A Blog For All - Comments - Keep it civil
Wait, even if you can play BPB for free, most people wont. That course is extremely hard, one of the hardest public courses in the country. During the US Open, many of the pros could not reach the fairway on one hole with the wind. Tiger Woods comment was that the PGA lost control of its biggest championship.
Just because you can play for free does not mean that you can play it freely.
Democrats, government workers, and union members---who could be surprised these guys are corrupt?
The better question is, what will be done about any of them? Since the press actively hides wrongdoing by anyone as long as they are of the right "class" and politics and prosecutors offices are filled with the same sort of corruption, there is zero chance that anyone will ever hear about this. No will any real legal recourse against this cozy little group ever be taken.
So, it's okay to give away expensive stuff so long as not that many people would pay for it anyway? Then why not give them free Rolls Royces? After all not that many people buy a Rolls.
Given the the fees are not that low, I presume that quite a few people *do* pay to play, even if they do not "play it freely." Therefore these LIRR freeloaders are grabbing from the public weal, and that's not a good idea, even if it is quasi-legal.
I'm pretty sure even lawyers could see that point.
They can keep the darned golf perk if they give back the hundreds of millions of dollars.
I do not understand how you can, be so disabled that you cannot work and be so healthy that you can play a really hard golf course. And all at the same time.
Where can I sign up for this package? I probably qualify.
So BPB is a tough course, so what? That just means I score an 80 instead of a 60 for 9 holes. It'd still be fun to play.
Color me surprised. What, you mean the public sector isn't pure as the driven snow? Why, it's just not possible that human beings don't derive moral perfection from the institutions wherein they labor!
I blame Bush.
I think a couple of you missed my sarcasim regarding the Bethpage Black comment. Do not read into my comment that it was right or fair for these people to play for free. It was more of a joke, albeit lame and evidently not funny, about BPB.
GOod grief. And to think I was planning on working 'til 65 and then paying for everything myself. What a dope.
If this can happen in Long Island, not even New York City, imagine what the NATIONAL pols are doing.
funny thing is, BPage Black does not allow golf carts - how exactly does a handicapped person play the course?
funny thing is, BPage Black does not allow golf carts - how exactly does a handicapped person play the course?Ding ding ding.
Heck, when the Times first broke the story, they found some of these guys on one of the state golf courses. Photos even. That particular photo shows a guy walking a hand cart around a course. It doesn't say which course he was on, however.
Besides, if you do want to play BPB, what better way to do so than to practice for free on all the other state-owned courses, including the other four at Bethpage?
How do ticket-takers get disabled, anyway?
"If this can happen in Long Island, not even New York City, imagine what the NATIONAL pols are doing."
If this can happen on Long Island? R U kidding? Like L.I. is a benign civil uncorrupt place?
Crikey.
Maybe you don't go far enough back. Long Island has been a swamp of iniquity and a criminal repository since the 1920's.
Not to mention garbastic boondoggles lining the pockets of the power brokers, civil service theives and corrupt politicians.
Margiotta.
Nickerson.
Shoreham!
Gaaaah!
I'm sure it's possible. Those on board the trains have to get on or off the trains frequently and in inclement weather it is possible to slip and fall, but the people who are involved range from the folks who operate the trains and conductors to the white collar employees whose most serious injuries on the job could be carpal tunnel or paper cuts, whichever is less.
For those not familiar with the original NYTimes story, these are not people who were disabled "on" the job but those that retired and then applied for disability. I believe the figure is over 95% of recent LIRR retirees applied and are considered disabled...even applies to white collar jobs.
"these are not people who were disabled "on" the job but those that retired and then applied for disability"
...so...the disability was...delayed? Or slow to evolve...or...criminal?
I work in Long Island and the corruption is so visible its sickening. You won't be asked for bribes up front or anything like that but the fire department is all volunteer despite the massive taxes, outgoing school boards vote their school teacher daughters huge raises and its a silly over priced anything for a shameless buck kind of place. I won't live there but given I live in NYC its not a particularly intelligent decision I'm making. Its bad across the board. Great to know we've elected that kind of corrupt state senator mentality into the Presidency. Yeehaw.
I thought you would enjoy this. It seems that it's triple the rate of other railroads. Why are other railroads running around with a 32% disability rate? See here...
http://www.crackinsurance.com/20...irr-disability/
You should look up the definition of "occupational disability." It is certainly possible to walk or play golf and not be able to perform the strenuous work of working on a railroad, climbing on trains, coupling and uncoupling cars, throwing switches, etc. The RRB disability is an OCCUPATIONAL disability, not Total like Social Security is.
It does not cost the taxpayers money. It is funded by empolyer and employee's contributions to Railroad Retirement, which is a much higher rate than social security. ALso, the railroad retirement board is in the black, unlike social security.
If employees were not paid the disability pension, the contributions which the railroad and employees make to the RRB would not change.
As for Alloy's comment, whether the disability was job related or not is irrelevant. The LIRR's safety record is not relevant to the granting of a disability. The reason that the employees apply for the disability after retirement is that is what the law specifies. When a railroad employee can no longer do his or her job, he or she must quit or retire. The disability may have been ongoing, and getting worse, until the point when the employee can no longer work. After retirement is the only time when a disability pension can be applied for.
Commenting by HaloScan
