Comments on: Legislators push for higher taxes

By: Bill Wheat

Bill Wheat — Thu, 13 May 2010 17:28:53 +0000

I appreciates Terry Mock’s objectivity. There are several facts missing to put this in perspective; 1. Age at time of retirement. 2. Health Care Cost to him and the total cost of health care, vs an individual receiving medicare, their cost and the government cost. 3. 91% is not much of a hardship over continuing to work. and 4th. Does he have a suggestion for reform for those already retired?

Thanks for the forum. In response to Sand’s ice berg melt, There will be a exodus alright, but it will be tax payers leaving for a state with a balanced tax/spending environment. The Unions need to heed a warning and create a reform of those already retired, not just the new hires and the far distant cost in the future.

By: Terry Mock

Terry Mock — Wed, 12 May 2010 21:29:20 +0000

I worked for the County of San Bernardino for 32 years and retired with a “bonus incentive” last year. Our county retirement investment program is very solvent and rated highly in the nation. I retired on 91% of my salary(Note: NO 6-figure income! I was a “grunt” worker but very thankful for my retirement benefits. I recognize though that this cannot go on forever, without having a bustling economy. I am not eligible for Social Security or Medicare. This may really hurt me and other county employees in similsr circumstances when we reach age 65 or 66. Sad to say that such good retirement benefits cannot be enjoyed by all. We DO need public pension plan reform.

By: Sand

Sand — Wed, 12 May 2010 19:45:51 +0000

I have two choices as I see it….#1 apply for a State job before any pension reform goes through (ha ha) or #2 move to Arizona. I have stated on several occasions that this is MY state, I was born and raised here, with abut 10 years to go till I can retire (hopefully)….but now I may have to reconsider and head for the hills. I’m begining to think that the ice bergs melting is a good thing, maybe California will be flooded in to non-existence and we can start from scratch. Come on global warming!! (sarcasm : )

By: BAKO TOM

BAKO TOM — Wed, 12 May 2010 17:28:20 +0000

I have about five years to go before I can retire (I hope). When I do I am out of here. There is no way California is going to tax my retirement in excess to pay for the outragous retirement packages the public unions get. Let the countdown begin!

By: Joe Lettieri

Joe Lettieri — Wed, 12 May 2010 16:29:50 +0000

GAG

By: OCO

OCO — Wed, 12 May 2010 15:20:54 +0000

Yes, now that CA is BK, they wille xpect DC to bailout the state-which they did with the so called stimulas money- which went to keep GOV employees employed.

CA cannot run budget deficits nor print money-but DC can do it for them. Then the entire nation bails out our $200K per year comped GED workforce.

I am sure TX and the other states will be happy to spend THEIR money on bailing out a bankrupted CA.

By: EastBayLarry

EastBayLarry — Thu, 06 May 2010 02:31:59 +0000

Politicians are pounded by the voters to DO SOMETHING! But none of them have the intestinal fortitude to make cuts in speanding and thereby anger some portion of their supposed constituancy, so they raise taxes.

Perhaps the politicians would benefit from playing SimCity for a few hours. Watching their citizens leave after every tax hike might give them the clue they need eventually.

By: Anthony Tarquinto

Anthony Tarquinto — Thu, 06 May 2010 00:29:06 +0000

The bottom line is this: before the end of the fiscal year California will be completely out of cash (again). With the major rating agencies downgrading California, we can’t borrow anymore. If California gets ANY bailout money from Washington (in the form of the usual “interest-free loans”, “grants”, “special one-time infusions” or however they want to disguise it, solvent states like Texas will no longer participate in America.