tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10570528065538261692024-03-12T18:22:36.187-07:00Save The PensionCode 3… Your Dallas police and firefighters need your help! Learn the truth about the battle over the Dallas Police and Fire Pension fund and why Mayor Mike Rawlings and his cronies are not friends of first responders. Lois Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09906404530625546026noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1057052806553826169.post-36107034261368159852018-08-17T07:48:00.000-07:002018-08-17T07:48:51.334-07:00Remembering Dicky Hickman<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Words fail me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">I just don’t know what words to use to describe how important Dicky Hickman was not just to his family and friends, but to our entire first responder family—police and firefighters alike.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">As so many of us grieved at his passing on Thursday, August 16, I wondered if the years faded the memories of what this great man did for all first responders and their families.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Let’s go back to 1978 when the city of Dallas refused to grant acceptable pay raises to its first responders and failed to work toward fair pay for safety (sound familiar?). </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Police and firefighters, under the direction of police & fire association presidents Bobby Joe Dale (police) and Don Greene (fire) came together and launched a joint committee with Dicky at the helm to push for a pay referendum that would give first responders $186 more a pay check.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">As chair, Dicky was tasked with collecting 34,000 signatures in 60 days to force a referendum for a 15 percent pay hike. Police and firefighters garnered 65,200 signatures and the pay referendum was put on the ballot for January 20, 1979. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Of course, the city did what the city does best: It formed a “citizens” committee to come out against the pay referendum and misdirect voters. They threw around some fuzzy statistics that Dicky countered, telling <i>The Dallas Morning News</i> that all the city could do “is try and take figures and statistics and manipulate them to their use and confuse the people.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">The city's anti-pay committee claimed if citizens approved the referendum, they would be promoting the type of “fiscal irresponsibility” that plunged New York on the brink of disaster and caused Cleveland to default in December of 1978. (Fast forward to today. Aren't those comments eerily reminiscent of those dire forecasts by current Mayor Rawlings regarding the pension crisis about Dallas “</span><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #272727; font-size: 14pt;">walking into the fan blades of what might look like bankruptcy.” It wasn’t true then, and it isn’t true now.)</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">At every twist and turn and in every newspaper article, Dicky was the voice and the face for first responders and the pay referendum fight. With a record voter turnout (the city predicted a low voter turnout), citizens listened to his message and overwhelmingly approved the 15 percent pay raise by 56.6 percent in January of 1979. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Well, most citizens listened. The referendum failed only in the affluent precincts. At the time, Dicky said, the business community “turned their backs” on public safety officers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">“There will still be a scar left from the fact that the business community in Dallas went against us,” he told The Dallas Morning News. “They patted us on the back and told us what a good job we were doing. Then they turned their back on us.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">It would be a back that would continue to be turned against first responders throughout the years, throughout the decades old pay referendum lawsuits and on into our current pension battle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">In 1980, in a landslide vote, Dicky was elected as president of the Dallas Police Association where he served as its leader from 1980 to 1986.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">During that time, police and firefighters joined forces again after then-City Manager Charles Anderson told first responders, “You need to do what you have to do” when they sought back pay and vacation time owed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">And yes, Dicky and first responders did what we had to do and prevailed in the 1269 (riding in a higher class) lawsuit forcing the city to compensate first responders when they performed supervisory duties on a temporary basis and giving the additional five vacation days owed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">As president, Dicky relentlessly championed Dallas police officers, always fighting for better benefits and working conditions as well as improving the safety of the citizens of Dallas. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Under his leadership, officers won the right to have legal counsel before they were questioned in officer-involved shootings. He also filed suit and won the right for all city employees to run for public office outside the city of Dallas. He also challenged and won the right for city employees to participate in political campaigns.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">He successfully fought against attempts to require first responders to live within the city of Dallas, and he held the line against civilian review boards.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">And while he was just one man among many, he was <i>the </i>one man who stood tall against the city, making our blue line a little stronger and that much better. And that is how Dicky Hickman should always be remembered.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">#Iwon'tforgetyou #backtheblue #savethepension #dickyhickman</span></div>
Lois Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09906404530625546026noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1057052806553826169.post-53504731039097172812017-12-07T14:12:00.001-08:002017-12-07T14:38:57.958-08:00Twas the Month of Christmas And All Was Not Right<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-AKnrkTC_j09TV1hfDG43TNq9KWjq0H6bpBvfIMxbOsm_Z8U25ps_esDLzXtFwzAlc2KGRrr_7ezOMI2MAwOlJsXS_gOVO8E5m23QxLi7_jv6qX5ELgHPJkTA5O4B0zp27kWfxeJ_mySH/s1600/FIST.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-AKnrkTC_j09TV1hfDG43TNq9KWjq0H6bpBvfIMxbOsm_Z8U25ps_esDLzXtFwzAlc2KGRrr_7ezOMI2MAwOlJsXS_gOVO8E5m23QxLi7_jv6qX5ELgHPJkTA5O4B0zp27kWfxeJ_mySH/s320/FIST.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">During the holidays, it’s easy to forget. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />…Especially when the politicians and their cronies are busy patting each other on the back for “solving” the pension crisis, or when the news media paints Mayor Mike as savior of the troubled pension fund even nominating him for Texan of the Year.<br /><br />It made many of us wonder why the people who faithfully served the citizens of Dallas fighting crime, living in peril, and responding to medical emergencies, fire, danger and natural disasters weren’t considered the real Texans of the Year. And, yet, the man who has such a disdain for first responders is. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Texan of the Year? Try the Grinch instead.<br /><br />It’s enough to make Frosty melt, the Elves strike and Santa skip Christmas.<br /><br />Do not be lulled into complacency by their lies that all is well and all is fixed.<br /><br />We remain at Elcon and Defcon 1, forced now to fight our fight in the courts to regain our confiscated money and reinstate our benefits. The state constitution is clear: the city and pension system are “jointly responsible for ensuring that benefits under this section are not reduced or otherwise impaired.” <a href="https://law.justia.com/constitution/texas/sections/cn001600-006600.html">(Read Article 16, Section 66, paragraph (f) here.)</a><br /><br />I don’t know about you, but stealing our money and stopping our annual adjustment (COLA) surely impairs and reduces our benefits violating the state constitution. <br /><br />We just ask one thing this holiday season: Don’t forget our fight! Donate to our legal fund at DPROA, PO Box 720446, Dallas, TX 75372.</span><br />
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Lois Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09906404530625546026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1057052806553826169.post-9644027931249470462017-11-02T10:52:00.002-07:002017-11-02T10:52:16.237-07:00The Inner Circle<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Yesterday pretty much sucked
the life out of me as the pension board moved forward with the annuitization
plan instead of postponing it until the end of the year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">More disconcerting was the
fact that the active police trustee and active firefighter trustee--you know the ones whom
active first responders entrusted to the board--voted WITH the mayor’s
minions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">So much for holding the line.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">So now<a href="http://www.wfaa.com/news/pension-fund-fight-moves-to-austin/393716505" target="_blank"> that little hair cut Mayor Rawlings </a>talked about has morphed into a shaved head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our personal monthly loss is at least $1,000.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like many of you, we chose a substantially
reduced pension amount (my husband's is at 63%) when we entered DROP.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">The only bright side out of
all of this is that <a href="https://www.dpfp.org/Resources/2f4639f2-03cc-46a2-89a0-7485417fb773/DRAFT%20DROP%20Policy%2011-1-17.pdf?TrackID=DRAFT+DROP+Policy+11-1-17.pdf" target="_blank">according to their “experts”</a> my husband will live until
he’s 86.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And yes, I can sell you the
Brooklyn Bridge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">I do not know how we can
recover from this. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">In my speech to the board
(which in retrospect was not my most shining or eloquent moment although one of my most passionate and sincerest), I told the pension board:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“You are asking us to choose between visiting
our children and family members who are scattered across these 50 states or
paying our taxes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are asking us to
choose between paying our bills or covering our medical expenses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are asking us to choose between selling
our homes and providing for our families.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">I also told the board that in
<a href="http://historylists.org/art/9-circles-of-hell-dantes-inferno.html" target="_blank">Dante’s Inferno</a>, the inner most circle of hell—the ninth circle—was reserved
for the most serious sin for Treachery—for the traitors, the people who
betrayed trust. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">“Make no mistake about it, if
you do this thing, you will find yourselves at home among your traitorous
brethren there," I told the board. "Be sure to tell Mayor Rawlings hello for us when you see him
there."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sadly, I did not expect <a href="https://www.dpfp.org/Board/Board-of-Trustees/" target="_blank">Sam Friar and Joe Schutz</a> to be greeters there. </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Lois Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09906404530625546026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1057052806553826169.post-55608858792685796702017-09-01T10:17:00.001-07:002017-09-01T10:17:11.120-07:00A Storm Is Coming…The Pension "Fix" Takes Effect<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8KHejO5h1q75_sJk78M_P2TTgp2K0uAxlbeWFsnQ05-23omDy2kjgUdh-6n7cOBlv3-83a0WMqPWxIqONM_dniRZAG9glb5x2W2ntkoIduYccUG-F4LQLy9iVSqBMhevNIPQLHLLVwbgQ/s1600/a+storm+is+coming.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="450" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8KHejO5h1q75_sJk78M_P2TTgp2K0uAxlbeWFsnQ05-23omDy2kjgUdh-6n7cOBlv3-83a0WMqPWxIqONM_dniRZAG9glb5x2W2ntkoIduYccUG-F4LQLy9iVSqBMhevNIPQLHLLVwbgQ/s320/a+storm+is+coming.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
With the havoc, devastation and sorrow left in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, those of us with roofs over our heads, unflooded homes and loved ones by our sides answered the call for volunteers, cash donations, material goods and prayers.<br />
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Somehow we feel better when we change our Facebook banners in support of our great state, text our donations to rescue efforts, buy t-shirts to support our Gulf Coast friends or tweet to create awareness of this epic disaster of biblical proportions.<br />
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As with every crisis--big or small, epic or minuscule--first responders always answer the call. Always. That's what they do.<br />
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For Hurricane Harvey, the state mobilized, the federal government mobilized, the country mobilized. Donations poured in by the millions. Texas will not just survive; we will thrive because that's what Texans do.<br />
<br />
But today, this day of September 1 of 2017, about 10,000 of us have momentarily set aside our concerns for our Gulf Coast brothers and sisters.<br />
<br />
Today marks our day of despair, disillusionment and betrayal--the epic kind, and there is no FEMA to come and make it right, there are no disaster declarations to be signed or tweets to mobilize the masses.<br />
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Today HB 3158 went into effect.<br />
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Instead, there are 10,000 retired first responders and their families abandoned in this Dallas Police & Fire Pension "fix." Our promised pensions are gone. Our money frozen and unobtainable. Our financial futures uncertain.<br />
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Then there's our active police and fire first responders who lost any pay raise given to them by having to tithe 13.5 percent to the City of Dallas. A bit outrageous, don't you think, when even our good Lord only asks for 10 percent? The city broke all its promises and failed to meet its obligations to its first responders, but first responders are still forced <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/news/dallas-police/2017/05/19/cops-firefighters-taxpayers-rescuing-dallas-pension" target="_blank">to shoulder 75 percent of the financial burden in an effort to shore up the pension. </a><br />
