Public Sector Workers In Alternate Reality
Dec 5, 2013 Political
The public sector union workers thought they had it made. They worked for years and pensions were established so that when they retired they would get a retirement check. There is nothing inherently wrong with that but as with anything government and union, problems have arisen.
During the boom times unions made deals with politicians about how much of YOUR money they should get (notice YOU are not part of the negotiations) and they made some nice deals. In many of these unions the workers pay little (if anything at all) into their retirement and the government contributes a lot to the fund.
This money has been invested in order to grow but when the economy went bad the funds lost lots of money. Couple this with the usual mismanagement associated with unions and government and a problem emerges.
The funds do not have enough in them to meet obligations. As such many governments are trying to reduce benefit payout or are trying to require workers to pay more toward their pensions (Heaven forbid).
The recent ruling in Detroit’s bankruptcy as well as threats in Illinois have many government workers worried. The pension funds are NOT protected from the bankruptcy.
In Illinois strong consideration is being given to reducing benefits to solve the problem.
I can understand why the workers are upset. They worked all those years and their unions negotiated something for them. Now that is being threatened. People plan on living on certain amounts when they retire and when that is taken away or changed it causes problems. While I understand their plight I also know they cared little about the taxpayer when they were supporting (and demanding) the things the unions negotiated for.
I can put it this way. These folks are concerned that they are being shafted of their money.
I as a taxpayer feel the same way because my money pays them and I did not have a seat at the table.
What does make me laugh is how many of these workers and their union reps act as if they are only asking for what the rest of the workers in America get. Really? Many folks in the private sector do not have retirement plans and those that have them do not have ones as generous as those in the public sector.
But, but, public sector workers accept a lower pay for what they do in order to get a better retirement. That is the claim they make:
…For generations, public employees accepted modest wages for the promise of a secure retirement. Bloomberg
The article is focused on teachers and there is a lot of discussion about how they worked hard for years for less money and paid for things out of their pockets and took care of children so I will focus on teachers.
I will not address the lack of quality education and the low performance of children. Just on the claim that they accept less money for a better retirement.
In Illinois, the place the article discusses, the average salary for a teacher starting out is $36,636 and the overall average is $64,509. Information from teacher portal indicates that Illinois has the fourth highest teacher salary in the nation. It is hard to get an hourly wage because teachers are off in the summer and I do not know what the work hours are for them. But, a regular 40 hour a week job would equate to $17.61/hour to start and $31.01/hour as an overall average.
How many private sector jobs start at those rates? Seventy percent of American wage earners are in the lowest three quintiles of workers and the average income for the middle quintile is $34,738 with a lower average for the other two. So the claim that public sector workers accept less in salary to have a better retirement is smoke and mirrors. The teachers have more time off, receive great health benefits, and have a great retirement plan and receive a salary that puts them in the upper fourth quintile. They have it much better than those in the private sector.
[note]Great teachers are worth their weight in gold and they produce well educated children. However, the system is set up to concentrate more on compensation as less on education.[/note]
Plus, you need an act of Congress to fire them. In the private sector the boss can fire you without all the hassle.
By the way, Rahm Emanuel’s Chicago is in the worst shape pension fund wise and his teachers in that city average $74,839/year (2009).
There are problems all the way around. Too many people on welfare, too much taxpayer money spent on great public sector benefits and not enough folks working. Add the corruption that is always involved and money flow becomes a problem.
[note]Perhaps these unions should demand that welfare get cut instead of their pensions…[/note]
These places are having trouble and they are not particularly happy with the Democrats who courted their votes for decades and paid them off because those Dems are suddenly screwing them over.
As for Republicans, Scott Walker turned a deficit into a surplus and union employees were not fired and only took a small hit.
It sucks for these folks but now maybe they know how taxpayers have felt over the years.
After all, it starts out as OUR money…
Cave canem!
Never surrender, never submit.
Tags: detroit, illinois, public unions, retirement, salary, under funded
Down To Brass Tax, Caterpillar Might Move
Mar 28, 2011 Political
When the census numbers came in it was obvious that states with higher taxes lost population and those with lower taxes gained population. While a number of reasons could be responsible it is not unreasonable to assume that the tax situation played a part in the population shift. No one likes to pay more taxes, even Democrats who like to raise them.
The same is true of businesses. Case in point, Caterpillar and the state of Illinois. Illinois governor Pat Quinn raised taxes in January and that increase hurt business. Republicans who opposed the tax increase worried that businesses would leave the state. How right they were. Caterpillar CEO Doug Oberhelman wrote a letter to the governor indicating that he is considering moving the business out of Illinois to a more business friendly state(read lower tax state) and he goes on to cite examples of offers from several states that might entice him to move.
I have been called, ‘cornered’ in meetings and ‘wined and dined’ — the heat is on,” Oberhelman wrote. “Before, I never really considered living anywhere else and certainly never considered the possibility of Caterpillar relocating. But I have to admit, the policymakers in Springfield seem to make it harder by the day. Pantagraph
A Republican who commented on the issue made an astute observation in noting that he is concerned about the number of businesses being approached that the state knows nothing about.
One can bet that if Caterpillar was approached many other businesses are being approached as well.
