Baltimore riots

[over the mountain]

Originally Posted by JoeRedskin

Baltimore City spends more per pupil than every other county in the COUNTRY except Boston and NYC.

Maryland Districts Dominate Top Per-Pupil Spenders, Census Data Show - District Dossier - Education Week

It is even worse than that. Ive read a ton of articles lately on Balt City history, corruption, budget and economy. I do not vouch for the accuracy of my memory retention though.

Balt City contributes 15-20% of their budget to that 15k per student number. The rest comes from Md State and Federal grants.

The Natl avg for district contribution is around 40%.

Balt City secured some huge State and Federal grants through the 90's but the problem is these grants can be taken back or decreased at any time. Yet Balt City has grown dependent on the grants.

Democrat O'Malley earmarked something like 63 mil from the State's general operating budget to go to education for this year with Balt City receiving a lion share of approx 11 mil.

Problem - new republican gov Hogan was not bound by that 63 mil earmark from the States oper budget and pulled it back, as is his right.

Problem - it seems the balt city teachers union is a powerful group in long held democratic Balt City. In 2010 the teachers union secured a new deal in which teachers get huge raises if they meet certain requirements. raises to the tune of 15-20k per year. Well, certain teachers satisfied the requirements and now I assume make bank. disproportionate bank. The double edge sword is that its hard to criticize inner city school teachers or not appreciate them.

The school district when given money just lose account of it. i read they still keep their accounting books on paper. The balt City school district is currently facing an unprecedented 68 mil dollar deficit. they need to cut payroll, close down more schools and stuff more kids into already congested classrooms.

For some reason a huge grant to rebuild and remodel old schools in the district just disappeared as well. the money was to keep schools open and update but instead schools closed down during the time period.

-----------

short version - repub gov is going to close up all the disproportionate State grants that balt City has grown dependent on.

especially after mayor Rawlings-Blake keeps making open and public comments critical of him.


this does not end well for balt city but maybe it is what it needs to get its act together and learn how to budget a city. of course the property tax around 6% is already double every other county in maryland so they cant increase prop tax any higher or more tax payers will just move out.

they already reluctantly give big companies tax breaks. do they offer a 0% tax break to lure new companies in and hope for trickle down economics?

what company wants their headquarters in downtown balt when the mayor allows a pedo pastor to shut down the city for the sole purpose of "disrupting business as usual'?

what company wants to have such an unreliable environment? to put their employees in harms way?

when the charges are dropped, does Pandora need to not do business for a week and lose millions?

downtown balt has become an unreliable business center imo.

[Chico23231]

Originally Posted by over the mountain

It is even worse than that. Ive read a ton of articles lately on Balt City history, corruption, budget and economy. I do not vouch for the accuracy of my memory retention though.

Balt City contributes 15-20% of their budget to that 15k per student number. The rest comes from Md State and Federal grants.

The Natl avg for district contribution is around 40%.

Balt City secured some huge State and Federal grants through the 90's but the problem is these grants can be taken back or decreased at any time. Yet Balt City has grown dependent on the grants.

Democrat O'Malley earmarked something like 63 mil from the State's general operating budget to go to education for this year with Balt City receiving a lion share of approx 11 mil.

Problem - new republican gov Hogan was not bound by that 63 mil earmark from the States oper budget and pulled it back, as is his right.

Problem - it seems the balt city teachers union is a powerful group in long held democratic Balt City. In 2010 the teachers union secured a new deal in which teachers get huge raises if they meet certain requirements. raises to the tune of 15-20k per year. Well, certain teachers satisfied the requirements and now I assume make bank. disproportionate bank. The double edge sword is that its hard to criticize inner city school teachers or not appreciate them.

The school district when given money just lose account of it. i read they still keep their accounting books on paper. The balt City school district is currently facing an unprecedented 68 mil dollar deficit. they need to cut payroll, close down more schools and stuff more kids into already congested classrooms.

For some reason a huge grant to rebuild and remodel old schools in the district just disappeared as well. the money was to keep schools open and update but instead schools closed down during the time period.

-----------

short version - repub gov is going to close up all the disproportionate State grants that balt City has grown dependent on.

especially after mayor Rawlings-Blake keeps making open and public comments critical of him.


this does not end well for balt city but maybe it is what it needs to get its act together and learn how to budget a city. of course the property tax around 6% is already double every other county in maryland so they cant increase prop tax any higher or more tax payers will just move out.

they already reluctantly give big companies tax breaks. do they offer a 0% tax break to lure new companies in and hope for trickle down economics?

what company wants their headquarters in downtown balt when the mayor allows a pedo pastor to shut down the city for the sole purpose of "disrupting business as usual'?

what company wants to have such an unreliable environment? to put their employees in harms way?

when the charges are dropped, does Pandora need to not do business for a week and lose millions?

downtown balt has become an unreliable business center imo.

Baltimore teachers took 96,653 sick, personal days last school year - EAGnews.org


So they have the ability to cash in sick/personal time as well? must be nice.

Public unions are scams. Police/Fire/Teachers etc...sucking down your tax dollars like a vacuum.

[over the mountain]

Originally Posted by Chico23231

Baltimore teachers took 96,653 sick, personal days last school year - EAGnews.org


So they have the ability to cash in sick/personal time as well? must be nice.

Public unions are scams. Police/Fire/Teachers etc...sucking down your tax dollars like a vacuum.

