tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post6291975330427442564..comments2023-10-03T07:01:41.144-05:00Comments on Always On Watch: Semper Vigilans: Federal EmployeesAlways On Watchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-82204342579262350642011-10-04T22:14:15.185-05:002011-10-04T22:14:15.185-05:00Ah government work, pays well if you can get it. P...Ah government work, pays well if you can get it. Pays really well if you're a leftist connected to the democratic party.MathewKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14385674205383405783noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-74660160779118139222011-10-04T15:11:24.762-05:002011-10-04T15:11:24.762-05:00In my view, we can all make the case that we deser...In my view, we can all make the case that we deserve our retirement.<br /><br />Maybe we do.<br /><br />But if that retirement is not funded, well, we won't have it.<br /><br />And the very concept of meriting a pension is a relatively new concept.<br /><br />For me, it's not so much a matter of blaming the retirees themselves. Rather, it's a matter of realities.Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-12397192416450609922011-10-04T12:21:51.164-05:002011-10-04T12:21:51.164-05:00The point you're missing Ticker, is that your ...The point you're missing Ticker, is that your pension and retirement benefits depend upon the federal government adequately funding it. They have NOT. They never HAVE. Like with Social Security and many STATE governments, they NEVER set any money aside (other than very RECENTLY printing a stack of T-Bill IOU's sitting down at Treasury).<br /><br />And in imposing minimum pension standards (ERISA 1974) upon private industry, many companies STOPPED providing private pensions and benefits because they were cost prohibitive. The State and Federal government did NOT (they SHOULD HAVE). All YOU have is a stack of "promises" w/o any backing investments. If you don't get what was promised you, don't blame the taxpayers. Blame the politicians who failed to adequately fund your pension fund. And if you end up with the PBGA minimum, it's YOUR OWN fault for believing them.Speedy Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01640242783952822072noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-18363240683068187452011-10-04T10:39:38.994-05:002011-10-04T10:39:38.994-05:00"But the fact remains that all the salaries a..."But the fact remains that all the salaries and benefits are paid for by the taxpayer"<br />And Federal employees and military are not taxpayers? While we don't cover the entire bill we still pay our share and then some. <br />For many years the Federal employee was usually a returning Vet as they received a bit of preference for jobs. I remember applying for my first job as a GS-3(that was before college ) and the pay was so low that I couldn't afford to take the job since it was located in DC. The cost of living , and there were no allowances for such then, was too much for the small paycheck to bear. I passed, stayed focused on school and then went to work after graduation at CDC as an investigator covering 21 counties and dealing with the less desirable type of folks, such as hookers. It paid less than what my friend made working at Eastman without a degree, plus he worked 40 hours and I, well just worked and drove and drove , arriving home many nights after 8PM if I managed to get home. Motel bills were not covered at that time since they considered the area covered to be one day in and out drive. They had never been to Newport Tn and one little town that required one to drive 100 mile into Kentucky just to get to the town. The roads were not the best. <br />Other employees were assigned overseas in areas less than desirable and not always safe. I had such and they required me to be away from my family for months at a time. What civilian job does that? Dang few. <br />So the pitiful song and dance that we somehow don't pay our share or earn our keep is getting old. <br />I said earlier in this post that there are some who do not earn the paycheck nor the benefits. Who depend on the Unions and the Federal laws to protected their sorry butts from being fired. If you want to hound on those, I'll gladly join in. But for the majority of Federal employees, they earn their keep along with their benefits. And we are not well to do by any means. We suffer just as those in the private sector unless we planned ahead.Tickerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13500388925461726862noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-33011573840680475452011-10-04T05:55:06.328-05:002011-10-04T05:55:06.328-05:00(continued)
Nursing homes did exist before the 20...(continued)<br /><br />Nursing homes did exist before the 20th Century, but not until the 19th Century. From <a href="http://elderlaw.uslegal.com/nursing-homes/history-of-nursing-homes/" rel="nofollow">this source</a>:<br /><br /><i>The concept of a residence set aside solely for the elderly and infirm was unknown until the nineteenth century. Before that, it was understood that elderly people would be taken in by family once they were unable to care for themselves. Those who had no family could rely on servants if they had the financial resources, but for those who were alone and poor the only choice was the local almshouse.<br /><br />As the Industrial Revolution brought more people to cities, families spread out and often people had no local extended family to fall back upon when they were in need. The result was a growing number of single and widowed people who had no one to take care of them in their old age. The first homes for the elderly were established by churches and women’s groups, catering to widows and single women who had limited resources. Homes such as the Indigent Widows’ and Single Women’s Society in Philadelphia and the Home for Aged Women in Boston were a far better option than an almshouse. These early homes were not open to all. Many of them required entrance fees, and some asked for certificates of good character. Requirements like these shut out the neediest, who were still relegated to the almshouse.<br /><br />By the beginning of the twentieth century, sensibilities about caring for the poor and incapacitated had begun to change. Specialized facilities were built for children, the mentally ill, and younger infirm individuals. But little was done for the elderly, and they merely became a larger percentage of the almshouse population. In 1880, one third of the residents of almshouses in the United States were elderly; by 1923, two thirds were elderly.</i><br /><br />I bring up such facilities because many of us will end up in such a facility -- if we live long enough <b>AND</b> even if we life healthy lifestyles.Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-24148600254874140732011-10-04T05:53:04.029-05:002011-10-04T05:53:04.029-05:00Although we today take pension funds for granted, ...Although we today take pension funds for granted, they haven't been around all that long. From <a href="http://www.ebri.org/publications/facts/index.cfm?fa=0398afact" rel="nofollow">this source</a>:<br /><br /><i>1875 -- The American Express Company established the first private pension plan in the United States.<br /><br />Prior to the 1870s private-sector plans did not exist, primarily because most companies were small family-run enterprises. </i><br /><br />See the above link for more on the history of pension plans.<br /><br />My great uncle and great aunt, like my maternal grandparents, were farmers and had no pension plan whatsoever. Their children and grandchildren moved in and took care of their parents and grandparents. In the case of my paternal grandfather, he was demented and had to be confined in a state-run mental hospital for his last year on this earth.<br /><br />In most cases, those who could no longer work didn't live much longer. Today, of course, we generally retire in a state of physical fitness (or relatively so) and expect to live "golden years."<br /><br />Now, once women entered the work force, voluntarily or involuntarily, and once our society became mobile to the point that children and grandchildren were scattered all over the country, nursing homes and other elder care facilities started popping up all over the place. <br /><br />(continued below)Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-27627643120519400692011-10-04T05:42:19.816-05:002011-10-04T05:42:19.816-05:00Speedy,
No pension is immune to "hard times&q...Speedy,<br /><i>No pension is immune to "hard times" and/or financial malfeasance. Not even a government pension...</i><br /><br />That the hard, cold reality.<br /><br />Many who provide essential services will never be able to retire.Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-91774198862846742362011-10-04T05:16:32.245-05:002011-10-04T05:16:32.245-05:00Obama's recent admission although he hedged an...Obama's recent <a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2011/10/03/obama_american_people_not_better_off_than_they_were_four_years_ago.html" rel="nofollow">admission</a> although he hedged and promoted his jobs act and more profligate spending of the taxpayers monies:<br /><br /><i>George Stephanopoulos, ABC News: "And a lot of anger out there. There's so many people who simply don't think they're better off than they were four years ago. How do you convince them that they are?"<br /><br />President Obama: "Well, <b>I don't think they're better off than they were four years ago.... </b></i>Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-66927916763093260082011-10-04T04:49:22.426-05:002011-10-04T04:49:22.426-05:00Debbie,
I remember when I was young, 14 years old,...Debbie,<br /><i>I remember when I was young, 14 years old, I would play piano for a local church when they had funerals ($5.00 per funeral).</i><br /><br />I did the same thing! I was a local church's organist from 1972-1975 and played for both weddings and funerals, the fees for which were not included in my organist salary of $40/month).<br /><br />I also worked my way through college by giving piano lessons on Saturdays. I started doing that before college, too. My mother was disabled, so my parents couldn't afford to pay in full for my college education (I got a full scholarship in cash when I graduated from high school, and that $1000 paid for my first two years of college).Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-85102662015596246062011-10-04T04:45:53.151-05:002011-10-04T04:45:53.151-05:00As if the insanity isn't wild enough, now we h...As if the insanity isn't wild enough, now we have <a href="http://www.idahoreporter.com/2011/like-oregon-idaho-got-some-food-stamp-bonus-money/" rel="nofollow">THIS</a>:<br /><br /><i>Oregon received $5 million in “bonus” money for getting residents there on the food stamp program.<br /><br />As it turns out, Idaho got some cash, too, though not as much as the Beaver State.<br /><br />According to Idaho Department of Health and Welfare spokesman Tom Shanahan, the Gem State took in more than $1.2 million in federal bonus money in 2010. Oregon’s $5 million came in 2011.<br /><br />The money, Shanahan explained, came to his department for efficient work and <b>increasing the number of already-eligible residents who actually take part in the program</b>....</i><br /><br />The Nanny State has taken over!Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-46583220831555518312011-10-04T04:43:32.933-05:002011-10-04T04:43:32.933-05:00Ron,
No wonder the lines are so long for those fed...Ron,<br /><i>No wonder the lines are so long for those federal and state jobs.</i><br /><br />Yes, the lines are long.<br /><br />Here in Virginia, from 1986-2010, state employees didn't pay one red cent into their pension plan. When Mr. AOW worked for the state of Virginia for one year back in the 1970s, he did pay into the fund.<br /><br />I may have said this before....Around the greater Washington, D.C., area, when someone knows that he is ill, he deliberately delays treatment and diagnosis (if possible) and seeks a government job. I've known several with diabetes who did exactly that -- then proceeded to cost the system a fortune. One individual worked for less than 7 years for the county, then retired on disability. I'm sorry for her as she is truly disabled, but the fact remains that she gamed the system <b>AND</b> that the taxpayers are ending up footing the bill for her these past 11 years. <br /><br /><i>I don't think those in the federal system or state systems who are nearing retirement should be punished, but for those new-comers, things must change--heck we can't afford this anymore and thats a fact.</i><br /><br />And that's my point, really.<br /><br />Mr. AOW, as one who is totally disabled (hospital bed in the living room, with a bedside potty), and I'm too old to work two jobs now. I can barely manage to work the one I've got! <br /><br />Many of those nearing retirement are not healthy enough to go out and get another job. Well, if one can find another job in this ailing economy.Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-76060434401707650632011-10-04T04:42:43.066-05:002011-10-04T04:42:43.066-05:00So, when things tank in a bad economy, I'm som...<i>So, when things tank in a bad economy, I'm somehow responsible?</i><br /><br />No, but you're not "immune" either. Bethlehem Steel went belly up. Pension and medical benefits went belly up with them. That was the Steel Worker's Union's fault? The retiree's are getting minimal pensions w/NO medical from the feds from the pension benefit guarantee corporation that the government runs... but it isn't NEARLY what they were "promised".<br /><br />No pension is immune to "hard times" and/or financial malfeasance. Not even a government pension (especially since the feds and states fail to comply with their OWN minimum funding laws". If you don't get your pension, blame THEM.Speedy Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01640242783952822072noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-54970820179401935952011-10-04T04:33:07.671-05:002011-10-04T04:33:07.671-05:00Silverfiddle,
Joe Plunkard is retiring after 26 ye...Silverfiddle,<br /><i>Joe Plunkard is retiring after 26 years and he's bitching?</i><br /><br />Apparently.<br /><br />And notice the end of his letter:<br /><br /><i>I feel the public has had their hand in my pocket long enough.</i><br /><br />Talk about strange logic and an entitlement mentality!Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-21820942095525023652011-10-04T04:29:30.883-05:002011-10-04T04:29:30.883-05:00Ticker,
It would appear that the author of this pi...Ticker,<br /><i>It would appear that the author of this piece has used the mid range employee pay scale as per the GS Pay scale of 2011. rather than the starting scale.</i><br /><br />That may well be so. But we shouldn't forget that benefits are not always included in the figures. Sometimes, but not always. I'll check the link that you left.<br /><br />But the fact remains that all the salaries and benefits are paid for by the taxpayer. <br /><br />The federal employees whom I personally know say, "My employer pays for most of my health insurance premium." When I point out to them that I the taxpayer am ultimately their employer, they get irate.Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-57311479283473166272011-10-04T04:26:09.248-05:002011-10-04T04:26:09.248-05:00Alligator,
I think the long term plan is for the f...Alligator,<br /><i>I think the long term plan is for the federal government to take 100% of everything everyone makes and has and then distribute it equally to all.</i><br /><br />That's the direction that America is going. **sigh**Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-34248975349958585912011-10-04T04:25:27.452-05:002011-10-04T04:25:27.452-05:00Debbie,
