Spokane7
65°
February 25, 2011 in City
Shawn Vestal: In a recession, honesty is at an all-time low
So, to recap: The country sinks into a massive recession, caused by a fraudulent, out-of-control, unwatched-over financial institutions and free-market wheeler-dealers.
The rest of us suffer. Jobs vanish, pay cuts and furloughs reign, home values tank, foreclosures rise. Banks – still thriving, thanks to the bailout and unwavering access to cheap cash from the government – botch the federal programs intended to help people stay in their home or borrow for a business.
Faced with this, a ridiculous number of people have figured out who to punish and how: Take away collective bargaining rights from unions. Put the squeeze on minimum-wage workers. Make unemployment benefits “less attractive,” in the words of the Evergreen Freedom Foundation.
Yeah, that’s the problem. All that attractive unemployment.
We’re through the looking glass here, Alice. The fiscal recession has become the reality recession. The honesty recession.
The Evergreen Freedom Foundation is organizing a rally Saturday in Olympia to support Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker – who looked at his state’s financial problems and identified the villain: collective bargaining.
The Washington Federation of State Employees is planning a counter-rally in Olympia, and they’ve already been out in support of Wisconsin labor. I hope the WFSE beats one drum very, very loudly: Their membership has already agreed to take a pay cut and pay a bigger share of their health care in the upcoming budget.
Remember that, the next time the honesty recession kicks in.
In the honesty recession, what actually happens doesn’t have to bear any relationship whatsoever to what you say. If a state government is hog-tied year after year by the long-term effects of financial chicanery, you blame the unions. If government cuts services drastically while refusing to even entertain the possibility of a tax, you say government spending and taxation are out of control.
In the honesty recession, if the unemployment rate stays in the double digits for years, you say jobless benefits have become too attractive. The minimum wage is out of control.
In the honesty recession, everything is out of control.
We’ll swallow just about anything, apparently. This hostility toward government-sector unions has a sick, surreal component to it – a bit of Stockholm syndrome among those of us in the private sector. As our lot has worsened, the public unions, with their crazy cost-of-living increases and pensions, have begun looking positively lavish.
Who benefits from us seeing it that way? Whoever could it be? And who is it that loves to hear us say: If we’re getting hosed, then shouldn’t those guys get hosed, too?
Well, they will. Rest assured. They have and they will. There is probably no fix to the budget problems facing the government that doesn’t involve taking away the things that government promised – negotiated, signed and promised – to workers.
What’s hard to understand is the glee, the relish that so many seem to take in it. Like people never knew a teacher or called a cop. The battle in Wisconsin has sparked some interesting comment threads on Facebook – at least it has on my wall – as well as some inane ones. It’s clear that a lot of people think unions are the entire problem.
It’s so nice and neat. The unions did it.
A recent poll shows that support for unions is dwelling near a quarter-century low – about 45 percent of those surveyed in early February by the Pew Research Center had a positive view of labor unions. Actual unionization is also waning – about 12 percent of American workers were unionized in 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s way down from 20 percent in 1983. Right about the time middle-class wages started to flatline.
One further statistic: The median earnings for a union employee in 2010 was $47,684, federal statistics show. For the non-union worker, it was $37,284.
Make of that what you will, but only in the honesty recession can you describe the union salary as lavish.
Look, I’ve read the stories about the unfireable teachers sitting in rubber rooms in New York City. I know that benefits for state workers are better than for a lot of us in the private sector. We’re in a recession, and state employees are going to take a hit – just as they’ve already taken hits. But the idea of their blithe untouchability – their greedy, rapacious appetites for your money; their supposed destruction of Detroit; their menacing political influence – is riding high, now that we’re in the honesty recession.
Of all the Facebook aphorisms, the one that sticks the hardest in my craw, is this: In this day and age, we no longer need unions.
This day and age? The one still reeling from an abuse of financial power that makes old Chuck Ponzi look like a piker? The day and age where the typical worker’s salary is as flat as a pita? Is that the day and age we’re talking about?
It’s crazy, this honesty recession. It’s out of control.
Shawn Vestal can be reached at (509) 459-5431 or shawnv@spokesman.com.
The draw of the unknowable 
lewis8457 on February 25 at 7:26 a.m.
The states 2010 comprehensive annual financial report….what budget wonks call CAFR- reveals the big picture
Workers compensation activities reported a loss of $1 billion in fiscal 2010. The unfunded liability is now $12.8 billion. As of June 30, 2010 The workers Compensation accident fund was insolvent.
