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Originally Posted by theGinsue
but we will pay more for licenses and habitat stamps etc. glad I bought my lifetime stamp...of course it will be invalidated soon because I will need a lifetime state habitat stamp for parks and recs and CDOW now...
it is a nice indirect attack on outdoorsman, straight to their pocketbooks.
DOW is not the only State entity that is self funded/sufficient. CDOT is as well, it is funded by fuel taxes and is not included in the general fund.
As far as state employee wages- we have been "frozen" in salaries for the last 3 years. Promotions that used to gain the employee 15% salary increases have been reduced to 10%Typically we could expect an average of 2% annually in "cost of living" salary increases.
Last year we had to "contribute" an additional 2.5% of our salary towards our PERA plus incur the eight Furlough days already mentioned. This year we are paying an additional 2% to our PERA. So in essence the employees are paying the entire contribution to PERA retirement. This equates to a 4.5% cut in pay for all state employees.
We have not had to incur Furlough days for the FY11 budget but I would not be the least surprised to see them in the FY12 budget.
As far as Dickenpooper FUBAR'ing the state services ala California I would not be surprised at all.
Look at how badly he F'd up Denver.
If I am not mistaken does not state Parks receive lottery dollars as well?
The most important thing to be learned from those who demand "Equality For All" is that all are not equal...
Gun Control - seeking a Hardware solution for a Software problem...
Ahh, but BPTactical and Rellik74, these people here do not want to hear the truth about us state employees and how close we are to losing our homes with all the pay deductions and furloughs. They want to believe we have a great nest egg in PERA and are making more money than the private sector. They want to believe we are lazy and rolling in money.
I'm personally paying over twice what my Social Security payment would have been if I was in private sector, towards my retirement and the state is paying the same as SSI employer payments. Our health insurance sucks balls and has high premiums for crappy benefits.
For those who would jump on the wagon and say they are unemployed or underemployed and would change places with any one of us, yes that is true. I am grateful for the job I have and having steady income coming in, but having said that, I cannot keep working 70-80 hour weeks (we don't get overtime pay) for 2006 wages and 2011 costs.
“Every good citizen makes his country's honor his own, and cherishes it not only as precious but as sacred. He is willing to risk his life in its defense and is conscious that he gains protection while he gives it.” Andrew Jackson
A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to 'The United States of America ' for an amount of 'up to and including my life.'
That is Honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it.
Just like with so many other worthwhile programs/projects. I'm sure they're still getting the Casino money, but because they are, the libtards decide to re-appropriate other funds that the Parks were supposed to get over to BS projects/programs. Now, the Parks are worse off than BEFORE the Casino money.
I agree that we have a serious problem with the state funds and entities such as CDOT which can not self generate funds need to be taken care of if they are essential (such as CDOT), but robbing Peter to pay Paul, which is what they are doing in cobining the Parks and DOW is NOT the answer. Neither is harming those state employees who they employ.
The State needs to take a long hard look and determine what programs are essential and fund those, then look at what CAN be cut or reduced. For the State Parks, reduce the personnel footprint. Places like Eleven Mile are the start of good examples. Have pay stations in various locations, close the centers with the offices and that require stationed personnel, and have a small cadre of people who will go around and check the pay stations and check out the status of things around the Park. No need to close the parks but replace the person at the gate with a pay station. Eliminate the contractors patrolling the areas. Place large dumpsters at the entrances/exits and require folks to clean up their own garbage from the sites and fine those who don't.
In my youth I remember being able to go camping at state campgrounds and go fishing in state parks and there weren't paid camp nazi's or manned gates/pay stations. There were unmanned paystations. The Parks are no better now than they were then but now they cost the taxpayers significantly more for upkeep.
And, while we're at it, lets reduce the income for the state officials. NOT your normal run-of-the-mill employees, just those "officials" whose incomes are far above the normal employees. These people are supposed to be in positions of public service just like the guy running the snow plow or patrolling the highways/streets lookig for bad guys. So then, why should these "officials" continue to enjoy nice incomes while the rest of the state employees have to sacrifice?
Let's also take a tougher line on illegal immigrants. They cost us in increased law enforcement, housing, and education to start with. If we refused them all but essential services until we could deport them we could save even more money.
Just how I feel.
Last edited by theGinsue; 03-13-2011 at 15:32.
Ginsue - Admin
Proud Infidel Since 1965
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Fixed it for you.
Ginsue - Admin
Proud Infidel Since 1965
"You can't spell genius without Ginsue." -Ray1970, Apr 2020
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Lottery dollars can be used to build things and purchase land. It can not be used for everyday operation cost or wages.
My X-rep Fran Coleman told me if I didnt like the gun laws in denver I could move, SO I DID
Thank you for the correction. I had the two mixed up.
you are up to par with the private sector. I know this for fact. if you are paying a bit more than you would for social security, you should feel good that you will get a nice retirement. social security is a sinking ship. PERA does a very good job and although they struggled in the downturn, they are coming back strong. My dad and mom both retired as teachers in the last couple years. I can tell you I would much rather be making less money and getting a fully funded retirement plus health care benefits for the rest of my life than the bullshit social security and medicare out there now.
Personally I want social security to be optional. I would instantly opt out.
I talked with my wife about this as well as she is a teacher and involved in PERA. she has better benefits at a lower cost than what I am offered in the private sector, she pays 4% less into PERA account than I put in my 401K and will receive a much better % of her income when retirement comes around.
I know they are talking now about more furlough days or pay cuts, at least for the teachers, but I am sure the effects will be seen across the board of all state/federal employees. The problem is they aren't giving furlough days to the people that really need them...the TSA. they should all take a permanent vacation IMO. federal funded child molesters is a better title. CMA (child molesters administration). I watched them a few weeks back have a definitely gay male TSA agent do a full groping pat down of a roughly 16 year old boy. made me sick.
State employees only make up 15% of the people in PERA, but are the ones being asked to provide more funds to keep that sinking ship upright. There is billions in unfunded liabilities, because the board believes they are going to make 8% on their investments every year. Ain't gonna happen.
Sounds like your wife has a better retirement than the state employees. Given that 85% of PERA is school districts and other limited districts, they need to pony up and not have the state employees shoulder the burden. We state employees do not get health care after retirement. That is on our own dime.
The state pays not only its limited share that I get, but also pays AED and SAED, which are bailouts in effect to PERA. I don't know if your wife's employer pays those as well, but that is an extra couple of hundred dollars a month that is only a benefit to PERA, not me. My account does not see that money.
I pay 12.5% right now into PERA and the guv wants me to pay an additonal 2%, for a total of 14.5%. That is a lot off the top, that I can't opt out of or decide I don't want to pay. Social Security is 6.5% at the maximum rate. Yes, the retirement will be better, but frankly, it damn well better be, given I'm paying so much into it.
TSA is a federal agency and isn't part of PERA. Whether they furlough or not, I don't really care, given I'm worried about how much money I have at the end of each month to pay the bills and stay afloat. That is at the state level.
“Every good citizen makes his country's honor his own, and cherishes it not only as precious but as sacred. He is willing to risk his life in its defense and is conscious that he gains protection while he gives it.” Andrew Jackson
A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to 'The United States of America ' for an amount of 'up to and including my life.'
That is Honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it.
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