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Name:	au67 -	Reply
Subject:	Pelosi's wish list
Date:	1/6/2018 5:03:03 PM

“Job training for workers”
“Treatment for people addicted to #opioids”
“Provide the VA with urgently needed resources to keep America’s promise to #veterans”
“Help #PuertoRico & #USVI in ongoing effort to rebuild in the wake of massive hurricanes”
“Give a helping hand to communities devastated by #wildfires”
“Make a meaningful step towards saving pensions for some of the millions of Americans whose retirement savings are at risk”
“Increase @StateDept funding”
“Help families gain access to high-speed internet”

Rather than build the wall, this is what Nancy thinks would be a better use of taxpayer's money. I post this without comment.

Name:	Talullahhound -	Reply
Subject:	Pelosi's wish list
Date:	1/6/2018 9:35:12 PM

I could live with 2 and 6 to some extent. Other things are ridiculous. Oh, and you left out the "dreamers" - letting them stay and giving them citizenship. And that is ridiculous to me.

Name:	MartiniMan -	Reply
Subject:	MM's wish list
Date:	1/7/2018 12:47:38 PM

Mine is simple, that the Federal govt focus only on those things it should which would shrink it by 30% overnight. Not sure which pensions Pelosi is thinking about since the vast majority of private entities no longer have them. So we are left with Federal, state and local govt workers who have been given ridiculously handsome pensions at the expense of the taxpayer. And most of them, particularly in blue states, are wildly underfunded and need to be reformed. In the good old days govt workers exchanged higher wages found in the private sector for very good benefits, lots of time off, job security and a good pension. As we now have seen, govt workers are being paid very well (often better than the private sector) and still have all the other goodies. This has to stop because it is fiscal insanity.

Name:	lucky67 -	Reply
Subject:	Pelosi's wish list
Date:	1/7/2018 4:35:40 PM

# 6--INTERPRETATION----take some of YOUR pension & give to others who dont work

Name:	Talullahhound -	Reply
Subject:	MM's wish list
Date:	1/7/2018 10:01:14 PM

Just to clarify, MM I think that you are only thinking of government workers in the DC area. Yes, it has a higher compensation level, it is that way because they have a hard time now getting people to move to Washington, the cost of living is much, much higher there. But there are plenty of government workers outside of DC who aren't making big bucks. When I was in DC, yes, I made a very good salary - and the reason for that is that I made decisions that could affect the outcome of multimillion dollar deals by industry. And then I managed the agency I worked at and had 250 people working for me. I had years of technical exeperience and I had years of managment experience. And that is what the taxpayers paid for.

I have no idea about State and county employees what they get.

I know you like to belittle government workers, but I had 17 people that had PhD, and most others had at least a masters. There is no extra compensation when you work beyond your 8 hours and after a certain level you generally need to. I don't buy the idea that only lazy people go to work for the government, because I know at leaast DoD, that is not mainstream.

But beyond the govenment retirement system, a lot of people were left high and dry when companies stopped paying Pensions. There is a special government agency that works on behalf of the workers to get them some compensation when a company goes out of business, but it is usually pennies on the dollar. I don't imagine that it feels too good when you have been paying into a pension for a number of years, and it gets blown away into the wind. I am sympathetic to those when social security is mandatory, then the govenment took that money and frittered it away, and now refer to SS as "entitlement" and say that it might not be there in the future. So I guess what I am sayhing is that I have no problem if the govenment can figure out how to fix SS, and find a way to help those that lost their penions due to bad managment or companies that left them high and dry.

Name:	MartiniMan -	Reply
Subject:	MM's wish list
Date:	1/8/2018 5:40:17 PM

First of all, I am not belittling govt employees en masse.....remember, my wife worked for EPA for 9 years and I am not that dumb. :-) I work with them every day at the Federal, state and local level and there are lots of very qualified people with all the education you see in the business world. Some are very good, some mediocre and some awful....just like the private sector. But there is a reason for the general public's ire that goes well beyond the long lines at the DMV. Check out some recent studies of govt pay and you will see it goes well beyond DC. I know because I interview them on a regular basis and when you add up the salary, benefits, insurance, time off, etc. they are very well paid. It's not just the take home, it is their total compensation that has gotten out of whack.

So based on my experience talking to them, Federal and state workers are very well paid, local not so much. But the pension system, especially for state employees is ridiculous and is wildy underfunded, especially in states like Illinois, California, Massachusetts and other left ing paradises. That means it has to be paid by the taxpayers who are left with SS, 401k or IRA's. We see state workers that have put in 20 years that are getting 80% of their end salary for the rest of their lives. Many of them will make more after they retired than they did in the entire careers.

As for private companies, indeed many of them could no longer afford their pension programs. And many lost their pensions after a bankruptcy. But the vast majority of private companies didn't take the pension away, they just stopped contributing to them and their employees had to switch to 401k programs.

