Comment history for galrads

galrads  (anonymous) says...

Mr. Apollo. There is a lot of truth to what you say about attitudes and overkill on numbers of government employees. Watchout for more of that if our friends in Washington get their way and expand government employment more. However, Its not unfair to compare private and public jobs. There are some darn good professionals in government too, which includes doctors, nurses, psychiatrist, engineers. Do you want to underpay the engineer designing bridges and safety devices for our highways. Should we pay the doctors and nurses in government less than their compliments in the private sector? Not in my book. I prefer to see competent professionals in those positions.

We've kinda gotten off the track again. Regarding the slippery slope which our governor wants to place one of the retirement systems in, that's not going to work for anyone. Once the state pays its agreed share into OPERS, the state is out of the picture and another entity such as OPERS works on making the retirees single life annuities which goverment employees buy into. There are now other retirement options at OPERS but the bulk are single life like annuities.

So, if OPERS becomes insolvent or unsustainable and can't deliver retiree benefits because of the borrowing from it by state government to help others, well, no more retirees is possibly the result. This situation becomes more critical if the state doesn't pay back what they borrow either. Sounds like what happened to social security doesn't it?

Do you want to give up any annuity you may have worked and paid for and own for similar purposes? Heck, why don't we ask everyone in the private and public sectors to do that and give the proceeds to government. That kind of action would take care of all government problems, wouldn't it? I believe it is not right to make one person miserable because someone else is. Or do you disagree with that? Government may need cleaning up but robbing from retirees isn't right.

galrads  (anonymous) says...

Hi, again, Mr. Appollo.
I don't like games politicians play to protect their own self interests as it pits everyone against each other, private and public. That is what is going on right now as they work (?) on the new state budget. The proposed new budget cuts hurt a lot of people needing the services or they risk the stability of income for others. I.e., I believe there is one proposal to borrow from the state's largest pension system to help balance the budget. Slippery slope here. Look at what happened to other federal retirement subsidy systems like social security as a result of the Feds borrowing from it for other uses. Social Security is not meant to be a retirement system but it was somewhat stable until all the borrowing. Is it going to be there when all the baby boomers face retirement? Are the younger people correct in having bad attitudes about putting money into a system which they probably won't see any benefit? Yes. So why place more people in similar bad situations and needing other public assistance to survive by borrowing from OPERS (with no guarantees it will be paid back... in what, 10 years?... when we don't have to.

There is a lot of waste in government true, but I can not be condescending or blame workers as the major cost of the budget or the cause of the revenue shortfall. If there is blame to place it should be on supervision and management for not being more efficient and frugal.
To see what state government salaries are go to: http://careers.ohio.gov/
Now regarding salaries, would we want to go to a doctor earning 28 or 38 USDs an hour? I don't think so. We get what we pay for and if we don't want the government services we should push for government to downsize w/o losing health, national security and safety nets.

I'm not for the size of government proposed in Wash. D.C. but I sure want police and fire protection, clean air, safe roads etc. etc. around when I need them and that isn't happening like it should now in most places. The safety people put their lives on the line for us and earn every bit of their salaries. Don't you think?

If we want to straighten up government and place blame on expenses we should look at reforming services like medicaid and medicare. They are the biggest expense in government besides national defense and defense should not be touched.

galrads  (anonymous) says...

MR. JME.
I'm not disagreeing with you but let's put Apples to Apples. State Employees earn less than their compliments in the private sector. Health insurance is based on a group rate. Given 50,000 government employees in the pool and state contributions to health care coverage premiums are less than in most situations in the private sector.
If we don't want public services we shouldn't have them but I don't think we should say government employees are worth less because private sector jobs.

galrads  (anonymous) says...

MR. JME. Why is it the private sector wasn't complaining about government until greed took our economy down.
You are confusing a few issues here. Mr. Retirement is talking about retirements and how once each side contributes their share to OPERS state government is then out of the picture.
You'd do well as a politician maybe as you like to blend things and spin them to make a not so bad pic look worse. Let's talk retirement not employment.

galrads  (anonymous) says...

Mr. JME.
Why should it weaken his argument? Majority of state employees don't earn the big bucks unlike their counter parts in the private sector. Part of this imbalance is offset with decent health care benefits. The leave time is not unlike private sector. Should government employees continue to earn less ? Probably, it has been their choice. Not sure what your major is but maybe your wife looked at her career journey closer than yours making the decision she did. Maybe? Used to be a saying something like "get a college diploma and you'll earn a comfy living". Nothing's guaranteed in life. Some folks get the diploma thinking they'vd got it made here on out like cradle to grave stuff but really aren't worth more than the paper their diploma is printed on. I don't think that is you but this portfolio fits a lot of now jealous people enviable of others who may have succeeded more with less. Kinda getting of the subject but I wanted to respond to your edu statement.

galrads  (anonymous) says...

Mr. Apollo.
Thanks for your input but can you show us your data supporting your comments about outrageous wages and benefits?
Why do you think Mr Winegarner didn't read the original commentary? Some people know the truth about state government operations. He does, but obviously you don't! You sound like a very bitter person.
Would you like to continue having public services like snow and ice free streets, clean state parks, secure jails and prisons, help for those on medicare, schools post and elementary, unemployment compensation, etc? Do you want those public employees still working to work for free to provide this stuff and at whatever rate of low pay you think they should have? Do you realize a lot of state agencies have other revenue to pay employees besides GRF monies?
Again too, why do you think state employee pay is largest part of the Ohio State budget? It isn't. Entitlements and health care, prisons, and schools payments and other social services are what eats up the budget. Do you know anything about how state government works. Show us your facts. Put up your facts or shut up.

galrads  (anonymous) says...

Hi, Apollo.
It would be nice if you and the other anti-public servant types would present data which are factual and true.

For one: the public sector doesn't fund the private sector? What is all this federal stimulus about? Hm.

for two: state public employee payroll is not the largest state budget expense. Take a look at medicaid welfare, education, transportation etc. They make up the biggest part of the pie. So you want more public employees on assistance, non productive and without medical insurance.... and we are at a time when our president is pressing hard for insurance for all. Grow up.

for three: public employees in Ohio don't get social security due unless their state pension is far less than anything they would get from social security.

Misery loves company. So whenever someone in the private sector hurts we need to balance that with harming someone in the public sector. Great idealogy!

Well, we get what we pay for don't we? If you don't want the services or reliable services maybe you should move where there aren't any! Yeh, why not move to somewhere like Cuba if you like unfair and cheap labor practices.

If we want professionalism, accuracy and efficiency in Ohio government we should pay for it.

galrads  (anonymous) says...

Dear Jerk and Propaganda Minister.

re: "Budget debate shows gap between public and private"

About your statement, "And speaking of pay, since personnel costs are the single most expensive thing in the state’s budget, has enough been done to cut those costs?", pardon me!
Frankly you don't have any idea what you are talking about and they let you practice journalism?

If you took the time to do your job correctly before belching up your jealousy for a system that still works (OPERS et. al.) you would find that most state agency's payroll are from non GRF sources (General Revenue Funding). Also, personnel cost is not the largest part of the state's budget. You are not a funny person. You should do your homework before you publish your petty jealous latent articles. Everyone else has to to earn an honest living, why not you? You really aren't funny.

What's your problem, .... you lose your pension or something close to it for all your planning or lack of which shows in this nonsense article which attempts to blame public servants for state government budget woes!

Journalism should speak the truth. You should be barred from journalism with your kind of horrendously inaccurate information.

cgalilei@wowway.com