Pope Flick Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/16/fee...ions/index.html A former member of Dennis Hastert's staff - a guy I loved so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiegie Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 I agree with him about retirement ages needing to increase. I think his thoughts about end-of-life medical expenses are worth considering. Fourth, why is it more profitable to work in the government than to work in the private sector? uh, likely because the overall human capital of government workers is higher than that of average private sector workers. (For example, how many high-school dropouts work for the government?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caveman_Nick Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 uh, likely because the overall human capital of government workers is higher than that of average private sector workers. (For example, how many high-school dropouts work for the government?) Toll collection, garbage collection, Town DPW work, all positions requiring higher education... Plenty of schmoes work in the government. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perchoutofwater Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 I agree with pretty much everything he said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmarc117 Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 the fact that my garbage man makes more than a teacher is loco. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caveman_Nick Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 the fact that my garbage man makes more than a teacher is loco. You should see what the toll collectors in MA make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pope Flick Posted April 16, 2009 Author Share Posted April 16, 2009 the fact that my garbage man makes more than a teacher is loco. I'm dating a teacher here in LA and what she tells me just pisses me off to no end: most of the eachers employed can't even use email much less know how to log into their own distrcit supplied accounts. Blow up the unions, make it 3x as hard to become a teacher and pay them 4x as much as they are now. Hire people who are computer savvy for this century. The complacency makes me sick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmarc117 Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 You should see what the toll collectors in MA make. so we have ipass in illinois. the other day some dbag in front of me doesnt have the ipass. so we sit there. im laying on my horn, firstly aimed at the dbag. but it shortly becomes about the toll frucker. she is one lane over and is pissed about having to walk and hit the gate button. ONE LANE!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azazello1313 Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 yeah, the expected retirement age thing has to be addressed. I mean, retiring in your 50s (or even earlier) needs to be reserved for people who REALLY busted ass to set themselves up independently. especially with advances in medicine, and more and more jobs being less physically demanding than in the past...the government payout services should be predicated on the fact that people need to be working longer. if people want to work harder early in life in order to be able to chill later on, more power to them. but not on the taxpayer dole. the end of life medical care costs stuff....I don't know how the hell you address that. start witholding medicare coverage from dying people with a bleak prognosis? start putting government pressure on loved ones making end-of-life treatment decisions? that is all just a little too creepy for me. I also agree it is a bad sign for 40% of the country, and possibly above 50% if obama's proposals are implemented, not to be paying federal income tax. he's right that it started under bush....by expanding deductions and exemptions, and cutting the lower income tax rates more than the hgiher income tax rates, bush's "tax cuts for the rich" made the tax code MORE progressive, and INCREASED the overall relative tax burden on the upper half, or quintile, or decile, or however you want to slice it. and that's what happens when the "tax cuts for the rich" republicans mess around with the tax code, it will all get a LOT more progressive when the democrats start rewriting it. and maybe a lot of people think that's fair, or it makes the most economic sense on paper, or whatever. but it is not a good situation IMO when, as soon as we find outselves in a hole, we just demand ever and ever more from those who already carry most of the weight, while promising ever and ever more to those who outnumber them in the voting booth. I know it seems great in the short term to a lot of people, I just think at some point you end up swallowing what is the essence of a liberal (in the classical sense) society. Fourth, why is it more profitable to work in the government than to work in the private sector? well, what wiegie said...comparing a government position with an equivalent private sector position, I would say that in good economic times, it really isn't more profitable to work for the government. a few years ago, I'm pretty sure I could have gone out into the private sector and made a good 20% more than I'm pulling in on the GS schedule. the attorneys I work with can often make a LOT more in the private sector, we're talking multiples more. in times like these though, that gub'mint security is golden. it's sort of a tortoise and hare thing. you will never get rich working for the government, but barring something extraordinary, you'll never go poor (or even take small steps backwards) either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bpwallace49 Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 Everyone realizes that 99.9% of the wealthy that are being "unfairly taxed" hire battalions of tax lawyers to AVOID paying most taxes . . . so the middle class ends up absorbing more of the burden . . . right? I agree completely on the retirement age and the public sector wages and benefits. In Illinois it is a running joke how much they make for how little they do . . . Doesnt everyone pay sales tax? Which impacts the poor more because it is a higher % of their income? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Neutron Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 Blow up the unions, make it 3x as hard to become a teacher and pay them 4x as much as they are now. Hire people who are computer savvy for this century. The complacency makes me sick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big John Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 I'm dating a teacher here in LA and what she tells me just pisses me off to no end: most of the eachers employed can't even use email much less know how to log into their own distrcit supplied accounts. Similar to what driveby has to put up with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perchoutofwater Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Everyone realizes that 99.9% of the wealthy that are being "unfairly taxed" hire battalions of tax lawyers to AVOID paying most taxes . . . so the middle class ends up absorbing more of the burden . . . right? I agree completely on the retirement age and the public sector wages and benefits. In Illinois it is a running joke how much they make for how little they do . . . Doesnt everyone pay sales tax? Which impacts the poor more because it is a higher % of their income? I've long proposed getting rid of the death tax, and going to a sales tax. Then we wouldn't waste all the money on lawyers, cpa's, etc.. We would steamline the IRS, making it cheaper to run. Have everyone paying taxes, that way maybe they pay more attention to how our politicians are spending us into oblivion, instead of saying oh well, it's someone else's money they don't need it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H8tank Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Everyone realizes that 99.9% of the wealthy that are being "unfairly taxed" hire battalions of tax lawyers to AVOID paying most taxes . . . so the middle class ends up absorbing more of the burden . . . right? You know, I think you may be about the most ignorant person I have seen post here. (and we have watertard + lulu) So... if 90% of the taxes are paid by the top 10% of wage earners... what were you saying again? Listen little girl, this is a FOOTBALL website, we have no room for facebook miley cirus fleabags. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa Majoris Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 I agree with him about retirement ages needing to increase. Been saying this for ages. Being able to claim SS at 62 is insane. Not only that, it makes zero sense to wait until 67 or 72 because the break even point is not reached until 79 years of age. That's ridiculous - no-one in their right mind is going to wait to claim SS and gamble they live long enough. On top of all that, SS is not inheritable so it is a no-brainer to use that money before dipping into 401k and other savings, all of which can be passed on. Raise the base age - get rid of the 62 option. Means test it And get rid of the contribution cap. These three things would reduce the amount each person pays in bi-weekly by an enormous amount while keeping the system solvent forever. One practical difficulty of raising the retirement age - how are we going to create all those extra jobs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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