Comments on: Senator: Five Percent State Pension Too High http://www.northescambia.com/2011/02/senator-five-percent-state-pension-too-high Local News for Molino, Bratt, McDavid, Century, Walnut Hill, Cantonment Sat, 25 Apr 2026 20:00:33 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: cnc http://www.northescambia.com/2011/02/senator-five-percent-state-pension-too-high/comment-page-1#comment-76231 cnc Tue, 01 Mar 2011 03:32:25 +0000 http://www.northescambia.com/?p=45802#comment-76231 ill tell you a good place to start cutting benifits. it is at the county level. our commissioners get retirement after serving 5 years. this rule to the best of my knowledge goes all the way up to the top executives of our nation. if they are fortunate enough to get elected to a second term they get retirement. so after 8 years what benefits are they intitled to. if everyone else in society has to work a lifetime, ages 18-68, which is 50 years. Why should our elected officials start getting retirement after serving 5 years, a mere 10% of the rest of societies work life. i will tell you why. it is because these elcted officials vote on their own destiny. For the rest of the world this would be considered a conflict of interest. Can anyone enlighten me or the rest of our unknowing citizens on this situation?? ill tell you a good place to start cutting benifits. it is at the county level. our commissioners get retirement after serving 5 years. this rule to the best of my knowledge goes all the way up to the top executives of our nation. if they are fortunate enough to get elected to a second term they get retirement. so after 8 years what benefits are they intitled to. if everyone else in society has to work a lifetime, ages 18-68, which is 50 years. Why should our elected officials start getting retirement after serving 5 years, a mere 10% of the rest of societies work life. i will tell you why. it is because these elcted officials vote on their own destiny. For the rest of the world this would be considered a conflict of interest. Can anyone enlighten me or the rest of our unknowing citizens on this situation??

]]> By: SW http://www.northescambia.com/2011/02/senator-five-percent-state-pension-too-high/comment-page-1#comment-76182 SW Mon, 28 Feb 2011 21:25:17 +0000 http://www.northescambia.com/?p=45802#comment-76182 It's easy to call folks names; please prove your point. I guess these government workers who claim to be doing the job for love of the job aren't as sincere as we might be led to believe. When talk comes to money, they tend to threaten to bail. I say bail. It’s easy to call folks names; please prove your point.

I guess these government workers who claim to be doing the job for love of the job aren’t as sincere as we might be led to believe. When talk comes to money, they tend to threaten to bail.

I say bail.

]]> By: Scott http://www.northescambia.com/2011/02/senator-five-percent-state-pension-too-high/comment-page-1#comment-76083 Scott Mon, 28 Feb 2011 10:03:59 +0000 http://www.northescambia.com/?p=45802#comment-76083 Local Yocal is ignorant. Local Yocal is ignorant.

]]> By: just another LEO http://www.northescambia.com/2011/02/senator-five-percent-state-pension-too-high/comment-page-1#comment-76010 just another LEO Sun, 27 Feb 2011 22:02:58 +0000 http://www.northescambia.com/?p=45802#comment-76010 I work in Corrections.....6 yrs....no raises. We've had increases in our insurances. Now they want us to pay our retirement. Why do we risk our lives every day? For what????? The inmates are much worse now. They are younger with more time and NO respect. If these changes keep coming, I'll cut my losses & retire. I can push buggies and greet customers AND live. This state has really messed up with Scott. Change is not a bad thing. The public needs to be involved more. This man obviously has too much power without our voices being heard. I work in Corrections…..6 yrs….no raises. We’ve had increases in our insurances. Now they want us to pay our retirement.

Why do we risk our lives every day? For what?????

The inmates are much worse now. They are younger with more time and NO respect. If these changes keep coming, I’ll cut my losses & retire. I can push buggies and greet customers AND live.

This state has really messed up with Scott. Change is not a bad thing. The public needs to be involved more. This man obviously has too much power without our voices being heard.