My brothers friend is a little over 40 and he is a retired firefighter getting over 100k per year for the rest of his life. He started when he was 17 as a vol in training or something. somehow getting a double pension. whole family are retired fire fighters.

hard to argue guys who run into fires to save the public dont deserve public money though. but to be retired and paid over 100k for the rest of your life and to be able to go work and do another job .... is a dream.

[Chico23231]

Originally Posted by over the mountain

My brothers friend is a little over 40 and he is a retired firefighter getting over 100k per year for the rest of his life. He started when he was 17 as a vol in training or something. somehow getting a double pension. whole family are retired fire fighters.

hard to argue guys who run into fires to save the public dont deserve public money though. but to be retired and paid over 100k for the rest of your life and to be able to go work and do another job .... is a dream.

he's robbing the tax payers. Sorry, but thats terrible. I know/knew a couple fire fighters, that job is a dream

[HailGreen28]

Originally Posted by over the mountain

My brothers friend is a little over 40 and he is a retired firefighter getting over 100k per year for the rest of his life. He started when he was 17 as a vol in training or something. somehow getting a double pension. whole family are retired fire fighters.

hard to argue guys who run into fires to save the public dont deserve public money though. but to be retired and paid over 100k for the rest of your life and to be able to go work and do another job .... is a dream.

I asked a volunteer firefighter buddy of mine about this. (We are in North Carolina.) Basically he thought that 100k was a lot for a pension, but he could understand if the guy was a chief, or even "just" a captain of a large company(station) or higher, given wages are higher in say New York, compared to Raleigh. Retiring at 40 does sound awfully young to him.... Had to be unionized, he said. Great benefits and they don't cross train as much as non-unionized firemen do.

[over the mountain]

Originally Posted by HailGreen28

I asked a volunteer firefighter buddy of mine about this. (We are in North Carolina.) Basically he thought that 100k was a lot for a pension, but he could understand if the guy was a chief, or even "just" a captain of a large company(station) or higher, given wages are higher in say New York, compared to Raleigh. Retiring at 40 does sound awfully young to him.... Had to be unionized, he said. Great benefits and they don't cross train as much as non-unionized firemen do.

yeah my brother said he started real young as a vol under 18 even, whole family of fire fighters. hes in his 40s, not 40, but i was shocked. earning a double pension thing to me i dont understand. the math doesnt work. maybe he is not retired bc he seems to go to the station a lot still. can you get pension and still work?

thanks for worrying about me but im good. i make good money. i lived on st charles street in the garden district of new orleans 2 years ago.

just made a poor decision when we picked this spot. bad block in a borderline part of town. we have the whole floor w cathedral ceilings and what not but ...... that fucking rat. i must find that fucking rat. half the time im at home im just moving things around, checking all the floor boards, checking all the traps. is driving me insane.

i can do flying cock roaches, lizards and mice but i cant do juvenile rats. they just dont know how to act in a house.

july 1st we are gone.

[Giantone]

Originally Posted by over the mountain

yeah my brother said he started real young as a vol under 18 even, whole family of fire fighters. hes in his 40s, not 40, but i was shocked. earning a double pension thing to me i dont understand. the math doesnt work. maybe he is not retired bc he seems to go to the station a lot still. can you get pension and still work?
.

Just some info ,here in Maryland the rules on FF are broken down to full time and volunteer and all so by the county you work in /live in .A very good friend of mine was a volunteer for over 30 years and now gets a small pension and the closest union Fire department I know of is in DC ,not saying there aren't any in MD I just don't know of them .Another fact is some guys work two jobs ,full time at one place and as a volunteer at another .You are right ,I admit that these still either working or not all still hang at the station .

[HailGreen28]

Originally Posted by over the mountain

July 1st we are gone.

good deal. Glad to hear it.

[Buffalo Bob]

Originally Posted by over the mountain

yeah my brother said he started real young as a vol under 18 even, whole family of fire fighters. hes in his 40s, not 40, but i was shocked. earning a double pension thing to me i dont understand. the math doesnt work. maybe he is not retired bc he seems to go to the station a lot still. can you get pension and still work?

thanks for worrying about me but im good. i make good money. i lived on st charles street in the garden district of new orleans 2 years ago.

just made a poor decision when we picked this spot. bad block in a borderline part of town. we have the whole floor w cathedral ceilings and what not but ...... that fucking rat. i must find that fucking rat. half the time im at home im just moving things around, checking all the floor boards, checking all the traps. is driving me insane.

i can do flying cock roaches, lizards and mice but i cant do juvenile rats. they just dont know how to act in a house.

july 1st we are gone.

Where I used to live in Southern California I knew quite a few fireman and County Sheriffs. At the time all of them said their pension was based on an
average of their 3 highest paying years. Cashed out vacation and sick time at the end of employment counted toward that amount and they earned 10 sick days, plus holidays and vacation was 2 weeks at a year, 3 weeks at 5 years and 4 weeks at 10 years. You could retire at 50% pay after 20 years, 2/3rds at 25 years and 75% at 30 years. You could use the sick days anyway you wanted. As you can see a person who rarely called in sick and just took off holidays and a week's vacation a year could have a huge chunk of money
to spike his last year's pay in unused sick and vacation days. Combine that with working a lot of overtime any two other years and you can game the system and actually get more money for life a year in retirement than you did if just working a 40 hour week.