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Your local politicians and state officials would have you believe that the Dallas police and fire pension system is fixed with HB 3158.<br />
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It ain't.<br />
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They would have you believe that active and retired first responders and their families are OK with this bill.<br />
<br />
We're not.<br />
<br />
They would have you believe that the city isn't facing a public safety crisis.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.dproa.org/copy-of-in-the-news" target="_blank">It is. </a><br />
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They would have you believe that first responders caused the pension crisis.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.dallasobserver.com/news/cops-and-firefighters-please-look-hard-at-your-pension-fund-9129316" target="_blank">We didn't.</a><br />
<br />
They think we are too old, too tired and too weak to fight.<br />
<br />
We're not…We're just getting started.<br />
<br />
#StayStrong #HoldTheLine #AStormIsComing<br />
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<br />Lois Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09906404530625546026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1057052806553826169.post-12932227817636291912017-08-19T12:34:00.002-07:002017-08-19T12:38:03.674-07:00A Few 'Worrisome' Things & More<br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/2017/08/07/dallas-city-manager-smart-offer-service-first-budget-without-tax-hike-reason-caution-ahead" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="885" data-original-width="1600" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw05BRZW9Uik95y9U0UuTGR6EGBq8iw-LY9mSfPjP6EMfUR7ATuy5GsNkUUnRPLNSfiUZej6Ajj6fdQCx5NybYMFTPMagLULE0w9uz0htIlhWqMIubZXS_fiXncg07wsz99V49-pqZBduu/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-08-19+at+1.16.09+PM.png" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/2017/08/07/dallas-city-manager-smart-offer-service-first-budget-without-tax-hike-reason-caution-ahead" target="_blank">Oh, so now the DMN finds our public safety crisis "worrisome." </a> In true form, the City Manager T.C. Broadnax trots out his first proposed budget aiming, as the DMN says, to put "service first." Or, as we prefer to say: putting Projects Before People. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> The DMN comments: "But it's worrisome that this budget with no significant service cuts was delivered on the backs of salary savings from hundreds of police officers who have left the city. Broadnax and his staff account for 3,094 officers in 2017-18 — 519 fewer than in the budget this fiscal year. As the crime rate ticks up, it's important that Dallas doesn't curtail aggressive efforts to recruit and hire more officers. (Violent crimes — including murder, sexual assaults, robberies and aggravated assaults — are up 7 percent through June, compared with 2016.)" <br /><br />Hmmmm, they call it "worrisome." <b>We call it a public safety crisis.</b><br /><br /><br />And with the State Fair of Texas just around the corner, officials are now a little concern </span><br />
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<a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/news/dallas-police/2017/08/14/fewer-dallas-police-available-provide-security-state-fair-texas" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="950" data-original-width="1566" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim2_8Q4RyhjjH0dNlP0EhXgsGQ1g7hZ_sXp930loMfSzQlsu7JWrd6t0F-zy8qumSC8Pm1gfEh0DNl6kth8fM_sXGt2HFFzoye76Jl1WjexDwWPLqytIYoW1aydOJkVSxjduwNNrEbal8f/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-08-19+at+1.21.15+PM.png" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></div>
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about security at the fair. <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/news/dallas-police/2017/08/14/fewer-dallas-police-available-provide-security-state-fair-texas" target="_blank">The DMN reports, </a>"The shrinking Dallas Police Department — already struggling with slower response times and an uptick in violent crimes — may have trouble providing security for the State Fair of Texas the way it once did." Ya think? Perhaps Big Tex as part of his welcome speech to fair goers should warn everyone with a: "HOWDY FOLKS! Your estimated police response time is…"<br /><br /><br />And speaking of And speaking of response times and the shortage of police officers, retiring police officer Nick Novello took a parting shot. <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2017/08/17/way-veteran-dallas-cop-whistleblower-tells-city-force-needs-backup" target="_blank">According to an article in The Dallas Morning News,</a> Novello told Dallas City Council members "the same thing he's been saying all over Facebook and the television news in recent days: Police response times are worse than you think. Priority calls are being sent to officers who can't respond, just to clear the emergency off the board. Morale's in the toilet. Stress levels are way up. And help ain't on the way."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"You no longer have a viable policing function in Dallas, Texas," Novello told the council. File this one under the category of #WeToldYouSo and #HelpAintOnTheWay<br /><br /><br />Not sure if this will have anything to do with anything, but for now, a small, red flag flutters. <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/news/investigations/2017/08/16/statler-hotel-financingunder-federal-investigation" target="_blank">According to news reports,</a> federal regulators are investigating the financing behind the massive Statler Hotel redevelopment in downtown Dallas. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju4W_W8E9RJ4XKjHEhV2Nu62Kwjd9es0j40tdJWmw2nyCUSmFoNc7LQimyLzcKWIqtAUgafaCWHLC9ZV9XB2Z8Tl0vY16OV8ruJ9ShnH7jpPLIAIxF94VCTgif2WS9g916nTLC1VgHYiMk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-08-19+at+1.48.10+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="1600" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju4W_W8E9RJ4XKjHEhV2Nu62Kwjd9es0j40tdJWmw2nyCUSmFoNc7LQimyLzcKWIqtAUgafaCWHLC9ZV9XB2Z8Tl0vY16OV8ruJ9ShnH7jpPLIAIxF94VCTgif2WS9g916nTLC1VgHYiMk/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-08-19+at+1.48.10+PM.png" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
According to the DMN, "One focus of the SEC inquiry is the sale last year of $26.5 million in municipal bonds backed by future tax incentives that the city of Dallas granted to the developer under what’s called tax-increment financing. Cities use such deals to lure developers to build in specific areas with little economic growth." Like I said, just a small red flag fluttering… for now.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 359px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 975px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 359px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 975px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 359px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 975px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 359px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 975px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 359px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 993px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 359px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 993px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 26px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 36px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><span style="background-color: #bd081c; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 26px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 36px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span>Lois Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09906404530625546026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1057052806553826169.post-4328553358449798782017-07-14T06:28:00.001-07:002017-07-14T06:31:04.493-07:00Reality Check<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.fox4news.com/news/267553180-story" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="856" data-original-width="1354" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaSrrAXJEhJ-R4g9Xbb7FvDCVuV6shnorTMk8PsEc1noMnJFMaIq6g41E5rU-MGGYI0ELzKazoO2FD6LFx4ZKFNR-HM011QxfDWdJgHf5goOVL273KKVDOJU2OG8EOT9BojegLvZgBmrDk/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-07-14+at+6.55.35+AM.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So apparently now it takes a Reality Star from "American Grit" to call out the city of Dallas over the appointment of Black Lives Matter activist and convicted felon Dominique Alexander to the DPD search panel. <a href="http://www.fox4news.com/news/267553180-story" target="_blank">Watch the report here</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #353e47;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/johnburk1775/" target="_blank">John Burk</a>, a </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #353e47;">star on the FOX reality show "American Grit"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #353e47;"> lives and works in Dallas. In his Facebook video, he characterizes the committee appointment as "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #353e47;">a slap in the face to every police officer that walks that street." <a href="https://www.facebook.com/johnburk1775/videos/1874676759527368/" target="_blank">Watch it here.</a> (Warning: video contains </span><span style="color: #353e47;">expletives)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TomiLahren/" target="_blank">Tomi Lahren</a>, a popular conservative commentator, was also outraged and posted an angry commentary to Facebook on Wednesday night that has been viewed 2.1 million times. <a href="http://www.dallasobserver.com/news/tomi-lahren-blasts-dallas-broadnax-over-police-chief-selection-9658824" target="_blank">Read about that here.</a></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">Blue Lives Matter also reported on the controversy. </span><a href="https://bluelivesmatter.blue/dominique-alexander-dallas-police-chief/" style="color: #333333;" target="_blank">You can read about it here</a><span style="color: #333333;">.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Once again, we see just how little first responders lives matter to Mayor Mike and the City of Dallas. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Just wondering where all the outrage was when the City of Dallas broke all its promises to its first responders and their families and stole the pension? Despite what they tell you, it ain't fixed.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">And we aren't going away.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">#ItAintFixed #savethepension #holdtheline</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #353e47;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
Lois Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09906404530625546026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1057052806553826169.post-2977240795042787402017-07-01T19:50:00.000-07:002017-07-01T19:50:03.889-07:00Please Release Thing 1 & Thing 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpuvjEIybb_LoW9YickSQYt4d3ij2nfoKlEDDZPsjWu-FACIWi6WVddf8HTbZ9MTxflMr6I2wCLVXqadfVoYsF0NphiVGVVf6IW4yWMklqdMdLGTupfBPWMGz30zBCqtO2k_N4HGTPKGtU/s1600/thing1+%2526thing2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="322" data-original-width="298" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpuvjEIybb_LoW9YickSQYt4d3ij2nfoKlEDDZPsjWu-FACIWi6WVddf8HTbZ9MTxflMr6I2wCLVXqadfVoYsF0NphiVGVVf6IW4yWMklqdMdLGTupfBPWMGz30zBCqtO2k_N4HGTPKGtU/s320/thing1+%2526thing2.jpg" width="296" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Without taking sides into the latest brouhaha over a lawsuit
filed by the widow of Lorne Ahrens who was gunned down along with four other
officers July 7, I felt compelled to highlight one tiny paragraph in the 26-page
document.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For me, it continues to highlight all that is woefully wrong
with the city of Dallas and its leadership.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Lots of people—we don’t know how many because the city apparently won’t
share those numbers—so let’s just say lots of people sent letters addressed to
Ahrens’ widow, Katrina, but mailed to Dallas City Hall. These letters, according to the
lawsuit, contained heartfelt messages, checks, cash and gift cards to
Katrina.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The city apparently has been
opening and reading her mail and supposedly logging everything. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
According to the suit, Katrina “requested a copy of the log,
but was denied by the City, which claimed the log contained confidential
information.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hmmmm, the city likes to say a lot of things and then hide
behind a lot of things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kind of like a
dystopian version of Thing 1 and Thing 2 from Dr. Seuss.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Since March 18, I’ve tried unsuccessfully to get the city
and Mayor Mike Rawlings to up some basic info.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I wasn’t asking for state secrets. I wasn’t asking for the code to his
gated community. I didn’t even ask to see whatever secret handshake one needs
for admittance into that special Dallas Citizens Council.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nope. All I asked for were two basic things: <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thing 1: All email correspondence related to HB 3158 between
Mayor Mike Rawlings or his staff and Pension Committee Chair Dan Flynn or his
staff.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thing 2: That survey that Mayor Mike said he had that shows
80 percent of citizens would not support a tax increase for its first
responders and the pension.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Instead, the city stalled a bit, and then on April 3, the
city requested an attorney general’s opinion. Then on June 7—you know about a
week after the governor signed the pension bill—the city withdrew its request
for an AG opinion on my request and said they would release the info to me. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But when they finally released the info—85 days after my
initial request—I received one document on June 9.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That’s right. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just one three-page email about an interview request.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Are you kidding me? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And as for Thing 2--Complete crickets on that alleged
survey.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There has to be one right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After all, the mayor said he had one, so it’s got to be there somewhere right?
