Pensions and the Florida State Retirement System

[Chuck Riddling]

Why is it the only changes everybody are talking about are for the police, fire , teachers, and state and county "employees". Why haven't the judges and politicans been included in the mix, they are also in the FSRS, but their deal is sweeter, because it's my understanding, politcians only have to work 8 years to be elgible, and judges have a 4% multiplier. It might also be noted politicians and other elected officials such as city council and county commissioners are actually part-time employees. Where else are part-time employees entitled to a pension? Everyone is wanting the pension system to be more like a 401-k. Why take a system that is 90% funded and making money and turn it into a 401- k which was one of the first things to tank when our economy went south? Yes! something has to be done to hold the Unions in check, but taking the FSRS and turning it into a 401-k style system is not the way. I smell a great big stinking rat or politician trying to get their on a grubby paws on a BILLION+ dollar fund to bankrupt it.

Yes I am a retired individual on a pension, I have seen politicans borrow from pension funds to lower their millage or not raise taxes and now when it's time to start paying the mortage,  they start crying their broke and the pensions are bankrupting them, but they are still spending money hand over fist. There are ways to change the systems , but you don't do it by taking away from people who have taken their career path in life and what they have been promised in the form of their retirements and take away from it half way through their careers. I might also add, if you check into it, most employees already work 25+ years before starting to draw on their pensions "execpt" our politicans. What the tax-payer never saw was, when things were at it's best, the cities took their pension holidays and used that money to lower their millage rate or taxes, while the employees lived up to their obligations of paying into their pension plans every payday. You want to talk corruption! The D.R.O.P. plans were designed to get older senior higher paid employees to retire so they could hire someone to take their jobs at a lower starting salary, but instead what happened was the people retired, took a month off and came back to work at the same job making the same salary, but also drawing their pension and their drop money and no longer contributing to the pension. There is one of your pension problems, which once again leads right back to the politican and unions. If we are going to start changing pensions, we need to start with the President of the United States and work our way down to the newest hired employee. If you want to know the other side go to www.truthaboutpensions.net. 

[tamara stephenson]

why aren't judges and politicans included?  that is a very good question!