Something rotten

To the editor:

When reading "With Medicare contract nearly inked, retirees organization vows suit” (The Chief, March 31), it seems that worker disunity as well as what I believe are disingenuous politicians and labor leaders continue to plague both active and retired workers.

Active city employees who do not challenge their leaders' support for the Medicare Advantage plan seem to forget that when they retire, they could be stuck with the same inferior health care coverage that their leaders are currently trying to stick current retirees with.

I've often said that politicians find the money for what they want. In a rare case, Mayor Eric Adams found money for something good (“PBA, city agree on 8-year contract deal,” (The Chief, April 7 ). 

It costs $5.5 billion, which amounts to $687 million a year, which is only $87 million more than the $600 million a year Adams hopes to save with the Medicare Advantage plan. So keeping traditional Medicare coverage and giving the cops a good deal for a change still takes up only a minute percentage of a $102 billion budget.

City Council members are concerned that if they block the Medicare Advantage plan, union leaders who support it will no longer support them. This is the typical legal corruption of our system. Politicians fear going against the wishes of those who help fund their campaigns.

But I also have to question why two mayors and the leaders of the city's biggest unions are so intent on pushing this inferior plan and making the unbelievable claim that it will be better just to achieve such small savings. I remember that there was one presidential election year that Republicans were claiming that electing a Democrat would result in Ralph Nader as attorney general. I wish. I was not surprised when neither Presidents Barack Obama nor Joe Biden 

chose him. But I believe that if Nader was attorney general, Donald Trump would already be tried for treason and Nader would also be investigating this Medicare Advantage deal to see if any of the leaders supporting it have received bribes.

Richard Warren