I think we know where the cuts should be made in spending

[Silcc69]

onmyknees, you kill me dude you're nothing but a follower to the conservative right cause that LOL all the time at your lame azz jokes.

[DaveinBoston]

Kelly, Emigre and everyone else who figured out the total costs... your numbers and assumptions are WAY OFF.

For example:

A US Congressmen makes $174,000/yr but it's not for life.....this is an excerpt:

-----------------
Members of Congress are not eligible for a pension until they reach the age of 50, but only if they've completed 20 years of service. Members are eligible at any age after completing 25 years of service or after they reach the age of 62. Please also note that Members of Congress have to serve at least 5 years to even receive a pension.
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.

According to the Congressional Research Service, 413 retired Members of Congress were receiving federal pensions based fully or in part on their congressional service as of Oct. 1, 2006. Of this number, 290 had retired under CSRS and were receiving an average annual pension of $60,972. A total of 123 Members had retired with service under both CSRS and FERS or with service under FERS only. Their average annual pension was $35,952 in 2006.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[PomonaCA]

Given current testing scores and drop out rates, lots of teachers are overpaid even at 40k. Not all, but A LOT!

[trish]

There you go again OMK making assumptions about, well just about everything, but in particular about the people on this board whom you disagree with. Why don't you just restrict your remarks to the issues at hand and leave the personal remarks out of it. Where'd you get the idea I live or ever lived in NY? I don't and never did. I was born in Pennsylvania and reside now in the rural MidWest. And why the fuck would living in NY negate anyone's political opinion. Geographical bigotry, like any other kind has no place in rational argument. If you're so apt to make wrong assumptions over and over again (you know this isn't the first time) about the people you actually have contact with on almost a daily basis...you're here almost every day) why should we trust your assumptions and opinions about things political?

[trish]

Teachers can't force children to learn. We pay them to be guides through the slopes, passages of knowledge. Children have to agree to make the climb. Parents are responsible for providing an environment at home conducive to that endeavor. Unfunded mandates and idiotic testing policies (Bush's education fiasco), along with broken homes, Americans who don't believe in science or subscribe to enlightenment values make the job of the educator almost impossible. Most teachers are way way underpaid.

[PomonaCA]

Teachers can't force children to learn. We pay them to be guides through the slopes, passages of knowledge. Children have to agree to make the climb. Parents are responsible for providing an environment at home conducive to that endeavor. Unfunded mandates and idiotic testing policies (Bush's education fiasco), along with broken homes, Americans who don't believe in science or subscribe to enlightenment values make the job of the educator almost impossible. Most teachers are way way underpaid.

40K seems like a lot of money for someone who is held to little standard. If we're going to blame parents and students, then let's pay the "slopes" accordingly.

Now if we expect performance from teachers, maybe we can talk about salary.

Honestly though... teachers aren't the problem..... but I will say that most teachers are ignoramuses with regard to education funding and politics. If the average teacher weren't so ignorant, they'd through their union off their back and go straight into the communities they serve.

[Jackal]

I posted this as a note on my Facebook page...it's about Congress...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Someone posted this on Yahoo in reply to a story. Frankly it's a damn good idea...

The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months & 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it.
That was in 1971...before computers, before e-mail, before cell phones, etc.

Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took 1 year or less to become the law of the land...all because of public pressure.

I'm asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimum of twenty people on their address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise.

In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message. This is one idea that really should be passed around.

Congressional Reform Act of 2011

1. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman collects a salary while in
office and receives no pay when they are out of office.

2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security. All
funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose.

3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.

4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.

6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.

7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/12. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen.
Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress
is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.

8. Any congressman resigning due to unlawful acts receives NO benefits.

If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people, it will only take three days for most people (in the U.S.) to receive the message. Maybe it is time.

THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS !

Can Corporations and Private Interest groups literally buy the costs of a politician's expensive campaign? Until that is fixed, there is no chance to end the corruption.

[Jackal]

Attempting to take away the rights of teachers does not affect the budget at all. Walker is a quisling and a wannabe dictator. It had shit to do with fiscal consideration.

[DaveinBoston]

Wow... you guys have to do some fact checking before you quote your numbers and even more so when you post a chain email.

http://www.factcheck.org/2011/03/con...al-reform-act/

I posted this as a note on my Facebook page...it's about Congress...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Someone posted this on Yahoo in reply to a story. Frankly it's a damn good idea...

The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months & 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it.
That was in 1971...before computers, before e-mail, before cell phones, etc.

Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took 1 year or less to become the law of the land...all because of public pressure.

I'm asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimum of twenty people on their address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise.

In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message. This is one idea that really should be passed around.

Congressional Reform Act of 2011

1. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman collects a salary while in
office and receives no pay when they are out of office.

2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security. All
funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose.

3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.

4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.

6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.

7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/12. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen.
Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress
is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.

8. Any congressman resigning due to unlawful acts receives NO benefits.

If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people, it will only take three days for most people (in the U.S.) to receive the message. Maybe it is time.

THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS !