Attention public employees; what's the most money you can steal from taxpayers without feeling guilty?

You mean your employer requires you become more educated & knowledgeable at your job in order to keep it? Boo-hoo!

What private sector job starts at 9:00 AM?? Who do you think all those people on the road commuting in the morning every day are? Only other teachers??

Bless you're heart. You're 'forced' to coach XC & track? That's just awful! What'll they think of next - force you to take an hour for lunch every day? terrible!

I own an insurance agency, knothead. While it's possible a young single, healthy person could get a basic, high deductible health insurance plan for $107/mo., most folks aren't young, single, & healthy...so those that buy their own coverage typically pay a lot more than 'almost $130'. You still actually think your healthcare only costs $130/mo., don't you?

Sounds like your State has made real progress with teacher tenure & guaranteed jobs. Good for them!

My bad, you can't retire at 50. have to wait til 57 before you get a check every month for the rest of your life simply for breathing. That sucks!

I'm headed home now - from the office. What would you do if you had to work til 8:30pm? File a grievance? Demand a compensatory day off? Call in sick the next day?

I feel sorry for me too, but I feel more sorry for my kids, who'll be stuck with the tab for an out of control government.. And I really don't have a thing for teachers. Honestly, I know you guys - by & large - earn your paycheck. You have to admit we're screwed though when the average fed gov't employee is knocking down well over 6 figures to do very little....Nothing more than a giant vote-buying bribery scheme, yes?

You seem like an angry, angry man.

I only wish we had universal health care so we could get you on some gov't funded medications... stat.

You might be able to see nuance with some changes in that brain chemistry of yours.

Best of luck to you. Seriously.

When surrounded by stupid, stupid people, it's impossible not to become angry, angry, don't you think?

Why stop at Universal health care? Why not Universal everything? Universal housing, Universal pay for universal work, Universal transportation, Universal entertainment...Wait, they already have that in...N. Korea. Why be angry, angry at us heading in that direction? You're right - pass the acid kool-aid & chooma bong. It's all good, comrade..

MAURICE wrote:

When surrounded by stupid, stupid people, it's impossible not to become angry, angry, don't you think?

Why stop at Universal health care? Why not Universal everything? Universal housing, Universal pay for universal work, Universal transportation, Universal entertainment...Wait, they already have that in...N. Korea. Why be angry, angry at us heading in that direction? You're right - pass the acid kool-aid & chooma bong. It's all good, comrade..

Listen comrade... you own an insurance company. Don't you realize that insurance is simply a glorified socialistic ponzi scheme?

Hypocrite.

7/10. Aggressive thread title, coupled with equally provocative OP responses and plenty of other responses.

hahaha such a good troll.

You don't even respond to the issues being addressed. And you pretend to not realize that I'm NOT complaining about how hard my job is but just pointing out your lies and wrong views on the topic. My job is neither harder or easier than most private sector jobs.

What makes you a good troll is that many Americans are as ignorant as you are and think the way you think. They actually stupidly think that most public sector employees make 100k a year and teachers get paid during the summer.

but what gave it away is that no one who can turn on a computer is as stupid as you seem with your responses. Way way to over the top with your statements. It's obvious you are just trying to get a response by saying the most outrageous things you can.

Good on you...we all have to have a hobby. 9/10

Um.......no. Ponzi schemes, by definition, eventually run out of money. Many insurance companies have been in business 100+ years and are A+ rated for financial strength, you goober.

You represent my biggest challenge as an insurance agency owner (agency owner, not company owner, moron): the ignorant consumer. If you're so stupid you don't know anything about how a product/service works, how can you know if someone is offering YOU a better or worse product/service?

Obviously the biggest ponzi scheme of all time is the one run by the federal GOVERNMENT: social security

You're right - I guess I made up the whole thing about fed workers knocking down 100k+ on average, or did I?:

http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/income/2010-08-10-1Afedpay10_ST_N.htm

The article is from 2 years ago, so I'd think the gap between fed employee salaries & private employees has only widened since. And USA Today is hardly a bastion of conservative opinion. And when you throw in federal benes & compare to private benes, it really gets out of hand.