]]> By: SW http://www.northescambia.com/2011/02/senator-five-percent-state-pension-too-high/comment-page-1#comment-75729 SW Sat, 26 Feb 2011 11:12:47 +0000 http://www.northescambia.com/?p=45802#comment-75729 I guess state worker isn't as dedicated as he/she would have us believe. As a former government employee (law enforcement and corrections) for 14 years, I know how it feels to work 2 jobs and sacrifice time away from home; I know how it feels to sacrifice my job for my family. I loved my job; however, I finally decided to find a job that allowed me to make more money and I took it. It became about me and my family. Maybe I wasn't as dedicated to my 'career' as I thought, either. (Go ahead and challenge my dedication-purple heart and commendation of valor) If one isn't making the money one needs to maintain a lifestyle, one of two things must happen-1) lower the lifestyle; or 2) increase the money. If increasing the money means changing jobs or working multiple jobs, then that is the option. If there are no jobs where one is, one goes to where the jobs are. Having your retirement paid for you is a free ride; doesn't matter how you figure it. Contributing to your own retirement might actually get you a better retirement and give you a tax break in the meantime...who knows? No one has taken time to find out; everyone is just screaming about the change...WAITAMINIT! I thought everyone wanted change. An equitable solution would be to allow those who have reached a certain point to continue with the program they started under and require all others to start under a new system; what that dividing point would be is certainly an arguable one. Maybe there would be a group who would have parts of both worlds as a transition. Quite honestly, government's job is to protect us, i.e., law enforcement, fire, courts, jails. Everything else should be on us, locally. A free market could provide for medical, i.e. privately owned ambulances hospitals, etc. I'll go so far as to say that teachers are not a required part of our collective government's function; nor are many of the administrative functions of the behemoth we call government-state, local, and federal. If all teachers walked off the job, then the task of educating our children would fall back on the parents; I bet some creative parents would probably hire a tutor/teacher to teach their children to read, write, and do math. I bet that teacher would do okay by being paid by those parents; probably be able to negotiate a salary and get paid per child and have smaller classrooms; wasn't this system in place until just a few years ago anyway? Was it all that bad? Colleges were private, too. Who says that everyone must be educated? That's not government's job; it is our personal responsibility to ourselves and our children. Does a government issued license make a person more qualified to do a task? Does having a driver's license make better drivers? Does having a teaching certificate make for better teachers? Does having a business license make for better business? Does a marriage license make better marriages? I think not. It is just a way for government to tax every part of our lives. If those in government service (other than law enforcement, jails, courts, military, and fire service) don't like the salary being offered: walk off, quit, strike, whatever; I bet it won't be long before some creative private free enterprise capitalist figures out a way to provide a similar service for less money maybe even provide it more efficiently and better...who knows? Listen to what society is saying. The taxed can't pay any more. Those who live off those taxes can't demand any more. I have the utmost respect for those who sacrifice life and limb for my personal safety, i.e., law enforcement, corrections, courts, military--I'll pay for that service; who knows, if we got other unnecessary functions of government off our backs, we might be able to pay more. (Of course, historically, those professions haven't paid well). Others who live off the tax dollar can't demand more of us than we are willing or able to pay. I guess state worker isn’t as dedicated as he/she would have us believe.

As a former government employee (law enforcement and corrections) for 14 years, I know how it feels to work 2 jobs and sacrifice time away from home; I know how it feels to sacrifice my job for my family. I loved my job; however, I finally decided to find a job that allowed me to make more money and I took it. It became about me and my family. Maybe I wasn’t as dedicated to my ‘career’ as I thought, either. (Go ahead and challenge my dedication-purple heart and commendation of valor)

If one isn’t making the money one needs to maintain a lifestyle, one of two things must happen-1) lower the lifestyle; or 2) increase the money. If increasing the money means changing jobs or working multiple jobs, then that is the option.

If there are no jobs where one is, one goes to where the jobs are.

Having your retirement paid for you is a free ride; doesn’t matter how you figure it. Contributing to your own retirement might actually get you a better retirement and give you a tax break in the meantime…who knows? No one has taken time to find out; everyone is just screaming about the change…WAITAMINIT! I thought everyone wanted change.

An equitable solution would be to allow those who have reached a certain point to continue with the program they started under and require all others to start under a new system; what that dividing point would be is certainly an arguable one. Maybe there would be a group who would have parts of both worlds as a transition.

Quite honestly, government’s job is to protect us, i.e., law enforcement, fire, courts, jails. Everything else should be on us, locally. A free market could provide for medical, i.e. privately owned ambulances hospitals, etc.

I’ll go so far as to say that teachers are not a required part of our collective government’s function; nor are many of the administrative functions of the behemoth we call government-state, local, and federal. If all teachers walked off the job, then the task of educating our children would fall back on the parents; I bet some creative parents would probably hire a tutor/teacher to teach their children to read, write, and do math. I bet that teacher would do okay by being paid by those parents; probably be able to negotiate a salary and get paid per child and have smaller classrooms; wasn’t this system in place until just a few years ago anyway? Was it all that bad? Colleges were private, too. Who says that everyone must be educated? That’s not government’s job; it is our personal responsibility to ourselves and our children.

Does a government issued license make a person more qualified to do a task? Does having a driver’s license make better drivers? Does having a teaching certificate make for better teachers? Does having a business license make for better business? Does a marriage license make better marriages? I think not. It is just a way for government to tax every part of our lives.

