What you say about the typical recipient may well be correct. However, there is a shocking amount of abuse of this system in some places. I do think that $$$ problem should cost the pension and not the taxpayer. Only a few need pee in the pool to mess it up for all.

If Idaho is still in fairly good shape?? Then let this be a warning to the community and leaders to keep it that way. That means the courage to reverse the trends.

PS: Becha $5 the Idaho media won’t touch this. Gives me hope when a national outlet did.

PPS: It’s not clear yet, but it seems the internet may be shrinking the population of apathetic voters/non-voters.

Like I said, the dream of a decent retirement for public employees is a farce. Just look around at all the courthouses and see all the recently retired cops coming back to work part time as front door security officers to make ends meet. I’m sure it’s no better for teachers or other public employees either.

We State employees have accepted their special benefits because we know they are less likely to screw with the system if they are beneficiaries.

Few realize that many legislators run for office for one reason. They and their families are covered by the State health care insurance plan. This is very desirable since many of them are self employed or farmers and don’t have access to a group plan.

I believe the Statesman article said something about the new defined contribution plan could be just for new hires or could be implemented for current employees.

EDITOR NOTE–Thanks Clancy, we weren’t aware of the Statesman piece.

We voted for term limits, two or three times and passed th measure. Public officials sued. It was challenged all the way to the Supremes. They found the issue was valid and sent it to the legislature. The legislature then dutifully canned it.

That same legislature, the ones who thumb their noses at term limits are what? Going to enact a law counterproductive to their own selfish interests? When pigs fly.

Politicos gaming the system? Wonder of wonders for the most Republican state in the nation. They want to destroy Social Security and the few defined pension plans left. Thank you party of NOthing for you, stupid wage slave.

EDITOR NOTE–And we remember a prosperous small businessman who left free enterprise for the security and comfort of government employment. 🙂

Leave it up to the politicos to screw it up. Been in law enforcement Since 1984.

Now on the eve of reaching the rule of 80, they want to take away what little I will be getting in retirement.

You know this seems a bit unfair when you consider we don’t even get to choose whether or not we want a private 401k or PERSI.

Guess I’ll be working till the day I die too.

EDITOR NOTE–Don’t know where everyone is getting the idea government workers are getting screwed out of something. The issue is two-fold. Part time politicos diddle the system and get pensions based on high pay for a short period of time. #2 is the fact the system is victim of the hard times and there simply isn’t enough revenue coming in to continue defined benefits. In the private sector today you need well over $1 million salted away to yield an annual income of just $30,000…and that is based on a whopping 3% return which is hard to find these days.

I have a family member who is a teacher making well over $50k/yr for 180 days of work. The math works like this. She makes $305/day and if you multiply that by the 237 day work year of most folks that comes to the equivalent of $72,285.00!

Don’t like the pay or Mr. Luna then take the private sector job with longer hours, fewer holidays, no defined pension, and no tenure laws.