Please read this! Really Bad Reporting in Wisconsin: Who 'Contributes' to Public Workers' Pensions?

Really Bad Reporting in Wisconsin: Who 'Contributes' to Public Workers' Pensions?

SNIP

Out of every dollar that funds Wisconsin' s pension and health insurance plans for state workers, 100 cents comes from the state workers.

How can that be? Because the "contributions" consist of money that employees chose to take as deferred wages – as pensions when they retire – rather than take immediately in cash. The same is true with the health care plan. If this were not so a serious crime would be taking place, the gift of public funds rather than payment for services.

Thus, state workers are not being asked to simply "contribute more" to Wisconsin' s retirement system (or as the argument goes, "pay their fair share" of retirement costs as do employees in Wisconsin' s private sector who still have pensions and health insurance). They are being asked to accept a cut in their salaries so that the state of Wisconsin can use the money to fill the hole left by tax cuts and reduced audits of corporations in Wisconsin.

The labor agreements show that the pension plan money is part of the total negotiated compensation. The key phrase, in those agreements I read (emphasis added), is: "The Employer shall contribute on behalf of the employee." This shows that this is just divvying up the total compensation package, so much for cash wages, so much for paid vacations, so much for retirement, etc.

Full article here: http://www.tax.com/taxcom/taxblog.nsf/Permalink/UBEN-8EDJYS?OpenDocument

How the people at the Kudlow report are "shaping" taht message.

The Kudlow people also are employing a guy, I kid you not with the name of "Mat Taibi." However he is a conservative dick wad liar, but it must all be set up so they can have more people check out their news feed. (The real Taibbi's populatrity is that impressive.)

http://www.correntewire.com