The mayor wouldn’t lie about something like that, or would he?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If I were a bettin’ woman, I’d wager some DROP money that
there ain’t no stinkin’ survey. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But then again, I couldn’t bet any DROP money even if I
wanted to. Mr. Mayor saw to that.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the meantime, I’ve filed a complaint with the attorney
general’s office about releasing Thing 1 and Thing 2.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
#SaveThePensionItAintFixed</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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Lois Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09906404530625546026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1057052806553826169.post-17764462895843782017-06-11T13:44:00.004-07:002017-06-11T13:52:24.724-07:00Cursing Mayor Mike; Out of the Good Times and Into the Bad<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwWePsaeIhyphenhyphen5WXNZ5Y8fOqiQT4VrEjY5_GhymCVWerZoGxkVVt5o-PGCXtzfAgfgZEXQzNKf2eCwDJfFL2KWMhIglVAFpR6i9bmkrAqRK-g8kO-2Y0zD0KuqqlNFNm9rR-UClIw1UXCwPV/s1600/wedding+anniversary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="450" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwWePsaeIhyphenhyphen5WXNZ5Y8fOqiQT4VrEjY5_GhymCVWerZoGxkVVt5o-PGCXtzfAgfgZEXQzNKf2eCwDJfFL2KWMhIglVAFpR6i9bmkrAqRK-g8kO-2Y0zD0KuqqlNFNm9rR-UClIw1UXCwPV/s320/wedding+anniversary.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Well mark another one done—34 years. Happy anniversary, babe.
Out of all the couples we started our marriage journey with, we are the only
ones left standing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I guess we took those vows seriously because here we are 34
years later and I’ve got those “for richer or poorer” and “in good times and
bad” ringing in my ears.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Unfortunately this year, we moved back into the poorer side
and landed in the badlands. We can thank the city of Dallas and Mayor Mike for that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We never, ever expected, planned or dreamed of being rich.
We just worked hard at our regular jobs (my husband as a Dallas police officer
and I as a public school teacher). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We both took on extra jobs, kept our promises, paid our
bills, served our communities, raised two kids and eked out a reasonable living.
We planned a future where we could live our golden years with some semblance of
dignity and comfort.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But here we are—our pension money frozen, our benefits cut, our financial security zapped into oblivion and a trail of one broken
promise after another by the city of Dallas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><a href="http://www.amc.com/shows/better-call-saul" target="_blank">Better Call Saul. </a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Make no mistake. T<a href="http://savethepension.blogspot.com/2017/05/giving-credit-where-it-isnt-due.html" target="_blank">he Dallas police and fire pension systemisn’t fixed</a>, and those 10,000 active and first responders and their families
are still broken. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You know, we spent our lives like a lot of other first
responders never really expecting much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>All we ever really expected and wanted in our retirement years was to
travel, see our kids and not worry about money. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ok, so maybe my wants were a bit more extravagant than my
husband’s. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Go ahead and call me excessive and greedy: I just want to be
able to walk into <a href="https://centralmarket.com/" target="_blank">Central Market</a> every three or four months and buy some of the
fancy food there like the rich folks do without worrying about the cost. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> (You know, like Mayor Mike and his crew of cronies.) </span>Heck, I'd settle for just being able to buy a steak at my local grocery store without having to worry about my grocery bill.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Instead, life seems to have come full circle—and not in a
good way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I see my future days mirroring
my college days where I subsisted on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and
boxed macaroni and cheese. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But on this day, the day of my 34<sup>th</sup> anniversary,
I will still count my blessings. I am blessed that my husband and I have each
other through these tough times. I am certain we will endure, but I have to
admit, it’s not exactly my idea of the circle of life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And for that, even on this day, I curse Mayor Mike and the city of Dallas every single day.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">#ThanksForNothingMayorRawlings #StopSpreadingLies #BackThePension #ThePensionAintFixed</span></div>
Lois Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09906404530625546026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1057052806553826169.post-37922482790665498562017-05-31T18:51:00.000-07:002017-05-31T18:51:39.071-07:00Giving Credit Where It Isn't Due<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbel8AXz5pfDpaWTYlle4LVUCyyBTItk2_6N2-9MlmyWqO3qlXMJz6RomM0dtubuSNBMw09fSe7qi8Akre7rah1n_zcDUHoCoRR-05ePeXy-BzCpsnWDF4aH4JCYYGhOhWGmaWZOC_DBWZ/s1600/pinnochio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbel8AXz5pfDpaWTYlle4LVUCyyBTItk2_6N2-9MlmyWqO3qlXMJz6RomM0dtubuSNBMw09fSe7qi8Akre7rah1n_zcDUHoCoRR-05ePeXy-BzCpsnWDF4aH4JCYYGhOhWGmaWZOC_DBWZ/s320/pinnochio.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So the governor signed the bill to "fix" the Dallas Police & Fire Pension fund.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The official fix begins Sept. 1.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The fall out began long before that. While I understand the need for the bill, excuse me if I don't do the dance of joy w<a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/news/dallas-police/2017/05/19/cops-firefighters-taxpayers-rescuing-dallas-pension" target="_blank">hen 75 percent of the "shared sacrifice"</a> sits squarely on the backs of the city's first responders.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">About a week or so ago, The Dallas Morning News did its celebratory mayoral kumbaya circle <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/2017/05/23/shared-sacrifice-real-compromise-save-dallas-police-pension-now" target="_blank">in its editorial post</a>. (Honestly, it made me gag and caused a spike in my blood pressure despite my yoga breathing.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's taken more than a week for my anger to subside and for me to re-start this latest post. However, it's important to correct some of the statements bandied about by the DMN (which btw has become nothing more than the mayor's private PR firm).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And yes, I know we are supposed to quit pointing fingers and playing the blame game, but when the DMN and the city continues circulating falsehoods, we need to point and wag a few fingers and assign blame.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In its editorial post last week, the DMN gushes in praise for the mayor and still credits him with trying to prevent a "run on the bank" to save the pension. I'm all for giving credit where credit is due, but let's credit the mayor for <b>actually <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/news/dallas-city-hall/2016/11/30/dallas-mayor-mike-rawlings-demands-police-fire-pension-systemcease-drop-withdrawals" target="_blank">causing the run on the bank</a>.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Remember <b><a href="http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Dallas-Mayor-Demands-Action-to-Stop-Run-on-Pension-Fund-403885336.html" target="_blank">when the pension board asked him to assuage members fears and issue a public statement </a></b>expressing support for the fund and telling its first responders that the city had their back?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Remember the Mayor's words? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh wait, you can't because he didn't. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Instead, he wrote a letter demanding that the pension board stop access to accounts earned by first responders and then filed his lawsuit.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Game on.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">$520 million gone.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why bring it up again? So the mayor can't claim he fixed something that he purposefully and actively broke.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The DMN editorial wistfully stated that maybe the pension bill fix "can even become a catalyst to rebuild trust between first responders and City Hall."</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, I hate to be the one to break the news to you, </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">but this ain't no Disney movie, and when you've got Pinocchio living at <a href="http://dallascityhall.com/Pages/default.aspx" target="_blank">1500 Marilla Street</a>, well, you're a long, long way from happily ever after. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">#ThanksForNothingMayorRawlings #StopSpreadingLies #BackThePension</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
Lois Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09906404530625546026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1057052806553826169.post-63973802194280494862017-05-24T09:32:00.001-07:002017-05-24T09:32:17.629-07:00The Pension "Fix" & All The B-Slapping<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5GoWSKSdN0wTZiU0Idy6L3bDwFxH63jVRxyVbN_27HPHr264OHDUHu99c95QGg3hHDbrkkS1zSWsaphi-yhIuvyqsJvevh3U97U8bkJOghrEuj9-hFuYc7yDhHjG0B_NGofGT8ygwK-xX/s1600/billboard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1318" data-original-width="1600" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5GoWSKSdN0wTZiU0Idy6L3bDwFxH63jVRxyVbN_27HPHr264OHDUHu99c95QGg3hHDbrkkS1zSWsaphi-yhIuvyqsJvevh3U97U8bkJOghrEuj9-hFuYc7yDhHjG0B_NGofGT8ygwK-xX/s320/billboard.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It didn’t take long before the back-slappin’ and
congratulations started over the soon-to-be-enacted bill to fix the Dallas
Police & Fire Pension Fund.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And, it didn’t take long either before the bitch-slappin’
started.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All I know is while Mayor Mike Beelzebub Rawlings and his
cronies crowed about fixing the problem and solving our public safety crisis, every single one of us--active and retired first responders and their families and friends--knows the truth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There was <b>no</b> justice here.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Only <b>Just Us</b>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And the city and its citizens--especially in the poorer communities--are headed pell-mell into very scary