Wake up & learn something, teacher man. You're just a tool in a giant brainwashing scheme to dumb down the next generation, comrade!

Teachers aren't federal employees, of course.

You can't reasonably compare compensation without taking qualifications into account. For example federal employees have much more education on average than private employees. I'm not saying federal employees make the right amount, or too little, or whatever. But a comparison like this doesn't contribute to a discussion about it.

Since when is it okay to bash public employees? Since when has it been proper to attack police officers, firefighters, teachers, etc. on their job and the compensation for doing some of the toughest jobs out there? Don't you want these workers to be paid fairly?

Do you really want public safety and education privatized? Do you really want your home, your community, and your children "protected" by a private sector employee who is getting a shell of what they should be earning? Are you amnesic to the terrible performance private companies historically have for cutting jobs and redistributing wealth to themselves? You want to risk the health and safety of our communities on companies that don't care about you but about your money?

This thread is chock full of trolls who used to be the douchebags in each and every classroom. They have some fanatical confidence in themselves (which everyone else wonders where the hell they got it from), but when it's time to put up or shut up, they don't have the knowledge, the skills, or the spine to stand up for themselves.

They can't think for themselves, so they use their anonymity on sites like this to bash everyone else. But everyone can see them for the douchebags they are and will always be. They really do this because they cannot stand their pathetic existence; they know their worthless to the world so instead of contributing to society, they use their parasitic ways and try to bring everyone down with them. And, really, that's the only thing they are good for. They can't help themselves; they're only as good as the crap they throw at others.

Thanks! I just got the ball rolling and LR does what LR does best.

12fl wrote:

Thanks! I just got the ball rolling and LR does what LR does best.

Yeah, dude. I'm trolling something fierce, too. I'm actually taking several grad classes this summer, teaching summer school to make ends meet, and still painting on the weekends. I'm busy as hell, and still can't afford a decent house in the district where I teach - despite having two Master's degrees and 15 years experience.

But it sounds better to play the "yeah teachers have it great you suckers!" card on message boards, eh?

Plus, it just feeds people like my boy Maurice.

You should just rent. Home ownership is a ball-and-chain, dude.

You seem to be a prime example of what happens so often nowadays-- reading the media to find nuggets of fact that fit your ideology, vs. reading broadly to find out the larger pattern of facts.

Yes, federal workers have higher salaries on average than the private sector. Perhaps you know something about statistics. If so, you'll realize that average salaries are quite susceptible to extremes, and guess where the vast bulk of extremely low paying jobs are: the private sector. Fact is, most government jobs require at least a high school degree, and many much more. The only government career path for someone without a collage degree is the military, and for risking their lives I think they're afforded better pay and benefits than the average high-school grad.

My federal salary is quite a bit higher than average- over 150k. But as mentioned earlier, for a doctor in my specialty, that's on the low-end. If financial success was what it there is a lot more to job satisfaction than pay-- teaching opportunities, research, not having to deal with the hassle of insurers denying everything, good colleagues, etc.

And I'll also debunk a few things for you:

-100% pensions are not the norm. I'm sure you have an example to cite (again, looking for facts to fit ideology, vs systematically reading), but the standard VA pension for physicians is 30% of your top 3 years pay. Certainly a good deal. But 3x less than what you're claiming.

-My high-deductible health plan for my family is quite a bit more per month than we paid for a more comprehensive plan through my wife's private-sector job. when she went back to school, and we transferred over to mine, she was shocked at the price, since she (like you) operated under the notion that federal benefits were so spectacularly good.

There's a few facts for you. Now, quick, fire off an angry screed, google "VA" quick to cherry-pick an example of something bad in the system, and call me comrade. Seems to be your preferred comeback.

2/10, troll.

God, I can't resist. MAURICE is a nut. I'm a state government employee writing this at my job right now. However, my job is not funded by taxes, but by permits. So I feel more like a contractor than tax-sucking government zombie. Good times.

