Pensions Are Outdated

No additional,or new taxes will solve this very complicated problem.Pensions must be outlawed in the future if the city is holding them. Jacksonville has the resources and ability to pay these contracted pensions, for now. The leadership finds it far easier to place the burden on taxpayers, once again, then reign in ridiculous expenditures for studies, stop the hemorrhaging practice for excusing non-profits from paying taxes, and allowing churches to amass fortunes in wealth from tax-exempt lands. Speaking to the argument that the churches do so much for free to help our community, I'd like to see in black and white numbers how the "good deeds" are actually translating into dollar for dollar giving. In other words, if a church owns land worth 10 million dollars, then let me see ten million dollars worth of receipts going to house the poor, save our environment, or other such accounting for their privilege of not paying the public back for their exempt property status. And that's just the beginning.Instead of keeping old buildings up to code so they can be re-sold, the city has ignored,bulldozed, and lost taxes on prime properties. Personal residences have been allowed to deteriorate without enforcing building code violations. All you need to do is go to the permitting site online and see for yourself which buildings and residences have been neglected. A roof lasts just so long, especially in this climate.Air-conditioners last an average of seven years.Hot water heaters must be replaced on a regular basis.Instead our Council argues over whether or not chickens can be in residential neighborhoods,rock music must be banned because it disturbs a handful of religious maniacs on the river, or slips legislation through without public knowledge that is selling 136 million gallons of our river water a day to Central Florida. We seem to be more interested in killers like Dunn, or running a marathon than getting wormy-Golums out of our city politics, especially the Council. Our D.A. is a prime example.Why in this world are we throwing more money at another Dunn trial? He will die in prison.He deserves it.
Back to the pension problem. I just cannot get excited about people that rely on anybody but themselves for retirement benefits. I did it myself, but also paid attention in school,worked my way through school, and chose a profession that would make me money. I have had a number of careers, not just one. I never expected a free handout from my family, friends, or god. My destiny has been my own. People do not want to work, and love quick,painless fixes until they discover there are no such things out there.
The lack of health care has resulted in 26,000 deaths.This is just one cite among hundreds on the internet. Any church in town paying for health coverage for a poor person? I bet they pay for retreats on a regular basis.
http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Home/Daily-Reports/2012/June/21/mortalit...