Unemployment compensation activity reported a total loss of $985 million in fiscal year 2010
Unfunded pension obligations of $6.9 billion
The post employment benefits for state workers had a unfunded liability of $3.8 billion as of January of 09.
The risk management Fund has $611 million more in claims then it has in current cash and investments.
The Guaranteed Education Tuition Program June 30, 2010 was negative $255 million
At the end of the fiscal year 2010 the state had a general obligation bond debt of 16.6 billion, an increase of 18% over fiscal year 2009.
CAFR’s red ink adds up to over $40 billion which is more then half of the current biennial budget. Squaring these accounts wont leave much for education, human services, and public health and safety.
DickAdams on February 25 at 7:28 a.m.
There is a unmentioned problem with the story. The number of government workers is bloated and their voting block, because of the political illiterates who don`t vote, leaving it to non-government workers to do the job for them, is becoming smaller. The complainant non-voters is causing is a deeper recession. Its time for all the non-voters to wake up and change the reckless spending habits of all the local, state and federal governments that are running amok. Find out what`s going on and vote or the non-government workers will keep sliding into financial oblivion. The ratio between government workers and the rest of us is scary. Remember government workers, like teachers, city workers, county workers, state workers vote. That`s part of the problem. Its lopsided.
DickAdams on February 25 at 7:33 a.m.
I forgot to mention, the liars are lying to the liars.
Gato on February 25 at 7:52 a.m.
Maybe there are government agencies with a “bloated” number of workers, but I haven’t seen any around here. I see state layoffs, budget cuts, and a lot of hard-working people having more work added to their duties. I see longer lines, closed parks, overcrowded classrooms and mandatory furloughs. I see deep cuts in the services that give our neighbors a chance to get back on their feet, or at least avoid dying on the sidewalk.
DickAdams on February 25 at 8:07 a.m.
The workers who were given more work obviously, had extra time on their hands.
Smokie on February 25 at 8:09 a.m.
One thing to remember in a state where we have binding arbitration - To settle contracts,it’s just basic math. What do comparable jobs in comparable communities pay? Management picks their comps. Labor picks theirs.
Arbitrators even take in the financial health of the city to decide contracts. However, a city can’t cry “Poor!” when they are not.
For many years, Spokane’s laborers were well below their comparables - both management’s and labor’s numbers. With the recession and concessions that unions have recently made, these comparables will probably slide down and, likewise, so will Spokane’s wages. It’s simple math and it’s fair.
There is always a lag in both directions, so it is not an instantaneous process.
Scoutster on February 25 at 8:59 a.m.
I get hired. My boss tells me I will get a pension. I work hard for many years and retire.
My boss tells me he no longer has any money to pay for the pension that was promised to me.
That’s MY fault?
People have a right to be angry at the politicians who have over promised what can be paid to public employees. But it is wrong to blame the rank and file for it.
There seems to be no integrity among those that only want to break these unions to understand that a commitment was made. We are obligated and it is up to us to find the solution without penalizing the workers who were given a deal BY US.
Don’t know if the link is good, but CBS Sunday Morning had a great story on what “Morning in Tea Party America” would look like.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/02/20/sunday/main20034120.shtml?tag=contentBody;featuredPost-PE
Coffee on February 25 at 9:15 a.m.
But it is OK to put me and my family on the street so there is enough money to pay your pension even tho it was just a bribe from a politician to get you to vote for him.
lewis8457 on February 25 at 9:46 a.m.
Exactly the rest of us can no longer pay the taxes needed to give all those promised benefits. My family has to go with out while others have because of a promise by a union or politician. as times get worse you will see more and more of the anger the private sector has for the well cared for government worker.
Unfunded pension obligations of $6.9 billion.
The post employment benefits for state workers had a unfunded liability of $3.8 billion as of January of 09.
10.7 BILLION in the hole for just two of the benefits the state workers have.
Lulubelle on February 25 at 9:59 a.m.
Don’t drink the Koch
greyhound2 on February 25 at 10:16 a.m.
Out of wack is true. One big out of wack is that 80% of the US population lives on 15% of the wealth available. That is pretty out of wack. Moses once said, “The graineries of the temple are full, yet the people starve”. Doesn’t look like much has changed since then.
Rand on February 25 at 10:19 a.m.
I love being called dishonest be the same people that will:
-With a straight face tell me that the deficit isn’t a spending problem.
