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The main reason is that the private employers have way more applicants than jobs, so they are in the catbird seat. Typically, there is intense competition for decent Federal or State jobs, BECAUSE of the benefits. The number of public employees has to continue to grow as the population grows. No choice for the most part. Yet the percentage of the pool of qualified, drug free people drops every year, as more and more of the bulk of the population is less educated and has entitement atitudes. Being a Federal or State employee has no allure today. Many years ago it was a job choice, just like all the other jobs that were available. The disparity between public and private is indeed due to corporate greed mandates from the 0.1% major stockholders, who are also high government officials making choices that do not benefit the average person that just wants a good job with fair pay and benfits in their own country. They are making choices that benefit the 0.1%.
What? Government employment has huge allure today. I have a coworker who interviewed for a federal position that had 2500 applicants and it wasn't a particularly prestigious or alluring opening as far as openings go. People are willing to take gigantic pay cuts for federal jobs due to the job security. The same can't necessarily for the security of state/local government employment, but for most of those the benefits like health insurance are extremely cheap and there is still a really good pension plan. That said, in many of the state/local positions, there have been no raises at all (not even COLA increases) for years or only 1-2 very small raises in the past 5-7 years.
Im sure those public employees hate how they have to pay for my stock options and they don't get them as well. It all works out. If you want a public employee pension get a job working for the public.
Should tax paying citizens who do not have a pension plan going for them be required to fund the pensions of others?
Few private sector employees have a pension plan in this day and age. However, most public sector employees (municipal, state and Federal) have pension plans that are funded in whole or in part from taxes imposed on all people in their respective tax base.
In my mind, it doesn't make any sense whatsoever to require people who don't have a pension to fund the pensions of people in the public sector. If it were up to me, I would provide for a tax credit for people without a pension plan or, better yet, pass a law that required all public sector employees to fund their own pensions.
What makes sense to you?
I saw little that makes any sense in your post. Are you one of those people who think government workers should work for free?
They do pay their own pensions, or I did. I asked if it was optional and was told no. I thought I could do better on my own. Sometimes after you pay into these pension plans, they are still taken away and reduced.
Employment benefits from one sector to the other have nothing to do with each other. You are not personally paying the pension. It was part of their employment that was supported by taxes such as SS. We paid into that too.
Should tax paying citizens who do not have a pension plan going for them be required to fund the pensions of others?
Few private sector employees have a pension plan in this day and age. However, most public sector employees (municipal, state and Federal) have pension plans that are funded in whole or in part from taxes imposed on all people in their respective tax base.
In my mind, it doesn't make any sense whatsoever to require people who don't have a pension to fund the pensions of people in the public sector. If it were up to me, I would provide for a tax credit for people without a pension plan or, better yet, pass a law that required all public sector employees to fund their own pensions.
What makes sense to you?
Hmmmm....do people who don't have kids pay taxes that support the education of other people's kids?
Should tax paying citizens who do not have a pension plan going for them be required to fund the pensions of others?
This is a ballot initiative issue, whereby you need to amend your State constitution, city articles of incorporation and county charters so that pension plans are voted on by the People instead of the politicians.
That will at least give you and the People some control over private pension plans.
This is quite simple. Government employees should be paid equal to that of private employees and should be given the option to participate in a 401k.
No more pensions for public employees.
EDIT: I bet most public employees would not want to this to happen, because they know they have a sweet deal.
There would still be a significant number of people who would opt for the public sector jobs. Especially the ones that prefer to "work" where they can't get fired.
Why should their retirement plans be put in 401ks run by Wall Street? Did the financial crisis not teach anybody anything? Did Americans get a vote when 401ks were bailed out by the government along with the banks in 2008?
The entire premise of the thread is invalid. Take, for instance the California pension system (CalPERS). The pensions are paid for entirely out of employee and employer contributions. In fact, every other public pension plan I've heard of was similar. I've actually never heard of a public pension plan that funds pensions directly from tax dollars. I'm not sure the situation the OP is asking about exists.
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