times. City officials finally acknowleged that d</span><a href="http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/increased-gang-activity-leads-to-spike-of-violent-crime-in-dallas/441961451" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">rive-by shootings are up 148 percent from last year</a><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. Violent crime is up. Response time is up.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #353e47; font-size: 16px;">Then there was that incident in South Dallas where there was a reckless and unchallenged 30-minutes of cars stunting in the middle of the </span><span style="color: #353e47;">intersection at </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #353e47; font-size: 16px;">Malcolm X Boulevard and Elsie Faye Heggins Street.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #353e47; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.fox4news.com/news/256516756-story" target="_blank">According to news reports</a>, Dallas Councilwoman Tiffinni Young demanded an explanation on why it took police so long to respond.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #353e47; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Seriously? </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #353e47; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Councilwoman Young should look in the mirror and ask herself that question. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #353e47; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Or better yet, she should ask her buddy Mayor Rawlings or his henchman Lee Kleinman. Or perhaps, she should ask all the fancy folks that headed up the Taxpayers For A Fair Pension. Good luck getting an answer from them because they are all </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #353e47; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">hiding behind their fancy gated communities with their private security firms.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #353e47; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #353e47; font-size: 16px;"><a href="http://dallaspa.org/" target="_blank">Dallas Police Association president Mike Mata</a> has a simple and clear answer for you and it's an answer you're not going to want to hear: <i><b>This is merely a sign of things to </b></i></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #353e47;"><i><b>come because the police department is so understaffed.</b></i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #353e47; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"You're seeing a trend of lawlessness that's coming within the city of Dallas. The fix is we need more cops. It's as simple as that," <a href="http://www.fox4news.com/news/256516756-story" target="_blank">he told Fox4News.</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #353e47; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #353e47; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And why are we so understaffed? </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #353e47; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's see… low pay, bad pension, broken promises.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #353e47; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You see this pension bill didn't resolve or solve the problem--especially <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/news/dallas-police/2017/05/19/cops-firefighters-taxpayers-rescuing-dallas-pension" target="_blank">when you place 75 percent of the "fix" on the backs of your active and retired first responders</a>. It won't stem the exodus of your first responders, and it surely won't entice new ones.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #353e47; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's as simple as that.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #353e47; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">#RawlingsDoesn'tCare #JustUs #BackThePension #ItAintOver</span></span></div>
Lois Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09906404530625546026noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1057052806553826169.post-17228435081032726322017-05-19T15:59:00.001-07:002017-05-19T15:59:07.575-07:00The Pension Fix <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPHMiyW7m2VVV7gWEk_y7FqDwyQ6RyfpMV3lEkNWFYG8-VdgcTmpgptZPCTT4tR0bgNvHMBDYzJUO70rEzPcZ-trDlcoJ9vuZl3V2yfH4UhCJ5zBDJUpAlIIbNlN-CI9rsJS3pYIPcAb1G/s1600/pressconference.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPHMiyW7m2VVV7gWEk_y7FqDwyQ6RyfpMV3lEkNWFYG8-VdgcTmpgptZPCTT4tR0bgNvHMBDYzJUO70rEzPcZ-trDlcoJ9vuZl3V2yfH4UhCJ5zBDJUpAlIIbNlN-CI9rsJS3pYIPcAb1G/s320/pressconference.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Perhaps I don’t have to worry about eating cat food after
all.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Perhaps.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Now that there’s a pension fix that stabilizes the fund, I
think perhaps I’ll be OK.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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Maybe.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just a few months ago, it was very bleak—the kind of bleak
where you wonder if your survival hinges on selling <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiclets" target="_blank">Chiclets</a> or macramé south
of the border or finding a lucrative street corner to panhandle. </div>
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<br /></div>
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That kind of bleak.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The kind of bleak where you ponder about eating cat food and then
decide you could subsist on a diet of Ramen noodles. The kind of bleak that
keeps your eyes red-rimmed from sleepless nights and salty tears. The kind of
bleak that plunges you head first into an abyss wallowing in the unfairness of
it all.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The kind of bleak that underscores that life really is not a
Disney movie where everyone doesn’t live happily ever after and Prince Charming
doesn’t come to the rescue. First responders have battled unfairness all their
lives. Happy endings have always been few and far between. And, there never,
ever was a Prince Charming, only the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Prince of Darkness Mayor Mike Rawlings.</div>
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<br /></div>
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But at least for now, there is this pension fix.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Retired Assistant Fire Chief Debbie Carlin
said it best: “Fire and police are saving each other once again.”</div>
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<br /></div>
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By all accounts, this is a fix borne mainly by first
responders. The ones who always sacrifice. The ones who were always promised so
much, but who received so very little.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>By several accounts, first responders <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/news/dallas-police/2017/05/19/cops-firefighters-taxpayers-rescuing-dallas-pension" target="_blank">will shoulder 75 percent of the burden</a>.</div>
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It’s disheartening that more wasn’t required of the city of
Dallas to honor the promises made to those who sacrificed so much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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But life is not a Disney movie. </div>
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<br /></div>
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All the first responder leadership acknowledged that this
compromise bill will be tough to sell to our people, and it is.</div>
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<br /></div>
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We were unable to<a href="http://savethepension.blogspot.com/2017/05/mayor-rawlings-cats-dogs-and-conceptual.html" target="_blank"> overcome the Mayor’s narrative of “taxpayer bail out”</a> even though it never was and never will be one. We were unable
to overcome the <a href="http://www.dallasobserver.com/news/cops-and-firefighters-please-look-hard-at-your-pension-fund-9129316" target="_blank">Mayor’s constant portrayal and betrayal of first responders </a>as
greedy and the creators of this problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We were unable to overcome the Mayor’s concentrated, <a href="https://candysdirt.com/2017/02/14/metrotex-association-realtors-right-join-taxpayers-fair-pension/" target="_blank">carefully orchestrated campaign of lies</a>. Had we had more time, perhaps we would have.</div>
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Unfortunately during this time, public safety has eroded and
will continue its downward spiral. Regardless of this pension fix, the damage
has been done. Record numbers of <a href="http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Dallas-Pension-Crisis-Threatens-Public-Safety-Former-Officers_Dallas-Fort-Worth-418696663.html" target="_blank">police</a> and <a href="http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2017/05/04/dallas-firefighters-leave-city-pension-troubles-loom/" target="_blank">firefighters</a> have left. More will still
go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Officials concede it will take 10
years before we will be back to full strength.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Meanwhile, <a href="http://www.wfaa.com/news/crime/delayed-police-response-leads-to-release-of-armed-burglars-nabbed-by-security-guard/439998207" target="_blank">crime and</a> <a href="http://www.wfaa.com/news/crime/man-robbed-at-gunpoint-in-home-waited-over-1-hour-for-police/437960095" target="_blank">response times continue to climb</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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And while this pension fix stings, active and retired first
responders did succeed by…</div>
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•Saving the fund to ensure that we will still have a pension
check</div>
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•Ensuring that the clawback of funds—although still in the
bill—is no longer a certainty.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I remember that just a few short months ago, our Prince of
Darkness and his <a href="http://candyfordallas.com/2017/04/20/interview-dan-flynn-lee-kleinman-completely-touch-reality/" target="_blank">minion</a> floated the now <a href="http://www.dallasobserver.com/news/dallas-police-and-fire-pension-debate-comes-down-to-a-question-of-survival-9339720" target="_blank">infamous Ice Floe plan which would have left all of us without a pension check</a>. I remember just a few short weeks ago
when that same Prince<a href="http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Dallas-Police-and-Fire-Pension-Update-.html?soid=1109200548033&aid=7NOwXLQFbpg" target="_blank"> tried to float some fuzzy math </a>by the state house
pensions committee in an effort to shirk the city’s financial obligation to the
pension fund.</div>
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I remember all those things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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I also remember how all the <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/news/dallas-city-hall/2017/04/26/dallas-police-fire-retirees-blast-mayor-mike-rawlings-rally-pension-fix" target="_blank">active and retired police and fire associations</a> fought valiantly for every one of us. You may not have liked
