WHEN YOU SAY THAT UNIONS ARE AMERICA’S GREATEST THREAT, I TOOK YOU ARE YOUR WORD. GIVEN YOUR HATRED OF PUBLIC EMPLOYEES, WHY SHOULD I BE SURPRISED?

I just love your comment to Metaphysical …”But instead of working to improve your benefits, you want to tear theirs down. ”

YOUR pension & benefits are unaffordable anywhere/anytime. Private Sector employers know that, and cannot and will not ever provide such unsustainable benefits …. as they’ll go broke in short order.

YOU, only the other hand are quite happy with personally receiving these excessive benefits …. because your taxes and contributions pay only for a VERY small portion of this pot of gold.

Time to wash up …. your entitlement mentality is rearing its ugly head.

As for my earlier comment that public sector unions are America’s greatest threat, of course I meant “financial” (not military). Don’t play so dumb, you know what I meant.

I stand by that comment. In fact, within the last few weeks I believe Gov. Schwarzenegger said something almost identical to it. What’s the matter, the truth hurts ? Your Union and other very similar greedy Unions are a major cause of the dire financial crisis spreading across cities and towns all across the land. Between the greed and the quid pro quo with city & town councils supposedly “negotiating” at arms length (but really in cahoots with you) you are destroying this great country.

As to Metaphysical, I finally see what’s bothering you. Plain old jealousy. Now I have no problem with you thinking that public employees have better benefits than you do. But instead of working to improve your benefits, you want to tear theirs down.

Why shouldn’t all workers–public and private–have decent pensions and health care coverage?

Incidentally, TL said that “public sector unions are America’s greatest threat.” That’s pretty damn simple and straightforward. Maybe you have to “extrapolate” that. I don’t. I know exactly where he’s coming from. And it scare the hell out of me that he fears his fellow Americans and the organizations to which they belong more than he fears real terrorists. Sounds to me like you agree with him, at least subconsciously, Metaphysical. And that scares the hell out of me even more.

Public unions ARE a significant threat to our long term fiscal health. Just look at Greece for an example of what happens when unions get too powerful. Union greed (yes, greed) is killing taxpayers across the nation & causing muni budgets to implode. Nobody else gets to “retire” in a little as 20 years. Why the hell do you think you are special, more entitled or better than the rest of us? You’re not. We’re finally waking, which has you scared. Good.

Didn’t anyone ever teach you to read ?

“Public Sertor Unions are…America’s greatest threat.” Tough Love

He says “We can agree on some needed reforms, like pension spiking and maybe a closer look at six-figure pensions. But morons who brand all public servants as crooks and who say that public servants are worse than Al Queda terrorists are beyond reason and not worthy of any more of my valuable time.”

At least he now sees that spiking & 6 figure pensions are an issue. That alone is progress! I don’t recall anyone comparing public servants to terrorists, but pubic unions are well known for their scorched earth tactics & ruinous effects on budgets & taxpayers. It is NO coincidence that states with the highest amount of public unions are in the deepest trouble. Take note CA, ILL, NY, and NJ…….

The $21,000 avg you quote (if true) is the average of all current retiree pensions … INCLUDING those who only had short careers, as well as part-timers. As such it is a MEANINGLESS figure. What would be meaningful is what a full time, full 30-year career employee retiring TODAY would get (perhaps shown separately for safety workers VS others).

My point … indisputable … is that whatever that pension figure is, not the full amount, but the portion NOT paid by you, but that share paid-for by the taxpayers, would be 2-4 times that of a similarly situated (in PAY, years of service, and age at retirement) Private sector worker, and that multiple would rise to 4-6 times for Cops & Firemen.

When taken TOGETHER with the fact that Public Sector pay alone now EXCEEDS that of comparable Private Sector jobs (per the US Gov’t BLS), there is absolutely no justification for ANY degree of greater pensions & benefits for Civil Servants …. let alone these ridiculous multiples.

For the last time, here is one irrefutable FACT: The average pension benefit paid by CalPERS is only about $21,000 a year for someone with 20 years of service. That means that roughly have of all retired public employees receive LESS than $21,000 a year. There is NOTHING obscene or excessive about a person receiving a pension of $21,000 a year or less, no matter how Tough Love, Metaphysical, and the late arriving Brockton Boxer try to spin it.

We can agree on some needed reforms, like pension spiking and maybe a closer look at six-figure pensions. But morons who brand all public servants as crooks and who say that public servants are worse than Al Queda terrorists are beyond reason and not worthy of any more of my valuable time.

StevefromSacto out.