del. $364 million 59 Boston, Mass. $2.54 billion 60 Atlanta, Ga. $3.17 billion 60 Manchester, N.H. $436 million 60 New Orleans, La. $1.99 billion 61 Read Latest Breaking News from Newsmax.com http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/city-pension-shortfall-underfunded/2013/11/11/id/536027#ixzz2v727M7oy Urgent: Should Obamacare Be Repealed? Vote Here Now! http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/miarticle.htm?id=9170#.UxdnpNK-pOJ They’re already there in New York. The $8.2 billion the city will spend on pension benefits next year is 16% of our budget (not including state and federal grants that go to stuff like Medicaid, spending we can’t use for pensions). Add in health costs for public workers and retirees, and New York is spending $17 billion — or 34% of the budget. That’s double the share it was when Bloomberg took office. As Bloomberg himself has noted, "We now spend more on pensions than we do on the operating budget of the NYPD, the Fire Department and the Sanitation Department combined." For the 2013 budget, he said, "every penny in personal income tax we collect will go to cover our pension bill." https://www.baycitizen.org/news/pension-reform/citing-new-study-adachi-says-citys-fund/ San Francisco's public-employee pension fund is in weaker shape than many people realize, according to an analysis by Stanford University Professor Joe Nation released Tuesday. It is underfunded by some $6.8 billion, Nation's report finds. The city's pension fund is officially underfunded by $1.6 billion. Nation's study argues that the pension fund is relying on a 7.75 percent annual rate of return that is unrealistic over the long term. The study argues for 6.2 percent, which it says was the average rate of return in the capital markets from 1900 through 1999. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 Yup, San Francisco is run real well. http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/matier-ross/article/S-F-takes-aim-at-weekend-pee-problem-in-Dolores-5289087.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCinBuffalo Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 Oh - someone mentioned Pittsburgh. I do a ton of work in PGH and PA. PA is a total mess -worse than NY - but PGH is a success story and it is the result of huge amounts of public and private cooperation - large amounts of public reinvestment in the city incubating businesses etc...something it looks like Buffalo has just started. Oh and BTW - it doesn't get any union-er or democratic than PGH. You know what else about Pittsburgh it doesn't get any more than? Racist. I'll give you the "short" version, if you really want to get into this with me, then you'll get the long: It's far and away the most racist city I've ever lived in. They just come right out and say it, once you've been there for a while, and they think they can trust you. Pittsburgh is also the most provincial place I've ever been, so, it took me 2 years to be accepted. But, once I was, the flat out racism was uncanny. Go out on any other night but Sunday to The Strip or the Southside...and count the minorities. You won't get past 10. Not unless you know the cool places. Seeing a black person in a bar/club in Shadyside? That's like seeing a unicorn. I went out every weeknight there for 2 years. I saw: 3. You don't even see that many in the obvious drug bars in Oakland. The reason Pittsburgh doesn't have a budget problem? They refuse to pander to the minorities there, they refuse to spend gobs of money on them, and they refuse to play the game that you find in every other city. There are no Al Sharptons in Pittsburgh. All you need: Watch the local news. An Al Sharpton type would literally end up as a floater. There is no black voter political power in Pittsburgh, none at all. A white politician seeking to pander? They'd end up in the river too. This goes back to the steel days, where many of the grandparents/parents of the people there had to compete for jobs, and THEY were the minorities. In a sentence? Eastern Europeans who picked up the West Virigina/Unreconstructed Southern attitude. If you ever really talk to the people there, and really get to know them, you'll find that they simply do not care, this is who they are. Blacks belong where they belong, and noplace else. Wanna test this? Be white and walk/drive in East Liberty. You won't get past 2 minutes during the day without being pulled over. Then? Do the same thing anywhere near Aliquippa. You will be stopped there. The Pittsbugh area is MORE segregated than ANY place I've ever been, and I've worked in every Confederate state. "White people have no business in black neighborhoods unless you're buying drugs, so turn this car around, and GTFO of here, or you're going to jail right now." - Direct quote from a cop, and I heard it multiple times, both in the city and anywhere near Aliquippa. Dude, don't even try....to make your point with Pittsburgh. You will only succeed in embarrassing yourself. The "private and public", "cooperative" people you love so much? They are actually the most racist people you know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 Boston. 1/31/07. Never Forget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 Boston. 1/31/07. Never Forget. Why do you have to keep bringing up that horrible day?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 Yup, San Francisco is run real well. http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/matier-ross/article/S-F-takes-aim-at-weekend-pee-problem-in-Dolores-5289087.php LoL... WTF. Well Wacka should be happy! ;-) Why do inebriated, male hipsters decend upon SF only during the weekends... What is this all about? Are they homeless? What I am asking, what's the deal here. You are from the area, what's this all about? