You know it Yada! Kayspew, and her tag team partner, fedupfool.

back at cha yada. ;)

does it take one to know one?

Isn't it funny that Thompson never suggests Senators and Congressmen pay a "fair share" of their health insurance and pension. Everyone should pay....... but Thompson.

Sure sounds like KAYSBREW is a paid blogger and terrible at her job. lol

MooShoo
Tell me how I've "bashed" public employees?

this is ALWAYS where you liberals go wrong. It would please you to see thousands of workers get laid off then to contribute less then 3% to their own health and pension plans.

You are barking up the wrong tree.
Americans overwhelmingly say "SAVE A JOB, CONTRIBUTE".

Thank you! I don't have to be paid. Fighting for my country against liberal destructionist is an honor.
Let freedom ring.

Tommy had his chance to do exactly what Walker is doing. Saving the State of Wisconsin
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section...
California votes for another liberal democrat and will be out of money by March. Wonder how many public workers will get let go before they ask for small contributions? This is good stuff.

Tenacious:
"Shopierehuh, redistributed to who? The ones with their hands out looking for more so they don't have to work to get it. I for one am sick of the free ride people take and then want more."

Alot of us could say the same thing about our elected officials, which by the way, are being paid and given all the great wages, benefits and perks by us taxpayers. Start trimming the fat from the top.

thompson is a little behind the times they already started paying more 4 years ago

vato........ your near 90, stop attacking workers conditions. You seem to enjoy the rewards of union workers everyday.

vatoloco,

Yes. Job security in the Federal (and State) government is very high compared to the private sector. Probably too high. Under-performers are difficult to get rid of... Then throw in union protections and it takes an act of congress to get rid of someone. Since management has no dog in that fight, they often just capitulate. Federal unions don't bargain for salary or benefits, just working conditions.

Alwaysoutoftowner

Would you say your job is pretty secure? I think there was a report that federal employees enjoy life long job security...

As a federal employee I pay about 25% of the cost of insurance - Blue Cross Basic Plan. Others pay nearly 35% for other plans. Here is a link to the 2012 federal insurance plan costs:

http://www.opm.gov/insure/health/rates/n...

I participate in a 401k plan and we do get a defined pension...it would come to about 30% of our average highest 3 years of salary. If I retire making $50,000, my defined pension would be about $15,000 a year. I'm not complaining. But, I often see comments that our benefits are free. That's not the truth.

"Well, Tommy just alienated more than half of the eligible voters in the state. Great way to begin the end of a washed-up political career."

Speaking of washed up : Feingold

ALL government employees collecting a paycheck from the taxpayers should invest a small portion of their own money to pension and benefits. We all do it.
I include politicians as well.

I agree 100%, poobah. He thinks playing the "lets get the public employee" game is going to get him some votes. He is a member of the "I've got mine, screw you" club. He needs to go find a hole and crawl his chubby little self into it.

Well, Tommy just alienated more than half of the eligible voters in the state. Great way to begin the end of a washed-up political career.

Tommy please stay retired.

Shopierehuh - Classic!

Thanks, fearandretoric. It is the small things that make life good...and fun.

liverpool - Politicians on both sides have become wealthy by being politicians and not caring about the taxpayers. Thats why they call them politicians.

This is good, first start with ALL Senators and anyone in Congress NO LIFETIME INCOME from these positions including President and they have Medicare and Social Security when they do retire. NOT paid by taxpayers but out of their SS checks like the rest of the PEOPLE. Just sayin!

Tommy is pathetic. Tommy has become very wealthy first as a politician and later as a corporate lobbyist both of which wind up costing taxpayers. Tommy doesnt give a crap about taxpayers. He will do or say anything to be elected and obtain power just like our boy scotty.

I am a federal worker and I currently pay quite a bit more than the state workers pay for their benefits. Actually I think that our benefits are fairly similar the the private sector.

We are responsible for 25% of our health care premiums which comes out to about 350/month for a standard family plan.

Our 401k is pretty standard. If we contribute 5% of our salary, it is matched at 4%. This is about the same or a little less than the private sector. Also there is no subtantial government pension. I think they said without my 401k, that I would recieve 6500 dollars year at my retirement age as a pension.

So as it stands now, I think that federal government workers are paying their fair share

At a townhall, Paul Ryan said it's not fair that taxpayers pay better wages and benefits they they get themselves. This might sound reasonable to some, but that is creeping communism. What Republicans like Thompson and Ryan want is one-party rule and a single wage and benefit class for the 99. But if you even try to ask them to pay the same tax rates as the middle-class - why that's class warfare.

Every private sector individual who over the last decade recieved a reduction in benefits responded to the cut by saying "i've been screwed" or "it's unfair"...
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Now the same folks demand others suffer the same>
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The two wrongs make a right analogy?
.
If there is NO MONEY" then cuts are necessary,..
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The logic that "they did it to me so now they need to do it to you" is something usually reserved for the 3rd grade playground.
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Most federal workers are compensated "overall" at a lower rate than their non-fed counterparts.
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Now the federal spending needs to be reduced, and many useless programs that have outlived their usefulness also need to go.
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Both Republicans and Democrats want to try to continue without actually reducing the size of government. (Ryan and Paul being notable exceptions)
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Cutting the compensation of everybody is not the answer... Eliminating non-essencial programs, even if it hurts is what is needed.
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An example: Every state has a department of education yet the federal department of education takes more tax money to run than all 50 states combined! Shrink it to an entity to hand out block grants to the states or eliminate it altogether. This is not hating on education... it frees up billions so that education can be managed in the states where the children live.
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Cut off the cancers rather than starving every cell.

Shopiere excellent job of getting the cartoon charecters to GO NUTS!! No one sensed the sarcasm and just exploded into rant after rant about socialism!! Who says fishing isnt easy?

shopierhuh: I didn't care for Tommy as governor but he will have my vote. As far as his net worth, he made the majority of that after he left the public sector and went back into the private sector. If you feel that he should distribute his wealth you better practice what you preach and start redistributing what you have!

Mr. Thompson I never liked you when you were Wisconsin Governor but if you're serious about this I'll not only vote for you but I'll clean your cars for life.

JoyM, you support corporate welfare - do you not? That is redistribution of wealth in its purest form. Take from the masses (the legal owners) through collectivism and give it to a select advantaged few. It's also crony capitalism. All of the companies starting up or expanding in Rock County recently are all profiting from socialism.

ddr, oh, I agree the legislators should be ante-ing up their fair share, and more to keep a cadillac plan. But I don't think ripping someone's personal wealth out from under them is the right way to go.

I think all of the Congress federal and state should pay toward their insurance. The poor have to pay but if millionaire dont have to?
Socialism is not all that bad either isnt that kind of what congress has now a free lunch paid for by middleclass.

Shopierehuh
Have you heard of socialism? If so, describe one instance where it really was for the good of the masses. Because that is what you propose when you say wealth should be taken away from those who legally are owners of it.

Like I said, he don't want to run.... just do something to get some cash and free lunches.

Shopierehuh, redistributed to who? The ones with their hands out looking for more so they don't have to work to get it. I for one am sick of the free ride people take and then want more.

Shopierehuh
I hope you are kidding

An earlier article stated that Thompson's net worth is around 13-14 millions dollars. I don't think he needs this much money. He has no small children to support, he has several pension packages to draw, he has good insurance. I think he should have some of that money taken away from him and redistributed.

maybe the first thing he should look at is the Mercedes health and pension plans that our elected officials have.