-We are going to cover more people, get rid of lifetime insurance caps and preexisting conditions and insurance will be cheaper. Also that and we will lower the deficit by enacting those reforms.
-The problem with our healthcare system is that we don’t have a public option to control costs yet we have a public option in education and that hasn’t controlled costs.
-Any problem with the private sector has to be fixed by government and any problem with government must be fixed by more government.
-Any cut in government spending will cost us x amount more because there is no such thing as a government program that isn’t crucial.
-Eating a taco is going to be very effective in ending racism in Idaho.
Shawn isn’t there a beard convention at a farmers market somewhere you could drive your Prius to while listening to PBS? You have proven beyond a reasonable doubt that you are one of the good white people. Please keep outsourcing your compassion though others pocketbooks.
MrNatural on February 25 at 10:29 a.m.
Interesting allegorical view Mr. Vestal.
I am very sad over the contempt being expressed toward our public employees. They are good American citizens with families who are engaged productively in our communities, many of which served their country in the armed forces and maintain a high degree of professionalism. These are your neighbors and the protectors of a safe and healthy society. They are reasonable people who understand that the budget requires sacrifices and who are sacrificing wages and benefits in these troubled times. All they are asking is to protect job security and the middle class way of life in this country.
How completely vitriolic and uncompassionate and ill-informed to the point of delusional some of you ideologues are to skewer civil servants who are the most productive, honest and loyal citizens of this nation. The immoral ethic who’s aim is to bust unions in order to yield unbridled power for private wealth is your goal…how utterly unconscionable and detrimental this will be to this nation
Shame on you that value this form of feudalistic private wealth over humanity
Rand on February 25 at 10:37 a.m.
Private wealth is humanity.
liberal_in_right_wing_land on February 25 at 10:45 a.m.
Great article, never understood all this union bashing and blaming them for the budget crisis when its is clearly obvious this recession was caused by and is continued by the giant Wall Street banks and other giant corporations and oil companies. These banks caused the everything in this country to collapse and then Bush and his friends came up with TARP that gave all his Wall Street friends billions and billions of dollars that they then sat on and handed out to themselves in the form of bonuses while the rest of the country saw their homes foreclosed on and their jobs being cut.
Then Obama came into office and continued this practice of giving money to Wall Street banks and cutting corporate taxes giving corporations even more money to sit on and give out even larger bonuses to themselves while the country continued to lose their homes and jobs.
Then, for some strange reason, states elect republican governors that were funded by these SAME corporations and people like Koch Brothers and then these governors promptly hand out millions and billions of special interest spending to these people who just got them elected and tax breaks for the corporations that are already sitting on millions and billions of dollars while the rest of us struggle to pay for food to put on our table.
So to make it up, these governors now are trying to force unions to take away their bargaining rights and cut their pensions? That makes NO SENSE!!!!
http://maddowblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/02/18/6079270-wisconsin-gov-made-his-own-problem
http://host.madison.com/ct/news/opinion/editorial/article_61064e9a-27b0-5f28-b6d1-a57c8b2aaaf6.html
(And yes, call these liberal sites, but they are still the truth and the facts are right)
If it wasn’t for unions we would not have a 40 hour work week, we would not have a minimum wage, we would not have child labor laws, we would not have workplace safety rules and we would not have any type of retirement or benefit plans at any job - union or nonunion. We get all these rights due to unions and yet people want to attack them?
Just because you work for a greedy corporation that refuses to pay you decent wage and has kept wages flat for almost 30 years while executive pay has increased over 300% in the same time you feel the need to attack unions looking out for workers rights? just because you work for a greedy corporation that would cut all your benefits and retirement plan if possible and pay you 10 cent an hour like they do in China and other countries they keep shipping our jobs to you feel the need to attack unions who are looking out for workers rights and jobs?
Its really sad that these corporations have spent billions and billions of dollars to misinform the public of what they are really doing to this country and have actually got people fighting for them to take away workers right and the right to pay workers as little as possible and people fighting for these corporations to continue to screw the middle class and poor. What is happening to this country?
johnclarke on February 25 at 10:57 a.m.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/25/wisconsin-workers-overpaid_n_828077.html
Interesting story. Smokie, I wonder how these firefighter and paramedic salaries line up to Spokane ?
DickAdams on February 25 at 10:59 a.m.
