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Stanford study pegs California pensions' shortfall at $500 billion
SacBee: The State Worker ^ | 12/13/11 | Jon Ortiz

Posted on 12/13/2011 12:22:25 PM PST by SmithL

California's three largest pension systems have promised $500 billion beyond their current ability to make those payments to retirees, according to a study released to today by Stanford University Professor and former Democratic Assemblyman Joe Nation and a student researcher.

The Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research issued the report, documenting what it claims is the state's deepening pension crisis. California Common Sense, an organization dedicated to engaging the public in "data-driven discourse" is also behind the report.

Among the report's findings for CalPERS, CalSTRS and the University of California Retirement Plan:

Using a "risk-free" or low-risk discount rate -- a method that is debated when experts talk about figuring out a pension system's obligations -- the total unfunded liability for CalPERS, CalSTRS, and the UC system is $498 billion. That's up 17 percent higher than the $425 billion shortfall Stanford estimated in April 2010.

(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.sacbee.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; Government; Politics/Elections; US: California
KEYWORDS: goldenstate; publicpension; unionthugs; yourtaxdollarsatwork

1 posted on 12/13/2011 12:22:33 PM PST by SmithL
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To: SmithL

“Bailout! Bailout!”

“Too big to fail!”

“Grandma - dog-food!”

“Racist, racist!”

And little bammy will wave the magic wand over the printing presses...

.


2 posted on 12/13/2011 12:28:41 PM PST by TLI ( ITINERIS IMPENDEO VALHALLA)
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To: SmithL

This occured because Gray Davis and other CA politicians — mostly Dems but some Republicans — simply promised state government pensioners and teachers more and more and more. The promise, so easily made, was them cemented into an “entitlement” protected by the courts and other Lib elements of the government. It is government as a suicide pact. No way to bring government back into balance, even with a majority vote. Its the end result of years of Welfare State government ideology infesting all branches of government. The spending can only go up. It can never come down. A promise of more spending must be kept no matter how insane it is. Its why our whole system probably will collapse into chaos rather than be fixed.


3 posted on 12/13/2011 12:37:54 PM PST by Opinionated Blowhard ("When the people find they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.")
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To: SmithL

Only one way to fix this. You have to raise taxes on the poor. That’s the only sure way to get money.


4 posted on 12/13/2011 12:44:18 PM PST by AppyPappy (If you really want to annoy someone, point out something obvious that they are trying hard to ignore)
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To: SmithL

500 billion, 500 schmillion....that means absolutely nothing to the brain dead electorate of California. Most people in California, including most college graduates could not tell you if the the total budget for the state of California is closer to $80 million or $80 billion.


5 posted on 12/13/2011 12:49:03 PM PST by forgotten man (forgotten man)
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To: forgotten man

“500 billion, 500 schmillion....that means absolutely nothing to the brain dead electorate of California”

The english language needs a word for “inabilty to distinguish magnitude”. It’s epidemic.


6 posted on 12/13/2011 1:01:43 PM PST by Selene
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To: SmithL

It’s a Stanford study so they probably fudged the numbers by -90% so it doesn’t look quite as bad.

Be interesting to see what Berkley would come up with.


7 posted on 12/13/2011 1:02:29 PM PST by maddog55 (OBAMA: Why stupid people shouldn't vote.)
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To: Opinionated Blowhard; SmithL

Well, I just got my bill from the Fed, $21.00 per employee.
Seems, California can’t pay back the Unemployment Insurance
they borrowed from the Fed. So it’s up to us evil employers to pay it back.


8 posted on 12/13/2011 1:11:10 PM PST by twistedwrench
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To: TLI
And little bammy will wave the magic wand over the printing presses...

I don't think Congress would go along with that right now, however they might if the next president is a Republican. .

9 posted on 12/13/2011 1:24:36 PM PST by Prokopton (.)
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To: SmithL
Oh, look, California is playing with numbers in another attempt to steal the pension funds.

A team of five graduate students prepared this report on the California public employee pensions as part of the graduate Practicum in Public Policy [...] Joe Nation served as the instructor and an advisor for this research team and directs the graduate student Practicum at Stanford University. He teaches climate change, health care policy, and public policy. Nation represented Marin and Sonoma Counties in the State Assembly from 2000-2006.

http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/the_state_worker/100405%20Stanford.htm

10 posted on 12/13/2011 6:05:08 PM PST by Victoria_R (Believers in VERY small government: Count Mountjoy/Benter in 2012!!!)
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To: forgotten man
Most people in California, including most college graduates could not tell you if the the total budget for the state of California is closer to $80 million or $80 billion.

Actually this makes perfect sense. Most people in CA do not pay state (or federal) income taxes so they do not care. So long as they get their freebies from the government they are happy.

Now sales tax is another matter entirely. This is where Moonbeam screwed up big time. The 'taxes on the rich' would have sailed through but adding the sales tax may kill it. It depends on whether the unions get out their vote and whether the CA idiots stay home watching Oprah (or whoever replaced her) or vote.
11 posted on 12/14/2011 10:31:59 AM PST by fifedom
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