After listening to PSEA PR Spinster,Butch Santicola last night on KDKA I lost it. Every private sector industry has made cuts to survive in this economy.Traditional pensions are scarce!

The Corbett administration is projecting that its school employee pension obligations will rise by $320 million next year — or more than 50 percent — after more than doubling in this fiscal year.
With spiraling pension costs being part of the education budget, the real increase int he education budget for non compensation is 1/2 percent, according to the Allentown Morning Call.

As a result very powerful PA State Education Agency is looking for new revenue streams such as a Marcellus Shale tax for education and money from closing the Delaware loophole. In their polling they are also asking taxpayers if the state should take money from other programs and give them to education, despite the fact that public education has been the big winner in state appropriations for years at the expense of higher ed, DEP,DCNR, PennDOT and other agencies.

With school property tax, sales tax, realty transfer tax, gaming taxes, general fund transfers, how much money from diverse revenue streams is enough to satiate the ever increasing appetite of the teachers unions?

In this economy, PA public education has escaped from the carnage that southern and western states have experienced.

It is time to live within your means.

Stop all taxpayer funded education. I should not have to pay for whelps.

And it was the state legislature that gave the teachers and other state employees a 25% pension boost when they made their 50% pension grab! And yet it is that body which will have to address the coming crisis... be afraid, be very, very afraid, for the taxpayer will be pay the piper!

The state has some big issues to deal with including: long term debt accrued during the Fast Eddie Regime, the pension crisis with SERS, PSERS, and the recent bond issue to retire 4 billion dollars in debt for the unemployment trust fund.

Living for today is killing our future as a viable state to do business and find gainful employment!

Ridge signed the pension increases not FastEddie.

Kramer wrote:

Stop all taxpayer funded education. I should not have to pay for whelps.

then you will pay later when they can't get jobs and china owns this country

Noridge wrote:

Ridge signed the pension increases not FastEddie.

Good point! That move from a 2.0 to 2.5 multiplier was unwarranted!

Multiplier wrote:

<quoted text>
Good point! That move from a 2.0 to 2.5 multiplier was unwarranted!

But one should note the legislature raised their pensions by 50%... probably thought their smaller numbers and exalted status warrented the uptick!

Do not use my money to pay for others' whelps. If you can not afford them, abort them.

Kramer wrote:

Do not use my money to pay for others' whelps. If you can not afford them, abort them.

I wish you mom had aborted you

Noridge wrote:

Ridge signed the pension increases not FastEddie.

State general obligation debt rose by almost $2 billion, or 28 percent, under Gov. Rendell. Payments on the debt tripled under Gov. Rendell, from $350 million to $975 million in the current budget. And that is but the tip of the iceberg, as Gov. Rendell increased debt held by state agencies such as the Turnpike Commission and the Commonwealth Financing Authority by a whopping $16 billion, or 93 percent.

Teachers get paid WAY TOO MUCH and have off three months a year!!! WTF!!! And the ones in Carrick are dumb as hell. And I agree I shouldnt have to pay for others WHELPS!!!! Bunch of freeloader losers.

Mike Anthony wrote:

Teachers get paid WAY TOO MUCH and have off three months a year!!! WTF!!! And the ones in Carrick are dumb as hell. And I agree I shouldnt have to pay for others WHELPS!!!! Bunch of freeloader losers.

But why do you think the dumb teachers are found only in Carrick, or that those in Carrick are exceptionally stupid?

I knew Kramer and mike Anthony were the same guy. He's the only one he can get to agree with himself.

Pension costs should
be factored into to pay increases.

Other states have passed or are considering major overhauls. In Illinois, where the pension system is only 50 percent funded -- the worst in the country -- Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn proposed raising the retirement age to 67, capping cost-of-living increases, raising employees' pension contributions -- and applying all these changes to current employees.

Though these changes would have to be "voluntary" for current employees in order to pass constitutional muster, those who reject them would forfeit retiree health coverage, would not get any future raises factored into their pensions and would therefore actually end up with even less.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/opinion/r...

No more salary increases for teachers!!! It's out of control. And they shouldnt be allowed to strike. Most of them are BAD teachers and don't know how to control the students even in elementary school! They're just a bunch of OVERPAID BABYSITTERS and can't even do a good job at that!!!

Mike Anthony wrote:

No more salary increases for teachers!!! It's out of control. And they shouldnt be allowed to strike. Most of them are BAD teachers and don't know how to control the students even in elementary school! They're just a bunch of OVERPAID BABYSITTERS and can't even do a good job at that!!!

proven by your retarded comments. You are a complete moron

gshoes wrote:

<quoted text>
proven by your retarded comments. You are a complete moron

The new teacher evaluation system hopefully will help identify educations who need help.

Mellow Out wrote:

<quoted text>The new teacher evaluation system hopefully will help identify educations who need help.

let's hope so

$856 million, a 43 percent increase, for school employee pensions in new State budget! Time for a change!