this or that by one or the other, but they fought for us. All of us. Without
them, the results would have been catastrophic. </div>
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<br /></div>
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No, we did not get everything we wanted nor hoped for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And yes, the sacrifices made—as always—were
and will continue to be tremendous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And,
no, it is not fair.</div>
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<br /></div>
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But now is the time for all of us to pull ourselves up by
our bootstraps and ready for our future battles which will surely come. We must
continue to stand together for we truly do have <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/42891" target="_blank">miles to go before we sleep</a>. </div>
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#backthepension #peoplebeforeprojects #lifeisnotadisneymovie</div>
Lois Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09906404530625546026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1057052806553826169.post-8975681050697575382017-05-14T18:14:00.001-07:002017-05-14T18:14:08.609-07:00Mayor Rawlings, Cats & Dogs, and "Conceptual" Things<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEXxtZMarsCmGe7ZElLgHuPVXy9PjRtNlNvoBvvDFeN7r7F3z9VJq-aKc3zcwBCwyy_RDOmNlByZ2iJ4GAvw71kMXxh5S3REpcU5KX3buhf2p5nvJbSET2sp-CCADzjjZrHA4Xy7q-Eb1U/s1600/catsanddogs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEXxtZMarsCmGe7ZElLgHuPVXy9PjRtNlNvoBvvDFeN7r7F3z9VJq-aKc3zcwBCwyy_RDOmNlByZ2iJ4GAvw71kMXxh5S3REpcU5KX3buhf2p5nvJbSET2sp-CCADzjjZrHA4Xy7q-Eb1U/s320/catsanddogs.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Things I will never understand:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*Item #1…Why <a href="http://savethepension.blogspot.com/2017/05/the-mike-rawlings-train-wreck-express.html" target="_blank">Mayor Mike "BB" Rawlings</a> can initially claim the pension fix brokered by State Rep. Dan Flynn was a taxpayer "bailout" and going to raise taxes, but now, this senate "Conceptual </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">plan," is no longer a "bailout."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Perhaps that's because it never was a taxpayer bailout to begin with. Raising taxes was never, ever in Flynn's plan. Trust me, <a href="http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/85R/billtext/pdf/HB03158E.pdf#navpanes=0" target="_blank">I read all 188 pages</a>. It just made the city take responsibility for its legal and moral obligations to fund the pension.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.pscp.tv/w/1ynKOjmkXMnxR" target="_blank">At the mayor's press conference</a>, one reporter went astray and asked the mayor about that very point. Why, the reporter asked, isn't this amended plan a taxpayer bailout? Rawlings did what he does best--a bit of a sidewinder shuffle: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"The nature of this bill creates a system where we're not locked in for the set amount for eternity and the last bill did that, and that's why I called it that," Rawlings said.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hmmmm, interesting how for months Rawlings screamed "taxpayer bailout." He painted a cat a dog, but no one questioned it. Then suddenly, someone pulled the cat's tail, the cat meowed, and now the cat is no longer a dog, but a cat. Go figure.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*Item #2…Why all the stakeholders at Senator West and Senator Huffines marathon meeting apparently agreed not to comment on the details of the "nonbonding conceptual" agreement until the senate amendments to the pension bill were drafted. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And then, the senators immediately held a press conference.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not to be outdone, Mayor Rawlings squeaked in his press conference waving around the non-binding agreement paper in his hand and talking about how from the beginning he always said "to fix this plan everybody has got to come to the table."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, last time I checked, Mr. Mayor, the police never left the table. Nor the firefighters. Nor Chairman Flynn. Nor the pension folks. But where were you? Oh, that's right, you were blowin' and goin' about <a href="http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/politics/Texas-House-Approves-Plan-for-Dallas-Police-and-Fire-Pension-421226834.html" target="_blank">taxpayer bailouts and pistol whippings</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Interestingly, police and fire groups honored the agreement to remain quiet because, well, a promise is a promise, and first responders take those things rather seriously. That is until the senators and Rawlings blasted the info across the evening news, startling all the active and retired members of the those groups. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This leaves me wondering about what the end game is for that. Is it so that it will be more difficult for police and firefighters to back out or re-negotiate when the actual amendment from the senators proves to be a different thing entirely? You know, when that cat becomes a dog again? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We shall have to wait and see what the senators come up with and how it fits with Rep. Flynn's pension bill. Flynn said he remains "committed to continue to support the 10,000 Police and Fire members and their families first and will not allow them to be bullied by the City."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*Item #3… I will never understand why Mayor Rawlings tries to pretend to care. He's painted first responders as greedy and self-serving among other things. At the press conference, a reporter asked him about the animosity between him and first responders. He did that sidewinder shuffle again, but I found this tidbit rather enlightening:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"We've had a lot of frank conversations. The retirees," Rawlings said about the negotiations. "There were tears in that room. There was emotion going on, and at times there were almost my tears."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Almost. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You know like a cat is <i><b>almost</b></i> a dog.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">#savethepension #peoplebeforeprojects #RawlingsDoesntCare </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />Lois Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09906404530625546026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1057052806553826169.post-57392437163366017772017-05-08T11:45:00.000-07:002017-05-08T11:46:35.159-07:00The Mike Rawlings Train Wreck Express<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLa0scIUAKml5yG2J9hKKEk_8bBy9scObqjC0IoTs7uIOO3BLD184GWklr0bo0QW8grvJyx13_LaykDbUUGzj2enSXjulmLSP0Ej5oAQeM9zL_8OE89CgMdBwNWYP5EhiHhNvxQBHWaTqP/s1600/alamo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLa0scIUAKml5yG2J9hKKEk_8bBy9scObqjC0IoTs7uIOO3BLD184GWklr0bo0QW8grvJyx13_LaykDbUUGzj2enSXjulmLSP0Ej5oAQeM9zL_8OE89CgMdBwNWYP5EhiHhNvxQBHWaTqP/s320/alamo.jpg" width="213" /></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Last week was an entertaining week in a warped-watching-a
train-wreck-kind of way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was especially fun watching Mayor Mike Beelzebubbing
Bamboozling Rawlings (let’s just call him BB Rawlings for short) implode last
week<a href="http://www.dallasobserver.com/news/house-pension-bill-a-major-slap-in-the-face-for-dallas-mayor-mike-rawlings-9437433" target="_blank"> as the Texas House of Representatives handed him a stunning defeat</a> by unanimously approving the pension bill.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Angered by the vote, Rawlings said state legislators and
first responders took <a href="http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/politics/Texas-House-Approves-Plan-for-Dallas-Police-and-Fire-Pension-421226834.html" target="_blank">“the citizens out in an alley and just pistol whipped them.”</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">First responders—and even legislators—gasped across this great state. But even though offensive, such remarks were a win for us because Rawlings' true character bled outside his crafted public persona in an ugliness that was plain for everyone to see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the end of the day, there’s no getting
around that comment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I, along with most active and retired first responders, closely followed the Dallas City Council elections. And while I was disappointed that
<a href="http://candyfordallas.com/" target="_blank">Candy Evans</a> was unable to unseat Rawlings’ Henchman Kleinman, I do not believe
this was a vote against first responders. Kleinman told <i>The Dallas Morning News</i> that he
targeted specific votes to “make sure we were taking to the right people.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Based upon the feedback I’ve received from those who
walked the neighborhood for Candy and who worked the polling sites, I believe
Kleinman targeted the older folks—folks who live in a fact-vacuum. These older citizens rely solely on mainstream news media for their information sources, and we all have seen the campaign of lies disseminated there. He also targeted them with mailers containing misleading information. Obviously, this group were not Internet or Social Media savvy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Time and time again, those folks said they supported Kleinman because The Dallas Morning News
did. They also cited former Chief Brown coming out in support of
Kleinman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To them, that meant police
officers supported Kleinman. <i>(Don’t even get me started on that one.)</i> You mix
all of that in with his your-taxes-will-be raised-if-I-don’t-get-elected lie,
and well, you can pretty much predict the unfortunate outcome. It was just too
much for Candy to overcome.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So you probably are wondering where the bright spots are. <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2017/05/06/election-fighting-ol-dallas-city-council" target="_blank">I found Robert Wilonsky’s political commentary particularly enlightening</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From it, you’ll note three more stunning
defeats for BB Rawlings:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">*Councilman Kingston won re-election despite a huge fusion
of cash into his opponent’s campaign coffers from a PAC run by BB Rawlings’
campaign consultant and BB Rawlings’ campaign treasurer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Talk about getting pistol-whipped.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">*Councilman Scott Griggs won re-election. Another win for
us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">*Councilwoman Tiffinni Young is in a run-off. She’s the one
who supported without question BB Rawlings attempt to basically hand over Fair
Park to one of his cronies. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2017/05/06/election-fighting-ol-dallas-city-council" target="_blank">According to the column</a>, Young also has