It was about that time that many employees...Debbie,<br /><i>It was about that time that many employees across the nation were demanding employers PROVIDE day care, split shifts, shared positions, long maternity leaves (with pay) .... demands, demands, demands, as if it was the DUTY of the employer to do this.</i><br /><br />Thanks for making that point!<br /><br />"Hidden" benefits run wild in certain venues. If it is a public venue, ultimately the taxpayer foots the bill.Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-19771617927831800882011-10-04T04:24:10.632-05:002011-10-04T04:24:10.632-05:00BZ,
But when you change the rules and come for my ...BZ,<br /><i>But when you change the rules and come for my retirement, when I gave unfailing, consistent and professional service to my community with NO Internal Affairs complaints in 30 years --<br /><br />Well then, expect that I may take some umbrage to that.</i><br /><br />I'm not suggesting that you not take umbrage.<br /><br />I'm furious about what has happened to my planned retirement too.<br /><br />But the fact remains that huge numbers of us are likely to be in trouble.<br /><br />As Medicare cuts back payments to providers, Medigap insurance will become so expensive that it will be out of the price range of many retirees.<br /><br />I've been looking into Medigap for Mr. AOW, who automatically goes onto Medicare in March or April 2012 at age 62 because he will have been totally disabled for 30 months after his devastating stroke of September 2009. Medigap insurance is outrageously expensive before age 65 -- to the tune of some $800/month (according to the one quote I've gotten so far).<br /><br />At the moment, Mr. AOW and I have also been broadsided because his Social Security Disability is taxable. SSA told me that it wouldn't be taxable, but it is! Why? Because I make over $24,000/year. And barely at that! I made the choice to work in Christian service (Christian education), and it doesn't pay for beans. However, the spiritual benefits are "out of this world."<br /><br />BTW, Medigap is essential because Medicare doesn't have a maximum out of pocket per year.<br /><br />Now, by way of contrast, my father was a member of the transit union. His health insurance premium from age 62 until his death at age 86 in 1998? $2 a month! While Dad was working, his health insurance premium was $1 per month. The power of unions at work.<br /><br />So, when people complain about how union employees are becoming a class of elites. When it comes to certain benefits, they certainly are.<br /><br />BZ, I hope that you're county retirement plan is secure. But you do need to be aware of the very real possibility that it is not. Look at the economic condition of the state of California!Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-67028928794261594942011-10-03T23:12:58.358-05:002011-10-03T23:12:58.358-05:00Oh, I think the long term plan is for the federal ...Oh, I think the long term plan is for the federal government to take 100% of everything everyone makes and has and then distribute it equally to all. Fairness. <br /><br />Wait a minute. Hasn't this been tried several times in history with disastrous results?Alligatorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03764752508206031685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-10007129443366855222011-10-03T21:44:33.508-05:002011-10-03T21:44:33.508-05:00AOW: I'm your age and I remember when I was y...AOW: I'm your age and I remember when I was young, 14 years old, I would play piano for a local church when they had funerals ($5.00 per funeral). During the summers starting at age 14 I worked all summer cleaning schools getting them ready for the next school year.<br /><br />My senior year I worked as Secretary for Shiloh National Military Park. When I graduated high school I went to work as a secretary. I always looked for the salary and for the benefits, because then it seemed most places I ran into did pay for health insurance. <br /><br />Years later after maturing and after further education, when I worked for a law firm it became very clear to me that:<br /><br />Employers are not there to provide benefits for their employees.<br /><br />Employees are there to provide a service to the employer for an agreed amount, like a contract.<br /><br />It was about that time that many employees across the nation were demanding employers PROVIDE day care, split shifts, shared positions, long maternity leaves (with pay) .... demands, demands, demands, as if it was the DUTY of the employer to do this.<br /><br />Later as an employER, I truly realized the insanity of that type thinking.<br /><br />Skulls of much must mature and see the situation as it truly is.<br /><br />Debbie<br />Right Truth<br />http://www.righttruth.typepad.comRight Truthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18274108313586611205noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-84225175471879613222011-10-03T20:47:03.279-05:002011-10-03T20:47:03.279-05:00Joe Plunkard is retiring after 26 years and he'...Joe Plunkard is retiring after 26 years and he's bitching?