I have little sympathy for the retired police officers who are seeking an increase to their pension.

Living on $900 a month from his police pension, John Braccia had to take a part-time job as a city custodian this summer to stay afloat.

“It got difficult,” said the Stamford man, 66, who retired as a city police officer in 1982 after 15 years on the force.

You only worked for 15 years and you get $900 a month and full health benefits?? You should be counting your blessings instead of complaining. What about the rest of Stamford’s retirees who worked for decades and receive no pension? What about the people who had the insight to actually save in retirement plans for their years after work?

The retired police officers signed a union contract and are getting the pension they were promised…end of story. If the pension is not providing them enough money, it should come as no surprise. They have known about the terms of the contract since they signed up.

So why do the tax payers of Stamford now have to help them out further when the city clearly does not have enough money.

Many of the police officers in this city make six figures and are very well paid. There is no reason they cannot contribute to their pension AND contribute to a retirement/savings account to live off of.

I am sick of people looking for free government hand outs. Yes, thank you for serving our city, but why should the government and the tax payers be responsible for your retirement? You contributed to a pension, the pension has not performed well enough to increase distributions, sorry but that is how it works. You want the tax payers to bail you out for your poor performing pension?

“It’s really a crime,” said Ralph Knapp, president of the Stamford Retired Police Association. “It’s not only a crime to the retirees but to the taxpayers of Stamford.”

Umm…Mr. Knapp, how is it a crime to the taxpayers of Stamford?? A crime that you could not plan for your own retirement?

In 15 years unions and pensions will be a thing of the past. So count your blessings that you even get anything.

I do like how the Mayor came out with a total bull shit answer which basically says f-you:

But Malloy said he supports an increase for retirees.

“I hope that the contract language and the performance of the pension will deliver an increase to them,” he said.

In other words, I will do whatever the city is obligated to do through it’s contract with the union. Fortunately for the city, that means you only get an increase when the pension fund actually performs.

http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/ci_10162240