GOP - cut Federal Retirees benefits to pay for Katrina

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

A group of Republican House members called Wednesday for cuts to some federal retirees' benefits to help offset the cost of Hurricane Katrina recovery.


The House Republican Study Committee released a package of recommendations known as "Operation Offset" Wednesday that called for calculating retirement annuities for federal employees based on an average of their five highest-earning years of service. Currently, employees' annuities are based on a high three-year average. Adding two years of lower pay would tend to decrease the average, and thus reduce retirees' defined benefits....

National Treasury Employees Union President Colleen Kelley -
"This is a deeply flawed proposal that falls disproportionately on the backs of those who can least likely afford it," Kelley said.

http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=32299&dcn=e_gvet

[Deja Q]

1. Why not cut subsidies to corporate entities? CORPORATE WELFARE?

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

7. Nah that's their base

And they don't come any baser than that.

[sakabatou]

55. Or the Pentagon/War budget?

[TomInTib]

2. Does federal retirees include the House members?

[xray s]

3. how about this

eliminate retire benefits for elected government officials.

starting with Bush and Cheney. after all, they don't need the money.

[struggle4progress]

43. Why don't Republicans in the House and Senate simply resign?

That would save alot of money.

[iamjoy]

45. Yeah, Eliminate Congress Retirement Benefits

and the Presidents as well. When was the last time a poor person was elected to federal office (a person earning less than the median wage at the time he/she was elected)?

Bill and Hillary Clinton don't need it either.

[pfitz59]

56. Eliminate ALL pensions for POLS!

See how long they stay in office then!

[SammyWinstonJack]

58. Eliminate their health insurance, let them see how that feels.

[daninthemoon]

4. I know this isn't talking about VA is it?

[CAG]

8. This particular thing would effect VA employees, its hard to

believe the repubs would cut veterans benefits any more than they already have.

[dhinojosa]

5. Unfortunately recommending this bad news...

Tax Cuts? Are we repealing those?

[daninthemoon]

16. You're a funny fella.

[Wwagsthedog]

6. How about no more war!

Total waste of money.

[Erika]

11. W needed the war to pay back his buds

and keep their profits flowing.

[Catrina]

14. That would be a good start

Bring home the troops from all over the world. It's time to start fixing this country.



Cut all medical benefits for Congress, the Senate and Bush and Cheney. They don't need us to pay for their medical benefits, they are wealthy enough to pay for their own. It's outrageous that so many Americans are paying for them, when they don't have medical coverage themselves.

Roll back Bush's tax cuts for the rich, that's the most obvious thing to do.

Cut out all pork that is attached to bills passed in Congress. We don't need bridges to nowhere in Alaska.

Cut back on the prison population by decriminalizing marijuana and other drugs. That would save billions of wasted money that could be used for better purposes, like education and treatment.

No more no-bid contracts where money is wasted, and more oversight of government contracts.

Pay a livable salary to the working poor. That would stimulate the economy far more than tax cuts for the rich, imo.

I'm sure if I spend a little time, I can think of a million ways these idiots waste our money. I wish I could spend like a drunken sailor, like this administration has, without any consequences.

[Child_Of_Isis]

30. Welfare for the wealthy...

"Cut all medical benefits for Congress, the Senate and Bush and Cheney"


I don't know why republicans don't see this for what it is.

[buddysmellgood]

9. GOP plan two: Sell your children to the Saudis to pay for Katrina.

[Erika]

10. Wait until they have to find funds for Rita

to subsidize W's Texans. Implement a poor tax?

[daninthemoon]

17. If you think haliburton has been paid well already, just wait. Fixing

oil rigs was their first business, and TX is their home base.

[anotherdrew]

12. OK, does that include congressmen and senators and presidents?

these chumps are going to be voted out big time I think, they are way into "over-reach" mode

[rodeodance]

15. yes, Congress shut cut their benefits also!

[pecwae]

29. The big boys

including the Senior Executive Service (department service heads and such) fall into very specialized areas when speaking of pay, benefit, etc. This move would only affect 'worthless' retirees like myself, grounds maintenance foreman, postal carriers, medical technicians, others who fall under the GS, WS and WG pay grade systems.

[ticapnews]

13. My favorite cut: Stop paying for penile implants with Medicare

It's in Section III.

Do they really expect to spend $660,000,000 in the next 10 years on penile implants? That can't be right...

[CreekDog]

38. Medicare should pay for testicular implants for Congressional Democrats!

Now that's a spending program I think we can all get behind.