Name:	Talullahhound -	Reply
Subject:	MM's wish list
Date:	1/8/2018 11:11:13 PM

I guess I don't understand why you consider their "total compensation" ridicuously out of whack. Are you aware that the "old" retirement system was replaced in the 1980s by a new system that isn't anywhere near as generous as the old system. We all had a chance to chnage over at that time, but I stayed with the old system, because it made sense at that point in my career. I don't know how you can judge that they are overpaid. Yes, after 15 years, they get 26 days of vacation a year, but the sad truth is that most people don't use it all. The sick leave is 8 hours per month, and yes, they can accumulate it, but in the government and you get sick, you get charged for every hour that you are out. There is no "grace" when you run out and you don't get paid They can take a disability retirement if it is something long term, but it is not very generous at all. It's not the great deal you seem to think it is, and given the budget issues with Congress not wanting to fund the govenrment for more than 6 weeks at a time. I would not encourage a young person to pursue the government as a career anymore. I have no problem with Trumps plans to reduce the size of the workforce, but I'd like to see it done in an orderly manner and not on Congressional whim and inability to pass a budget.

Name:	MartiniMan -	Reply
Subject:	MM's wish list
Date:	1/9/2018 9:01:25 AM (updated 1/9/2018 9:05:38 AM)

Let me explain and please understand, I am not talking about just Federal employees. I am referring to govt at all levels including state and local and I can assure you the pensions are just amazing. Just do a search for underfunded pension liability and you will see what I mean.

A govt worker salary is being paid using the hard earned money of your average taxpayer taken at the point of a gun. We have no choice and that is a fact. Now we all pay someone for the goods and services we use but we have the ability to let our feet do the walking so to speak if they want to charge too much, provide poor service or the goods are not of sufficient quality, durability, etc. Not so with govt workers as we have no choice but to go to the local DMV, let EPA inspect our property if they want, go and sit down with your friendly IRS agent if they come a calling and so on. So yes, I resent not having any say in which govt worker I have to deal with or which agency or having to pay them at the point of a gun using my hard earned dollars when they make as much as us and have better benefits. If I resent how much Jeff Bezos is worth I can choose not to buy anything from Amazon (which I do by the way because I don't resent his net worth).

And unlike the private sector, if you work for the govt (other than political appointees) it is darn near impossible to be fired regardless of the quality of work or whether you actually accomplish some task. And believe me, I know this from 30 years of experience working with the govt. In the not so distant past, a person exchanged all the perks of working for the govt for the higher compensation they might be able to get in the private sector. That was a uniquely American thing because we didn't see the govt of the source and summit of life as they do in Europe. In fact, go look at Europe as an example of how it is out of whack. The "Job" to get, the brass ring of employment is a govt job. People in Europe actually work in the private sector to get the experience to be able to land that permanent govt job where they make lots of money, have total job security and get to run other people's lives.

Let me ask you some questions. Why should govt workers get every holiday under the sun off when private companies cannot afford that? Why should govt workers get more PTO than private companies can afford to give their employees? Why should govt employees get a full pension tied to their last salary after only 20 years when private companies cannot afford that? Why should it be nearly impossible to fire a govt employee when private companies can have employment at will policies and if you don't perform you get laid off?

The answer is that the govt had to provide all these perks because in the past they could not match private sector compensation. It was a trade off. And there was never a problem filling all the vacancies because there were plenty of people willing to make that exchange. But that has all been turned on its head and I have a problem with that because I can't decide not to use them because they provide lousy service or cost too much and I can't decide not to pay their ridiculous salary and benefits because the govt will come calling with their guns and take my money. If I don't like Apple products, Apple won't send their goons to force me to pay them (not yet anyway). Or if I decide to buy my gas from QuikTrip because it is cheaper, BP doesn't have the ability to call the local sherriff and have them escort me to their station. Not so with the govt. That is why I have a problem with their total compensation.

Name:	Talullahhound -	Reply
Subject:	MM's wish list
Date:	1/9/2018 7:50:58 PM

So you would punish all for some that don't live up to your service standards? Believe it or not, impressing and satisfying priviate individuals and companies is not part of the mission. I always made it my personal mission, because I don't believe that having an adversarial relations with people that would have to live with my decisions. And I am a big believer that compromise is usually possible. A private company wants decisions that favor them; yet, the mission is to make things fair across the board and from a strategic perspective. Now I have dealt with government people whose attitude sucked.

I really don't have much knowledge of what goes on with state and local government. We've had a couple of disappointing rounds with Social Security and VA.

