The Jason Richwine paper (http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2012/05/the-real-cost-of-public-pensions) is right on the money. Too bad he didn’t include some of the OTHER nonsense coming from those fighting pension reform….such as Police & Firefighters trying to justify their absurdly generous pensions by saying that they only live on average about 5 years after retiring…. refuted as incorrect and ridiculous by CalPERS actuary.

Additionally, the modest “average” pensions that DB pension supporter like to quote are misleading for reasons beyond just the short career workers that Richwine mentioned. These “averages” also include (a) those who retired long ago at lower salaries (often before big, and sometimes retroactive benefit increases), (b) part-time workers, and (c) 50% survivorship share payouts to widows and widowers.

Notwithstanding Constitutional issues, contract law and property right issues, it’s WAY past time to end the financial rape of Taxpayers by the collusion between the Public Sector Unions and our self-serving, vote-selling, contribution-soliciting elected officials.

Employee contribution increases are NEVER even remotely sufficient to address this huge problem. The best (and justifiable) solution would be to end further DB Plan accruals for future service for CURRENT workers, or if that is not possible, to reduce the accrual rate by at least 50% … still leaving Public Sector workers with far greater pensions than their Private sector counterparts.

If neither of these options are viable, then we must outsource 90+% of all public Sector workers as outsourcing ends the “employment relationship” and with it all future growth in pensions and benefits.

You used to occasionally have some worthwhile insights. Where did they go?

No …. trash the Public Sector pensions … ALL of them (for actives and retirees). Reduce them the what SS pays and no more.

http://ronkilmartin.wordpress.com/

If Brown penalizes school 1 dime when Prop 30 fails, he should be impeached. The most logical place to cut is the CARB effort being wasted on global warming and the Department of Education itself. Return the districts to parent control and the education bureaucrats in Sacamento and Washington to the real world.