If those in government service (other than law enforcement, jails, courts, military, and fire service) don’t like the salary being offered: walk off, quit, strike, whatever; I bet it won’t be long before some creative private free enterprise capitalist figures out a way to provide a similar service for less money maybe even provide it more efficiently and better…who knows?

Listen to what society is saying. The taxed can’t pay any more. Those who live off those taxes can’t demand any more. I have the utmost respect for those who sacrifice life and limb for my personal safety, i.e., law enforcement, corrections, courts, military–I’ll pay for that service; who knows, if we got other unnecessary functions of government off our backs, we might be able to pay more. (Of course, historically, those professions haven’t paid well).

Others who live off the tax dollar can’t demand more of us than we are willing or able to pay.

]]> By: State worker http://www.northescambia.com/2011/02/senator-five-percent-state-pension-too-high/comment-page-1#comment-75630 State worker Fri, 25 Feb 2011 20:42:41 +0000 http://www.northescambia.com/?p=45802#comment-75630 Well I guess if we could get a raise for the six years that we haven't had one, get paid for the overtime we do instead of a extra day off maybe there wouldn't be such a big problem paying into our retirement. We've been robbed long enough. But when it changes I'll be leaving along with several others. So know that the crime rate will rise and the inmates will watch themselves cause we will only do as much as our pay is worth...it will just be a job and no longer a career Well I guess if we could get a raise for the six years that we haven’t had one, get paid for the overtime we do instead of a extra day off maybe there wouldn’t be such a big problem paying into our retirement. We’ve been robbed long enough. But when it changes I’ll be leaving along with several others. So know that the crime rate will rise and the inmates will watch themselves cause we will only do as much as our pay is worth…it will just be a job and no longer a career

]]> By: veteranmedic http://www.northescambia.com/2011/02/senator-five-percent-state-pension-too-high/comment-page-1#comment-75563 veteranmedic Fri, 25 Feb 2011 16:56:00 +0000 http://www.northescambia.com/?p=45802#comment-75563 Local Yocal, use your skills and figure this out, as a firefighter/paramedic I make roughly 35,000 a year, I start out before taxes at roughly $1500. I pay over $400 a check in (family) insurance premiums plus my taxes. Leaves roughly $700. I have a $750 month mortgage and car payments of $500 together. I have gas, groceries and auto insurance. I haven't taken my family out in forever because the extra money isn't there. Being a firefighter we don't get extra overtime. Now the state wants my families money to pay for my retirement? Where am I suppose to find it? Please show me or anyone who says it's a free ride? I have to work extra jobs and average roughly 16 hours (awake) with my family a week. I don't see my wife nor my children but you say Im getting a free ride? Local Yocal, use your skills and figure this out, as a firefighter/paramedic I make roughly 35,000 a year, I start out before taxes at roughly $1500. I pay over $400 a check in (family) insurance premiums plus my taxes. Leaves roughly $700. I have a $750 month mortgage and car payments of $500 together. I have gas, groceries and auto insurance. I haven’t taken my family out in forever because the extra money isn’t there. Being a firefighter we don’t get extra overtime. Now the state wants my families money to pay for my retirement? Where am I suppose to find it? Please show me or anyone who says it’s a free ride? I have to work extra jobs and average roughly 16 hours (awake) with my family a week. I don’t see my wife nor my children but you say Im getting a free ride?

]]> By: ProudArmyParent http://www.northescambia.com/2011/02/senator-five-percent-state-pension-too-high/comment-page-1#comment-75542 ProudArmyParent Fri, 25 Feb 2011 15:12:37 +0000 http://www.northescambia.com/?p=45802#comment-75542 Local Yocal, State employees haven't seen a pay raise since 2007! Most make under 40K a year. And you reward them for staying on the job by making them pay more for their Medical and Retirement. What is wrong with this picture? Local Yocal,
State employees haven’t seen a pay raise since 2007! Most make under 40K a year. And you reward them for staying on the job by making them pay more for their Medical and Retirement. What is wrong with this picture?

]]> By: Jack http://www.northescambia.com/2011/02/senator-five-percent-state-pension-too-high/comment-page-1#comment-75529 Jack Fri, 25 Feb 2011 14:02:03 +0000 http://www.northescambia.com/?p=45802#comment-75529 Northend Alumni..Teachers also taught the politicians that have got us in to this mess. Northend Alumni..Teachers also taught the politicians that have got us in to this mess.

]]> By: Jack http://www.northescambia.com/2011/02/senator-five-percent-state-pension-too-high/comment-page-1#comment-75527 Jack Fri, 25 Feb 2011 14:00:16 +0000 http://www.northescambia.com/?p=45802#comment-75527 LocalYocal...Maybe we should "let them eat cake". Say hello to Marie. LocalYocal…Maybe we should “let them eat cake”. Say hello to Marie.

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