received campaign money from that same political PAC.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then there's two other promising tidbits…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">*Councilwoman Monica Alonzo will also face a run-off. She also
had received campaign money from that same political PAC. <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/news/elections/2017/05/08/criminal-investigation-opens-west-dallas-voter-fraud-charts-allegations" target="_blank">It was a very tight race, and that election is currently under a criminal <o:p></o:p>investigation for voter fraud</a>, so we're not quite sure who will ultimately be on that run-off ballot.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">*And finally, in what turned out to be a rather bright and unexpected
(for me) ray of hope was the return of Councilman Dwaine
Caraway. He wore a t-shirt supporting Dallas police and fire on election night,
and immediately after winning the election, <a href="http://www.wfaa.com/mb/news/politics/flynn-offers-minor-tweak-on-dallas-pension-fix/437582519?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter" target="_blank">proposed a first responder-friendly amendment to the pension bill</a> before it goes to the state senate for final
approval.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His proposal takes away the
mayor’s appointments to the pension board and instead places those appointments
in the hands of the city council. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Talk about another pistol whipping.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And, during all this hullabaloo, BB Rawlings screeched to
anyone who would listen that his continued fight in the Texas State Senate against
first responders may be his Alamo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
dared to compare himself to William Travis. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hmmm… Try George Custer and the Battle of Little Bighorn.</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">#backthepension #savethepension #peoplebeforeproject </span></div>
Lois Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09906404530625546026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1057052806553826169.post-8852074407988761222017-05-03T19:31:00.001-07:002017-05-03T19:31:51.748-07:00A Message All Citizens Should Hear<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ciframe%20src=%22https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fsavethepension%2Fposts%2F782284255282118&width=500%22%20width=%22500%22%20height=%22581%22%20style=%22border:none;overflow:hidden%22%20scrolling=%22no%22%20frameborder=%220%22%20allowTransparency=%22true%22%3E%3C/iframe%3E" target="_blank"> </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/regina.smith.9083/videos/10212936963568807/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKeDQgO-3G2Ev-0hrgCF-UfWemMu2j3xj2g2WH6kZtUoh_DSwGjK1NQ8nkarDAcPXnVXT8qcEA0PHn5HJN17wkBpaHpdptYfSA0fVQx84Ckj5HVv_3ULf-rSbV-jytz0kKYz1KztO6llch/s320/Regina+Smith.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/regina.smith.9083/videos/10212936963568807/" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/regina.smith.9083/videos/10212936963568807/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Retired Dallas Police Lt. Regina Smith has a message for the citizens of Dallas. Watch her video by clicking HERE.</b></span></a></div>
Lois Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09906404530625546026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1057052806553826169.post-5606733021545096202017-04-26T11:17:00.001-07:002017-04-26T11:17:30.218-07:00Enough Is Enough<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/savethepension/?hc_ref=PAGES_TIMELINE&fref=nf" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZdJ9PoVlHa7P_Vvxj_nHfHwSnS9-4kPdX1Zhh6hjN_NGs2jtJprZnq0cIplVmhc19BH50NJGFufHnhU6WGvFv2JxM2kkO5eMHuh8O-lHQTVMyQ9OUJaA6tXBgB_LPfMi7p1nkjYOo_oJW/s400/march1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">About 1,000 active and retired police and firefighters, their families and friends marched to Dallas City Hall in support of their promised pension benefits and to protest Mayor Rawlings campaign of lies against first responders.</span></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The marchers carried 697 boots to symbolize the number of police officers who have let the department since the pension crisis began. The number of officers have dropped to the lowest level in almost a decade while calls for help have increased and <span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">crime has risen.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtXEP8LG4zTncQGnwP53l0H3Qdi9jiLuzYah5Lw19OMD1kcyMacbQ2cgPly8jMTUP8ZAi6eZTER0eAaX91vlPOa7khJ8nHtRM-4qn2RFeM2_tdJ9smaj7Qm6gKHT3B7-4Fd-6GFeKZuM5i/s1600/glenstone2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtXEP8LG4zTncQGnwP53l0H3Qdi9jiLuzYah5Lw19OMD1kcyMacbQ2cgPly8jMTUP8ZAi6eZTER0eAaX91vlPOa7khJ8nHtRM-4qn2RFeM2_tdJ9smaj7Qm6gKHT3B7-4Fd-6GFeKZuM5i/s320/glenstone2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px;">
The pension crisis has become a public safety crisis because of Mayor Rawlings, City Councilman Lee Kleinman and Rawlings' supporters from the wealthy private Dallas Citizens Council.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
The mayor fiddles while public safety burns. </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
We were there for you. Please be there for us. Call the Mayor's office at 214-670-3301 and tell the mayor it's time for him to shut up and put up what was promised to Dallas' first responders.</div>
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<a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/enoughisenough?source=feed_text&story_id=778441658999711" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><span class="_5afx" style="direction: ltr;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl _5afz" style="color: #4267b2;">#</span><span class="_58cm">enoughisenough</span></span></a> <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/backthepension?source=feed_text&story_id=778441658999711" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><span class="_5afx" style="direction: ltr;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl _5afz" style="color: #4267b2;">#</span><span class="_58cm">backthepension</span></span></a> <span class="_5afx" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; direction: ltr; text-decoration: none;"><a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/peoplebeforeprojects?source=feed_text&story_id=778441658999711" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl _5afz" style="color: #4267b2;">#</span><span class="_58cm">peoplebeforeprojects</span></a> </span><a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/backtheblue?source=feed_text&story_id=778441658999711" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><span class="_5afx" style="direction: ltr;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl _5afz" style="color: #4267b2;">#</span><span class="_58cm">backtheblue</span></span></a></div>
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Lois Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09906404530625546026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1057052806553826169.post-19255661138200643582017-04-21T14:17:00.000-07:002017-04-21T14:17:57.305-07:00SOUND THE ALARM: Is your safety worth $1.50 a month?<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZug5E4OMavPaNIBuQqJngWqyspdp82c9KNrNgGEJlspND_ZXFhrhSEZMoZUFFM_V8aIL7d64pjWdkREVqXzOAf9j5kQfCgqnR_uzbKr14qNWC6ctR8wtyMufIhqN8UOkxzXMte1kDo_3r/s1600/soundthealarm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZug5E4OMavPaNIBuQqJngWqyspdp82c9KNrNgGEJlspND_ZXFhrhSEZMoZUFFM_V8aIL7d64pjWdkREVqXzOAf9j5kQfCgqnR_uzbKr14qNWC6ctR8wtyMufIhqN8UOkxzXMte1kDo_3r/s320/soundthealarm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Take off the gloves. It’s a no-holds-barred 7-alarm disaster.
The mayor is at it again, trotting out his repertoire of false information and
lies. <o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s a Signal 1-7 all call for the truth, and retired Assistant
Fire Chief Debbie Carlin has answered the alarm to put out the mayor’s lies.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It comes down to this: a mere $18 a year. <o:p></o:p></div>
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That’s $1.50 a month--less than a tall Starbucks latte. <o:p></o:p></div>
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$18 a year. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A buck
fifty a month. That’s what it would cost each person if every Dallas resident
chipped in each year to ensure the pension plan is strong enough to keep our
fire and police on the streets. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Aren’t our active and retired first responders worth that
much? Isn’t public safety worth $1.50 a month?<o:p></o:p></div>
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“The Dallas's Mayor either cannot add—or he is a liar,”
Carlin said. “In his letter to the public, the mayor claimed the city would be
out $1.35 billion over the next 30 years to save the police and fire pension. Those
numbers are not accurate.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Here is the real breakdown of additional costs as stated in
HB 3158:<o:p></o:p></div>
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City of Dallas: $626 million (11% increase)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Active police and fire officers: $1.2 billion (91% increase) plus another $1.4 billion
in reduced benefits by age 80 for a total increase of $2.6 billion.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Retired first responders: Reduced cost of living adjustment going forward (and, of course, the Mayor still wants to steal back $700 million in benefits already earned). <o:p></o:p></div>
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Of these three groups--taxpayers, active members and retires--the
City's burden is considerably lower than everyone else’s burden. Plus, the
city's burden is spread over more than 1 million people while the remainder
rests solely on the backs of 10,000 active and retired first responders.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“The Mayor is engaging in ‘fake math,” <a href="https://www.dpfp.org/images/PDFs/Plans/DPFP%20statement%20on%20Mayors%20Attack%20on%20Chairman%20Flynn.pdf" target="_blank">said Sam Friar of theDallas Police and Fire Pension board</a>. “The Mayor’s words and actions are
consistent with our belief that he is willing — and possibly attempting — to kill
HB 3158 and the current pension plan in order to start a new one.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Carlin and Friar aren’t the only one to sound the alarm
about the mayor. <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2017/04/20/refuse-allow-dallas-break-promiseto-police-officers-fire-fighters" target="_blank">In a guest commentary in The Dallas Morning News, state representative Jason Villalba</a> notes that HB 3158 is not a taxpayer bailout as
Mayor Rawlings erroneously claims. Rep. Villalba also notes that the entire
Dallas delegation to the Texas legislature supports HB 3158.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Immediately after Rawlings’ letter of lies, Dallas City
Councilman Scott Griggs publically chastised the Mayor.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“I am AGAINST this letter,” Councilman <a href="https://www.facebook.com/scott.griggs.5/posts/1289996634411086" target="_blank">Griggs posted on Facebook</a>. “I
fear that this letter is part of an organized effort to ‘kill the bill.’
