Not Really Dipping a'tall...

[kraft-t]

Only if you assume borrowed money is stolen money. The govermnment has sold bonds to ordinary people to foreign powers and to the social security trust fund. Only a republican would assume that government should not meet that obligation even if they have to refinance with someone else.

Do you think the US government will pay off bonds to the chinese, the saudis, american investors and the social security trust fund?

[kraft-t]

tle word that you ommited from your options... TAXES

[GreaTOne_65]

Where the real booing came was when Darth Vader Cheney walked out on the podium! At least a few rational Republicans are ashamed of him. The poor old SOB, still thinks you people admire him. He is a boil on the a** of America.

[Samnospam]

Right and wrong doesn't come into it. Foreign creditors get paid or the usa will not be able to borrow at all. You and I get the debt.

[Red Steele]

Just don't confuse Crusty with the facts....the social security lockbox does exist, it is in Pennsylvannia someplace and stock full of trillions of dollars.....excuse me, IOU's. I think the first few books have LBJ's signature on them, too.

[Red Steele]

it was a tongue in cheek post, mainly to get my good pal Crusty up in arms. I imagine I will squeal as loudly and fiercely as anyone one when I reach 70 or 80 or whatever the normal retirement age is in 2040 or 2050 and find out I don't get back any of my social security "investments". Of course I don't really look at them that way...they are part of the overall hit that the local, state, and federal government take from me.I don't have my retirement based on the idea that social security is going to play any meaningful role.

I may never retire if my health holds out, which is never  a certainty. But I hope this country is still around for me to work and prosper in for all  good years that I am granted. God Bless America!

[kraft-t]

Well Bonehead. I have money in the bak as well and I'm certain is it not all there in a neat little pile. I am assuming that they lend it out and that borrower has not stolen it from me.

Really, are you that ignorant?

[dagwud]

Knapper,  I'm not concerned about people collecting Social Security while still working part time or collecting land rent.  The problem I see is that over the years the public unions have gotten concessions made that entitle them to receive a pension that it is generally more generous and can be obtained over a shorter span of employment then is available in the private sector.  This has grown to where Iowa now has over 7,000 public employees having tax payers paying them a salary and a pension at the same time. 

In the past a person was not able to retire from their employer and draw a pension and then go back and get another job from the same employee so they could then be drawing a salary and pension at the same time.  That is what we now see many public employees doing and it is increasing the financial stress on many already strapped cities and states.  .I don't think the state planned on or envisioned so many public employees double dipping when they agreed to these past consessions.

Bart, Branstad is drawing a pension from his past 26 years as a public servant in the role of governor, lieutenant governor and state law maker.   Des Moines University where Branstad served as president is not a state university.

[tomtoolbag]

  From what an article that was posted about this topic earlier pointed out, supposedly the legislature addressed that issue of double-dipping, but the legislature excluded them selves, or the various elected positions.

  I agree in that retired means no longer working in your primary job, especially the one that provided that retirement, and if people are going to go back to work full time, that's not retirement. My guys have told me that their pension basically has a type of non-compete clause, where they can't collect and work in the same work, and they can't work and use that money to run a business either. Now, they could collect and work in another line of work, but there are also income stops that kick in when they make too much money, as it should be.

  It's a wonder why this hasn't been fixed, especially considering that most state pensions have at least a small short fall in funding, not to mention that the future retirees are sacrificing their own payments, and have to make up the funding for people to continue to double-dip. Apparently only 7000 people are/have been doing this, versus the many thousands that are paying or eligible for benefits, and the thousands aren't complaining?  

[kraft-t]

I fail to see how it saves Iowa or any other state anything to pay the governor his earned pension and hire someone else as the governor.

If the governor has earned his pension and is earning his salary what is your gripe? If you consider the pension and the salary as seperate issues you should be able to understand that both compensations are rightfully deserved.

What you wish to do is to punish a state employee for years of service.

It will not save the state anything to deny a pension receiver and paycheck for additional service. He will merely choose not to do public service and you will have to hire someone else to do the job.