Monday, Nov. 6, 2006 | Some folks think the city of San Diego should honor all the past commitments made to our city employees, I notice that some don’t live in the city, so they must have other reasons for their passion. I don’t like reneging on legitimate commitments, but when backroom deals are made, special deals are cut, and then those wrongs need to be corrected. I would think the city and the unions should be back at the bargaining table, hammering out a new package that everyone could live with. As a taxpayer, I am not happy when I see employees retire with a million dollars in lump sum drop money and then an annual retirement of over $100,000, and lifetime healthcare. Where in the private sector does a retiree leave with that kind of package? I know that is the extreme, but there are cases of others receiving retirements higher then their salaries. Where does that happen in the private sector? If the contracts are not renegotiated then I would think the next contract talks are going to be long and bloody, the supermarket strike will pale. The taxpayers are not going to stand for anything less. Selling assets like the Qualcomm land and Torrey Pines is not an option. I would favor recall for any elected official whom would agree to that. Other cities do well on the tax dollars collected the normal way. We need to move forward on what we can afford, no more “pie in the sky” projects or retirements. The unions are giving us the same line as the Chargers did on the ticket guarantee “a deal is a deal,” that worked well, now they are destined to leave, how many union members will suffer the same fate. Our employees, especially public safety should be paid as high as any other in the county, we could do that if we weren’t paying for inflated pensions. There would be plenty of money for salaries if the retirements were more normal. I am not willing to pay a special property tax either, I could move a couple miles and avoid that. The unions and the city need to get back together and calm down and get this done.