Comments on: The myth of California’s underpaid public school employees

By: Get Real

Get Real — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 18:56:09 +0000

Propaganda website

By: Richard Rider

Richard Rider — Sun, 31 Aug 2014 23:12:25 +0000

Moderation (MY ASS) — I see you persist in your dishonest dissemination of propaganda. Your claim that Texas is the “third highest state in property tax” is patently false.

Nonsense, and you KNOW it — you are a knowledgeable, skilled prevaricator. Texas has a high property tax RATE, but because real estate is SO much more affordable in Texas, the property tax PAID is not so bad — and significantly less than California.

In 2009 (latest figures I can find) the median California homeowner paid $2,839 — 10th highest in the nation. The median Texas homeowner paid $2,275, 14th highest in the nation — almost $600 less than California.
http://taxfoundation.org/article/property-taxes-owner-occupied-housing-state-2004-2009

Moreover, you constantly claim concern for the poor, but fail to note that your California policies result in our “Golden State” ranking 49th worst for percentage of home ownership. I suspect the only “poor” that really concerns you are union members.
http://riderrants.blogspot.com/2013/02/more-dismal-california-economic-rankings.html

How come you quote stats without ever providing sources? Wait . . . no answer is necessary.

By: thetruth

thetruth — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 18:57:06 +0000

$900000 at age 55 for the underpaid teachers. Everyone should have more than that saved by that age in private business. Tax the excess earning at 100 percent for the teachers. It is all about the kids.

By: david

david — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 23:12:30 +0000

“Would we have iPhones and residential high speed Internet if the telecommunications marketplace had not deregulated in the mid-1980′s? ”
Are you kidding me? We have some of the SLOWEST and most EXPENSIVE communication services in the world thanks largely to privatization!
The internet was a public project. Private networks in the past were highly expensive, complex and incompatible.

By: david

david — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 23:08:55 +0000

“$85,000 in pay and benefits in 2013”
That is total compensation including healthcare, and pension contributions, not straight salary. That is not a huge amount just 5 x what a minimum wage worker makes.

By: John Galt

John Galt — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 15:56:41 +0000

It’s unfortunate the responsibility and costs for elementary and secondary education were shifted to the public domain about 110 years ago. Early on, public education may have been a competitive international advantage for the US as its prominence increased internationally. However, like all tax based, government-sponsored monopolies, public education has grown increasingly undisciplined and expensive due to layers of state and federal laws, and, increasing income and property tax burden on families. An estimated 95% of families have no choice but to enroll their students in public schools. Private education of children is available to wealthy families, or to families with strong religious identification who make significant sacrifices to afford the added costs. There may be some hope for families who desire alternatives to California’s public schools. Another state regulated monopoly, private electric power companies, are now required to allow customers an option to provide their own generation and stop payment to the serving utility (SCE or PG&E). If a similar alternative was enacted in public education, the state or counties would offer tax credits or “school vouchers” to families to enroll their children in private schools. District-run charter schools are a start, but a simple voucher system, or property tax credits, would be optimum as parents are typically more involved in their children’s education when they multiple alternatives and pay for it. Service marketplaces work more efficiently when service providers negotiate payment with customers directly, rather than look to government (e.g., VA Hospitals) or other 3rd parties (e.g., health insurance companies) for payment. One can be sure that Adam Smith is alive and well, and, will survive public education and all other state-run monopolies. Would we have iPhones and residential high speed Internet if the telecommunications marketplace had not deregulated in the mid-1980’s?

By: S Moderation Douglas

S Moderation Douglas — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 15:29:24 +0000

In reply to S and P 500. You're using the Rush Limbaugh definition of "ponzi".

By: S and P 500

S and P 500 — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 07:48:03 +0000

In reply to S Moderation Douglas.

The importance of Madoff in public pension finance can hardly be overestimated. Madoff should be another proof that all ponzi’s will eventually collapse, but instead he set an example for union leaders that it’s possible to operate very large ponzi’s involving billions of dollars and make them last for decades. Union leaders have used the Madoff model to prop up their own insolvent pension funds. They promise workers big pensions and hope that unrealistic investment returns and future contributions will provide the money to send out the checks. In return they have the gratitude of the workers as well as six figure salaries.
The $4.5 trillion of unfunded pension liabilities must be the greatest pool of phantom investment returns in history. Whether it brings down the country like the South Seas Bubble crippled Great Britain for 100 years is anybody’s guess.

By: Queeg

Queeg — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 02:37:16 +0000

We got people who provide road rage protection!

Never know……all the exiting frustrated doomers just may get fiesty out there on # 66 or # 10.

By: thetruth

thetruth — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 01:17:17 +0000

Many teachers will retire in their mid 50’s with a modest pension averaging $65000 over the 30 years of retirement. That gives them only $900,000 at 55 for the those 30 years at a 7 percent discount rate. Who only has $900000 saved at age 55? Every corporation can afford to do that. This is easy. The president can fix, with no cost to anyone. Everyone should have a $65000 pension at age 55.