Rick Perry Retires (But Remains Governor) To Boost Take Home Salary

[Bolo Boffin]

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2011/12/16/perry_retires_but_remains_governor.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PoliticalWire+%28Political+Wire%29

http://www.texastribune.org/texas-politics/2012-presidential-election/perry-retires-boost-pension-pay/

It's all legal. His age and his military service and his government service years combined total 80, so he's eligible for an annuity normally thought of as a retirement payment. It's boosted his salary as governor from the normal $150,000 a year to over $240,000.

He will still have to work as governor, so no pulling a Palin here. Just odd to see him taking advantage of a loophole to get more taxpayer money for the same thing, and then rail against Warshinton.

[Angry Dragon]

1. perry must bathe in slime to be able

to have so much coming out of him............

[liberal N proud]

2. He needs cash?

[Newest Reality]

3. Sounds more like

a parasitic relationship than being a Governor.

The Perry is getting more fat and bloated from sucking the host dry. The only reason he could rail at anything is, 1) to take the attention away from himself. 2) to project outwards what may actually be the underlying motivations behind the facade.

[eggplant]

4. Eh, whatever. He earned it, he's entitled to it.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

10. If that were his, and his dick-head party's, stance on the matter....

.... he wouldn't be scumbag lying hypocrite, now would he?

[Peregrine Took]

42. True.

[sellitman]

46. The teachers he ripped off earned it too.

He inacted a law so teachers in the state couldn't double dip. Then what does the fucker do?

He double dips.

He is despicable.

[dotymed]

53. "Entitled," Of course the peasants must have their "entitlements" removed.

Double standards are swell, especially if you are wealthy. I am sure that Texas is one of the states that are starving "entitlements" of regular people. Including education, medicare, you name it.
A government for and by the wealthy. What a travesty.

[Javaman]

5. And don't worry, mr. 10th amendment solution will have his hand out when he turns 65

for his SS as well.

Even though he railed against it.

[oldhippydude]

6. if he was a Democrat

they would be calling for "means testing"

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

7. For a party that hates government

it's amazing how many Republicans are anxious to land government jobs and grab those government benefits and pensions, or work in the revolving lobbyist door taking money by the sackful for interacting with government.

[Peregrine Took]

45. Great point! I'm constantly astounded that none of those debate mods never bring this up.

Its so BAAAD (government) that they can't WAIT to get on/stay on the payroll.

[dotymed]

54. I wonder how many of "our" officials

are getting big money by using the farm subsidies? Very many I am sure. I bet Perry is among those, even though I do not have proof, I am speculating based on commonality.

[catrose]

8. Typical Perry

We've been paying $9000/month for his apartment after the governor's mansion burned, but school staff are paid too much and there's too many of them.

[Saphire]

12. 3 1/2 years and 25 million later, and the Govs mansion is still not ready to be occupied. WTF?

[catrose]

24. Dunno. Special Texas accounting

Just like the system that lets you retire but keep your job and salary. I've never heard of that one.

[crackerjax]

59. Its called the DROP

Deferred Retirement Option Plan. Costs the government nothing.

When someone has a defined benefit retirement plan, they and the employer put money into a fund to buy an annuity. The longer they work, the longer they put money into the fund, the more money the annuitant (retiree) gets when they start drawing from it (date of retirement). If the government is paying someone $100,000 a year in salary, plus $10,000 a year into their retirement, plus the employee is putting $10,000 of their own salary into their retirement... well that's their normal working situation. When they elect to use the DROP, the government stops putting money into their retirement (saving $10,000 a year for that employee) the employee stops putting money into their retirement (saving them $10,000 a year) and the annuity starts paying out, though usually to a separate money market or no risk or similar account until they stop working, when they have access to that money. Take it all at once (and get taxed on the $50,000/yr of retirement benefits x however many years they used the drop; max I've ever seen is 8, 3 and 5 are common) or do a 1035 exchange and transfer that money into an IRA where they get taxed on the money as they pull it out.

Anyway, this does directly cost the government money if they created a retirement plan for him and have to pay it out eventually, it just means he's getting it early. This is a benefit commonly asked for by unions (mine included) and very coveted.

Why did they deny this to the teacher's union...it inspires the workers to work for those extra years (3, 5, 8) at their highest pay level (though your retirement pay is lower by retiring those many years earlier) when it'd be cheaper to get rid of the senior teachers and hire new ones at half price. Thats what's going on with registered nurses in south florida.

Hope this illuminates the confusion a bit.

[catrose]

66. Thanks for explaining it

It's being for Perry, who isn't worth the $150,000 much less the retirement amount, is the sticking point. I'd be happy for teachers or police getting it.

[librechik]

9. SOCIALIST SCAM ARTIST

[UTUSN]

11. R#10 & K n/t

[doc03]

13. That is something common with public sector jobs all over

the country. As a matter of fact I got flamed in the past when I complained about double dippers. Here is some examples: Our head school bus mechanic retired at 50 in the spring and returned in the fall to the same job with pension. Our Superintendent of schools retired with pension then returns to job at $106,000 per year. A friend that retired from the Ohio State Patrol retired with a full pension at 50 then was rehired as a janitor/office boy with pension at 65 he can draw a second pension. I worked a union job in a steel mill and we couldn't retire and return to our job the next day and receive a pension. I guess it's Ok unless you don't like someone.