Here are some benefits of my work:

1. Because of some agreement made in the 80's, state employees only work 37.5 hours a week. Period. (not a union thing because our public employees have no collective bargaining rights).

2. My health insurance costs are $15/month because a) I am single; b) I selected a high deductible plan ($2500 with $4000 max out-of-pocket); c) I signed a non-smoking agreement to get a $15 discount on my bi-weekly health insurance payments. With the lowest deductible, I'd be paying a few hundred/month.

3. 12-14 paid holidays, including: MLK, Jr. Day, Columbus Day, Primary and General Election Day, an extra day at Christmas, and Good Friday. Good to live in a state where legislators love their religion and political parties.

4. I have the choice to a) work from home home twice a week, or b) Do 10 days of work in 9 days so I get a 3-day weekend every other week (these are department-only options, not state-wide).

5. Rule of 85 for a full pension, which means your years of work and age must add up to 85 to get a full pension. So you must work at least 30 years and wait until you're 55 to retire with full pension. Cush, I guess. However, I have no doubt that will change. Also, must be with state for 10 years to get a pension.

6. My boss is a couple years from retirement, so he only appears to give a crap every now and then.

7. Sometimes, things get "slow."

The bad things:

1. I like to say state government work is where creativity, ambition, and problem-solving go to die.

2. In the long run, private sector employees with similar experience make a lot more (in my department, at least).

3. The biggest annual raise we can get is 2-3%. No raise if the state has a budget problem.

4. You only get promotions if somebody a) dies, b) retires, c) leaves for another job.

5. Hard work and achievement are not rewarded in any way. We have very little incentive.

6. Equal opportunity laws create a workplace full of idiots that would bring lawsuits if they were fired.

7. The workplace brings out the sociopath in everybody.

The reason we have some of these cush benefits is to keep us around. If we got treated like crap, nobody would stay very long because the pay sucks and the work environment is toxic. The consistency and quality of the civil service would suffer with higher turnover. Private sector jobs will never match these benefits, but the private sector does offer better pay and harnesses our animals spirits.

yeah, you're right. My bad. Fed employees are so much better qualified & educated that they obviously deserve their 125k AVERAGE salaries + benes. Us private sector dummies all have GEDs(if that)...

This is the kind of BS your average Chooma voter actually believes & regurgitates on command.

Hell, let's pay fed workers an average of 200k since they're so qualified. Why stop there? We want the best working for our gov't. Let's pay them all $1M a year!

So you're saying my facts are wrong, but you offer none to contradict me. Please go 'read b roadly' & report back with facts that contradict that fed workers "earn" grossly obscene wages, relatively speaking.

Funny you mention the military. I'll bet you never served though, right? You obviously are an idiot about military pay if you think the average enlisted soldier/Marine/sailor earns a decent wage. My complaint is not with military pay. Do you even realize while you prattle on about paying those who 'protect' us that the military is being cut? Did you know military benefits like retirement & health care are on the chopping block even while fed employees continue to rake it in?

What are you even bitching about with your 150k+ salary + rich benes + zero overhead?

I didn't say every fed employee makes 80-100% pension, Dr. Cherrypicker. We can agree that some do, yes? And your 30% pension comes out to what? $50k/yr. for the rest of your life? Plus free health care? That's unheard of in the private sector where you generally have to earn your keep - unless you work for Government Motors or some balied out bank..

Your wife's employer was paying at least 50% of her premium, which is the law for group medical insurance. Quick, tell me who is paying at least 50% of your premium? You're welcome, comrade! And you can't compare health insurance plans like they're a commodity where all features are the same. You also can't compare today's healthcare costs with last year's or 5 years ago. healthcare inflation is out of control and will only worsen as your employer seizes more & more contraol of it. Thanks for being part of the problem. Are you at work now, posting on the taxpayer's dime?

Actually, all he was saying was that you should make valid comparisons. As in, compare a government lawyer's salary to a private sector lawyer. A government radiologist to a private-sector radiologist. When you compare apples to apples, any salary benefit to being in the government disappears.

You should look into some of this. When you have facts at your disposal, they are easy to regurgitate on command.