This is what happens when politicians impose taxes that rise to the level of a punitive action. Businesses move to places where they are welcomed and where they are not made the scape goats for financial difficulties encountered because of poor management by government.
This is nothing new. Businesses have been leaving the country because of the crippling taxes imposed by government. Caterpillar is feeling at the local level what many businesses have felt at the federal level and that company might now vote with its feet.
Like the people who have fled high tax states for those with lower taxes, Caterpillar must do what is in its own best interests and those of the shareholders.
The unfortunate reality is that politicians will fail to recognize the root problem and Caterpillar will end up being made the bad guy by Democrats hell bent on squeezing every last cent from those who produce.
Cave Canem!
Never surrender, never submit.
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Tags: caterpillar, illinois, pat quinn, taxes
Why Does AP Need List Of IL Gun Owners?
Mar 1, 2011 Political
The Associated Press filed a Freedom of Information request to get a list of names of those citizens of Illinois who have a Firearm Owners Identification card (FOID). The FOID is an unconstitutional restriction on gun ownership issued by the state police and required before anyone is allowed to own a gun (shall not be infringed).
The state police have refused the request stating that it would violate the privacy rights of the people who have the cards. The Illinois Attorney General sees it differently. Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office released a letter saying the information should be made public.
So not only is Illinois violating the Constitutional right of people to keep and bear arms by infringing upon them, it is also declaring that people who own guns have no privacy.
I imagine the liberals and the people at AP (but I repeat myself) have no issue with this but let us look at it differently.
Suppose some group requested a list of women who have had abortions or a list of politicians who have been treated for a sexually transmitted disease or perhaps a list of people who have been treated for mental illness. Now suppose that these requests were denied based on the expectation of privacy but some Attorney General released a letter saying that the information should be released.
Imagine the uproar we would hear from the left.
So what happens if the list of people who own guns is released?
The criminals will know who does not have a gun so it will make it easier for them to decide whose house to rob…
Cave Canem!
Never surrender, never submit.
[tip]If you enjoy what you read consider signing up to receive email notification of new posts. There are several options in the sidebar and I am sure you can find one that suits you. If you prefer, consider adding this site to your favorite feed reader. If you receive emails and wish to stop them follow the instructions included in the email.[/tip]
Tags: gun owners, illinois, invasion of privacy, lies
The Ultimate In Elitist Entitlement
Oct 15, 2010 Political
Michelle Obama went to Illinois and cast her early ballot (I wonder who she voted for) and while she was IN the polling place she discussed voting and how important it was for people to vote to keep her husband’s agenda going.
This violates Illinois election law which states:
“No judge of election, pollwatcher, or other person shall, at any primary or election, do any electioneering or soliciting of votes or engage in any political discussion within any polling place [or] within 100 feet of any polling place.”
Of course there was nothing done about this. In fact, she was given a pass because of who she is.
A top Ilinois State Board of Elections official tells the DRUDGE REPORT that Mrs. Obama — a Harvard-educated lawyer — may have simply been ignorant of the law and thus violated it unintentionally.
“You kind of have to drop the standard for the first lady, right?” the official explained late Thursday. “I mean, she’s pretty well liked and probably doesn’t know what she’s doing.”
You have to drop the standard for the first lady? Seems to me that she should be held to a higher standard especially since she is a LAWYER and Harvard educated at that.
No, we drop the standard for the elites. This is why they do not pay their taxes and run afoul of the very laws they force us to comply with. Ignoring the law is an elitist entitlement.
The only thing that made sense in the quote is that she probably does not know what she is doing.
Ditto for her husband, for whom she illegally campaigned.
You can bet the standard would not be dropped if the violator had been Laura Bush…
Source:
Drudge
Cave Canem!
Never surrender, never submit.
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Tags: election laws, illinois, lawyers, michelle obama, standards
Looks Like Gitmo Will Be Open Longer Than Promised
Dec 26, 2009 Political
Barack Obama roared into office with lots of bluster and one of the things he did was sign an order to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He said that it would be closed in a year and that year ends in January of 2010. After Obama signed the order to close Gitmo he began to see how difficult it would be to close the place.
He was able to move a few of the prisoners but many remain and now he has a plan to move them to Illinois. I do not like the idea of moving them to the US. It really makes no sense to move them from one prison to another for the sake of closing Gitmo. The outcome is the same but with different locations. The only thing I like about it is that the terrorists held in Gitmo will move from the comfortable weather in Cuba to the harsh winters of Illinois. I love the idea of these people freezing their rear ends off. How many claims of torture will come from this?
The plan to move them to Illinois is meeting resistance form residents of the state and the whole plan requires Congressional action with regard to funding and changing the law that only allows detainees to be held in the US while they await trial. Many of them have not been charged so the law would need to be changed. Many members of Congress might be reluctant to move these people to the US and to change current law when so many Americans oppose the idea. The whole mess now means that Gitmo will likely not be closed until 2011.
Oops, looks like Obama made a commitment that he could not keep. I think he overestimated his ability and the difficulty of accomplishing the task. I think he believed the messianic hype his followers were spewing and believed that he could walk on water.
Instead, he is drowning in a promise he could not keep.
This is what happens when they send a child to do a man’s job.
Somehow, he will blame this on Bush.
Source:
My Way News
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Tags: broken promise, cuba, guantanamo bay, illinois, Obama, terrorists