Name:	MartiniMan -	Reply
Subject:	MM's wish list
Date:	1/9/2018 8:23:03 PM

Hound, you are not getting my point. Why should govt employees get better perks and the same or better wages, all paid for by us taxpayers at the point of a gun? We pay for them and have no choice. However, they do get to choose to work for the govt or the private sector. They used to do it for less pay and better perks. Now they get both. And they can keep those sweet jobs regardless of how they perform. That is just plain wrong.

Name:	MrHodja -	Reply
Subject:	MM's wish list
Date:	1/9/2018 11:25:21 PM

MM, I have to take issue with your repeated use of the phrase "at the point of a gun". While you probably don't mean that literally, the reason we have to pay is that the officials we elected enacted those laws and created those agencies that require us to dig into our pockets and "render unto Caesar". The election of Donald Trump is a prime example of the voters saying "enough is enough" at the ballot box and by electing him we are beginning to see the tax burden lessen. Until enough voters kick the big spenders out of Congress we will continue to be required to ante up.

I agree with the concept of the T.E.A. Party but unfortunately it got branded - to the glee of the left wing big spenders - as a bunch of crazies and kooks. The testimony of Becky Garritsen (sp?) before Congress tells it all. This lady from little bitty Wetumpka, Alabama provided a moving description of how the government turned from being a servant of the people to the people's master, and in so doing we can no longer recognize today's America as the country we grew to love in our early years.

Name:	MartiniMan -	Reply
Subject:	MM's wish list
Date:	1/10/2018 9:25:55 AM

Of course most of us don't literally pay taxes at the point of a gun because we are law abiding citizens. But I can assure you if you decided not to pay your taxes they are coming after you and they will be armed. So that terminology is a bit of hyperbole meant to make the point that we have no choice but to pay them. It reinforces my point about why I am bothered by the compensation and perks that govt employees get compared to the private sector. If Burger King wanted to pay their cashiers $100K per year and wanted to charge me $25 for a Whopper so they could afford it I will take my business to Wendy's. But when some govt overpays their employees along with a lavish pension and better perks than we get in the private sector I have no choice but to continue to pay my taxes, otherwise that point of a gun thing happens.

And you are spot on about how the Federal govt has gotten too big, too expensive and too intrusive. Federalism took a turn for the worse after the Civil War and between Wilson, FDR, LBJ and Obama it went on life support. As much as I wish otherwise, all Trump represents is a speed bump in our gradual decline into another democratic socialist state like we see in Canada and Europe. When liberals got control of education, media and entertainment the indoctrination of an entire generation was inevitable. Young people have no idea what socialism or capitalism are but they prefer the former over the latter. When your mind had been that addled you will vote for the likes of Obama, Hillary, Bernie or whoever the Democrats put up next. Wish I were more optimistic about the fate of the country but I'm not.

Name:	phil -	Reply
Subject:	MM's wish list
Date:	1/10/2018 12:09:30 PM

America has been circling the bowl for sometime - its just a matter of when the last gurgle is going to be.

Name:	MartiniMan -	Reply
Subject:	MM's wish list
Date:	1/10/2018 12:15:44 PM

I try to be an optimist but history tells us otherwise. What is really sad is that a "conservative" in Europe would be right at home in the American Democrat party and a liberal would be at home in the American Communist party. That is pretty much where we are headed as generations of brainwashed youth reach adulthood with minds filled with propaganda. I feel sorry for my children (who are all conservative) and their children and so on. They will suffer the consequences and see their standard of living lowered.

Name:	Talullahhound -	Reply
Subject:	MM's wish list
Date:	1/10/2018 2:16:17 PM

MM, tell me how much you think the average government worker gets paid. I have a feeling that you are way off in your thinking of what the compensation really is. I've heard people in industry complain before about government. The truth is if you don't pay a good salary, you will not get the good people. Now I have heard you argue before than people in goverment are the "lessor" people who couldn't make it in private industry, but that is really not the truth. That is your perception, but it is not necessarily correct.

As far as people being able to stay and not perform, that just isn't true. Yes, there are avenues to fire people and most managers and supervisors would say that they believe they are way too cumberson and take too much time. But in the larger scheme of things, these laws were put in place to protect govenrment employees from being fired on a political whim, or because of a personal vendetta. And honestly, I have known some dead wood in industry. People who were hired for their contacts and just kept on when the contacts just ran out. Before I became Deputy Director of our agency, the position was held by a retired AF colonel - who ran up against mandatory retirement at the big company he worked for. He got free membership at the country club, and the Army/Navy Club in DC, he got a free car, and a very good salary (6 figures + bonus). and what was his job with his company? Escorting visitors around, playing golf. Was he contributing to the bottom line of the company? No. He was kept on by some Retired General who was his boss.

Hodja is right - the govenment workers didn't make the rules. Congress passed these rules a million years ago, and I have not seen an attempt by Congress to seriously overhaul these rules. Different Departments have tried to pass workarounds, but they are very expensive, they are rarely successful, because the infrastructure does not support it.

