[Durham INC] NPR and PBS th get the chopping block?

[Melissa Rooney]

Here's a start, at least wrt federal employees, particularly legislators      -- 
Melissa Rooney

** Overall, members of Congress saw their personal wealth grow by more than 16 
percent during the worst economic downturn in the United States since the Great 
Depression, according to financial disclosures submitted by lawmakers.
http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/uscongress/ss/Wealthiest-Members-of-Congress.htm 
http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/uscongress/a/in-recession-congress-pay-increased.htm
 
 
** "The amount of a congressperson's pension depends on the years of service and 
the average of the highest 3 years of his or her salary. By law, the STARTING 
amount of a Member's retirement annuity may not exceed 80% of his or her final 
salary." 

http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/aa031200a.htm 
 
** ** "Congressional pensions are typically two to three times more generous 
than those in the private sector and even more generous than pensions for most 
federal workers. Plus, the Congressional benefit is protected from inflation 
with Cost of Living Adjustments (COLAs), a feature that less than one in 10 
private plans offer. Also, Members of Congress enjoy a much lower retirement age 
with full benefits than private sector employees and Social Security 
beneficiaries. The Members paid up to 8 percent of their salaries into the Civil 
Service Retirement System (CSRS), in which Cheney could have participated. But 
this covers just a small portion of the benefits (about 20 percent)."
http://www.ntu.org/news-and-issues/government-reform/pay/bush-cheney-pension-payouts.html
 
 
** How necessary are these pensions when 'There are 261 millionaire members of 
Congress, according to an analysis of personal wealth conduct by the Center for 
Responsive Politics'?
http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/uscongress/ss/Wealthiest-Members-of-Congress_2.htm 

 
** And this doesn't account for former presidents, who already stand to make 
millions from speaking engagements and the books they inevitably publish after 
their term(s):
 
Golden Years to Bring Golden Pension Payout of $5.6 Million to Bush, $3.2 
Million to Cheney, Taxpayer Group Finds 

http://www.ntu.org/news-and-issues/government-reform/pay/bush-cheney-pension-payouts.html
 
http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/planning-to-retire/2009/1/16/president-bush-will-get-a-196700-pension.html
 
 
and
 
"The most expensive ex-president today is Bill Clinton, whose taxpayer allowance 
in 2008 topped $1,162,000 - or close to the combined total of Jimmy Carter 
($518,300) and President George H. W. Bush ($786,300), according to the 
Congressional Research Service report." -- NY Daily News 

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2009/01/15/2009-01-15_between_6figure_pension_and_speaking_ret.html#ixzz1DnxBGCUL
 
 
** Many government workers (in and out of the legislature) also double dip, that 
is, retire and then get rehired (even within the same government agency) within 
weeks so they are now getting both a pension and a paycheck. And Legislators 
collect pensions simultaneously from their positions as state legislators, 
governors (if applicable), and from House reps and Senate seats. Most of us 
would be happy if we could get the benefit of just one, small guaranteed 
pension.
http://www.governing.com/columns/public-money/Looking-Twice-at-Pension.html 
http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/retirement/2008-07-16-doubledippers_N.htm 
 
** “Already, public sector workers make, on average, about a third more than 
their private-sector counterparts, studies show," and “90% of American state- 
and local-government workers have defined-benefit plans, compared with 20% of 
private-sector workers.”
http://www.economist.com/node/17849199 
 http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2011/01/12/federal-gravy-train-end/#ixzz1Do3Kv5z7
 (yes, even Fox cites this study)
 
 
See also:
http://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/RL30631.pdf 
 http://www.observer.com/2010/politics/how-much-your-ex-governor’s-pension 



________________________________
From: Free Spirit <freespirit0623 at earthlink.net>
To: Melissa Rooney <mmr121570 at yahoo.com>; inc-list at rtpnet.org
Sent: Sat, February 12, 2011 4:12:13 PM
Subject: RE: [Durham INC] NPR and PBS th get the chopping block?


Does anyone have these figures?  It would be interesting to calculate how much 
would be saved based on cutting legislative salaries and various perks.  As I 
recall, under state statute, the top leadership gets fairly generous salaries, 
but the rest of them are paid something like $14,000 a year, with an expense 
allowance of another $500-600 a month.  I’m not sure how much it costs them, on 
average, to travel from their various home districts to Raleigh for the 
duration; that would be an interesting figure to have as well.
 

________________________________

 
From:inc-list-bounces at rtpnet.org [mailto:inc-list-bounces at rtpnet.org] On Behalf 
Of Melissa Rooney
Sent: Saturday, February 12, 2011 1:51 PM
To: inc-list at rtpnet.org
Subject: Re: [Durham INC] NPR and PBS th get the chopping block?
 
Randy,
I did suggest where legislator's could cut costs -- they should start with their 
own salaries and benefits. It is ludicrous for these legislators to be deciding 
their own salaries and benefits, particularly while they are cutting Programs 
desperately needed by Americans in dire straits. The salary and benefit 
structure of the govt should be decided by a completely independent entity.

Melissa


      
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