Governor Bevin says protesting teachers are "throwing a temper tantrum"

Spectrum News Pure Politics ^ | 3/14/2018 | Michon Lindstrom

[Republican Wildcat]

Governor Bevin didn’t hold anything back while speaking about teachers protesting Senate Bill 1.

Bevin was on Campbellsville radio station WVLC Wednesday afternoon, where he said teachers protesting the controversial pension reform was “bizarre,” and compared their protests to protesting food rations during World War II.

“It would be like people having mass demonstrations about, ‘no I want my butter, I want my sugar, I’m going to keep all my steel and my rubber and my copper, and to heck with the rest of you people, you better keep giving me mine.’ That’s what it is, it’s the most remarkable commentary about who we are in modern times,” he said.

The governor went on to say teachers in Kentucky are the only workers who receive pay raises after they retire. Bevin was referring to the Cost of Living Adjustments that teachers receive as part of their pension benefits. Currently, teachers receive a 1.5 percent COLA increase each year, Senate Bill 1 would have cut that to 1 percent until the Teachers’ Retirement System was 90 percent funded. Bevin told WVLC teachers in Kentucky are paid higher than surrounding states.

“It’s about straight up just wanting more than your fair share,” he said. “You hear constantly about how underpaid people are... ...

Bevin’s comments come after hundreds of teachers and state workers have flooded Frankfort since last week voicing their opposition to the pension reform bill. Their protests may have worked—Senate President Robert Stivers told the Courier-Journal the fate of the pension bill is not looking good.

The General Assembly has just 11 days to pass a pension reform bill until the end of session.

[Republican Wildcat]

If these people had been holding these protests starting 25 years ago, 20 years ago, 10 years ago, even 5 years ago - these pensions wouldn't be in the mess they are in now. But Dems were in charge then so it was okay if their pension money was being stolen and spent on other things, increases in benefits that weren't funded and taking money out of the balance sheet, etc. The teachers should be protesting their union reps for allowing this for decades. Now that the time has come to pay the piper and the system is near collapse, they are mad at Republicans having to deal with the Democrats' mess - candidates their unions supported for years on end.

[buckalfa]

Gov. Bevin has taken a tough stand on unfunded pensions, cutting state funding to the local school boards as stop gap cash infusion to the pensions. I for one applaud his actions but I am also sure he and the legislature are aware of the success of the recent West Virginia teachers strike. The fight is far from over.

[txnativegop]

Break all unions, public or private. problem solved.

[sarge83]

Bevin is trying to save these fools pensions and is the only governor to try and fund it, and these educated fools are wailing because they take a small cut in the rate of their annual wages. Public school teachers are are some of the most selfish and stupid people I encounter. The good ones are outnumbered 10-1. They are the primary reason you have problems with the America hating youth. They are the new energy of decency and freedom.

[Republican Wildcat]

apparently they don’t realize if this system is not changed then it will completely collapse, the state would have to file for bankruptcy, and they will have not just reduced benefits, but zero benefits.

[HKMk23]

Because...reasons.

Dig into this and find the section “The Seven-lesson Schoolteacher”

http://www.users.humboldt.edu/jwpowell/27806948-Dumbing-Us-Down-by-John-Taylor-Gatto.pdf

[Cyclone59]

As a former teacher, I understand their frustration. We don’t get paid much as to begin with - most have masters degrees and higher - I have two and am am considered highly qualified. The average teacher salary is 54,306 per year in the United States. My wife has only 1 masters degree and makes 3 times that. When we see politicians get a lifetime pension for serving 2 terms - complete bullsh!t, especially on the federal level. Before you go ahead and flame me about getting 3 months off - we only get 2 AND we work a whole hell of a lot more than 2080 hours in those 10 months that school is in session. One the plus side, I am made a difference, I finished my day knowing that I could have made a difference in someones life - doesn’t pay the bills but makes it all worth while. My biggest paycheck is when former students see me and tell me how much I influenced them.

So, in closing, I agree with those teachers - we were promised something and now the rat-bastards are taking ours but not “adjusting” theirs at all. Now that is right out of Animal Farm if you ask me. Some animals are more equal than others.

[Crucial]

I see a couple of problems. One is that every year there is a 1.5 percent COLA. Just about anyone would love an automatic raise like that! That’s far too generous. Second, these pensions are managed by professional fund managers that charge high fees for their services. Kentucky could just invest the pensions in index funds and do much better.

[sarge83]

To fund their pension fully cuts would have to be draconian across the board with major cuts to all state agencies. They are selfish and many are double dipping, they worked their required years, retired and then went back to work and started over in the same system again, that is just wrong on so many levels.

I have listened to the rail demanding that all the legislators and governors who raided the pension fund be arrested, jailed and made to pay back what they spend and I say, if it makes you feel better go for it, arrest and jail them for breaking the law and if you can get money out of them great, but what you get won’t be a drop in the bucket to fund your pension, then what are you going to do??? Crickets chirping...

I think the one thing Bevin might do and get traction is compromise on their health insurance. When they retire the state agreed to pay so much and they pay so much, usually $200-$400 range, Bevin is wanting them to eat the entire insurance cost between $800-$1200 a month, which is a substantial chunk of money. I think there is a sweet spot that most can live with for both parties.

But compromise is not something these educated fools want to hear and I am getting so tired of hearing how they are under payed and overworked. Compared to all the border states save Ohio, teachers in Kentucky make far better money. And where else do you get summers off? And when they went into education they knew the pros and cons. As this debate continues I am losing almost any respect that I had for teachers and educators in this state, they are not professionals, they are selfish and they are close minded to the fact that if Bevin and the legislature does nothing their pension and the state will go bankrupt.

[Republican Wildcat]

As I said, if they have started these protests 25 years ago this would not be the mess it is now. But they accepted the increases in unfunded benefits and underfunding of base benefits for decades - now that it has hit the fan, now they decide to protest - too late...the money is GONE.