Thursday, September 9, 2010

Broke: Tax Increase, Police Layoffs, Violent Crime Coming

Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl met face-to-face with union leaders, telling them if there is no deal on leasing parking assets, there will be 10 percent cuts across the board in all city departments.


The cuts could take nearly 100 police officers off the street. There's a real concern it could affect crime.


"You report it. You see what's going on right now," Chuck Hanlon with the Fraternal Order of Police said. "Another 10 percent loss in police officers [is] only going to mean a rise in violent crime."


One by one, union leaders representing thousands of city employees walked out of the meeting with Ravenstahl worried about hundreds of layoffs.


The problem is revenue. The city needs several hundred million to prop up the city's pension plan.


The mayor wants to lease the city's parking garages to a private firm to raise about $300 million. Without it, the state will take over and order the city to pay $30 million each year towards it.
More Here..

The Muni Bond Crisis Has Officially Begun: Harrisburg Skips $3.3 Million in Muni Payments

17 comments:

  1. If investors can't see what's coming, they deserve to lose their money. How many more signs do people need, that the whole system is waiting for someone to pull the life support plug.? Dead man walking seems like.

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  2. it frightens me as we are walking into a situation where the rich can afford to have housing, healthcare and to protect themselves and the poor are left to fend for themselves. Oh, that is how it works anyway isn't it? Well i guess more middle class people are going to slide down to the bottom ranks and the rich will stay up there.

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  3. 1:52 investors are bogus, you're right. A link on the dailyjobcuts about Toys R Us putting up about a couple hundred or so new buildings. (Something like that.) Do these idiots have any idea what the economy is like? Are they schizophrenic and living in an altered state of mind from actuality? Toys for spoiled sick American children are not exactly high priority. Morons. And no they literally would make such a dumbass move. Unbelievable.

    2:23 there are some rich that will fall as well throughout this collapse. It isn't too complicated for a person to spend a ton of money and then lose a bigger portion through a failed excursion.

    Yeah for the most part all those in the middle class (upper and lower) will be pushed down into the struggling class while the poor now (well, before 2009) - will basically become vampires. Those who are wealthy will dwindle in number but as a result will hold much more power than the rich did before this "change".

    Hopefully the dollar dies and we can avoid that situation. If the dollar doesn't die then we will all be looking at that scenario (mass poverty except for the decreasing number of rich people).

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  4. What has always outraged me most about economic hard times is that when it's time to lay off personnel, it is always the cops, firemen, and utility/maintenance people. It's never the criminal incompetent leaders who caused the mess. What would you rather be without - ten cops on the street, or three deputy assistant mayors? Easy answer, I think.

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  5. i live outside pitt..great place to be.. so let me get this..they need money so they fire workers to pay the non workers..

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  6. I live in rural Pennsylvania. This week the county assessor stopped by to update their records. They claim no knowledge of the deck on my house (which has been there for over 10 years) and asked a bunch of questions. I know what this means: the state needs money and my school and property taxes are going up. Now they've gone up every year anyway, but I bet I'm going to see a huge increase.

    Is my income going up? No, because I'm on Social Security and the government hasn't given me a cost of living raise in two years. I'll have to haul my disabled ass out and somehow find a way to earn more money. Do you know what the latest statistics show? That old people are going back to work and taking the shitty low-paying jobs so they won't be homeless and hungry! Ain't America great?

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  7. sharon why are you so stupid and still own? you're probably the top poster here giving out advice and you still own?

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  8. 8:20, nuttin wrong with owning, I own my place, a small under 1,200Sft house but an acer of land, paid the thing off after 27 years, which btw I couldn't ever use as a "deduction" all that time cause it wasn't enough.

    When property tax goes up to be like rent, than yeah I may do it than, but for now my yearly prop tax even though high as far as I'm concerned on this small place, that has no cent air, and base board heat, was assessed last year at over 100K by the local idiots, it still works out to be around 100 bucks a month, where can I find a 3 bed house with an acer of land to rent for 100 bucks a month?

    only way I'd rent is in a trailer park, where at least I'd have a separate place and not right next to or above or under some other bunch of idiots.

