Seriously, it's time to end civil service "reform" and return to the spoils system. With the unions it's a spoils system for the democrats even with a Republican in office.
Posted on 11/14/2014 5:09:18 PM PST by mdittmar
The incoming chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee has been outspoken about his plans to cut federal employees’ pay and pensions. Besides his previous proposal, Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin spoke with the Washington Post this week and discussed what he wants to do when he takes over the committee in January. On his chopping block are federal employees’ pay, health insurance, pensions, and the right to join a union.
“I think it’s unrealistic for public-service employees to believe they are immune from modifications to their pay and benefit packages,” said Sen. Johnson, who was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010. He went on to say “those things in the private sector have been modified dramatically.”
It’s important to note that a pension is delayed payment for work already done, a condition for taking a job. It’s the employee’s money withheld and invested by the employer to be paid at the employee’s retirement when he/she can no longer work. If the employer cuts the employee’s pension, that means the employer has either embezzled or misspent the employee’s money. The employer is engaging in theft. The same is true for health care.
Obviously inspired by Walmart, Johnson also takes aim at federal employees’ worker protections and the freedom of association. He told the Post, “I really don’t think that the public-sector employees should be unionized.” So the senator wants federal employees to take whatever compensation their employer offers, most likely with ever changing work schedules, no guaranteed overtime pay, and little or no medical care and pension. He appears to oppose the idea of fairness, justice, equality, opportunity, and prosperity. Without a union, employees are basically slaves to their employer.
Meanwhile, Johnson supports massive tax giveaways for corporations and blocked a bill that would end tax breaks for companies that send jobs overseas. But he voted against a bill that would end the government shutdown, blocked a bill that would help veterans find good jobs and get the health care they need, voted against reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act, voted against a bill that would provide employment protections to gay and transgender workers, and voted to repeal the healthcare law that provides coverage to the uninsured and those with pre-existing conditions.
Don’t like it?
Get a job in the private sector.
Public unions in Cal are the classic bribe system
The union uses % of dues to bribe politicians.
The politicians vote for increased salary and benefits.
The unions raise their dues and use more money for bribes.
Any military recruiting office.
Federal and state employee pensions will be rolled into SS.
All federal employees hired after 1984 have been under SS.
_____________
Really?
Those millions of dollars of pensions collected by our legislators and their legislator spawn at the tops of the different departments is SS?
I was addressing state local and federal non-military employees.
Maine provides “ free” insurance to retirees who paid for it as a payroll deduction while they worked. On the web site its referred to as a health credit.
Is Johnson?
It's generally in addition to Social Security.
Que
Seriously, it's time to end civil service "reform" and return to the spoils system. With the unions it's a spoils system for the democrats even with a Republican in office.
Ping to 90
Stupid Chester Arthur ... Guiteau should have shot hit as well.
Who would have been President? A President Pro Tempore and Speaker hadn’t been elected yet when Garfield died and this was before the Cabinet was in the line of succession. Chaos!!
I’m not saying that he should have shot Arthur immediately; he should have waited until Oct. 10 (when the new PPT was elected) to do so. (Well, not Guiteau, an accomplice.)
Of course, had the PPT become president, it would be much more difficult to argue that having legislative officers in the line of succession is unconstitutional, which I believe it is, and James F’ing Madison believed so as well (and argued as much when the Federalist Congress legislated so that the PPT and Speaker followed the VP, and Cabinet officers were left off completely, so that Federalists, not Democratic-Republican Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, followed Pres. Washington and VP Adams in the line of succession).
Given that Guiteau declared he was a Stalwart upon his arrest, he wanted Arthur as President. If anything, if the assassination were to have occurred, it’s unfortunate that Guiteau didn’t kill Garfield on the spot, since it would’ve spared the poor man months of suffering with the medical misadventures of alleged professionals trying to “cure” him.
Had all this occurred a decade later, Garfield probably would’ve survived the injuries with proper (and sterile) medical treatment and bullet extraction. If his children were any indication of longevity, he would’ve served two terms and lived until the 1910s, perhaps as late as 1916 when he would’ve been 85 (and no doubt a beloved elder statesman).
Yes, Guiteau wanted Arthur as president, because he assumed that Arthur would oppose civil-service reform (as did the Stalwarts at the 1880 GOP Convention, who, after failing to nominate Grant for a third term as president, were able to place one of their own on the ticket as VP). But Arthur was a SINO (Stalwart in Name Only) and quickly betrayed his followers.
Aye, I think it was stupid to reintroduce the Speaker and President Pro Tem (by that time always an ancient fossil) to the line, why Truman wanted the change which put Joe Martin next in line is a mystery to me (cause no one elected the Sec of State but a Congressional District worth of people had elected Martin, dumb). The provision that a newly elected Speaker would supplant a Cabinet member acting as President is just weird. The Sec of State should be number 2 in line and should actually become President rather than Acting President (if that is possible).
In 1881 the Senate was tied 37-37 with 1 VA Readjuster (who was persuaded to side with the GOP, and indie David Davis of IL (who sided with the rats). I guess back then they met in March just to count the electoral votes and junk (but NOT elect a Speaker and President Pro Tem) and then blew town?
GOP vacancies occurred and in October when the Senate convened Delaware Rat Thomas Baynard (a supporter of Civil Service “Reform”) was elected President Pro Tem, he served for a few days, before being replaced by David Davis. GOP let the rats keep the office (and Senate Secretary and Sarge at Arms) in return for GOP keeping control of the committees. Chaos! Chaos!
What Agency did you work for? This is nothing like the typical Fed. employee benefits. Which aren’t bad, but I’m clarifying in the interest of accuracy.
New Federal employees earn 104 hours vacation for the first 3 years (and can carry over up to 240 hours).
The government only contributes a max 5% to the 403B plan IF the employee also contributes at least 5%.
No employee earns more than 104 hours of sick leave per year (but can accumulate it unlimited to be added to years of service for retirement) but it is not paid to them if they resign.
Only certain agencies offer physicals (e.g., VA offers TB tests, LEO may do physicals) and that has to do with the mission of the agency - physicals are not a normal benefit.
An employee can keep health insurance into retirement, but the government pays 50-60% of the premium NOT 90% (still not cheap). But the employee has to be eligible for retirement (which they ordinarily are NOT at age 55 with 10 years of service - see below). An employee who quits at age 55 with 10 years of service would be able to continue health insurance for up to 18 months under an equivalent of COBRA with the employee paying the FULL PREMIUM.
To be eligible for retirement, an employee under FERS must be at least 56 with 30 years of service; 60 with 20 years of service; or 62 with 5 years of service. And truthfully, the FERS benefit doesn’t amount to much, the bulk of the benefit resides in the employee contributions to the 403B plus social security.
Also, most Federal workers do not receive much in “bonuses” or “awards,” compared to the private sector (unless they are big wigs). The rank and file get about $1000/yr if they are lucky — most get about $500 or none. Many private sector jobs give hefty bonuses in the tens of thousands.
Those benefits sound embarrassingly good. What made you cast off the golden handcuffs?
They were going to cover my health insurance for life, and I was sick of paying income taxes with my paychecks combined with my investment income. Being a very logical guy, I figured it was best to enjoy the rest of my life doing things I never had time to do. Looking back after 17 years in retirement, it was the best decision I ever made. My tax amount dropped by $30,00 each year as soon as I retired.
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