LETTERS

Where’s the money going?

Posted

To the editor:

Realizing our enormous debt, this next election will be very critical, in which the focus must be cost effective government and pragmatic laws, programs and policies that will equal job creation and financial security for “all” Rhode Islanders.

Considering our federal debt, that continues to soar, and the financial path that Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and Social Security Disability is on that will require enormous payroll deductions, the above is a must. In addition, because of the lack of transparency of Polisena’s administration and unwillingness of the Democrat controlled Town Council to make note of the budgets, our present and compounding debt is anyone’s guess.

To date every Democratic candidate has complained about our state’s laws, debt and excessive taxation. However, the fact is approximately 93 percent of the politicians in our state are Democrats and have been in total control for over 70 years. Of the 113 legislators, only 10 are Republicans. Shouldn’t these Democrats be complaining about their colleagues by name? Shouldn’t they be complaining of the endless provisions in the contracts and insane pensions and resulting labor costs? The number of pages in the contracts that represent town workers excluding the School Dept. is 140 pages of endless provisions that continually drive up taxes.

Last year most homeowners saw a tax increase of $200 in which the sentiment of our Democratic elected officials was that taxpayers should be grateful. How many more times will we hear that until one day there will not be enough weeks in the year to serve the unions that have taken control of our federal, state and local governments? As a result of the above, many older folks are resorting to reverse mortgages to make ends meet.

Note: Mayor Polisena continues to state the need to “think outside the box” and that “the unions must negotiate in good faith,” etc. However, I recently went through the contracts “that he signed” and things are only getting worse.

Here is just a “sampling” of some of the provisions that need to be abolished and or substantially reduced: 20 sick days, four personal days, 12 percent pension contributions, eight-plus weeks vacation, $75,000 life insurance policies, $1,800 clothing allowances and approximately $20,000 family healthcare plans for $910 a year. Also, annual longevity bonuses as high as $9,000 and built-in overtime provisions in the hundreds of thousands annually that include if a worker works 15 minutes overtime they must be paid for a full hour at time and one half. Note: At present, there are approximately 600 retirees and climbing, costing millions annually just for continued paid healthcare excluding anniversary bonuses and 3 percent COLAs.

In addition, 15-1/2 holidays that include paid birthdays and double holiday pay. Police receive $500 annual bonuses if they score a 90 with their issued service weapon. Firefighters receive $1,000 annually to maintain certain certificates that they needed to get the job. In addition, union delegates can go to various meetings for up to 10 days with pay while others fill in at overtime. Severance packages include accumulating up to 120 sick days and 180 vacation days averaging $40,000 upon retirement. Note: Firefighters and law enforcement can retire at 20 years, other departments can retire at 28 to 30 years in which they receive 50 percent of what they earned over their last three years that can include tens of thousands in overtime. However, whatever their severance packages were worth half that amount is added to their pension amounts, e.g. if a retiree averaged $80,000 over their last three years their pension would be $40,000, now you must add approximately another $20,000 of their severance package for a total of $60,000. Note: I always use conservative numbers.

In closing, these needless burdensome costly provisions are just an example of where all the money is really going. I hope the readers will pass this commentary on and will remember on Election Day that it was the Democrat machine of our town and state government that created this financial nightmare that will be especially devastating for our children and grandchildren. If Republicans take control of the U.S. Senate and maintain control of Congress and address the deficit in earnest, that is imperative to do so, less money will flow back to the states in which local cost effective government has never been so crucial

Peter A. Filippi III

Johnston

Comments

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  • jtaxassoc

    We all have family, friends, and neighbors in civil service whom we all love and appreciate. However, the truth is these endless provisions, which are just a sampling, were always destined to come crashing down in which we owe it to our children and grand children to acknowledge these truths. However, there are those who like things just the way they are who I refer to as "government labor union loyalists" who would even dare resort to blackmail to discourage the opposition from running for office as they attempted with me in the last mayoral election in which the Rhode Island State Police have pictures and recordings that would shock every Johnston well intentioned life long Democrat, Peter A. Filippi III

    Friday, April 11, 2014 Report this

  • jtaxassoc

    We all have family, friends, and neighbors in civil service whom we all love and appreciate. However, the truth is these endless provisions, which are just a sampling, were always destined to come crashing down in which we owe it to our children and grand children to acknowledge these truths. However, there are those who like things just the way they are who I refer to as "government labor union loyalists" who would even dare resort to blackmail to discourage the opposition from running for office as they attempted with me in the last mayoral election in which the Rhode Island State Police have pictures and recordings that would shock every Johnston well intentioned life long Democrat, Peter A. Filippi III

    Friday, April 11, 2014 Report this

  • Broken02919

    Can somebody explain why we need a $4million football field??? I played on it in 1989, grass and stadium were just fine. JHS is not Hendricken. How about fixing the roads that have more pot holes than Beriut? Polisena needs to take a powder and move on.

    Tuesday, April 29, 2014 Report this

  • jtaxassoc

    The self serving, stupidity here is we will pay out $2 million in interest when all we had to do is get realistic with the endless provisions that are wasting $millions annually. We could simply pay cash for all our needs. Peter A. Filippi III

    Wednesday, April 30, 2014 Report this