Attempting to kill the bill is shameful.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Shameful indeed. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Dallas-Police-and-Fire-Pension-Update-.html?soid=1109200548033&aid=7NOwXLQFbpg" target="_blank">In an April 21 press release, State Pension Chair Dan Flynn</a> who authored the pension bill said he was “deeply disappointed in the Dallas
Mayor making allegations and spreading incorrect information that won't hold up
under scrutiny.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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According to Flynn, the mayor’s “own staff gave him
incorrect information based upon unsubstantiated assumptions” that <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“he touted as true.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Flynn also said the Mayor’s bullying, name calling and
refusal to negotiate in good faith “lends a lot of credence to the opinion of
many that the Mayor just wants to take over the Plan and drastically attack
benefits by collapsing the plan. Well that’s not going to happen.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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“The city can't recruit because they have a preference for
parks over police and firemen, suggesting to everyone those officers rate below
dirt and grass,” Flynn said. “The current legislation raises no taxes and
requires no bonds, and I have no idea why the Mayor thinks it is so.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“I suggest he stops wasting taxpayer dollars on expensive PR
firms, lobbyists and lawyers, quit claiming bankruptcy is the answer and starts
taking public safety seriously,” Flynn said.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Retired Assistant Fire Chief Carlin confirms that police and
fire officers are leaving in record numbers “because they can make more money
and have a lower work load just about anywhere else. And City Hall is showing
them how much they really don't care.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s time, she said, for taxpayers and city council members
to “stand up and tell the Mayor to sit down and shut up. Tell the Mayor you
think Fire and Police are worth another $18 a year.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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#backthepension #peoplebeforeprojects #morethandirt
#sitdown&shutup<o:p></o:p></div>
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Lois Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09906404530625546026noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1057052806553826169.post-35253212022210733562017-04-10T12:41:00.001-07:002017-04-10T12:53:38.060-07:00Mayor Rawlings & His Plateful of Lies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHwtpA2-KGzrSGiPhmNZzhyXQZaEsX7EW6CpYYk37dg_458IbtOwIgPfkjpfkDEuxUL9OUJSgS45CZJrUWnpGSrvUosN97y4R2chdyqxeLHowpQbIsEHYvNhGz1N8FwbNq1Oo3RQigEvk3/s1600/lies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHwtpA2-KGzrSGiPhmNZzhyXQZaEsX7EW6CpYYk37dg_458IbtOwIgPfkjpfkDEuxUL9OUJSgS45CZJrUWnpGSrvUosN97y4R2chdyqxeLHowpQbIsEHYvNhGz1N8FwbNq1Oo3RQigEvk3/s320/lies.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It’s time to stop playing nice and quit inviting Mayor Rawlings to the pension solution table especially <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/news/news/2017/04/09/police-pension-negotiations-break-dallas-austin-trust-lost-sides" target="_blank">after he back peddled on promises</a> he made at the April 3 state pension hearing. <br /><br />Mayor Rawlings has become a liability. A stumbling block. A non-negotiator.<br /><br />He reminds me of an obnoxious restaurant patron who orders something, eats it and then complains about paying for it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Well, here’s a bit of news for you, Mayor Rawlings: This ain’t no friggin’ Burger King. You don’t get to have it your way, and, when you renege on promises you make, you should be barred from your place at the table.<br /><br />At the April 3 state pension hearing on HB 3158, everyone agreed that the proposed funding floor was essential to stabilize and save the pension. </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In fact, Mayor Rawlings even asked State Pension Committee Chairman Dan Flynn if he could return to testify to “clarify something.” <br /><br />Here’s what he said two hours, 24 minutes and roughly 40 seconds into t<a href="http://tlchouse.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=40&clip_id=13347" target="_blank">he hearing testimony:</a><br /><br />“We believe in a floor. What we are committing to right now, the hard dollars--even if we have less officers--we would keep in. It’s the lack of the ceiling that we are concerned with. So the floor--if anybody is worried about the floor--OK right now we’re planning on spending that money.”<br /><br />Flynn wanted to make sure and re-iterated that Mayor Rawlings was not concerned about the funding floor in the bill, but about what the mayor characterized as an “open ended ceiling.”<br /><br />“We just don’t want an open end, “ Rawlings confirmed.<br /><br />Without Flynn’s funding floor, the pension can’t be saved. It’s that simple.<br /><br />Four days later on April 7, Rawlings sent Flynn a letter saying he wanted to change and decrease that funding floor knowing full well that such a change would not only jeopardize the pension fund but would be catastrophic for the fund.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Dallas Police & Fire Pension Chairman Sam Friar warned state lawmakers last week about Rawlings plan to kill the pension.<br /><br />“I absolutely believe their plan is for this pension to fail,” Friar said about Mayor Rawlings and the city of Dallas. <br /><br />Friar was absolutely right.<br /><br />If we are going to save the pension, it’s time to set the table without Mayor Rawlings, so that the promises made to the city’s active and retired first responders can be kept.<br /><br />It’s time to set the table without Mayor Rawlings so we can move forward to an equitable solution and finally serve the citizens of Dallas and ensure public safety instead dishing out a plateful of lies.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">#backthepension #peoplebeforeprojects<br /><br /> </span></div>
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Lois Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09906404530625546026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1057052806553826169.post-23122571221266189822017-04-08T18:41:00.000-07:002017-04-08T18:43:41.037-07:00Councilman Kleinman, Chairman Flynn & Me<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiksbuymoA-iYpd-CcuRnNNi20BK8o-vgq1YnFsU-Jlfi80ra1xU11yySvWPHhOh7kZKuwYPNVw7wyelj5aUhf_Q2KmCgdKjhjyXH88uatIuc7jBukuk1SWDIBEkZAJUbPC254uAI9E7Uji/s1600/pension+hearing+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiksbuymoA-iYpd-CcuRnNNi20BK8o-vgq1YnFsU-Jlfi80ra1xU11yySvWPHhOh7kZKuwYPNVw7wyelj5aUhf_Q2KmCgdKjhjyXH88uatIuc7jBukuk1SWDIBEkZAJUbPC254uAI9E7Uji/s320/pension+hearing+pic.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>“Some words when spoken cannot be taken back” –Nothingman</i></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Now that I have had almost a week to calm down and let the pension hearing in Austin sort of filter and percolate in my head, I really can’t let some of that testimony go unanswered. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So many comments were thrown around like strands of spaghetti against a wall in the hopes that they might stick.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Like most of you, I was especially appalled by</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGwuwuv-xmhMH1h-u3lmddfpVFAp1x8AGqD14nQcZ6qAIDumfzu_Oalag0CquFoxf6bnWQLEXTe57ohHlkHRzsqSotgB-13iqu2ZfdbaKbBBOT1r7S1krurcPwvQ6W4-724QEMnM-Se7ZT/s1600/factcheck.jpg"> </a><a href="http://dallascityhall.com/government/citycouncil/district11/Pages/Biography.aspx"></a><a href="http://dallascityhall.com/government/citycouncil/district11/Pages/Biography.aspx" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Dallas City Councilman Lee Kleinman</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">’s comments. I was also especially grateful for </span><a href="http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/member-page/?district=114" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Dallas District 114 Representative Jason Villalba</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> for his empathy towards first responders.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A particularly low point in the <a href="http://tlchouse.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=40&clip_id=13347" target="_blank">pension hearing testimony</a> came in an exchange between Kleinman and Villalba:<br /><br /><i><b>Dallas City Councilman Kleinman:</b></i> “Can you tell me where in this plan there is shared sacrifice on the part of the retirees?”<br /><br /><b><i>State Representative Villalba: </i></b>“Are you kidding me?… They have no access to drop… They’re going to have a situation played out in the course of their lives. They die at 58 and a half… Interest rates are gone. COLAs are gone. These are real situations with real people. I’m just asking you in this process tonight to think about people. Get away from the numbers… Get away from this political grandstanding. Think about the folks.”<br /><br />Villalba also chastised Kleinman, telling him, “You’re not being constructive by bringing additional junk to this process.”<br /><br />That wasn’t the only time Kleinman was scolded at the April 3 state hearing. <br /><br />State Pension chair Dan Flynn questioned whether the Dallas councilman really supported saving the pension. That’s what happens when you call our pension an “egregious enrichment scheme” and throw out comparisons to Bernie Madoff and Ponzi schemes. That’s what happens when you begrudge the recent and long-overdue raises recently given to active first responders. You get questioned about stuff like that.<br /><br />Geewillikers, it sure was difficult to stay seated. If Kleinman kept talking unchecked like that, I was indeed going to have to call for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lP5Xv7QqXiM" target="_blank">lawyers, guns and money</a>.<br /><br />But Chairman Flynn did manage to rein Kleinman in a bit when he asked about Kleinman’s attendance on the DPFP board. Of course, Kleinman insisted he was there.<br /><br /> “I would venture to say I showed up for 95 percent of those meetings,” Kleinman told Flynn and the state pension committee.<br /><br />Hmmmm… 95 percent? <br /><br />OK… I’ll give him credit for 100 percent perfect attendance in 2016. But let’s see how the rest of it looks…</span></div>
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<ul><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo8Jdvnwu8EJYAW0P-f4GBv6K6SpX4sshGlBwhApy_Nkd6UHirOmebYhHBG8HRivvJmk_rM-bT1LCMWGS1lJk92I0D0wKECptPkXYAIDldJnMilAh_-ZPHWAHgYFzUVX702nX8Nqn7-fZ7/s1600/factcheck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo8Jdvnwu8EJYAW0P-f4GBv6K6SpX4sshGlBwhApy_Nkd6UHirOmebYhHBG8HRivvJmk_rM-bT1LCMWGS1lJk92I0D0wKECptPkXYAIDldJnMilAh_-ZPHWAHgYFzUVX702nX8Nqn7-fZ7/s200/factcheck.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<li>2013 shows 67 percent in attendance</li>
<li>2014 shows 76 percent in attendance</li>
<li>2015 shows 74 percent in attendance</li>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Chairman Flynn also asked Kleinman if he believed the city should start a new plan, which would effectively abandon everyone in the old plan. <br /><br />Kleinman’s response was chilling.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“I think the city should have that as an option,” he told the chairman.<br /><br />Chairman Flynn then noted, “What you just suggested will not fix this plan… That would kill the whole thing.”<br /><br />So there it was. Out in the open. I think everyone there that day realized that Kleinman and Mayor Mike Rawlings really do want to kill the whole thing. All of it. Droppers and non-Droppers. Everyone in it. Kill the whole thing.<br /><br />Another interesting tidbit was Kleinman’s rant about how he didn’t “have a million dollars" in his bank account for his retirement or a defined benefit plan like first responders or state legislators. Now, I don’t know if any of that is true, but let’s look briefly at what he does have:</span><br />
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<li>A 7,154 square foot home situated on 1.95 acres</li>
<li>A home valued at $2.5 million or so on the tax rolls</li>
<li>A spouse gainfully employed as a physician</li>
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Let’s briefly look at what I have:</span><br />
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<li>A 1,922 square foot home situated on 1.3 acres</li>
<li>A home valued at $172,370 on the tax rolls</li>
<li>A retired spouse with two bum knees, no social security and a pension fixin’ to go belly up.</li>
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Kleinman could probably sell his home for closer to $3 million in today’s market and downsize and still have a nice chunk of change to survive on. <br /><br />And me? Well, I could probably sell my house for $220,000, but then how would I live and where would I go? I’m not very good at math, but I know enough to know that $220,000 isn’t enough to get me anywhere.<br /><br />I’m left with placing my faith in God (always a good thing) and my hope in Villalba and Flynn (an unsure thing).<br /><br />“These people have been promised something,” Villalba told Kleinman at the hearing. “We owe them that promise.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Yes, indeed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">#backthepension #savethepension #PoundOfFlesh</span></div>
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Lois Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09906404530625546026noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1057052806553826169.post-56754291680964488332017-03-27T18:41:00.002-07:002017-03-27T18:43:59.849-07:00Sound The Alarm<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-qG8IyKarSzoaP0eKUFfWzzDwQ4_0Vi7GonzNUYdaA5W_5SX-QYN184iScBI0FOj1VrBTHgKznNoPNAzUuIdvAFCorpYwexDYL7CIijx8WT_CIUDljHX5HjeAi12UpaQ87YNgA5kVIHMk/s1600/fire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-qG8IyKarSzoaP0eKUFfWzzDwQ4_0Vi7GonzNUYdaA5W_5SX-QYN184iScBI0FOj1VrBTHgKznNoPNAzUuIdvAFCorpYwexDYL7CIijx8WT_CIUDljHX5HjeAi12UpaQ87YNgA5kVIHMk/s320/fire.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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After <a href="http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2017/03/21/dallas-first-responders-played-rules-now-politicians-changing-game" target="_blank">my guest column ran in the Dallas Morning New</a>s, I was
surprised when I checked my inbox and found several emails from readers. Some
were supportive, some were informative and some were, well, mean. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I understand opinions.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I understand dissention.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I understand a free exchange of ideas.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I do not understand mean.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Just like I don’t understand how we got to the point where
the top priority for city leaders is not public safety but rather improving
Dallas’ sliding negative credit and pushing the mayor’s transformational
projects. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I do not understand why the city of Dallas refuses to pursue
any revenue stream that will shore up the Dallas Police and Fire Pension Fund.
