Cut Pay For Government Workers (The only way to get serious about the deficit) (

Forbes ^ | 03/02/2010 | Brian Westbury and Robert Stein

[Peter Horry]

One more point on the EMS. This also shows what can be accomplished when government limits it’s function to an unmet need and interfaces with the private sector.

If the EMS program had been approached the way the Congress is currently approaching health care the aim would have been to control the private sector (doctors & medical facilities) instead of working with it.

[Mobties]

“It’s alreay on the internet at OPM.gov. Knock your self out pasting it all over town.”

Not quite what I meant. I need to see the names of individuals, employed by the state (payed with our taxes) and next to each name the total compensation received.
Taxpayers should know how much and to whom their taxes are paid or wasted, government employees should have to look their fellow citizens in the eye and not hide behind some bureaucracy.

Ideally, these data would be published one full month before any vote on town budgets, city, county, state elections, etc.

[dashing doofus]

Exactly right. Pension liabilities are virtually bankrupting a number of states and localities, including California, Illinois, West Virginia and others.

Government employees (we see a few examples right here on FR), like to compare salaries, but completely disregard the enormous benefit packages they receive and how quickly they qualify for full retirement benefits.

Personally, I’m ok with most government salaries (although not the $150K cops you find in places like California, NY, Massachusetts, CT, and elsewhere), but I would scrap the pension plans and convert them to 401K plans with government match, similar to private sector plans.

These plans were NEVER designed for people to work for 20 or 25 years, and then get paid for another 30 or more after they “retire.” Plus, as you note, many don’t really retire. They collect that pension on top of another salary (usually government), sometimes earning credits toward a second pension.

And their contributions only cover a small portion of the retirement costs - taxpayer contributions cover the bulk.