And BTW, I fired someone the last year I was working. He misappropriate government monies and he was gone in 3 months. But you can withhold step increases, you can make life unpleasant enough for them that they quit.

Name:	Lifer -	Reply
Subject:	MM's wish list
Date:	1/10/2018 6:05:00 PM

Hound in your rebuttal you actually buttress MM's argument. You caught someone "misappropriated" money, AKA stole money and was gone in 3 months. In the private sector if you catch someone stealing they are gone in 3 seconds, not 3 months. You worked in the upper echelon of the DOD. Over the years all of us government employee critics have admitted that those guys are probably a higher caliber employee. Go ahead UT into the club and clues at other agencies like HUD, energy, education and such and it is a different world than what you knew. As for compensation there have been many studies in recent years that show federal government employees are compensated the same or even above comparable private sector jobs, then you throw in benefits and they are quite well. The Peter Principle was defined because of government bureaucracy although it sometimes applies in the private sector also, especially if unions are involved.

Name:	MartiniMan -	Reply
Subject:	MM's wish list
Date:	1/10/2018 7:26:12 PM

I encourage you to look at the recent studies and you will be surprised, especially at the Federal level. I also encourage you to read what I wrote as I stipulated there are good, average and bad workers for the govt, just like the private sector.

And thank you for the news that it took you 3 months to fire someone that stole money as it proves my point. In my company it would take me 15 minutes to boot them out the door for a smilar offense. And we all know that in the govt it is far easier to pass a non-performer off to another dept than fire them. I have 30 years of working on a weely basis with govt employees at the Federal, state and local level and my wife worked 9 years for EPA. I interview govt employees all the time. I know what I am talking about on this issue.

I am not blaming the govt worker that their total compensation is too high....that is an issue with the politicians, political appointees and the management. They should by all means get every penny they can. Doesn't make it right given all my other objections. I think it is safe to say that we come at the from a completely different world view. You view govt employees as deserving to make as much or more than in the private sector. For all the very valid reasons I presented over and over, I completely disagree. I think there is little room for either of us to agree so we can leave it at that.

Name:	Talullahhound -	Reply
Subject:	MM's wish list
Date:	1/10/2018 10:30:19 PM

I've also seen studies that said that government employees were underpaid in comparisons with their industry counterparts. But the truth is, in a lot of things, Government employees have have a unique mission.

I don't doubt that in other agencies things are different. Those agencies don't have the "can do" attitude that is required in DoD.

But looking at it in retrospect, I'm not sure it is a great place to work. The system is set up to limit innovation. The very senior people don't like to change lest it backfire on them. Now their bonus system is outrageous for government.

BTW, speaking of the limitations of government, the VA in Dever is running an average of 42 days to get an appointment. They claim they can't hire enough Drs. and nurses.

Name:	Talullahhound -	Reply
Subject:	MM's wish list
Date:	1/10/2018 10:36:46 PM

Agreed. the guy that I fired didn't steal money. He used govern money to procure a service that was questionable, as was the person he hired to do it. Lets' just say that her credentials were very limited for what she was hired to do. She was also a woman with a website with the option, for a price, you could see her private pictures. And he paid her using Paypal, which is not an authorized payment method. The thing that happened the first day is that he security clearance was pulled and without that, he was escorted from the building. There had to be a further investigation, and then working with personnel to send him a series of letter that are required by the system. It would have been much quicker had he done the honorable thing and resigned immediately.

Name:	GoneFishin -	Reply
Subject:	PENSION BENEFITS
Date:	1/11/2018 1:27:10 AM

When a company goes bankrupt, an employee does not lose their earned pension benefits. The benefits are insured by a federal agency.....

PBGC guarantees the "basic benefits" you earned before your pension plan’s termination date (or the date your employer’s bankruptcy proceeding began, if applicable) up to legal limits set by Congress. Benefits include:

Pension benefits at normal retirement age
Most early retirement benefits
Annuity benefits for survivors of plan participants
Disability benefits (see exception below)

The 2017 maximum monthly guarantee for a 65-year-old retiree is $5,369.32 which amounts to about $64,432 per year.

Name:	Talullahhound -	Reply
Subject:	PENSION BENEFITS
Date:	1/11/2018 11:56:33 AM

The problem is that sometimes people have to settle for pennies on the dollar and most of the time it is no where near the pension they had counted on. I took a class with an official for this little known agency, and that is what he said happens.

I think one thing I will say about pensions - most people went to work with the idea that they would work and end up with a pension into which they have paid. Then comes a time when companies decide that they can't afford a pension program anymore, or the company goes bankrupt, or they just don't want to be bothered administering a pension program. So they stop and the employees are left high and dry, and people are panicked because they counted on that pension. At least this agency tries to help.

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