Shipyard workers' families brace for furloughs, smaller paychecks

Seacoastonline ^ | 6 Mar 13 | Laura Dolce

[vette6387]

“the difference is you have been one of the very fortunate ones to have been dipping your ladle into the pot for many years now.”

The money in SSI is money that was contributed by me and my employers, and in point of fact, at my age, I am ordered by the government to take distributions. Same goes for my 401k, because they want the income taxes on it before I die. Since you know nothing of substance about my financial situation, I find it interesting that you somehow think I am “sitting pretty!”
I am sorry that I don’t have “compassion” for those who are in “government service.” Perhaps I should have used less forceful language but that does not alter my feelings. I look around and try the see the “value” in the “services” that I receive from the “efforts” of government employees at all levels, and it comes through loud and clear that the citizens are being taken for a ride by their government. Sequestration is a meat axe approach to our fiscal calamity, but it’s far better than nothing. The idea that shaving off a couple of percentage points in our spending ( which in absolute terms is still not actually cutting anything) is going to lay waste to our government and it’s employees is laughable.
You mention Jesus Christ. Where is the “compassion” for “your fellow Man” expressed by those who work for the government? Answer: There isn’t any!
I was tickled by the woman in the article listing all the stuff that she was going to have to “forgo” because of her husband’s loss of income. Poor Baby.
From the pictures in the associated article, it looked to me like she could afford to “forgo” a few meals,
So please accept my apology if some of the words I chose offended you, but understand that I still believe that we need substantial reductions in “public employment” coupled with major overhauls of retirement “contracts” for these same people. Because the fact of the matter is, the money has run out. The Feds are not in a position to “bail out” any of the states (including California where I reside), so the choice is going to be mandated by the reality of our circumstances. No one wants to see anyone out in the street, but if we don’t deal with our costs of government, we will all be out there together.

[sarasmom]

If you will go back and read 51, and see that I replied to it on 52,not directly to you.
I pinged you as a courtesy, along with the other FReeper Skypilot directed the comment on 51.

I don't agree that I “ranted”, but my point was that Social Security and Medicare are programs people have paid into their entire working lives. We were all forced to pay.
Whatever one thinks of the system as originally intended, it is now a failing Ponzi scheme.

We can change it in future for people who are not already on it, or are not within a few short years of eligibility...But it SHOULD NOT be cut or reduced now for current beneficiaries.

And it should NOT be cut to “pay” for any new or current welfare programs for the unemployed, illegals, etc.