Solving the teacher pension issues

[fox]

I am frustrated from watching this sad event.



No one has really gone about it in the right way.



To solve any problem, first you must identify it, right??



The pension going broke or being underfunded are results of the issues and not the cause.

The cause is giving away tax moneys/benefits/perks without accountability!!

Did they ask where this money was to come from?



Another thought. If they can really tax all citizens to fund a benefit for a few, why can't they tax all for funding my life and retirement?

Wait, they can!!!

So, why not put a simply tax on the benefits that are going broke??

Put a 35% tax(or so) on that benefit and use that to fund the account?



Your thoughts??

 

[SRath]

You would still be taxing mostly non-government, non-union citizens to benefit only government union citizens. In other words: Nothing will change and "too much is never enough" so you perpetuate an unsustainable cycle.

 

[rscurtis]

I wonder how much of the pension funds got "transferred" to the big banksters and Wall St. thieves when the "big one" hit in 2008.

 

[SRath]

For every loser on Wall Street, in this case the small investor, there is also a winner. Just like in Vegas.

And also just like in Vegas, you may get a hot streak of gratuitous "luck" going for awhile to entice you to 'raise your bets', but in the end, the House always wins.

 

[fox]

The point is that there is a huge lacking of accountability in all levels of government.



We need to force laws that place the lawmakers personally responsible for the laws they push and vote for.

 

[PBJ2500CTD]

The point is that there is a huge lacking of accountability in all levels of government.

We need to force laws that place the lawmakers personally responsible for the laws they push and vote for.

Does this mean a liberal dose of liberalism on the liberals?

 

[Skydiver]

My thoughts are, If a politician on any level (city,county,state fed,) is found guilty for abuse of tax payer money the fines and jail time are automatically doubled. No appeals, No get out of jail early card,,, NOTHING. That would wake um up. It's too easy for a politicial to steal.

 

[dresslered]

How about:

1) Remove all tenure for teachers. Fire the bad one's and compensate the good ones.

2) Phase out all pensions (you can't take away what was already promised) and bring in empoyer matched 401k's. That was, we are only funding current, working teachers.

3) Kill the unions.

4) Privatize the school system. The government will never run a business efficiently and effectively.

5) Implement Skydiver's ideas for politicians if public hangings are not allowed.

 

[The patriot]

Fire them!



You shouldnt EVER achieve job security just for showing up.

No business could last long doing such assinine things, that's why we are where we are now.

Job performance should be what youre judged by. Not how long you've been latched on the public teat.

As taxpayers, right now we have no say. That should NEVER BE!

 

[dresslered]

Now I can probably come up with 3 TDR members that would probably disagree with the patriot's post... as for myself, I would have to totally agree. And, my wife is a public school teacher! Where's your sacrifice CF?

 

[HOBrian]

You shouldnt EVER achieve job security just for showing up.

You don't!!! Tenure is not job security, never was! Where do you get your information from?



Everyday I go into an inner city school and work my tail off teaching kids. I spend 80 percent of my weekend working on class notes and lessons for the week. I would love to spend it with my 3 year old twins, but I need to make a living.



Having said that, are there bad teachers? Yeck yes, some really suck too. The problem is that parents who complain about bad teachers are being told the teacher can't be touched. (tenure) I'm 37 and if I have three bad reviews I can be fired!!

The problem is that principals are not doing there job, they don't want to go through the steps to get a teacher fired. They have been working with the teacher for "X" amount of years, they are related, there wifes are best friends! The list goes on.



I'm not saying there's not a problem, but please don't put all of us in the same boat. I love what I do, and I'm happy teaching the leaders of tomorrow!!!

 

[The patriot]

My nephew is a PS teacher in jersey city. That's where I got my info.

Show up for 3 yrs (IIRC) and youre tenured.

 

[HOBrian]

My nephew is a PS teacher in jersey city. That's where I got my info.

Show up for 3 yrs (IIRC) and youre tenured.

True you are, but you still can get fired! We had two teachers here that were not working well, and they lost a pay step the first year and by the end of the second year (they did not improve) they were fired. They did not feel like putting in the extra effort after school and at home and it showed in their lessons. The principal didn't want them anymore. They were both in there late 50's.



