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The more that taxpayers have to pay people who do not add any tangible benenfits to their state or country - our economic problems will continue to mount.
This greed is no different than big business CEOs who want more and more money - in fact, it's worse. At least the CEOs offer a product for people to comsume, and when they retire they live off of their own money. Those who want high paying government pensions take from taxpayers instead of saving their own money.
State law allows the employees to increase their retirement benefits by tacking up to five fictitious years — known as "air time" — onto their public service. Although they pay a fee for the privilege and officials say it is high enough to cover the eventual payouts, critics of air time note that the boost can cost taxpayers millions when the state pension system's investment income falls short, as it has in recent years.
Air time offers a return nearly twice as generous as a similar benefit — known as an annuity — that can be purchased on the private market,
...
The inspiration for air time came from a group of Senate and Assembly staffers determined to recoup the pension credit they lost while running their bosses' election campaigns — when their salaries must be paid with private money, not by taxpayers.
Lawmakers helped them out in 2002 by passing a bill granting them the right to buy air time, but then-Gov. Gray Davis vetoed it. The next year, a measure was passed that gave the same rights to all state employees rather than just lawmakers' aides.
Davis, who at the time was collecting millions of dollars in contributions from public employee unions to fight a recall, signed it. The former governor did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Let us hope the Tax Party will be asking to cut Social Security and Medicare
What do these clowns plan to do with all the dead bodies strewn along the sides of roads after millions of elderly and disabled people have no social safety net to survive on?
If you want to live in third world conditions, move to India. America should do more for it's most vulnerable citizens instead of whoring for multi-national corporations.
Let us hope the Tax Party will be asking to cut Social Security and Medicare, effective immediately because the nation cannot afford to wait any more.
And, I will sit back and watch the show.
I guess when personal politics and the election of "my guy" is paramount - then this is all a show.
If you want to keep the country afloat and desire fiscal responsibility, then there are no sacred cows and the "machete" will be used when it's necessary.
What do these clowns plan to do with all the dead bodies strewn along the sides of roads after millions of elderly and disabled people have no social safety net to survive on?
If you want to live in third world conditions, move to India. America should do more for it's most vulnerable citizens instead of whoring for multi-national corporations.
Very True, but sad at the same time, We truly and our elderly really seem to not matter, how Sad.
What do these clowns plan to do with all the dead bodies strewn along the sides of roads after millions of elderly and disabled people have no social safety net to survive on?
If you want to live in third world conditions, move to India. America should do more for it's most vulnerable citizens instead of whoring for multi-national corporations.
The intent of this country from its foundings is for Americans to take care of themselves - not for America to take care of its citizens.
Pensions for able bodied people is not what I call helping vulnerable citizens.
I guess when personal politics and the election of "my guy" is paramount - then this is all a show.
If you want to keep the country afloat and desire fiscal responsibility, then there are no sacred cows and the "machete" will be used when it's necessary.
Easy enough to say, however, the reality is very different:
"As unhappy as Americans claim to be about the government's red ink, surveys show most voters want more government than they're willing to pay for."
What do these clowns plan to do with all the dead bodies strewn along the sides of roads after millions of elderly and disabled people have no social safety net to survive on?
If you want to live in third world conditions, move to India. America should do more for it's most vulnerable citizens instead of whoring for multi-national corporations.
Now only if they were actually clowns. We could at least laugh about it. I see masters, who stand to benefit, and puppets who fulfill the wishes of their masters because they've been fine tuned to obey. And sometimes, they don't even have to be a majority!
I'm reading a book that addresses the woes in Myanmar (Burma). Eighty five percent of the populace is claimed to be opposed to the government, but the 15% get the job done, to benefit from it. There is absolutely no social safety net, plenty of people making big bucks at the expense of the rest which is extremely poor. The purpose of education has been killed. I'm surprised, they haven't completely killed the idea of education (yet). An educated mass would be harder to control.
And I don't think the puppets would care to move to India (which, BTW, has reasonable safety nets) or China, or to a third world country. They want to take this country there.
I guess when personal politics and the election of "my guy" is paramount - then this is all a show.
If you want to keep the country afloat and desire fiscal responsibility, then there are no sacred cows and the "machete" will be used when it's necessary.
You're asking for it. The masters surely do. Chaos is key. After all, as Einstein said...
"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result".
I see that with the desire to eliminate social programs that were put in place for a reason. A different (better) result is being expected.
Part of being a leader is to get people to do things they don't want to do for the improvement of the country, state, or whatever.
100% of my kids do not want vegetables, but sugary sweets. Should I listen to them? Would it help them to feed them according to their desires?
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