I absolutely have no contempt towards public employees. I do however, have contempt with elected officials that have reckless spending habits. Its not the fault of the voters that these spend thrifts hired too many public employees. And you must remember, that in the private sector when things get tough and cuts must be made to balance the budge, cuts are made. The same thing holds true for government employees. If you want to blame some one, blame the people responsible for hiring like there is no more tomorrow. And lest we forget, the worst politicians figure the government workers will vote these self serving b–- back in office.
johnclarke on February 25 at 11:28 a.m.
The thing I don’t get Dick - the unions are coming to the table offering concessions and there are no negotiations.
“And you must remember, that in the private sector when things get tough and cuts must be made to balance the budge, cuts are made.”
Yes, cuts were made in the private sector and now corporations are sitting on trillions in surpluses. Why are they not hiring ?
Dazzeetrader11 on February 25 at 11:37 a.m.
Bound to happen. Won’t get better with Obama, Gregoire and Verner’s spending.
I am soooo sorry to see the country go through very hard times.
The goose who laid the golden eggs is out of gas.
All promises were based on projections and tremendous spending. Now, the party is over. Untill spending is cut, everyone’s in the soup.
Big business , unions, all suffer. Obama likes it. He’s not cogent enough to work the country out of trouble. He’d rather spend to oblivion. Unions need to stop. When a group (union people) gives control to people who have no idea how to budget, this is what happens. There will be no end in sight without all groups drifting back to earth.
I just shake my head. It’s a good article.
misjustice on February 25 at 12:14 p.m.
As I’ve stated before, I worked in the accounting department at the Veterans Hospital in KC several years ago. The waste I saw then is probably minuscule to the waste that is going on today. It’s time someone started reeling in those that are being hogs & care only for themselves.
And, only when the elected officials have to live under the same salary, pension & benefit plans as the “common” citizen, will this travesty be fixed. Time for them to start paying in to Soc Sec & not get a lifetime pension (plus when they die their spouse gets their full pension until the spouse dies) after serving only a minimum of 2 years in office. Something is wrong with this.
Bruce (aka thatoneguy) on February 25 at 12:21 p.m.
Clearly the answer is to get rid of the unions. That will fix everything.
Dazzeetrader11 on February 25 at 12:26 p.m.
Clarkie…musch the same as the big banks, Obama gave them out money in his bailouts, stiumus funds,etc. There was NO provisions for them to spend it…..on anything. This is the “hurry up” or we’ll be dead by Monday approach.
We were “skinned”…and by the present administration.
What’s more amazing is what happened at the Federal Reserve! $2.4 trillion ogne and Bernanke won’t let us know where it went.
It could have paid the debt to China with trillions left over. It’s OUR money as the Fed holds it. BUT it’s a private bank so we may not ever know. Obama could pull Geithner, Bernanke into a room and clarify things but he won’t.
One thing is obvious to me………this money could be spent at home and lots of this grief could have been avoided. My guess is that this is some sort of plan. SO..if the big corps and big banks hoard money and if Obama’s not likely to help the people, he needs to go. Likewise though, the bottom of the pyramid ( the workers and the people in general) are struggling, AND if nobody’s inclined to make sense of all this, leadership needs to change. Governors are pinching pennies. Thus a new structure has to be put in place. Thus, unions with their gaudy benfits, salaries and huge penions need to be modified. I suspect this is what’s in progress.
It’s not MEAN or unfair, it is what it is.
Dazzeetrader11 on February 25 at 12:35 p.m.
One more thought. Since Obama took over, it’s been a time for fear. he knows that. People behave differently when they’re scared. Every poll out there is riddled with fear. When fear sets in and things appear to be collapsing, usually they turn to socialism. Obama knows that. Fight as hard as we can against that, it seems Obama wants the country to go in that direction. Of course he needs a scapegoat. Why not blame the ones who are holding out against his plan? And so it goes..Republicans are and will be blamed even though it’s obama and the liberal Dems who’ve been bankrupting the states.
Watch what happens. Fear is key. I have it and so do most of you who post here. I’ve got quite a cushion but I’m not disconnected from the things I see. It’s saddens me and makes me angry. Don’t give in. Bad things happen when you give in to Fear.
zelda on February 25 at 12:36 p.m.
I’m not pro-union. You could probably peg me as somewhat tolerant of unions. However, I’m not in any way advocating for the kind of labor market that people like the Koch brothers dream of.
