For the California residents

California Pension Reform's 'The CalPERS 100K Club'

where is your name?

 

I bet HD would love to have both lists.

 

We are so screwed as a state and a nation.

 

The folks on either of those lists might disagree.

 

$500,000 retirement? Holy shit.
Yay California!

 

All those bucks are taxed both by the feds and Arnie's crew.

 

The thing that gets me is; there are some folks that are getting more in retirement than while working?!?!? And how about the state official that was booted out of her office and right before it became official she gave all her staff a non reversible raise. That's just great, while other state employees are having to take pay-cuts and furlow days these folks get a raise.

 

It's not just California, it's NY, NJ, CT, and much more. One of the biggest rackets going on is local gov't municipalities. The town/city/village officials and staff tax the constituents heavily while promoting self raises, the best health care plans, and live in the most exclusive neighborhoods in that town, and gross pensions like you see in that link. An example of this recently occurred in East Hartford CT where the mayor raised taxes by 10% and gave himself and everyone on staff a raise and why east Hartford has it's own mayor and is not part of Hartford baffles me (just another example of more beauracricy). So, while you hump it out on the highways commuting 100 miles a day on a construction site, or doing some god awful job, to bring back the salary they tax, these crooks are enjoying a climate controlled work space that is a 10 minute commute away from home (this is worst case, of course). As for the pensions, that is why Cali is broke, and look at Greece, they cannot sustain to pay their pensioners and public sector workers - their payroll source runs out next month (now they are begging to Germany and France). So when these municipalities run out of money and no longer get support from the state, they turn to their taxpayers and slap you in the face with some kind of new tax. If you are active in your local town gov't, always vote NO, if you are not, then start getting involved. Voting YES for anything the town wants to do will only increase your taxes in the long run.

The pension income may be taxed (in some cases, there are exceptions though) but they still receive high incomes, higher than the working joe's. And still retain the best health care coverage.
Here's another example of an FDNY crook and the pension he gets. Note the knee injury and his ability to still play golf.

Toe, you are right, not only Cali, but other states and the country are screwed.

Frank Cruthers, second-in-command at FDNY, gets tax-free disability pension that is largest in department history - NYPOST.com

 

psh... I can barely get unemployment, but these guys are makin more in retirement than I make while working full time... lovely...

 

Now I know why Ca is Bankrupt...................

 

If I had to spend 30 yrs as an administrator in the Fresno county school district, somebody's paying me big time when it's over.

 

The other problem is these folks making these nutty salaries while working. The city manager for my little town of 50K people made 2/3 what the president makes with about 1/zillionth the responsibility. Now he's retired and gets 80% of his salary as a pension. Oh yeah, they hired him back as a contractor in to the same position, at the same pay! So now we have to pay twice.

I'm not against people getting a pension that's a reasonable amount of their average salary, if it's based on savings and investments over their career. But these salaries are out of control.

edit: hehe, found this comparison online of my local city manager. Yeah, ok, we're doomed to go broke...

The Rocklin City Manager, Mr. Urrutia, is responsible for a budget of $44 million. He has a couple of hundred people that work for him. He is accountable to the City Council while conducting the city’s day-to-day business. Last year he was paid a salary of $230,000 plus medical and a pension. Today, he collects a $170,000 a year pension and he works 24 hours a week for an additional $137,000 a year, which includes an outstanding medical plan. Total compensation equals $307,000 a year.

The Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, Norton Schwartz, earns approximately $240,000 a year. When he retires, his pension will be approximately $180,000 a year. General Schwartz is responsible for a budget of $160 billion. He has 327,452 people under his command. He is also responsible for 5,573 military aircraft, 450 ICBMs and 32 satellites. General Schwartz reports directly to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He also testifies before Congress and briefs the President.

Can you believe that the Rocklin City Manager’s earns more than the Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force?

 

No offense Pyro but starting your post with "I can barely get unemployment" probly isn't the best thing.

 

Okay, I know I'm inviting heat (from a number of perspectives) for posting this but here goes in the interest of fair and balanced dialogue:

Yes, I work for a municipality (for just over 15 years now, as an urban planner and redevelopment project manager)
Yes, a city is in effect a monopoly, I mean really, you can't go somewhere else for a building permit or a firefighter.
No, we do not get to choose who we deal as is the case in the private sector. If people are idiots, we still have to serve them respectfully.
Yes, I work in a climate controlled office most of the time (of course the climate is not under my control, nor is it really controlled - my office BAKES!)
Yes, I will receive a retirement, a portion of which is taken out of my paycheck .
Yes, I live downtown (in an apartment) and ride my bicycle to work most days.
No, it is not an 'exclusive' neighborhood. Although I wish it was, and only motorcycle riders could live there... but I digress...
Yes, the Fire and Police use 70% of the city's general fund money - those $ come from hotel tax, sales tax, permit fees, etc.
Yes, there are a number of City 'enterprise' operations that run like businesses (e.g.airport, waterfront/harbor) that don't have cashflow issues.
No, the Fire and Police do not have any portion of their retirement taken out of their paychecks, those costs are also absorbed by the city
Yes, Fire and Police can retire with 90% benefits after 30 years of service.
Yes, I've seen (and still see) some "deadwood" idiots in management positions being paid MUCH more than I and not acting forthright or with integrity.
Yes, I'm a former Air Force Officer and am quick to assess (i.e. judge) people's integrity and work ethic.
No, most people don't realize that close to 3/4 of any municipality's goes toward the "public safety" operations. I've seen the 'fear card' played well and often and Council and the public eat it up. (Hey, I can say that, my dad was cop.)

So when discussions of underworked and overpaid government workers arise (for cities and counties anyway), folks should first research how funds are distributed before making blanket statements about cutting jobs. And for the record, I do see inefficienies but, as President Truman observed:

Wherever you have an efficient government you have a dictatorship. -Harry S. Truman, 33rd US president (1884-1972).

 

Interesting that it's a no-no to even talk about limiting salaries, benefits, or retirements in private sector jobs. We want the best people we can find to teach our kids, fight our fires, police our society, fix our roads, administer our infrastructure, etc,.......... until we have to pay them a lot of money.

 

I am ALL for paying the folks a fine wage that handle the services in question I.E. Police, Firefighters, Teachers, etc. My problem is with the bureaucrats and officials that DON'T do the work and hold offices that were either appointed or voted in, having a say in what their pay is or what their retirement is. Working your way up and getting a reward for hard work is one thing, but being gifted an easy life of leisure and recline on MY dollar I am not OK with. And everyone should agree. If charity and giving is the most important thing to you than please find some needy children and bestow upon them a better life and quit voting for the people that take your money and mine under the guise of helping the needed.

 

True, but if the state has SO MUCH $ to fork over to lazy asses not working, why cant they afford to pay unemployment claims? or hell, build some new G__ D___ companies, open up the job market so people who wanna earn their way can? we have over 15 million unemployed in this country, starving, trying to feed their children, and meanwhile Joe Blow is sittin' on his ass, collecting more money than 3 or 4 regular working stiffs? Something is unbalanced there...

 

It's these beaurocrats that have it locked down. The current town where i live, and where my father lives, the mayor/town supv. and his bunch are all 'family' and have been involved in the politics for years and have themselves locked in iron-clad. These circles of consumers are exactly what needs to be reformed

 

I believe that retirement should be no more than 75% of your working salary.....period. and if you are Military,police fire, you should recieve 100% retirement... making 100,000 a year then getting 250,000 to retire(example) is crazy.

get a little money and maybe health insurance call it good....IMO