Baltimore City pension funds for city employees lost hundreds of millions of dollars in the last six months. The kicker: The nearly $100 million loss at the Employees’ Retirement Systems fund and $190 million at the fire and police pension fund were recorded before the stock market’s recent free fall, so the hole is even bigger. That means we the people must make up the difference by spending more of our tax dollars on pensions. That’s a recipe for higher taxes and/or fewer city services.
Today’s Outrage: Lost at Bay
WHO: Irresponsible boaters
WHAT: Every couple of weeks a call goes out on the radio: The Coast Guard needs boaters to please look out for a boat in trouble. And, by the way, the boat’s skipper doesn’t know where he is. Take this weekend’s newsworthy crew – five people lost track of their position and the Coast Guard had to track their cell phone signal.
WHY IT’S A BAD IDEA: Would you set out in your car without any idea where you were going? Getting “lost” in the Bay is just plain silly. Global Positioning System devices are no longer prohibitively expensive and keeping track the old-fashioned way with a chart and a compass isn’t terribly difficult either. There’s no reason to waste the Coast Guard’s time during an emergency just because you don’t know you’re about a mile South of the Bay Bridge.
WHY THEY ARE DOING IT: Some boaters are just lazy – they’re in it for the fun and they don’t want to think about the consequences. Sign up for a basic boating course, please.
WHERE TO HELP: cgaux.org
Quote of the Day
“He was one of our stellar members … You could tell he was going to climb the career ladder. He was just incredibly dedicated.” — Mike Day, president of the Baltimore County fire union, speaking about Brian D. Neville, a firefighter who died last week while on duty.
