Yes, TL, I am proud to say that I support all public employees, past, present, and future. I do try to make discussion point’s about my husband’s pension, because he got screwed, like a lot of private sector workers. But, the fact that I have a public pension, is what kept us financially stable. Our situation was what caused formerly one-earner families to become multiple-earner families, in the 70’s. I never went out to get a public job, for a pension–in fact, there was no CalPERS at my workplace when I first took part-time employement. And, you and others demonize me because I lucked into a public pension plan, 11 years later. Insulting me daily seems to be what keeps you going–you spout my age, with such glee. Real classy there, TL. That little green monster sitting on your shoulder has consequences, to your mental health.

That was one of the finest smackdowns I have seen on these boards.

Please come here more often! 😀

SkippingDog, you represent all those who have brought us to the brink of financial meltdown at all levels. “Basic human needs” and “the public good” have always been the balloons with which socialized societies have puffed themselves up until they burst under the pressure of their own efforts to have all “basic human needs” or “public goods” provided for them by a government that fully determines what is needed and what is good.

The things you mentioned are good for the public. So what? Government should not be the provider for all “public goods” nor “basic human needs” in our country. Our country was founded upon an ideal that the greatest “public good” of government is that it keep out of the way so We, The People can provide for our own basic human needs and determine our own public good. When we CANNOT (not will not) provide for our true basic needs which are POTABLE water, basic food and shelter, the role of the Church and other charitable institutions is to temporarily meet those needs while we get ourselves back on our feet. There is a larger role they play for helping orphaned children, the incapacitated sick, disabled and very elderly. Beyond that, it is OUR OWN responsibility to manage. No where in our Constitution does it stipulate that the government is to provide us with whatever the government says is for the public good. In fact, the Constitution strictly constrains what government is ALLOWED to do.

I am tired of the likes of YOU putting your WANTS on me as though they are NEEDS! They are NOT.

I am tired of the likes of YOU expecting ME to pay out of my hard earned dollar for what YOU think is GOOD.

I am tired of the likes of YOU telling ME that I am selfish because I will not be enslaved to YOUR desires, YOUR idea of the public good, and YOUR lazy lifestyle.

If you don’t like what’s going on, earn your own money, spend it to influence what you will and stop condemning others for doing what you must simply not be capable of. There are rewards to hard work and earning money, and THAT is one of them. I would RATHER our politicians be influenced by those who are PRODUCTIVE than by those WHO ARE NOT.

You squeal about PACs but likely have NO PROBLEM with Unions! They have virtually no accountability to their members for the amounts they spend in the millions per DEMOCRAT candidate. PACs are people voluntarily giving their own money….Unions are coercion!

In the world of those like you, there is no room for voluntary anything, there is only room for coercion. People like YOU mean to enslave us. My side sets people free from your enslavement to government, unions, newspeak, coercion, intimidation, and all the other controlling mechanisms you and yours enshrine.

What interesting in her comments is how she complains at how little her husband gets as a Private Sector retired carpenter, while not realizing that in most families NEITHER spouse is a Civil Servant benefiting from the excesses granted them.

You continue to miss the point – which doesn’t surprise me.

There is an incentive in America for welfare moms in California to intentionally get pregnant and pump out babies. They get paid additional monies for each kid and the 5-year welfare benefit clock starts anew so that they do not have to work or earn an income while receiving welfare benefits. That’s why it’s a common sight in So. Cal to see indigent mothers pushing a baby stroller down the sidewalk with 2 other kids in tow. A normal family with a $50,000 income could never afford 2 kids. But when your food, housing and medical care is paid for by the state (taxpayers)having 3 or 4 kids is no big deal. It’s easy to pump out babies when someone else pays for them

Get it now, seesaw?

BS, seesaw.

Having 14 kids is an aberration but it is not an aberrtion for welfare moms to scam the system by intentionally getting pregnant knowing that the State will pay more for each kid that she drops. There is massive fraud in the welfare system. Social services account for huge budget outlays. Go talk to a social services fraud investigator if you think there’s not thousands of other Octomom’s out there. Maybe not w/ 14 kids. But 4 – 7 kids is not unusual at all. There are 100’s of millions in welfare fraud in America.

Quoting …”The “pension crisis” is a product of economic and political conditions,”

Here we agree, with the “political issues” being first-and-formost the granting of excessive pensions & benefits, and hiding the true cost to Taxpayers.

By-the way, professionally trained actuaries are in many high-level business positions … but functioning as Corporate executives, they generally don’t call themselves actuaries at that point. It’s the training that helped get them there.