"Talk of L-town"

TO ALL VETERANS AND ACTIVE SERVICE MEMBERS, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY AND PROTECTING OUR FREEDOMS, BUT MOST ESPECIALLY FOR THE PRIDE YOU BRING TO ME AND NIGHTLITE KNOWING YOU ARE WILLING OR HAD TO DEFEND OUR COUNTRY!! TO THOSE ON THE HOME FRONT, YOU ARE THE BEST TO HELP SERVE THE ROLE YOU DO TO RAISE THE KIDS, FEED THE FAMILY AND SHED THE TEARS WHEN OUR SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN RETURN HOME!! HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND!

I purposely did Caps as it should be shouted!)

Most honored veterans of the Second Delaware Regiment, Company "A", Brandywine Home Guards of 1861, who gave me something to research and write about:

1st Sgt. Cyrus Forwood (Wounded at Gettysburg, Died May 12,1864)
5th Sgt. Alexander Zebley (Died May 12, 1864)
John Cazier
Steven Carey (Died at Gettyburg, July 2, 1863)
William Cox

Having been a public employee for most of my life, I can appreciate both sides of the fence. Prior to 1985 or so, we didn't even have to pay Medicare Part B; after that date we paid a certain amount to FICA for Part B. Again, for most of my career I paid approximately 7.5% of my gross pay - I say approximately because the amount varied from contract to contract depending on how well the pension fund did the previous years. Most years we had a very good return and other years, not so good. We never had a period of negative "increases" and every negotiation period our "union" hired an actuary to determine the correct amount for each member of the plan to contribute to keep the plan solvent.

Our pension plan, although administered by the local government bean counters, is self supporting and is perpetually sound.

Health care costs, on the other hand, was the extreme opposite. We paid our part of the health care costs as required by the then current contract, and the county was supposed to fund a separate account in part for the retirees of the plan. The county never lived up to their obligation, and as a result the only two options (or combination of the two) is to raise taxes or reduce benefits for active member who have not yet retired.

So, Cap, although I basically agree with your assumptions of m/13219, not all public employee pension plans are underfunded. The blame lies on both sides of the table, as the employees rep should have been aware of the deficit, and the government most certainly must have been aware - after all, they are the "experts" that administer the program(s) and ensure their solvency.

Public employees generally (at least police officers that are members of a government-sponsored pension plan) do not pay Social Security taxes, and the governmental agency they are employed by need not pay their share either. As a result, retired cops no matter what the age or circumstances, cannot collect Social Security. Its addressed under the "Government Pension Windfall" section of the US Code.

Finally, and this is very important for everyone - Federal case law states that once you retire from a government agency or private company that has pension provisions, those retirement provisions cannot be changed after you retire. In other words, the "deal" you got when you retired follows you until you die, and then continues if your plan provides for survivor's rights. The people that haven't retired yet can be screwed royally, but once you pull the pin, the Federal case law takes precedence and the employing agency or company can't change the rules.

If the company you worked for goes bankrupt or out of business, you may have a problem and then have to sue the company to maintain your retirement benfits or accept a mutually agreeable settlement.

For those that don't know what "case law" is, an easy definition is one where the law or agreement has been challenged and tried before a court of competent jurisdiction and a lawful decision rendered. Case law is often referred to in cases present before a court and is often used as a legal guideline for the present day court, if applicable.

Examples of case law would be Miranda v. United States, Terry v. Ohio, Plessy v. Ferguson, and others ad infinitum (or ad nauseum).

Lifer - I don't know who the person you referenced is, but don't be afraid to exercise your 1st Amendment rights for any reason. One you lose your freedom of speech, the others will fall like dominoes. Remember, though, what you say is protected by the United States Constitution, but how you say it is not. The most common example is yelling "fire" in a crowded theater. Free speech like that isn't protected under the Constitution.

Public employees contribute a very small amount to their own retirement plans, relatively speaking. A great portion ends up being paid by taxpayers thru taxes.
There are very few companies providing pensions for their employees these days. They've been replaced by 401k's and the like of which a high percentage is paid or contributed by the employee.
Unions are another matter, much like public employee pensions.

By the way most all public employee and union pension plans are underfunded by at least 60%. In other words they're seriously upside down.

I have no problem with someone enjoying nice pension benefits. However when others have to pay for it thru onerous taxes, I do.

Budget cutting is never popular. And that is something that can't be avoided. Every manager has their own "style", some also more popular than others.

My best guess is that the per pupil cost has risen around $3000 per pupil the past 10 years. Most of that cost increase is most likely due to salary and benefit increases. At least in this district.
And those benefit increases, or more directly the payment towards them, dramatically increase over the next 3-5 years. Even more so if the economy continues to tank and those pension benefit funds start losing money which is probable.