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  9. 8:46 dumb economics. Your place is worth 100 grand. Its paid for. Sell it, rent, then buy a similar or better place for 25% less. In less than a year. Simple economics. Problem is, your in love with the joint.

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  10. 10:16 ? dumb might be how close you read,
    I SAID, they "assessed" the property at 100K, that don't mean squat or if your trying to sell, it was just a way to get more tax.

    But yeah, if I could find a joint smokin fool to stroke me a 100K check he'd get it, and than I could go get me a foreclosure that another joint smokin fool decided to give back to the bank cause the price of weed was takin away from the house payment.

    roflmao, but no sweat, I have my econ plan.

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  11. Buy lots of MREs and Ex Lax.

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  12. Was a time when good land and a strong house meant something.

    That was back when 50% of the country were mostly self reliant farmers of one type or another.

    Now; we all just sit around on our oversized asses bitching and giving advice based on an existance of consuming shit we didn't need and couldn't makeif our lives depended on it

    Dumb assed people go the fucking grocery store and pay 2 bucks for somebody elses friggin' tap water in a fancy bottle with a cool name.

    Now 2% feeds the rest and we all have a shitfit when our 88 cent eggs come to us with salmonella
    because the chickens are housed in huge factories
    and never ever let out of their 2X2 cage - ever. Pumped full of modern day drugs of every possible
    category to maximize their profitablity; the quality of life somehow ceases to be important.

    So it is with us.

    When it's your home; something you built with your own 2 hands and labored thru thick and thin to maintain, pay off and then hopefully someday enjoy; gets replaced by some big factory; turn 'em out as fast as [possible there is another sucker waiting in line - model

    There is something in that correlation that although is lost on most city dwellers - we country folks know all to well

    There is a HUGE difference between a house

    And a home

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  13. Like 8:46, my house and land are paid for. Currently all the taxes add up to $200 a month. Did I explain that I have two houses (one is rental income) and acreage that includes a forest and a year-round stream? Where could I find a place to rent for $200 a month that would take me, all my pets, and my reference library?

    The reason I still have to earn extra money is that I've never had a completely reliable tenant. This is still a depressed area and there is only one large well-paying company doing any hiring (and getting a job there isn't easy).

    Plus, if the SHTF as many of us expect, I think I'm better off surviving next to drinkable water and plenty of woods, rather than be in a big city drinking my water out of the toilet and competing with looters.

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  14. this is 8:46 & 10:57
    ====================

    your right 3:56


    4:46 Your also right to calculate the true cost of "owning" Vs renting. and stay where your at. I have made up my mind though if I ever am able to sell, I'd go with a single wide trailer or 3rd wheel for what life remains.

    If I was under water and no way to pay the mortgage or tax and still young enough to get my credit back, I'd give em the keys too, and than wait a year or so to force me out.

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  15. live within your means
    whelp suppose I could use a few extra fire extinquishers now that muni's are going bust..whatelse, have most everything else...so not caring that my city is bust aswell as the rest of em, good...people used to know and help their neighbors-we can stop depending on the city for everything, running to a hospital for a cut, learn to sew! lol

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  16. I own my home and would not have it any other way. There is a little comfort in knowing when all else fails, I have shelter in a small southern community. Taxes and insurance are well under the rental fees in our area. Best part is that no matter what the days bring ahead, I am home and nothing anywhere feels quiet as good as being at home with all my survival preps ready. Neighbors range from state police to drs. to funeral home director. So if the police cant protect and the doctor cant treat then at least the funeral home director can do his job. Life is good and life is simple. In regards to my financial plan..... I listened to my parents from the depression and never ever let the bank own me. I am 50 and convinced that hard times are ahead but I try to live within my means and contribute to community and family when I can.

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  17. The tap water is filled with chemicals and will cause cancer and kill you. It is not fit for human consumption.

    If you don't want to buy the spring water, move somewhere near a river, get a well, or collect rain water and use a filtration system if needed. But do not rely on the tap water your city pumps, especially through the old pipes that God knows they don't care much of maintaining.

    And don't drink from public water fountains no matter what. If you have children that go to school, give them water to carry.

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