Self Serve Gas at issue again! (Bend, Klamath Falls: real estate, purchase, taxes)

[Ttark]

I was riding through Troutdale a few weeks ago and noticed the attendants out there at the truck stops and Chevron. What's with the guys in overalls and reflective vests out there directing traffic through the stations all the time?

Oh that's right, I'm in Oregon. Duhhh.

Shows you how often I get gas there.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by leastprime

Pressure your legislative representative to get the PERs problem done. The T-1 retirees with matching and noncontribution (state picked up employee share, and those who chose guarantee bonds but were given the much higher variable return rates) must do their part in the overall solution.

This ^^^ would require Thinking, Acting, Voting, Doing something politicians, (That is asking a lot)

THEN they would have a 'voting record' and might be held accountable at election time (That is asking the impossible).

Let's just argue about a SURE thing that requires no risk; "Self Service Gas"... A convenient diversion from accountability.

After all.. 17 reasons WHY to be a nanny state for gas pumping took a lot of late night dreaming.

[leastprime]

in a few years, no one is going to enforce Oregon's requirement, other than those who need this type of job.
Costco, Fred Meyer and Arco stations will retain pump amendments because they enhance and speed up the pumping this make money for the station.

[StealthRabbit]

It's in the interest of the big retailers to retain pump attendants, as it would be very 'Oregon-like' to boycott those would would be rogue stations (allowing SS).

Will be interesting to see in 5 yrs. I expect MORE / equal regulation on SS pumping.

If I live 5 more yrs, I'll report back. (Potential short-longevity since grew up working in a service station and weened on the smokestack of a diesel farm tractor 16 hrs / day, so have I pumped a lot of gas and inhaled many adverse chemicals and buckets of radio-active dirt (Colorado / NM soils are very high in U/92))

Now... after 50+ yrs of paying SS tax... If I was only eligible and able to afford HC in USA!
I usually get my care where I can afford it... outside of USA

[leastprime]

I always had my exhaust out of the bottom and from the rear.

[Larry Caldwell]

Originally Posted by leastprime

Pressure your legislative representative to get the PERs problem done. The T-1 retirees with matching and noncontribution (state picked up employee share, and those who chose guarantee bonds but were given the much higher variable return rates) must do their part in the overall solution.

The PERS problem was as solved as it's going to get 16 years ago, when they closed PERS. The only thing to do now is pay the bill they racked up by not funding pensions when they were earned. They tried a tax to pay for it, but they proposed a permanent tax to solve a temporary problem. Like the majority of Oregonians, I voted against it. If they proposed a tax that would drop as pension recipients die off and finally disappear when it was no longer necessary, I would vote for that. I'm not going to vote to stick the next generation with an unnecessary tax when PERS is ancient history.

[leastprime]

Paying for T1 retirees will put education and services at risk for a long time. What was that gladfly who fought PERs in the 80',s and ,90's?

[Larry Caldwell]

Originally Posted by leastprime

Paying for T1 retirees will put education and services at risk for a long time. What was that gladfly who fought PERs in the 80',s and ,90's?

T1 was eliminated in 1995, which just removed the 8% guaranteed return. All hires between 1996 and 2003 were T2, and their accounts went up and down with market returns. Employers still made no attempt to fund the pension system, and of course the markets have made huge gains since 1996. Even T1 employees could put half of their contributions into a variable account that tracked the markets, and in most years the returns were far above 8%.

When PERS was eliminated in 2003 they removed all employer responsibility, but they still have to live up to the original contract. The last of the T1 employees will retire 7 years from now, in 2026, but there will only be a fraction of T1 employees still living.

Time will cure the problem, but it's an object lesson in incurring unfunded liabilities. The whole problem could have been avoided if the state had funded the pensions when they were earned.

[PNW-type-gal]

PERS discussion is off-topic for this thread. Since the discussion is reasonable and adult it stands (political discussion that turns partisan gets deleted and moved to the Politics forum). For other posters coming to this thread who would like to continue a PERS discussion, please do a search on PERS in the Oregon forum - it has been discussed many times.

[pvande55]

I suppose we'll all be driving electric cars someday and this will go away. But for now, I say: don't give it up, Oregonians! In most states you have to pump it yourself, sometimes stinking up your hands. And the price isn't any lower.