I just want to say that I agree that there is a major problem that needsd to be fixed, I just don't like putting the whole system down.

 

[fox]

True you are, but you still can get fired! We had two teachers here that were not working well, and they lost a pay step the first year and by the end of the second year (they did not improve) they were fired. They did not feel like putting in the extra effort after school and at home and it showed in their lessons. The principal didn't want them anymore. They were both in there late 50's.



I just want to say that I agree that there is a major problem that needsd to be fixed, I just don't like putting the whole system down.

So what is the answer for this pension issue, from your eyes???

 

[The patriot]

True you are, but you still can get fired! We had two teachers here that were not working well, and they lost a pay step the first year and by the end of the second year (they did not improve) they were fired. They did not feel like putting in the extra effort after school and at home and it showed in their lessons. The principal didn't want them anymore. They were both in there late 50's.



I just want to say that I agree that there is a major problem that needsd to be fixed, I just don't like putting the whole system down.

Well... . maybe there is hope.

 

[dresslered]

Tenure started at the university-level and was implemented to safeguard academic freedoms by ensuring that professors wouldn't lose their jobs because of what they wrote or said about something. This was a lengthy process and often took as long as seven years to obtain. Once again, this was abused by the teacher unions for the worthless system we now have with tenure and the salary ladder.



Tenure makes it difficult to dismiss that perhaps small fraction of classroom instructors who are truly incompetent at the cost (in dollars and student achievement) of keeping them on the payroll. Both the taxpayers suffer as well as the reputation of the teaching profession. Additionally, because of this added benefit (job security in general), it substitutes in part for salary. It tends to hold down teacher pay which in turn affects the type of individuals that enters this line of work. Because tenure pretty much guarantees someone a job regardless of performance, it reduces teachers' incentive to see that their pupils really learn.



If you are really a valuable asset to the teaching profession (as well as just about any other trade), you shouldn't have to rely on such a device in order to keep your job. As I stated above, my wife is a public school teacher and I admire individuals such as her that have entered the profession for her love of teaching rather than the job security.

 

[HOBrian]

So what is the answer for this pension issue, from your eyes???

The pension WAS a great idea! The problem now is we don't have enough money from members (teachers). We have more money going out then coming in. How do we fix it... We as teachers and anyone that has a pension for that matter needs to put more of their own paycheck into the pension. The problem is that people want this for free, and it can't be. Teachers need to realize that if they don't start putting more money into the pension, the pension is going to fall apart.

 

[HOBrian]

If you are really a valuable asset to the teaching profession (as well as just about any other trade), you shouldn’t have to rely on such a device in order to keep your job. As I stated above, my wife is a public school teacher and I admire individuals such as her that have entered the profession for her love of teaching rather than the job security.

Well said!! Any teacher that does not give 110% a day is there to take up space and collect a pension and benefits!!

 

[BIGNASTY]

For every loser on Wall Street, in this case the small investor, there is also a winner. Just like in Vegas.



And also just like in Vegas, you may get a hot streak of gratuitous "luck" going for awhile to entice you to 'raise your bets', but in the end, the House always wins.

I dont know if the house ALLWAYS wins! When I was working I used the 401K at work to the Max and the retirement that the company gave me after 20 years with them, But where we made most of how we can retire early was because of my Father in law. The guy plays the Market I dont know a F ing thing about any of that. We gave him some cash years back and he gave us some CASH back so we gave it back to him and it back and fourth for quite a few times we have had a few setbacks but have came out winners (im retiring at 57)and we are not worried about how to pay for this or that. He told us to sell our other properties and we did just before the crash of the market. So if you know what you are DOING and I dont you can play and get something out but its a big chance that worked for us.

 

[fox]

The pension WAS a great idea! The problem now is we don't have enough money from members (teachers). We have more money going out then coming in. How do we fix it... We as teachers and anyone that has a pension for that matter needs to put more of their own paycheck into the pension. The problem is that people want this for free, and it can't be. Teachers need to realize that if they don't start putting more money into the pension, the pension is going to fall apart.

The pension was a crime in the making. Period.

Who was responsible for it?



Now, a pension is alway a good idea, IF you pay into it correctly.



Expecting it to be free is wrong.

Anything in this life that comes free will cost you more sometime.