<br /><br />I am retired military, but as I tell people, it ain't really a retirement if you gotta go out and get another job... It gets some laughs, and I laugh as well. I didn't expect to retire in luxury, and I am grateful for my pension, and thank God, I have a job that I love.<br /><br />Too many Americans have been living too soft for too long, and many more have been living the hard realities and are fed up with the whiners.Silverfiddlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13541652236676260219noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-89914207980115724342011-10-03T19:07:21.136-05:002011-10-03T19:07:21.136-05:00I don't have a federal retirement. I don'...I don't have a federal retirement. I don't have a state retirement. I don't have a city retirement. I only have a county retirement. <br /><br />ONE. <br /><br />Retirement plan.<br /><br />Because I stuck it out. And gave it my all. And dedicated my life to it.<br /><br />BZBloviating Zeppelinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01359816456769157176noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-7649644259935584592011-10-03T18:52:07.892-05:002011-10-03T18:52:07.892-05:00No wonder the lines are so long for those federal ...No wonder the lines are so long for those federal and state jobs. I have a good friend who lives in Vegas and he is a triple dipper. Military retirement after 20 years, state retirement after that and then of course social security. Did he earn them, of course he did! But something is wrong with the system that allows such an out-of-balance situation to occur. Things will change now. I don't think those in the federal system or state systems who are nearing retirement should be punished, but for those new-comers, things must change--heck we can't afford this anymore and thats a fact.Ron Russellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11220328678840317631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-6662348490976683342011-10-03T18:07:54.404-05:002011-10-03T18:07:54.404-05:00Well hell, that begs another issue. I failed to m...Well hell, that begs another issue. I failed to mention the $100,000+ dollars that I've LOST out of my Vanguard/Fidelity plan since 2008.<br /><br />Ticker makes a good point. People make a purposeful choice:<br /><br />1. The freewheeling freedom of a private sector job<br />2. The security of a consistent government job<br /><br />It's high risk/high gain in the private sector.<br /><br />I don't acquire any "incentive" pay. I don't get any "bonus" for Christmas. I don't get a "per piece" motivational pay. I don't get stock options in my department. I don't receive any "fiscal incentive" to excel. <br /><br />If I excel it's because I had to take a TEST and COMPETE in a written, oral and occasionally a physical examination.<br /><br />I choose to excel because I am motivated by every reason except fiscal. There is a $7 per hour difference between me and a Captain in my department -- a HUGE jump in responsibility with a pool of Captains an eighth the size of my current rank of Lieutenant. Competition at this level is unprecedented. I'm not even in the political running.<br /><br />So I chose the path of the tortoise instead of the hare. I chose long and consistent over fast and furious.<br /><br />So, when things tank in a bad economy, I'm somehow responsible?<br /><br />I'm not a Hollywood grip. I'm not a clapper loader. I'm not a Teamster. I'm not aligned with Jimmy Hoffa Jr. I don't make New York Dock. I am not unskilled. I require, to comply with POST and my department, 48 hours per year of continuous professional training. I don't make "overtime." I make a wage. Period. <br /><br />I didn't just make my minimum 10 years and take a safety retirement. I have three long stitched old lacerations on my body; one on my face and two on my arms. I have my old Second Chance vest where it caught a .38 Super round in the back.<br /><br />And I'm not carping about not making incentive wages or bonuses or stock options. I knew what I was getting into when I was getting into it. I chose the tortoise over the hare.<br /><br />But when you change the rules and come for my retirement, when I gave unfailing, consistent and professional service to my community with NO Internal Affairs complaints in 30 years --<br /><br />Well then, expect that I may take some umbrage to that.<br /><br />And expect that I'll fight every bit for what I've earned.<br /><br />BZBloviating Zeppelinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01359816456769157176noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-57116442637959079392011-10-03T17:36:27.653-05:002011-10-03T17:36:27.653-05:00Lol! Good summation. Except of course it's the...Lol! Good summation. Except of course it's the right giving it all to the wealthy and taking away from the middle class.Bdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16577053490433489212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4320479736034351430.post-10295183609020269982011-10-03T16:42:07.104-05:002011-10-03T16:42:07.104-05:00A lot of material in this thread...
To sum up Dem...A lot of material in this thread...<br /><br />To sum up Democrats are Communists and in a Communist system you promise the sheeple equality while delivering wealth to a select group of friends while the rest live in poverty or near poverty.blogginatornoreply@blogger.com