Raise taxes? No. Allocate DART funds? No. Secure Pension Bonds? No.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Divert money from the mayor’s multi-million
dollar transformational projects? No.<o:p></o:p></div>
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These naysayers and pension mess has started to take a toll
on public safety. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Earlier this month, the fire department administered an
entrance exam for prospective firefighters and paramedics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Usually more than 1,000 candidates show up
for testing. This time only 398 people took the test. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: #16191f; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><a href="http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/retired-deputy-chief-dallas-pd-staffing-crisis-could-take-10-years-to-fix/425069838" target="_blank">According to the city and news reports</a>, 201 police officers have
left since October 1, and that number is expected to double before
the fiscal year is out. That </span><span style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">will be the most officers to leave in decades, and the first
time in nine years that the police force has dropped below 3,100 officers. In
2011, there were 3,690. </span><span style="color: #16191f; mso-bidi-font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Meanwhile,
the number of citizens and calls for help continue to grow. Officers have
reported holding low priority calls for seven hours because the police
department is short staffed, and the <a href="http://www.dallasnews.com/news/dallas-city-hall/2017/03/17/mayor-mike-rawlings-dallas-enough-911-call-takers" target="_blank">understaffed emergency call center</a> with
its recent technology and staffing snafus has placed hundreds of emergency
callers on hold.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I
do not understand why any of this is OK.</span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">First
responders are leaving and the no one is coming because of this mess. Why would
you work for a city that doesn't pay a fair wage, breaks all their promises, and
threatens your retirement? </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">This
is a 5-alarm public safety crisis. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">What
good are all the parks, the businesses, the bridges, or the neighborhoods if
you do not have your first responders there to ensure your safety so you can walk
through your parks, drive across those bridges and live in your
neighborhoods? </span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Why
would the city of Dallas continue down this path leaving us to wonder just how
many police and firefighters will be left to answer the call? </span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a;">I will
never understand why we even have to ask that question.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">#backthepension #PoundOfFlesh #savethepension</span></div>
Lois Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09906404530625546026noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1057052806553826169.post-31633829467871667522017-03-21T13:27:00.003-07:002017-03-21T13:27:55.726-07:00We Played By The Rules<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2017/03/21/dallas-first-responders-played-rules-now-politicians-changing-game" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGlL0Oyvh468LEIoRaRfKkyODmLljqq3s0SGj7hRMApb9i-2_xAR6B1RgLCs5HSlrNWdpx445_cJABfq2l_CjSP34u9djZcNloQgScosdvZIrkNY5Enz2EO4vm3cs2l1yHGD58KJ9MkagR/s640/MY+COLUMN+IN+DMN.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you click on the photo above, it will take you <a href="http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2017/03/21/dallas-first-responders-played-rules-now-politicians-changing-game" target="_blank">to the column at the Dallas Morning News site.</a></span>Lois Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09906404530625546026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1057052806553826169.post-72933871746852947562017-03-20T13:57:00.000-07:002017-03-20T13:57:24.026-07:00Thank Your First Responders By Backing The Pension<div>
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<a href="https://www.savedallaspension.com/new-home" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="82" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicbPf29jrL0U7ngpw7hXgx5HnNKNCVKc9JLsgh3QW3XZOmv4eHe6DyojwPjm_0BiMigmdxsfFIs6y9FGBz2I4jvh5qaTab0ymb26fvwIxvdJJqYUhL5DSZkCwUrgzG-amvc0yc6nW4dVGn/s320/savethepensionweb.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In her 33 years as a Dallas police officer, Crista served</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> in many positions--on patrol, in Internal Affairs and Narcotics. She worked undercover as a high school student to help get drugs out of Dallas schools.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When her husband retired, they selected his pension and survivors benefits based upon her </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">pension benefits and DROP account. All that is threatened now as Mayor Mike Rawlings and the city of Dallas attempt </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">to seize DROP money and take back money already earned by retirees by garnishing their pension checks.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">All that is further threatened by State Representative Dan Flynn who has sponsored HB 3151 that attempts to save the pension fund solely on the backs of its first responders by including the clawback provision, increasing the retirement age, eliminating cost of living adjustments and politicizing the make up of the pension board to one where the city gains control by allowing the mayor to appoint three additional members.</span><br />
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"<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The City of Dallas has benefited from our years of dedicated service and the DROP program," Crista said. "They immediately were able to keep senior officers, they were able to pay officers a 20 year pension versus a 30 year pension benefit. Yet, they are now threatening to abandon our pension. The City of Dallas and Mayor Mike Rawlings are bullies. They will use any and all forms of coercion to accomplish their goal of destroying the Dallas Police and Firefighters Pension Fund."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"My pension, DROP, and the annual adjustment is not a 'pie in the sky Ponzi scheme' crafted by 'greedy officers' intent on defrauding the citizens of Dallas, as Mayor Mike Rawlings has stated," she said. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As a "greedy retiree," Crista volunteers more than 400 hours each year</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> as a Reserve Police Officer, saving the City over $20,000 annually in wages and benefits for an on duty officer. She also</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> assisted in the formation of the nonprofit Dallas Police Youth Foundation and has raised money for the operating expenses for the Dallas Police Department Youth Outreach Unit. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Many retirees perform similar activities" she said. "We don't serve the community because we are greedy. We serve in this manner because we have servant hearts and have earned our pension which we use to continue to give back to our community. </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now is the time to thank your police officers and fire fighters by saving their pension."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">#backthepension, #savethepension, #PoundOfFlesh</span><br />
<br />Lois Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09906404530625546026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1057052806553826169.post-61121256975573102862017-03-17T05:39:00.000-07:002017-03-17T05:41:53.074-07:00Elected Officials Created Problems, Not Solutions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/M_z9WgjXnWM/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/M_z9WgjXnWM?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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W<span style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">ords and actions by Dallas elected officials in late 2016 helped create a $500 million run on the Dallas Police & Fire Pension System.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard;">#BackThePension, #PoundOfFlesh, #SaveThePension</span></span>Lois Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09906404530625546026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1057052806553826169.post-5708850373664110182017-03-16T18:44:00.001-07:002017-03-16T18:46:10.327-07:00It's A Sense of Sheer Abandonment<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/0_Lz-KfwiKg/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0_Lz-KfwiKg?feature=player_embedded" style="clear: left; float: left;" width="320"></iframe><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the weeks following the tragic officer shootings on July 7, 2016, the Dallas community offered strong support for its first responders. But the tone from City Hall changed quickly. Dallas first responders contrast the support they received from Dallas citizens compared to the city’s administration.</span></div>
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#BackThePension, #PoundOfFlesh, #SaveThePension</div>
<br />Lois Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09906404530625546026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1057052806553826169.post-91274571545395308392017-03-15T06:23:00.002-07:002017-03-15T06:23:26.612-07:00Now Where Are Those Chicken Feathers?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.dallasobserver.com/news/dallas-police-and-fire-pension-fund-problems-claw-backs-flynn-9270632" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs3_30boK0gJFIGFPYIy9P92iIg2f_KVTI0Dnk4as63BkDX138LyYoHNX0D3wEHNqParUOA5ziBf1d7nI4GLr22Qy7qw6oYQfVhSVZHozpsNvXl37RQ458K_9ZBkRwz6TS8Jd05cCdSPC0/s320/claw_by_witthaya_silaphong_shutterstock.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This really is a must read by </span><a href="http://www.dallasobserver.com/news/dallas-police-and-fire-pension-fund-problems-claw-backs-flynn-9270632" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Dallas Observer Columnist Jim Schutze</a><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. It shows what a travesty this pension bill crafted by State Representative Flynn really is by keeping in the </span>clawback<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> and the subterfuge created by Mayor </span>Rawlings<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> and his lobbying minions.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />When calling out the city for its spending in other areas, Schutze writes: "How do you think that election would have gone? I would predict a vote of zero percent for the starchitect, 100 percent for the cops and firefighters plus dipping the mayor and City Council in tar, covering them with chicken feathers, placing them on a rail and carrying them out of town with much whiskey drinking."<br /><br />Please share with your friends. Meanwhile, I'm going to go and find some chicken feathers…</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">#PoundOfFlesh #savethepension #backthepension</span></div>
Lois Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09906404530625546026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1057052806553826169.post-53398881375710231662017-03-09T13:25:00.000-08:002017-03-09T13:25:03.026-08:00Back The Pension--The Call To Serve Is Personal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don't be fooled… The current bill circulating from the Texas legislature hurts your first responders and politicizes the pension board. If we abandon our first responders, who have given so much, who will answer the </span></span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">call?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The call to serve is very personal. Some Dallas first responders talk about why they serve and their concerns about their jobs and financial future.</span></span></div>
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#PoundOfFlesh #Savethepension #Backthepension </div>
<br />Lois Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09906404530625546026noreply@blogger.com0