Who is Sharing in the Sacrifice?

Well Said (4.00 / 1)

Great to see such a thoughtful, succinct review on this issue.  I agree wholeheartedly with each point you made.

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by: Aurora @ Fri Feb 18, 2011 at 19:51:27 PM UTC

Well written, but??? (0.00 / 0)

..and you point is?

Are you saying that there is no need for pension reform? Keep the status quo?

Are you saying that there is no need for health plan reform? Keep the status quo?

Are you saying that taxpayers should pay more for government worker benefits while the government workers pay no more?

You made some nice statements that ring hollow.

Please ,WHAT IS YOUR ANSWER !!  

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by: firstamend07 @ Sat Feb 19, 2011 at 15:55:44 PM UTC

Well written, but??? (0.00 / 0)

Heah firstamend07... you are welcome to my Diary, but your SHOUTING is not.  

My point(s).  

First:  It was a perfect storm of reckless greed in the financial class and reckless cowardice in the political class that threw public pensions in a ditch.  This is actually important, so remember it.

second:  defined benefit plans are not a problem... if you fund them ... they allow older, more highly paid workers to Plan to get off the payroll decent retirement... that is a good thing for taxpayers and workers.  

Third: Since the State flouted it funding obligations, it should make up every damn payment it shirked.  Too much money?  Amortize it... but pay up every penny!

Forth:  Generally, Victims of a crime arent punished, but this is politics... So, if the State pays up, Public Employees could sacrifice (more) by paying a bit more into their defined benefit plans...  this should not be so much as to constitute effective Theft of the pension for political expedience.

Fifth:  The rich, who own our politicians, dont pay their fair share as a percent of income.   They need to pay more.

That is my ANSWER.   Politically impossible?  a very determined and cohesive set of Democrats could do it.  

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by: nsodano @ Mon Feb 21, 2011 at 01:18:40 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

And healthcare? (0.00 / 0)

"Where ever you go, there you are." - Buckaroo Bonzai

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by: William Weber (WjcW) @ Tue Feb 22, 2011 at 13:28:14 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

A rush to the bottom (0.00 / 0)

I think you hit on what keeps getting lost in the whole "public workers have it good" rhetoric we hear from the right (and many in the center). While oligopolies get bailouts, are able to help write their own regulations, are able to influence elections, buy politicians, all with relative impunity, it always seems to be workers who are to blame. Meanwhile, well paid managers at these large corporations, such as the managers at my company, grumble about lazy union workers with quotes like "they should have it as bad as I do" or "I have to work on President Day but they don't." We have overseas offices so the grumbling even includes criticism of our employees in countries like France or Germany where labor conditions are more favorable ("they get too many weeks vacation!"). In all, the rhetoric that people have bought into is that everyone should have it worse off while leaving the powerful unscathed. I propose another way of thinking: perhaps everyone should have it better by re-examining the privilege and wealth that the powerful enjoy at the expense of society as a whole.

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by: Alex @ Mon Feb 21, 2011 at 12:49:56 PM UTC