Posted on 12/17/2011 2:00:04 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
..On a campaign swing through Cherokee, Iowa, Perry was asked why the Employee Retirement System should be paying his retirement while he's still collecting a salary.
"That's been in place for decades. ... I don't find that to be out of the ordinary," Perry said of the practice. "ERS called me and said, 'Listen, you're eligible to access your retirement now with your military time and your time and service, and I think you would be rather foolish to not access what you've earned.'"
...The governor's gross annual salary is $150,000; his net salary is $133,000. The net monthly annuity check Perry started receiving Jan. 31 is $7,698. Combined, his net pay from the state is now more than $225,000 annually.
...."As part of his standard financial planning, on Jan. 31, 2011, Gov. Perry began to receive a Texas state employee retirement annuity of $7,698 per month before taxes ($6,588 net)," [Ray] Sullivan said. "The annuity is consistent with Texas state law and Employee Retirement System rules."
'Rule of 80'
Perry, 61, has a long record of state service, having won election as a state House member, state agriculture secretary and lieutenant governor before becoming governor in 2000.
Sullivan cited what's known by state employees as the "rule of 80," which allows state employees to start drawing on their retirement when their age plus years of public service credit totals at least 80.
"The combination of Gov. Perry's U.S. military service, state service and age exceeded the state-required 80 years and qualified him for the annuity," Sullivan said.
Perry continues to pay 6.5 percent withholding tax from his state salary to the state retirement system, the spokesman added.....
(Excerpt) Read more at star-telegram.com ...
no are you brain dead?.. Perry doesn’t control his salary or retirement.. holy crap give it a rest
I don’t get your point about Perry’s pension having anything to do with Palin’s.
Since you’re attempting to make a potpourri, throw in this: Gov Rick Perry is the first Texas governor to cut spending since WWII.
No, I’m not going to give it a rest!
What’s the matter? You can’t stand someone pointing out the truth that Rick Perry doesn’t have the sense to wait and collect retirement later, which would be to his political advanatage?
Sorry about your state taxes. Are you in Oregon or Washington state?
Like we "Perrywinkles" have been saying from day one it gonna come down to the Rove/Bush/Eastern power candidate Romney or the Republican Governors candidate, Perry.
These governors have been talking about this for years and removing the power from Washington. Jeeze Haley Barbour has his own PAC that he uses to promote candidates and platforms in opposition to the RNC.
Perry is going to win Iowa and Rove and Fox News are going to crap their pants.
What people outside Texas don't understand is this is classic Rick Perry. Just when they think they have him beat, they realize they are the ones losing and it pisses them off because they think they are smarter than Perry. "How is this dumbass beating me at every turn?"
God that is how.
We hear this ridiculous argument over and over. Pensions, double dipping, triple dipping...on and on.
The simple fact is this:
1. The PEOPLE who VOTE ELECT the IDIOTS who craft these kinds of ‘retirement’ plans, at ALL levels of government.
2. STOP vilifying the people who work in those systems and then accord themselves the rewards promised, regardless of the amount or duration.
3. IF YOU STILL HAVE AN ISSUE, REVIEW #1, ABOVE, and then LOOK IN THE MIRROR. YOU did it to yourself.
Unless and until the PEOPLE come to the realization that they do, in fact, control their destiny at the ballot box, and in holding accountable those who are elected, we are destined to continue down this path.
And every time it happens, they call Rick Perry “lucky.”
People make their own “luck.”
Rick Perry works for each and every vote. When he meets people they feel his honesty, sincerity and conviction.
The state of Texas says if you're age + your service in the military and government adds up to 80 (61 + 20 years service) you can get retirement benefits.
Heck you can join the military at 18 and retire at 38.
By the way, my wife was unemployed for a year too while I was building a struggling service business. I have 3 kids and a mortgage and 2 car payments. You persevere with faith toward God. He will sustain you and bring you the job you need. What other people are doing has no bearing on that.
I went into debt keeping things a float until things turned.
Rick Perry has asked for Congress to work and receive a govt. salary for 6 months out of 12 (go home and work a private sector job under the restrictions and taxes they’ve imposed on us).
Rick Perry said he’d take only 1/2 of the president’s salary (thought still working full time as president).
He's meeting everyone in Iowa, not just relying on debate performances to wow the masses.
His hard work will pay off.
I am frankly disgusted at the ability of so many Republicans to jump from one front runner to the next. Nikki Haley really made me sick with that endorsement because it is clearly political.
Do you know how I know Perry will win? Because CW, and you know as well as anyone the fire that the "Perrywinkles" have fought on FR alone from before Perry even announced and everyone was hoping Palin was going to run.
We have fought and each candidate has fallen by the wayside. Newt is the latest and he will fall too and in the end, when the smoke clears, Perry and Romney will be face to face.
What will be interesting is what politician will see the handwriting and endorse Perry in order to seem like a king maker. As far as I am concerned Bobby Jindal and a couple other deserve big praise for sticking with their convictions.
It's unlikely any of us in the "Private" sector would have that opportunity. Employees who retire under their company sponsored Defined Benefit pension plans are not rehired by the same company. That's double dipping - employee salary + employee pension.
The only exception to that rule is when the employee is hired as a temporary private consultant or contractor.
We have a new Macomb County Executive (new position) who is doing the exact same thing. For years he served as a Macomb County sherrif officer, then was elected as the chief Macomb County Sherriff.
While county sheriff last year he ran for and was elected the Executive Comm position. He immediately retired from his sheriff's job, collected $376,000 lump sum payment (from the county) and started receiving his $74,000 retirement pension (from the county) along with his $139,000 salary as Exec. Comm (from the county).........
Again, no where in the private sector would this be allowed to happen......
It doesn’t really matter where I live; this kind of thing is happening all over the United States.
When someone who works in the public sector is making hundredc of thousands more than a civilian, it is bound to bankrupt governments. The tax burden will expand beyond the ability of the civilian sector to pay for it.
That is happening right now, all around the nation.
People get contractual golden parachutes in the private sector all the time..
I am not a Perry supporter, but I don’t blame Perry for this, I blame the system which allows it.
No one should be getting any money meant for retirement when they are still young and working (unless there is some sort of fixed limit on how long they will recieve it)
The elephant in the room on all these issues is that blacks are masssively over represented when it comes to govenment jobs.
This is just back door reparations if you ask me.
What a ridiculous comment!
Who are you to say who should retire at what age?
We have no way of knowing if Sarah would’ve done differently or not. This is an unfounded assumption on your part. And, no, I don’t think it is a big deal. Maybe it is to those who are jealous.
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