Their labor nirvana is one with total elasticity. A workforce that they can instantly shrink when revenues decline and one that can be increased when business is good. But keep in mind that this would all be done by workers who are temporary. They would have no benefits and could be let go at any time for any reason. There is no contract, tangible or implicit — if you don’t like the job or the pay, go somewhere else. It would be a gig-based economy and you’re supposed to love it because it’s all about “freedom” as defined by Ayn Rand nut jobs.
To get good wages it would probably be essential that you parrot your bosses political views and if, God forbid, the boss finds out that you contributed money to the wrong political party (everyone who makes a campaign contribution can be searched by name and discovered on Google) that would be a firing offense. Heck, you could be black-balled. It happens more than you think.
So, as I said, I’m not wild about unions but they do keep a lot of those rapacious C. Montgomery Burns types from raining hell upon their employees.
We’ve seen how “animal spirits” can wreak havoc over the past 10 years and I see no reason to think that the Kochs and their ilk are anything but ammoral wolves motivated entirely by their own self interest.
The prosperity prior to 2007/08 was an illusion fueled by fraud and predatory credit which was easy to get away with once the laws that used to make these activities illegal were repealed.
The next step in the master plan is to make employees of every kind temporary and disposable. Captains of industry like Jack Welch try to spin this as being like letting go of a captive bird you no longer want or need, released to spread its wings and fly. So being, ahem, between jobs = freedom. Can’t you just feel the love?
Dazzeetrader11 on February 25 at 12:50 p.m.
Pretty well put Z. In some ways thoug, it’s two way street. If one doesn’t like the job, keep it till you find something more interms of opportunity. If one is disposable…go make your own game.
I did. But Zelda…can you type?
cryssT on February 25 at 12:52 p.m.
The underfunded pension is because the St of WA didn’t make the contributions is was legally obligated to make during the good times. All PERS1 and TRS1 employees contributed to those pensions. Both of those pensions have been closed since October 1977. So WA ST has had over 30 years to make sure those pensions were funded. PERS1 employees contributed 6% out of each and every paycheck. Then’s there’s the 7.2% contribution to Social Security - so right off the top 13.2% of gross pay goes out and then there’s the “contribution” to the IRS all of get to make. P*** on the lot of you that think government employees don’t work. Who do you think is doing most of the snow plowing right now, 12 hours on, 12 hours off.
mikeln on February 25 at 1:01 p.m.
This is nothing more then vile facists (redundant, I know) attempting to take over our country. I lost faith in obama when he did not arrest bush, cheany and gang within minutes of being sworn in. If they thought they could use our military against us we would already be gone, replaced by cheap chinese labor. This is just history repeating itself and these people always lose. Why anyone would defend this can only be attributed to brain washing with a little amnisa thrown in.
reservedparking on February 25 at 1:10 p.m.
It’s not just the underfunded pensions.
How many state pension funds have been ‘borrowed from’ (raided would be more like it) by state governments (not just here, but lots of places) to falsely balance previous budgets?
How many IOU’s are in those funds, and why is that the worker’s fault now?
o_pleez on February 25 at 1:14 p.m.
DickAdams - “Remember government workers, like teachers, city workers, county workers, state workers vote. That`s part of the problem. Its lopsided.”
–––––––––––––––––-
People voting is a problem?
Or is it just the horror of public employees voting that bothers you?
zelda on February 25 at 2:23 p.m.
@Daisy — Well, I am making my own way and evidently I can type.
What a lot of the people advocating the end of unions or having large temporary workforces overlook is that we need not just jobs but also job stability. If we really want to clean up the credit markets we have to go back to a lending fundamental which is “ability to repay.” Financial institutions fueled this spending spree by securitization, slicing and dicing their loans into pieces and flinging them about like confetti. They didn’t worry about repayment because they no longer held the paper.
We’ve all witnessed what happened when the ability-to-repay criterion was thrown out the window. Now, I would venture to guess that banks and credit unions won’t give a loan to someone whose income is based on landing one gig here and another gig there. They want to see a steady income stream instead of doing a loan for someone lurching along from one six-month stint to another. That doesn’t make for a deep pool of credit-worthy customers.
And it takes vast amounts of time to be constantly auditioning for new gigs. The U.S. could find itself with a lot of people highly skilled at applying for jobs, interviewing and composing resumes with little time spent mastering actual job skills. I’m not saying that everyone is entitled to a 40-year job with gold-plated benefits, but having a job with dependable income for five or 10 years isn’t beyond the realm of reason.
