BOB2 Wrote:
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> We the People of the United States, in Order to
> form a more perfect Union, establish Justice,
> insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the
> common defence,promote the general Welfare, and
> secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and
> our Posterity, do ordain and establish this
> Constitution for the United States of America.
>
> There's a wee bit more to the constitution than
> just defense? But, these days we seem to like to
> reduce complexity to a new level of "simplicity",
> complete with simplistic slogans, simplistic
> ideologies, and simple solutions to complex
> problems.
>
> I'm perfectly fine with all of the awful
> complexity of this imperfect world we inhabit. I
> find forcing people to pay something for a minimum
> level of social insurance and a modest retirement
> scheme is reasonable, efficient, fair, and
> prudent. It allows me not to have take care of
> grandma, and my kids not to have to take care of
> me, and provides a modest level of insurance
> against disability, and want in old age. Some of
> our pensions came about because of the failure of
> private schemes, and some programs require more
> contributions, and provide more benefits, and I
> find that to be just fine, too. And, this is
> America, so if you want more, you are always free
> to earn and save more, and if you aren't so lucky,
> then at least we won't need finish you off right
> away, just to save money.......?
>
> Maybe, before we decide who's "being subsidized"
> let me explain that I'm entitled to my RR
> Retirement "entitlements" for the old fashioned
> reason, because I paid for them. I and my
> employers paid much higher rates in to RR
> Retirment, and in exchange, I am "entitled" to
> that pension I earned. I didn't have bad luck and
> didn't get disabled, and worked a full and
> productive career, and didn't draw anything out.
> Now some bozo wants to steal what I contributed,
> and give me less, so his buddies can have bigger
> tax breaks.
>
> I am old enough to still believe that those who
> want to walk away from these contractual
> obligations and steal, expropriate, or defraund me
> of what I contributed to RR Retirment aren't
> really conservatives. The last time I checked, it
> was folks like communists seeking a foolish utopia
> who reneged on debts, confiscated private
> property, and aborgated contracts in the name of
> the state. Now apparently, it is now true
> believer libertarians who feel free do it in the
> name of their version of some mystical Ayn Rand
> "free market" nirvana they hope to create? Not a
> free market based on healthy and equitable
> competition, in a free civil society, under the
> rule of law, with justice, and compassion, but a
> true believer fairy tale based on the law of the
> jungle.
>
> So yeah sure, let's shut down Amtrak and
> everything else government provides like police,
> courts, prisons, fire protection, streets,
> freeways, sewage plants, schools, parks, food
> inspectors, medicare, pensions, NASA, and all the
> other public services we have in this complex
> modern world. Then we can go back to the caves,
> were we can breath bad air, drink poisoned water,
> eat tainted food, get ripped off at the company
> store, and work under slave like conditions, in
> ignorance, and want? After all, life was so much
> simpler back then.... and a lot harder, a lot
> shorter, and hell of a lot meaner....?

I back up BOB2 on this one all the way. Railroad retirement pays for itself, not the goverment, they don't have anything at all to do with it. They want to make you think they do, because they want to grab hold of that money that is not their's and use it for something else.
I myself have paid into RRR for over 20 years and there isn't any way I'll retire later than age 60 and take reduced payments, while they keep the remainder of MY money for themselves!? It would be the same idea if I held out my wallet, with $1,000.00 in it and some guy comes along, takes my wallet and helps themselves to $300.00 of it and then hands it back to me saying, "Oh, you having $1,000.00 is excessive. You don't need all that money, I need some of it." Yet, the little boy who took the $300.00 didn't earn it and I earned all $1,000.00 of it. This discussion about wanting to put RRR with Social Security is the exact same idea. I've been out here, working lots of nights, weekends, holidays and a majority of the politicians out there don't know, understand or care about it. In fact, they don't even have a clue. I met one sometime back that thought when nightime comes, all railroads shut down and don't start again until daylight breaks! One accused me of lieing to him when I told him we operate 24 hours a day, including weekends and holidays, year raound. & This is the little boy, ah, I mean, man that detremines my future retirement fate?! No wonder I, and BOB2 and many other current and retired Railroaders feel the way we do.
This is why I have always had the policy, that before you determine my fate or future, you, the politician, come out here with me and go onduty at 11PM at night on a drag freight that takes 12 hours to go 100 miles and does all kinds of swithcing along the way, in all kinds of weather, then go off duty well after 11AM, then you tell me why you should think I should be shortchanged, because, "Oh, you just ride those trains and you don't do anything." NOT!
'nuff said.
BYE
Mr. B. Guy