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It is a total same what the cities and state is attempting to do to the police and firemen's pensions.How in the world can they suddenly cut retirees pensions when they promised that the members would receive their pensions for life after fullfilling their obligations as law enforcement agents and firefighters. These retirees have developed their entire lives based on the incomes promised them. Do they sell their homes, forget their obligations to educate their children, sell what ever assets they have accumulated over the years, stop taking their medications or seeing their doctors because they no longer can afford health care. Most retirees in the original retirement systems of the police and firemen donot have paid insurance once they go on medicare at age 65 and pay for their own supplemental insurance. Unfortunately, I am in one of those original pension plans and at age 76 ailing with cancer with high expenses for medications. Should I just give up, lie down and die to save the city money. These pensions that were promised to the retirees where not properly funded by members of the past administrations that promised to pay a like amount into the fund. The members held up their end of the bargin and paid into the fund week after week, year after year and now those pensions will be cut.Is this the way a city or a state honors it's police and firefighters who without hesitation will rush into a burning house to save a resident.A police officer that will put him or herself in harms way to arrest a felon?

I realize that the citizens are paying high taxes that are becoming unsustainable but should we not look into other aspects of raising revenues.Lets start by cutting the salaries and eliminating the dead wood in our state and local govenment.and yes, in the educational departments where there are people teaching who cannot even speak English. Should we not look into the handout programs, such as welfare, and abused disability pensions, and the high salaries being paid to some politically connected government employees or would it not be politically correct to do so in Rhode Island.