[uncertainty1999]

18. This is a TAX INCREASE for federal retirees - thanks, Bush! n/t

[2Design]

19. start with the house and senate and work your way up the chain

since they are willing to sacrifice :)

[expatriot]

20. This paragraph is the heart of it right here:

Most of what conservatives are advocating in "Operation Offset" is a rehash of policies fiscal conservatives have long trumpeted -- funding cuts for NASA and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, eliminating so-called pork in the highway bill, cutting subsidies for Amtrak, and reining in foreign aid, among others.


They are evil, evil evil.

[iamjoy]

47. Cut Highway Spending? Hello Rita!

have they seen the news pics of the roads out of Houston? And they want to CUT funding for roads? Because, we just have too many highways, you know.

What is pork anyway?
Answer: spending on a large project in a Congressional district other than your own.

[jobycom]

21. Cut benefits to working people instead of rich, lazy slobs. Typical.

I hope their plan gets plenty of airplay. Katrina has pulled back the wizard's curtain, and I hope people do pay attention to what's behind it.

[Historic NY]

22. They should cut theirs first including retired members before

cutting retirees.

[salin]

23. yep - GOP gotta keep rich tax cuts but slice $ of those on fixed

income - that was earned by serving as a public employee for years. Renege on the employment promise to these retirees - but keep the taxcut windfalls for the really rich... and Sen Shelby still looks for an example of someone effected by the estate tax who died in Katrina.

They really are looking vampiresque.

[wishlist]

24. Other proposal will raise health insurance premiums of retirees

"The RSC also recommended lowering the government subsidy for some federal retirees who participate in the Federal Employees Health Benefits plan. RSC members said they want to "reduce health benefits for new retirees who had relatively short federal careers, although it would preserve their right to stay in the program." Currently, the government pays for 72 percent of all participants' premiums, regardless of the length of their federal careers.

According to a Congressional Budget Office analysis, under the proposal backed by the RSC, "the government's share of premium costs would be cut by two percentage points for every year of service less than 30. In the case of a retiree with 20 years of service, for example, the government's contribution would decline from 72 percent of the weighted average premium to 52 percent."

Charles Fallis, president of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, said the proposals are insulting to federal employees.

"Not only would these proposals dishonor the government's obligation to its workers, but it also makes public service a much harder sell," Fallis said."


I know many federal retirees who pay $300 per month already for their health insurance premiums for insurance that still leaves them having to pay significant deductibles and copays too.

Since when is 20 to 30 years of service not considered lengthy?

Also, Federal retirees pay taxes on all of the health insurance premiums that are deducted from their pensions already. Congress has failed to pass legislation to relieve them of this unfair burden!!!!!

[applegrove]

25. Again - the estate tax then goes into effect... and the retirees who

are not wealthy end up subsidizing the rich.

Totally unfair.

I think this is saber rattle ling. The Rove WH really, really wants to sink government in the bathtub. They know they only have a year to pass anything.

Don't know - but I cannot imagine why else they would do this. Except that the old die and therefore don't have long memories.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrr.

[MaineDem]

26. Very unfair to cut retiree benefits

People retire with an understanding from the company. Cutting these benefits after the fact seems very wrong to me.

The fact that it's the US Government breaking its promise to retirees bothers me a great deal.

[wishlist]

27. Over 100 in Congress voted for this last year (for bill that was defeated)

Few people realize that many Republicans in Congress already tried to push through these proposals last year in a bill that was defeated but got a lot of Repub votes.

[cantstandbush]

28. How do you like him now, Federal Republican employees?

But it will truly only really hurt the lower paid employees. The top of the Fed pay scales already make much more money than they are worth and most are political appointees.

[The Backlash Cometh]

31. Unfucking believable.

Do you have any idea how old some of those retirees are? Jesus Christ. Why don't the asshole Republicans do the one thing that would make them human? Tax the rich.

[indepat]

32. All Repuke proposals are deeply flawed and fall disproportionately

on those who can least likely afford it: that's their essence, mission, goal, job # 1. They are killing our society, one step at a time with malice of forethought: they like it.

[fasttense]

33. I wonder how those federal employees who marched in the "Freedom parade"

after hurricane Katrina think about their retiree pay and benefits being cut? I bet they just love it. Stupid people doing stupid things.

[kwolf68]

34. I just sent this to my wing-nut Bush loving

Mother...who also happens to be a federal employee soon to retire. He's been pissing her off lately...maybe this will finally get her to saunter in from her slumber.

[Pachamama]

35. I'm sure my retired from the Fed Gov't GOP father is going to LOVE this!

Can't wait to see what he thinks of his beloved GOP on this one.... :eyes:

[RayOfHope]

44. My GOP dad, too

my dad isn't a federal employee, but my grandad was a postmaster for many years.

