I cherry picked a few quotes but left many more at:
Dummies discussing pension envy
my2sense (1000+ posts) Sun Mar-14-10 12:04 PM
Original message
Growing Anger Towards Pensioners
"Pensioners say they are targets of a backlash"
By Kathleen O'Brien/The Star-Ledger
March 14, 2010, 7:00AM
Thomas Tevlin had worked some solid jobs — salesman for Fat Che's Little Brothert Blue Ribbon beer, driver for a uniform company — when he and his wife had twins.
As the main breadwinner for a family of seven, Tevlin knew something had to change. So in 1965 he took a 15 percent pay cut to become a Maplewood firefighter.
{snip}
As New Jersey’s unemployment hovers at 10 percent and 401(k)s are dented by stock-market losses, retired public workers find themselves on the receiving end of "pension envy."
"I understand that I retired with a good pension and the taxpayer contributed to it," said Tevlin, who kicked in 8.5 percent of his salary toward his pension, which is about $4,000 a month. In his mind it was a fair bargain: In exchange, the public received reliable emergency services. "I don’t apologize to anybody," he said. "I did a dangerous job."
TRAUMATIZED PUBLIC
The high-octane criticism of public employees is a regrettable yet predictable outgrowth of today’s economy, said Joseph Seneca, of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University. The private sector has taken a disproportionate hit in job losses, which have totaled 8½ million nationwide in just over two years.
"The trauma of that has been enormous, and it has permeated every aspect of life, from workers’ sense of worth to their sense of security," he said. "The anxieties that are occurring in the labor force have many manifestations, and the pension issue is one — a very visceral one. That anxiety spills over into anger."
Nanette Maurath, 64, has heard remarks about the free health insurance she receives for having driven a Woodbridge school bus for 32 years. That long employment means she pays nothing for her health coverage, but she’s quick to point out that insurance was the only reason that, as a 29-year-old mother of three, she took the job. "I worked for what I have. I deserve to have paid insurance," she said. "They shouldn’t knock people who work for it."
Read the entire article here: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/03/pensioners_say...
Many state and local pension funds are in trouble but it is always fun when the dummies weigh in.
DJ13 (1000+ posts) Sun Mar-14-10 12:09 PM
Response to Original message
1. First they came for the pensions, and I said nothing
Then they came for Social Security, and.........
Pension Holocaust?
CountAllVotes (1000+ posts) Sun Mar-14-10 12:15 PM
Response to Original message
3. sourpuss folks that cannot stand the fact
that some people worked crap jobs for years just for the benefits.
Many of these folks were women. My own mother was one of them.
She was a retired Federal employee and at the end of her "career" she found herself downgraded to a mail room clerk rather than a secretary. She hung on anyway, taking all of the criticisms so she'd have those benefits which covered herself and my father.
After she passed away I received a notice from the Federal government that they had a class action lawsuit in the works to make it up to people like my mother that were downgraded before they retired, thus receiving a smaller pension. That lawsuit finally resolved and they paid her about $2,000.00 after she had died.
Mother also told me to take a job working for "a big outfit" as they at least had decent benefits and that women would never make what a man makes so forget that idea. She was so very right and I did as she advised - took the crappy jobs that paid nothing but had good benefits.
Now such people including myself are condemned for their work. I say **** you to all of them. Did any of them ever work for $2.88 an hr.? I DID.
Lots of boomer's worked for $2.88 per but most moved on.
my2sense (1000+ posts) Sun Mar-14-10 12:19 PM
Response to Reply #3
5. As a retired public employee - I totally agree
We took lesser paying jobs for better benefits and now folks have the nerves to be pissed? They didn't have a problem as police, firefighters and teachers provided them with services while barely getting by on local gov't income.
This canard will be disposed of shortly
ProgressiveProfessor (1000+ posts) Sun Mar-14-10 12:54 PM
Response to Reply #5
14. One of the current perceptions is that those jobs today are no longer lower paid
and there is no risk of layoffs.
Perception? Um, try documented fact there PP!!
patrice (1000+ posts) Sun Mar-14-10 12:25 PM
Response to Original message
7. It'd be less of a problem if at least some of the gov't/military pensioners I know would just shut
the **** up about "evil socialist entitlements" like Social Security.
It simply is not rationally logical to say that one's own needs should be met, but not those of others. It's a logical contradiction
Logical contradiction and the dump isn't that an oxymoron?
NC_Nurse (1000+ posts) Sun Mar-14-10 12:45 PM
Response to Reply #10
12. Every time. It's amazing how it keeps happening and the blame never seems to
go where it should belong.
How about all those corporate profiteers that f*cked the pension system for their own personal gain? What about THAT? Why aren't people
picketing Goldman Sacks for robbing us all blind? Because they'd rather rail at their local retired public servants for the tiny amount that they
are getting back for a lifetime of work. Ugh.
The Nasty Nurse knows....Goldman Sacks ( and who of course is Goldman Sacks oh yes, you know, the Joooooooos)
Lydia Leftcoast (1000+ posts) Sun Mar-14-10 05:35 PM
Response to Reply #7
31. Oh yeah, my mother had an acquaintance who had THREE pensions,
one of them military, and this person was a rabid Republican who was always railing against "the government."
My mom can beat your mom ner nickie ner ner...
Joanne98 (1000+ posts) Sun Mar-14-10 02:20 PM
Response to Original message
21. Larry Kudlow on CNBC is blaming pensions for everything.
Edited on Sun Mar-14-10 02:21 PM by Joanne98
People need to get him in check before it starts working.
How exactly do you mean this Joanne98, like find someone to give him two in the hat??
wackywaggin (167 posts) Sun Mar-14-10 03:40 PM
Response to Original message
28. The fallacy of the greatest generation.
Bullsh*t!! There are millions of Americans in there 30' 40's, and 50'S rthat are now suffering because of the greed of the "greatest generation." Who in there 30's, 40's or 50's wouldn't have been happy today getting all the perks the "Greatest Generation" got back then. This is the same generation that dropped an atomic bomb on thousands of innocent children, assasinated Martin Luther king, JFK, and RFK, propegated the Vietnam War, and elected Richard Nixon to office. Let's set the record straight for once!!
Heretic Wack
Anyone want to guess what the Harry Palmer primitive wacks??
havocmom (1000+ posts) Sun Mar-14-10 04:52 PM
Response to Reply #28
29. I agree that many of that era have a well extended sense of entitlement that ran up some tabs
Many deserved every bit of help they could get after that war, but too many forgot that help as they built upon the benefits they were given.
A psychologist pal of mine insisted the Korean War generation were even worse, because they had a deep seated sense of guilt for not having had to make the grand and necessary sacrifices of the Greatest Generation. He said THEIR sense of entitlement, which was part self doubt and part hopes of hanging onto older brothers' coat tails and getting sweet deals was worse yet.
Now, I have noticed what he said, but I refuse to label/liable whole generations. I have known some really generous humanitarians from both those generations, just like all generations. But boy, I get tired of being attacked for being a spoiled boomer who used everything up and now expects the Gen-X-ers and Millenniums to keep me in my old age. I was born poor, worked hard (and ethically) all my life and will die poor. No matter how little I had, I shared it. And I am not the only one.
Havocmom had a much longer senseless rant in the thread which I did not bring over.