So ask yourself, if you were a bank would you loan money to an actor, artist, poet, writer or musician? Well, that’s pretty much what the workforce would be like in a temporary-labor, gig-based economy made up largely of hustlers and starving artists, so to speak.
thewolf on February 25 at 2:42 p.m.
Excellent article! Thank you Mr. Vestal.
We, all middle class Americans are faced with the most serious economic problems since the Great Depression of l929. I do believe though, our salaries flat-lined in the 1970’s. Today, our buying power is in serious decline. If your salary hasn’t been reduced or frozen yet, it will be.
Surely everyone out there recognizes how much more we pay each week at the pump, each week at the grocery store? I ask your middle class readers, are you getting any of these new profits? The honest answer is, of course we are not. $3.15 per gal. at my station today, and I will bet anyone out there with a paycheck, it goes to $4.00 or higher by this summer, $5.00 gal. gasoline looms.
Everything in our world is getting more expensive as our daily buying power drops and drops and drops. Does anyone think it is going to get better if a governor somewhere breaks the public unions? Arguing among ourselves is rather like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic - ain’t gonna’ do us any good.
Middle class men and women, working people, Republican or Democrat, must recognize - the deck is stacked against us, and getting worse each day. The rich guys, the huge, monopolistic corporations have taken over the United States of America, and we weren’t even looking.
Oil, gasoline, cars, trucks, clothes, groceries, rent, electric bills, tires, hats, gloves, shirts, socks, jeans, fountain pens, books, booze, steaks, restaurants, chickens, chicken feed, cattle, cattle feed - everything we need to survive - has gotten more and more expensive, because the large corporations have taken over everything we need for survival.
Except houses - those are getting cheaper (and costing many of you your equity) because large corporations took that business over too - and nearly destroyed capitalism in the process. We still have not recovered, although Wall St. (with our money) has recovered nicely.
Today’s economic reality is called Corporate Plutocracy, and it loves for us to fight over sideshows like public unions. Public unions, like them or not, are the last unions standing. If they go, the working men and women of America will have nothing left between them and corporate greed but a soup kitchen.
Wal-Mart, Kroger, McDonald’s etc., are leading the wage race to the bottom now. We will all be lucky to be left with $6.00 an hour if there is no unified group left to stand up to corporate power. And that governor in Wisconsin is merely the first in a long line of politicians willing to give everything to large corporations.
The great old Republican, Teddy Roosevelt warned America long ago - “unfettered capitalism becomes the beast.” He knew unregulated monopolies were the real enemy of free men and free women.
Ladies and gentlemen, the beast is among us today. The choice is truly ours - stand united as honest citizens - or be prepared to work for sub-standard wages, as we all lose the American dream forever.
Thank you again, Mr. Vestal.
Spokane_Citizen on February 25 at 6:18 p.m.
thewolf….very well spoken, and utterly true.
DickAdams on February 25 at 7:39 p.m.
o_pleeze: No there are too many government employees. For years now the ratio is widening because of so many government workers, that bothers me. As I mentioned in one of my posts, bloated. Another concern is the lack of voters voting, Look at the numbers. Our country as a whole, should be ashamed that so few voters show up on election day. And as I said, the ratio is making it almost impossible to stop some of the spending. Look at school bond issues. Heck, one ballot I familiar with passed and the school administrators were given huge raises. Double and triple the private sector hands out.
eagleproducer on March 02 at 5:40 p.m.
Public pension funds currently account for less than 4% of all spending in all states nationwide (3.8%). With a minimal additional investment nearing 5% of state funding, they’d be clear into perpetuity.
The same goes with Social Security. Remove the earnings cap and we’d all retire with golden parachutes.
The money is there, folks. Don’t tell me we’re broke cuz I’m not swallowing the lie.
opeled on March 03 at 6:12 a.m.
If you wish to join a union, join one that applies to your job… bus drivers- teamsters,.. policeman the union for law enforcement…. garbage truck drivers teamsters…but NOT a union for government employees.. there are a lot of unions
opeled on March 03 at 6:18 a.m.
as far as social security, put an end to golden parachute retirement of politicians and make them depend on social security and medicare like the majority of working americans….if you did that social security & medicare would be “fixed ” yesterday… this country was not intended to have career politicians, we are supposed to have citizen politicians that, after 2 or 3 terms go back to civilian life..and have to deal with the good or bad of what they did…