Comments on: Brown's Pension Reform A Yawner

By: Richard Rider, Chairman San Diego Tax Fighters

Richard Rider, Chairman San Diego Tax Fighters — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 20:42:45 +0000

In San Diego, we dealt with this “wasted money litigating” pitch before. We had what we thought was an illegally passed countywide special sales tax — passed with a simple majority vote when we figured the constitution required a 2/3 vote. We were told not to waste our money and the government’s money contesting this (at the tome) commonly passed tax.

Yes, the odds were against us, but we won in the CA Supreme Court. The tax was not only repealed, but we made the county give back $400 million that it had already improperly collected. Total county taxpayer savings — $3.5 BILLION. Plus other taxes up and down the state were either rescinded, or blocked.

Cost to taxpayer? One million dollars (unwisely) paid to their lawyers, and a half million the county had to pay my lawyers. So taxpayers spent $1.5 million to save $3.5 BILLION. Would that I invested my OWN money that well!

By: Rex ther Wonder Dog!

Rex ther Wonder Dog! — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 17:46:00 +0000

stevefromsacto where did u go???

By: FiremanBill

FiremanBill — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 08:50:21 +0000

Jerry’s there to keep the gravy train rolling along for well into the future. You dumb sap taxpayers are gonna keep lobster and prime rib on my table. Maybe if you shine my shoes I’ll throw you a bone!

By: 1 tired citizen

1 tired citizen — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 06:10:02 +0000

I am starting to believe a lot of Governor Brown’s proposals are nothing but front page lip service. A few months ago, he issued a voluntary recall of 48,000 of the 96,000 state paid-for cell phones claiming a savings of $20 million a year. I would like to know why we were paying for 96,000 phones, what are the requirements for a free phone, how many phones were actually turned in and how many we are still paying for, how much money was actually saved(don’t forget about the fees for early termination). Without knowing the results of these plans, we don’t even know if they were even implemented. Any Californian willing to vote for extending our higher taxes for 5 years without even knowing where Sacramento plans to use these funds is a fool. Our federal government likes giving bailouts,but I am not willing to give more of my money to bailout our Sacramento politicians. They caused the deficit,not me. It’s their job to fix our state, giving them more money to spend won’t fix anything.

By: Tough Love

Tough Love — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 16:13:34 +0000

Comment summary:

stevefromsacto … he likes the status quo with great pay and extraordinary Pensions & benefits, and heaven forbid reductions should be made which just EQUALIZES Public and Private sector “total compensation”.

Rt … thinks spending a few million to perhaps win reductions of 100-200 times that amount is foolish. No, businesses take such calculated risks all the time and given the totally unjustified level of current pensions and benefits (and the extra ordinary level of greed exhibited by their Union and members, it is a non-brainier that these and stronger reductions must be pursued.

By: Rex ther Wonder Dog!

Rex ther Wonder Dog! — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 15:32:09 +0000

You will only be satisfied if Gov. Brown proposes to eliminate all public employee pensions and to make all public employees work for minimum wage with no benefits
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Hey Steve, we know you’re talking points are just hot air-so how about we make a real solution, put ALL public employees in social security just liek everyone else.

Or are you goign to claimvthat will drive our multi millionaire public employees to the poor house too????

By: Rex ther Wonder Dog!

Rex ther Wonder Dog! — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 15:30:30 +0000

Release the lawsuits !!!. How much will California lose fighting the law suits that public employees will file.

It will drag out for years and given
California’s liberal courts, the public employees and thier unions will win.

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I agree, cut the pensions today for ALL public employees and then duke it out in court-there is NOTHING to lose. We are already $500 billion in the hole, and that does not count healthcare, so bring on the litigation.

By: Rex ther Wonder Dog!

Rex ther Wonder Dog! — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 15:28:15 +0000

Unions typically own both sides of the negotiating table. They elect their own bosses. Anything done at that table will only harm taxpayers
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This is the problem, there is no collective bargaing in the public sector. There ais no one to truly represent the taxpayers, and that is why pension reform must be mandated from the state, and if it needs a Prop 13 style initative then so be it.

By: Gerry Good

Gerry Good — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 23:26:01 +0000

These reforms proposed by the Gov only scratch the surface. And the Gov is only talking not doing! Wonder if he will actually ever do anything? UMMMH!

By: John Seiler

John Seiler — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 15:59:45 +0000

StevefromSacto wrote: “You will only be satisfied if Gov. Brown proposes to eliminate all public employee pensions and to make all public employees work for minimum wage with no benefits. And then you’ll complain because he didn’t do it sooner.”

No. We just want them to have reasonable pay and compensation that doesn’t bankrupt the state. And we want them to pay into 401(k)-type retirement funds for which the taxpayers are not on the hook in the future.

And we want to get rid of the multiple wasteful and duplicative agencies and departments that empty down the state treasury while entangling citizens in infinite red tape.

Under Democratic Gov. Mario Cuomo, New York has a reasonable budget with no tax increases, and a reasonable pension plan for government workers that doesn’t bankrupty NY. Why not here?