Pension Reform
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Firefighter one of nation’s safest jobs
The nation’s astoundingly well-paid public firefighters insist that they receive their high salaries and pensions (averaging around $175,000 a year in total compensation in California, with age-50 retirements and schedules that allow them to sleep on the job and work
Read MoreBeing CalPERS means never having to say you’re sorry
Jan. 20, 2013 By Chris Reed So CalPERS is found to allow ridiculous, outrageous double-dipping by salaried employees that boosts their pay (and probably their pensions), and faces sharp criticism. So when the giant pension fund responds, does it do
Read MoreState turns bureaucrats into millionaires
Dec. 26, 2012 By Steven Greenhut California’s political leaders continue to defend a public-employee-compensation system that is so far beyond sanity it’s hard to know where to begin. Here is a Bloomberg story about a cop — a California Highway
Read MoreCalPERS’ new shtick: Ripping CalPERS = ripping retirees. Groan.
Dec. 17, 2012 By Chris Reed The California Public Employees’ Retirement System is a piece of work. For years, it has downplayed the pension crisis, ignored its central role in the crisis by encouraging a 50 percent retroactive giveaway to
Read MoreJoe Mathews weighs in on CalWatchdog piece
Dec. 5, 2012 By Chris Reed Joe Mathews, one of the least ideological mainstream California political pundits, has weighed in on the analysis I did last week on the evidence that unions are trying to stifle direct democracy in California
Read MoreThe California (Anti)Taxpayers Association
Oct. 24, 2012 By Steven Greenhut: California taxpayers can hardly get a break. The Democrats who have ironclad control of the state government are constantly looking for ways to hike taxes and the state’s business leaders epitomize the crony capitalist
Read MoreCity revenues continue to fall
Sept. 16, 2012 By Brian Calle More and more cities are starting to face the reality of shrinking budgets as a result of over generous pay and benefits offered to public workers. And it is not just California. A recent
Read MoreGov. Brown’s pension non-reform
Aug. 30, 2012 By John Seiler As the smoke and the rhetoric have settled, you know pension reform is weak when: a) It’s criticized by an analysis in the Los Angeles Times. c) Ridiculed by the paper’s liberal columnist George
Read MoreMayor Reed calls for deeper reforms
Steven Greenhut: California’s Democrats have become sudden believers in pension reform now that it’s clear that Gov. Jerry Brown’s tax-increase proposal probably won’t pass in November unless Californians see some governmental reform. The Democratic plan mainly deals with new hires
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