Mark Belko, P-G: How bad must the situation be for the Science Center to spend its money on litigation, and to risk incurring the wrath of gamers and budget hawks?Paula Reed Ward, P-G: How badly must things be going for Mary Beth Buchanon to "back off" of something?
Rich Lord, P-G: How much political capital does Mayor Ravenstahl gain if he pulls off this state-wide pension fix?
Rich Lord, P-G: How dumb would you have to be to "express umbrage" at the Mayor's request, to Rich Lord of all people?
Don Hopey, P-G: Since when does Pittsburgh have more combined sewer overflows than any other U.S. city? How happy are we that someone else has the stomach to cover these sewer stories?
Frank Craig, Trib: How salty must the city desk feel to have been goose-egged for the past two days?
Luke is raising the same state "bail-out" fix that's been raised by municipalities for years. Here's a novel (not) idea: raise the employee contribution level to the same level paid by other government employees. The average city employee contributes just 4 - 5%, while county and state workers contribute 6 - 6.25%. Here's another idea: create a stable work environment that discourages early retirement. And yet another: stop spending pension $ to fulfill your campaign promises to people like Charlie Zappala and Eddie Gratton. Once you start behaving in a fiscally responsible manner, maybe the state will be more inclined to increase its contribution...
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