[anotherdrew]

36. never trust a Republican, their word is always worthless

they'll keep their word to you only as long as it's usefull to them to do so. There's another term for republican mind-set, it's: psychopathic

[yellowcanine]

37. How Republican of them! Does that include congresscritters?

Wait - I have a better idea. How about limiting Congressional pensions to the median federal employee pension? That should generate quite a bit of offset.

[AlCzervik]

39. Starting with the retirees from Congress, that would save a lot

and how about they get the same kind of health insurace we do? How about rasing their premiums as well?

[ohtransplant]

40. Some of my best friends are NTEU members

and it's true - this has been tried before.

The reality here is the same as many times before. The best disinfectant is sunshine.

This is a trial balloon. They need to hear loud and clear that it's full of lead.

I, for one, will be calling my Reps and Senators. LTTEs, call-ins, and a call to the WH seem to also be in order.

At the same time, they still want to eliminate the Estate tax for the wealthiest of the wealthiest.

These lying, cheating, thieving bastards want to pay for their tax cuts on the backs of middle and lower income Americans - again!

Good God Man! Have you no soul??

[MADem]

51. And so many Federal employees have Potomac Fever

...they retire out of those little boxes in DC to the suburbs in VA and MD...they're too close and they will waddle in to town and gripe it up!!!

[ohtransplant]

59. Not all federal employees work in DC

and feds aren't the only ones moving to the burbs in VA and MD. Most feds I've met are pretty cheerful people.

Is it fair to pay for five years of tax cuts, mismanagement, and war profiteering by reducing federal employees' pensions? Again?

[MADem]

60. I think you misunderstand me---SUBSTANTIALLY

I spent many years as both a federal worker, albeit senior military, with no small number of federal civilian military subordinates, and additionally as a homeowner in the METRO DC area. What I am saying is that many of my neighbors/friends/subordinates/co-workers were RETIRED types who drew federal, civilian pensions--and STAYED in METRO when they retired. This translates to CLOUT.

It is certainly more difficult to ignore the "barbarians" when they are at your very gate....so to speak.

In the event that you fail to understand my stance, I say, I completely support the federal workers, I relied on them, I valued them, and I continue to believe that they play a major role in our governance.

On a personal level, I especially appreciated the fact that most of the federal workers on my staffs were not blinded by ideological lunacy. They cared about family, friends, and their communities.

I do not understand where we differ.

[ohtransplant]

61. I'm not sure we disagree.

My response was aimed at your phrase, "gripe it up". In my experience, to gripe is to complain, moan, whine, etc... indiscriminately.

I see now your use of the term was intended to suggest they're assert their rights to organize, to contact their representatives and congresspersons, write LTTEs. Maybe more people should do that...Hmmm...revolutionary concept as they say.

I've also worked as a federal worker and enlisted military. As you know feds make the choice to work for uncle sugar instead of a private employer for many reasons. Chief among those reasons are security issues like health insurance and pension (although FERS doesn't hold a candle to CSRS. We all make trade offs. Job security has become a memory fr many feds.

In retrospect, I also don't understand where we differ.

[MADem]

62. We are on the same page

I guess it is a difference in terminology. In my sphere, if you took the time and effort to gripe, you intended to get results from it, or fall on your spear in pursuit of principle, or perhaps 'screw the pooch' for someone following behind you that you felt was on the wrong track.

In senior military circles, griping always has consequences--you either do it because you are on your way out, and just want to shit in the punch...or you want to make a difference!

In any event, it is done with a bit of thought behind it, as well as purpose!

[all.of.me]

41. they could cut that perpetual paycheck that politicians receive...

[indigo32]

42. OMG news flash to the Repubs

Bring the troops home and we'll save lots of money, instead of screwing retirees.
I'm gonna have to borrow a Mike Malloy line and say "Have I told you lately how much I HATE these people"

[brentspeak]

46. How typical of Republicans - no ethics whatsoever

[GoddessOfGuinness]

48. Will Congress get a payraise this year?

You can count on it! :grr:

[classysassy]

49. Pay raise for our CON ladies and gents.

greed trumps need everytime.

[lakeguy]

50. why not cut the benefits all congress members get instead!

[slay]

53. Ooh ooh - I like your plan!

Bush and his fellow "elected" idiots.

[Demeter]

52. After You, Gaston!

What will they think of next? And no member of the Bush Family or the Evil Empire contributed to this fiasco! Proving that GOP is a disease worse than TB or AIDS.

[2Design]

54. cut wh and congress current and future benefits and all retirement

ken lay stole ordinary people retirement - these jokers don't deserve what they are paid

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

57. Beyond the pale

simply beyond the pale.