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 LoL... WTF. Well Wacka should be happy! ;-) Why do inebriated, male hipsters decend upon SF only during the weekends... What is this all about? Are they homeless? What I am asking, what's the deal here. You are from the area, what's this all about? Why did hippies decend upon SF in the 60's? Because it was the cool hip place to be. Hipsters are the hippies of the 2000's. The difference is the hippies decended every day and the hipsters just on weekends. Why? The hipsters have jobs. See in SF hipsters are now for the most part referred to as Techies, people making way too much money working in the Tech industry. They are becoming hated in SF. They are being blamed for the skyrocketing costs of rentals in SF. In two years our loft went from $2700 to $4200 a month. There is a huge war going on in SF against them and you'll find pretty much an article a day on SFGate.com (the SF Chronicle's website) about how hated they are and all the stupid **** they do. It's quite interesting to sit in our warm backyard in the East Bay and watch it all unfold. That craziness in SF is only going to bode well for us who made the move across the bay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 Why did hippies decend upon SF in the 60's? Because it was the cool hip place to be. Hipsters are the hippies of the 2000's. The difference is the hippies decended every day and the hipsters just on weekends. Why? The hipsters have jobs. See in SF hipsters are now for the most part referred to as Techies, people making way too much money working in the Tech industry. They are becoming hated in SF. They are being blamed for the skyrocketing costs of rentals in SF. In two years our loft went from $2700 to $4200 a month. There is a huge war going on in SF against them and you'll find pretty much an article a day on SFGate.com (the SF Chronicle's website) about how hated they are and all the stupid **** they do. It's quite interesting to sit in our warm backyard in the East Bay and watch it all unfold. That craziness in SF is only going to bode well for us who made the move across the bay. Thanks... I never knew there was still a carry over from the 1960's. Wow... Very interesting. FWIW, I knew a guy @ work (he since passed away a couple years ago) who went to SF in 1960's... I guess he was a hippy. Made it "on the road" out of Chicago and eventually ended up there. Getting back was another story he said. Ended up in a small town in Nevada, sheriff there ran them all out of town. He put my co-worker on a freight and said: "Here, this one is going to Chicago." LoL... A week or so later my friend said he ended up on the South Side, by Western Avenue... He called his family and they picked him up! LoL... Oh, he was a Vietnam vet too (two tours)... Wow... I guess the hipsters have Prius' now! ;-) Again... Thanks, very interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 Thanks... I never knew there was still a carry over from the 1960's. Wow... Very interesting. FWIW, I knew a guy @ work (he since passed away a couple years ago) who went to SF in 1960's... I guess he was a hippy. Made it "on the road" out of Chicago and eventually ended up there. Getting back was another story he said. Ended up in a small town in Nevada, sheriff there ran them all out of town. He put my co-worker on a freight and said: "Here, this one is going to Chicago." LoL... A week or so later my friend said he ended up on the South Side, by Western Avenue... He called his family and they picked him up! LoL... Oh, he was a Vietnam vet too (two tours)... Wow... I guess the hipsters have Prius' now! ;-) Again... Thanks, very interesting. They're not really a carryover. Just another wave of people looking for the bohemian lifestyle. SF is still a huge party town with unenforced rules. I would loved to have been here in the mid to late 60's. The music scene was unbelievable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim in Anchorage Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 They're not really a carryover. Just another wave of people looking for the bohemian lifestyle. SF is still a huge party town with unenforced rules. I would loved to have been here in the mid to late 60's. The music scene was unbelievable. You hate drugs and street people but you wish you where in SF in the 60's? What would you have done there, kicked some ass? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 You hate drugs and street people but you wish you where in SF in the 60's? What would you have done there, kicked some ass? I'm guessing he would have listened to music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim in Anchorage Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 I'm guessing he would have listened to music. SF 1968. No free love, no acid just sit straight and critically analyze the animals and Jefferson airplane. What a blast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 SF 1968. No free love, no acid just sit straight and critically analyze the animals and Jefferson airplane. What a blast. He probably would have kicked some ass, too. But with a bitchin' soundtrack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim in Anchorage Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 He probably would have kicked some ass, too. But with a bitchin' soundtrack. The guy that's bragging about his 30 day pin in 2014 cause he can't control his wine? Yeah I'm sure he would have been clean and sober SF circa 1968. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GG Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 You hate drugs and street people but you wish you where in SF in the 60's? What would you have done there, kicked some ass? My guess is that in the 60s, chef's menu of choice was a bit different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 SF 1968. No free love, no acid just sit straight and critically analyze the animals and Jefferson airplane. What a blast. Yeah you're right. Music sucks unless you're tripping on acid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim in Anchorage Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 My guess is that in the 60s, chef's menu of choice was a bit different. He wished he was in SF. That's all I know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 The guy that's bragging about his 30 day pin in 2014 cause he can't control his wine? Yeah I'm sure he would have been clean and sober SF circa 1968. No I would have been !@#$ed up on my ass. But then again that was 45 years ago. Double Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim in Anchorage Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 Yeah you're right. Music sucks unless you're tripping on acid. Lets confine this to what you said- I wish I was in the music scene in SF in the 60's. So you would have enjoyed being the only straight person at the show? Sounds like a nightmare to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 Lets confine this to what you said- I wish I was in the music scene in SF in the 60's. So you would have enjoyed being the only straight person at the show? Sounds like a nightmare to me. I think you're stoned. First off I'm too young to have been in SF enjoying the music scene in the 60's. If I was 10-12 years older and had been in SF during the 60's I would have partaken in the drugs just like I did in the 70's. So I'm not quite sure what the !@#$ you're talking about. And I go to shows now and I'm pretty much the only straight one there and it's fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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