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I'd HARDLY refer to political appointees and office holders as “government employees” and that includes Sheriffs. In New Jersey they are elected officials also.

THe double dipping scam is most egregious with political office holders who hold elected office for several years, then get “appointed” to some committee or special advisory group at inflated salaries - generally in some area they know nothing about - and stay only long enough to draw down a handsome pension based on the state retirement system formula. That formula is based on the number of years in the system and the three highest salaried years. So if you have some clown who was an elected official on a part time bases for x number of years and then gets appointed to some special slot at a vastly inflated salary, he or she can then retire based on those few years of full time income and the many years as a part-time elected official. Its a scam.

When it comes to double dipping, NO ONE can beat law-enforcement. They are EXPERTS at it.

You get the gist ~ elected officials, officials appointed OUTSIDE of civil service laws (non-federal I might add), and civil service employees are DIFFERENT.

The double- and triple-dipping mayors and school superintendants really aren't the same sort of employees as the guys sweeping the floor at the highschool, or killing the mosquito infestations.

In fact, many of those higher ranking appointees came to the job under contracts that provided for very favorable downstream retirement treatment. To them those extra 'dips' are just deferred compensation. If they get them at the expense of the rank and file retirement system which pays the retirements of the civil service employees, that could be construed as THEFT, but on the part of the public officials (usually elected) who offered a contract like that.

Sometimes the public rage is well justified but you have to correctly identify the thieves.

Civil service employees have few options ~ the overtime trick is used where you have public officials who decided to DEFER a property tax increase by promising the union (if there is a union) an extra dip into the retirement pool.

So, who's the thief in that case? Is it the employee or is it the public official, and if so, who benefited ~ obviously the taxpayers benefited eh?!

Bet they'd preferred getting a tax increase. (Bwahahahahahaha)(you made my day).