NY fireman steals $86k per year taxfree disability pension while competing in marathons

Greece is a Banana Republic. Are we really comparing the United States to Greece???

Real Talk wrote:

Yeah I don't really care about this. I do find it funny that you want to lock the guy up, which will cost at least 35k a year (probably more) + the cost of prosecuting him.

I am surprised that his pension's 86,000, though. That seems very high.

Here's why I care:

1) Monumental unfairness for a dishonest person to get millions of taxpayer dollars by cheating the system. 99% of LIRR workers retire disabled.

2) My taxes are higher because of pension abuse and disability abuse.

3) Anyone who cares about public education should be very angry at these crazy pensions - they are draining away money from public schools so clerks can retire at 55.

4) I could go on but I am too angry.

Seems really low to me. This is more like what I normally see: http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB124804047828063059-lMyQjAxMDI5NDI4MDAyNDAwWj.htmlPensions in general are bad. Companies (or government) shouldn't be making future promises since they may or may not be able to keep them. Public Sector unions are the worst since the party at the other side of the table really doesn't have an incentive to no give in. The politicians give in but make the expensive parts of the contract after they leave office.

Real Talk wrote:

Yeah I don't really care about this. I do find it funny that you want to lock the guy up, which will cost at least 35k a year (probably more) + the cost of prosecuting him.

I am surprised that his pension's 86,000, though. That seems very high.

And yet it happened.

Christie wrote:

Greece is a Banana Republic. Are we really comparing the United States to Greece???

As a Greek, I find that offensive. We are an Olive Republic.

Check out this guy's race results. Anyone want to change their position?

http://www.athlinks.com/myresultsadv.aspx?rid=29903459

What do race results matter? Would you argue that Murray Halberg wasn't disabled (as far as function as a fire fighter) even though the guy won a gold medal? I have no clue how disabled this guy is. But for the amount of money he is getting paid, they should be able to find him some type of work in the government. Same thing with all the teachers in rubber rooms.

biggus dickus wrote:

Check out this guy's race results. Anyone want to change their position?

http://www.athlinks.com/myresultsadv.aspx?rid=29903459

Source on number 1?

The race results matter because they show that he isn't disabled and that any claim that his 9/11 "asthma" prevents him from being able to perform the duties of a firefighter is completely bogus. There are a lot of people who are suffering serious health issues today from their prolonged exposure to the air at Ground Zero and they absolutely should be compensated for that. This clown isn't one of them.

That traitor and terrorist deserves to have his balls smashed in for cheating the taxpayers of NYC.

Real Talk wrote:

Source on number 1?

Virtually every career employee — as many as 97 percent in one recent year — applies for and gets disability payments soon after retirement, a computer analysis of federal records by The New York Times has found. Since 2000, those records show, about a quarter of a billion dollars in federal disability money has gone to former L.I.R.R. employees, including about 2,000 who retired during that time.

dasfasd@hasd.com wrote:

What do race results matter? Would you argue that Murray Halberg wasn't disabled (as far as function as a fire fighter) even though the guy won a gold medal? I have no clue how disabled this guy is. But for the amount of money he is getting paid, they should be able to find him some type of work in the government. Same thing with all the teachers in rubber rooms.

biggus dickus wrote:

Check out this guy's race results. Anyone want to change their position?

http://www.athlinks.com/myresultsadv.aspx?rid=29903459

I would not argue that Murry Halberg wasn't disabled. This is totally different Murry's disability was his arm, pretty important to a fire fighter I would think. This guy's disability is related to his respiratory system. I'd say a 17:30 5K is a pretty good test of the respiratory system. There are likely other factors to consider. Just pointing out that the guy is not a hobby jogger running 30 min 5Ks.

End all Paid Retirement co-pays and taxpayer paid benefits for NYPD, NYFD, LIRR, USPS, teachers, and all state, county, city, federal, military personnel. They can pay for it themselves. They can work until 70 like the rest of us have to.

End all Paid Retirements wrote:

End all Paid Retirement co-pays and taxpayer paid benefits for NYPD, NYFD, LIRR, USPS, teachers, and all state, county, city, federal, military personnel. They can pay for it themselves. They can work until 70 like the rest of us have to.

and don't allow government workers to unionize. They can't get fired - what do they need a union for? And who cares enough in government to argue against a union? It is a circle of ever-expanding benefits.

I would disagree with you on the NYPD tho - I think you carry a gun for 20 years and taking that kind of stress and danger, you get to retire.

There's no draft. It's all volunteer now. Police are voluntary civilian jobs. 20 year retirements should be cancelled and they should work until 70 and pay for their own retirements, with no taxpayer monies. Nobody has to take that job if they don't want to. They don't do anything risky at all anymore, instead they call for backup, and have risk managers pre-approve any life threatening moves. They can walk away from any crime and quit the police at any time. It's not like the infantry where you can be ordered to walk into live small arms fire or mortars and court martialed if you refuse the order.

Better yet, get rid of unions altogether. They were important and necessary 100 years ago when 12 year olds were worked around the clock in unsafe conditions. With the massive amounts of laws that have been passed to protect workers since then, unions are completely unnecessary and just are a cover for people to get paid to do nothing. Name one industry where unions do anything other than make it much more expensive to do business without any benefits to the actual businesses.

Christie wrote:

Better yet, get rid of unions altogether. They were important and necessary 100 years ago when 12 year olds were worked around the clock in unsafe conditions. With the massive amounts of laws that have been passed to protect workers since then, unions are completely unnecessary and just are a cover for people to get paid to do nothing. Name one industry where unions do anything other than make it much more expensive to do business without any benefits to the actual businesses.

I can't agree with you there - unions are needed in low cost labor businesses like hotels - the workers need to team up or they get paid minimum wage and worked to death.

In fact, I don't have much of a problem with unions in the private sector - a business can take care of itself. The government has zero incentive to fight against unions because a government spend other peoples' money.

I know someone who got 3 1/2 years paid for at a private college through ROTC and then was discharged for asthma - funny thing was that they had been doing the ironman annually, and finishing near the top for their fitness tests... until the asthma ruling came out - and suddenly they were walking/wheezing. So, they got ~ $100,000 free education + mothly living stipend. Not cool.

Nobody gets "worked to death" in America. This isn't China or the turn of the 19th Century here. If hotels aren't willing to pay enough to get people to work for them, then they will be forced to raise compensation or go out of business. Since when are people forced to work in hotels?

You clearly don't understand how the private sector works so I'm not sure why I am responding to your post. How do you think unions have worked out for the auto industry and the airline industry? Both private sector industries. It's a lot more complicated than simply "taking care of the union."

The government also has every reason to fight for unions because unions are votes and contributions. You can thank unions for the fact that Tavern on the Green is boarded up.