Friday, September 1, 2017

A Storm Is Coming…The Pension "Fix" Takes Effect

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.

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.

As with every crisis--big or small, epic or minuscule--first responders always answer the call. Always. That's what they do.

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.

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.

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.

Today HB 3158 went into effect.

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.

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 to shoulder 75 percent of the financial burden in an effort to shore up the pension.  

Your local politicians and state officials would have you believe that the Dallas police and fire pension system is fixed with HB 3158.

It ain't.

They would have you believe that active and retired first responders and their families are OK with this bill.

We're not.

They would have you believe that the city isn't facing a public safety crisis.

It is.

They would have you believe that first responders caused the pension crisis.

We didn't.

They think we are too old, too tired and too weak to fight.

We're not…We're just getting started.

#StayStrong #HoldTheLine #AStormIsComing