[spooky3]

15. What evidence do you have that it is "common"?

Some in the media and some individuals love to find exceptional cases and pretend that they are the norm. That's the problem with anecdotes.

Even if these were, for example, 10% of all cases, that would mean that, in 90% of the cases, public sector workers are not receiving anywhere near as good a "deal." Therefore, using them to justify cuts to everyone's benefits, which some people do, is just wrong.

And I've never seen anyone anywhere present evidence that this happens in even 10% of the cases.

[doc03]

19. USA Today did a story on public pensions earlier this week.

Last edited Fri Dec 16, 2011, 08:34 PM - Edit history (1)

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2011-12-08/state-pensions-workers/51750670/1

[spooky3]

29. This article provides more info than single anecdotes, but it does NOT provide evidence

of widespread abuse or overpayment. It is anything but the kind of systematic study that would be needed to provide that. The limitations in this article are too numerous to recount here. Other than the graph at the top, which focuses only a small subset of jobs whose members are treated differently in different states, the article virtually ignores most state systems and cherry picks what the author doesn't like about one system, then finds something else in another system, without a clear rationale.

The article does not address "double dippers", which you say is your primary concern, and many states either never allowed that in the first place, or eliminated that provision years ago.

And, the primary focus of the article seems to be on how certain groups of "special workers" do much better than other STATE workers, without apparent justification. If the argument is that state workers are generally or commonly getting such great deals, then this article actually suggests otherwise.

[dotymed]

55. I live near an Army base.

Double and even triple dipping is the norm for retitred military. Even the hiring rules for government jobs are geared for it. A person retires from their military position, then is quickly placed in a government job, often earning much more and drawing their military pension.

[spooky3]

60. from what I've seen, military retirees are among the few groups with extremely favorable provisions

But whether these are unfair (given low military pay for lower level employees, etc.) or should be changed should be debated by Congress.

It simply makes no sense to lump all public employees into one group and say they are all too richly compensated, when from everything I've seen their situations are as different as those of private employees.

[Jackpine Radical]

58. I had 23 years into my state retirement program & retired at 62.

My retirement check was not large enough to cover my health insurance. Evan after getting on Medicare a few years later, 2/3 of my retirement goes to cover my health insurance supplement.

There's no way in hell I could have gotten some sort of sweetheart deal like that.

I'm still working at 67, but at least I'm doing it on my own terms.

[spooky3]

61. 20 years in mine, will cover only about 1/3 of my pay, even with substantial employee contributions

all years. Very few if any in my state ret. system are entitled to the super benefits the pumpers talk about.

Have been working in the private sector since leaving the public sector, and saving as much as we can.

[Jackpine Radical]

63. I think for the most part these double-dipping opportunities are reserved

for upper management.

They don't trickle down to the likes of me.

[spooky3]

64. and certain police and military, but a small minority. What bugs me is that some people use

these examples as the basis for arguing that ALL public pensions should be cut, which the right wing legislature is debating in my state. When it's done here at DU, it is especially annoying.

[sulphurdunn]

16. It is not common.

But, are you suggesting that retired people be banned from the labor force or be required to sacrifice part or all of the pension if they do rejoin it, or are you suggesting they should not be permitted to return to their previous positions upon retirement? I think the latter may have some merit. Is that what you mean?

[doc03]

22. The only thing I have a problem with is someone that retires from a job then

the next day comes back on the same job. Hey if the guy wants to work until he is 105 fine but don't retire and with a pension I pay for then stay on the job and draw a $106,000 salary. Like the the State Patrolman retire with a pension twice as much as the average taxpayer then come back and work a janitors job and apply for a second pension at 65. Don't you think there are plenty of people that would be more than happy to get the janitors job with state benefits but can't because they don't have high ranking buddy in the patrol? Hey if a person is that f---g greedy and the taxpayer that f---g stupid more power to them I guess.

On edit: I am also making a point what hypocrites some of us are when we criticise some we don't like for legally double dipping then defend it for another person.

[Lordquinton]

23. We're not criticizing him for double dipping

We're criticizing him for doing something that he rails against constantly and tries to take away for everyone else but himself.

Another point in your message, it's a pension that he paid into and deserves a part of no matter what anyone might think about "double dipping" He earned the pension for the many years of service he gave, and he's going to earn the next part of the pension as well. Now maybe some accommodation for being hired back to the same governmental location might be made, but that's a very complicated issue and even if it is fixed in one part of the country, someone can still pull up another part of the country where nepotism runs wild and use that as an example to claim it's like that all over (then try to argue for state's rights)

[doc03]

25. Did he break the law? That's like the millionaires that say tax me more but

as long as they can legally get out of paying them they don't write any checks to Uncle Sam..

[doc03]

26. I have been flamed on DU because I complained about having the hell taxed out of my

pension and IRA. Seems some think if you worked hard and saved your money and went on strike for a year and a half to get a pension they should be deducted dollar for dollar from your SS. But then people think when the unemployment is 8.6% it's Ok to retire on taxpayers money and keep someone else from working. Whatever

[Sirveri]

32. Don't worry, I'm with you. Retirement should be for retirement.

If you want to keep working, more power to you, but retiring and then going back to the same job for more money is insane. Get out of the way and let someone else work the job if you want to retire.

[sulphurdunn]

35. I have a colleague

who retired after 30 years as a teacher in another state. We hired her to work in our system at an entry level salary because she was the one we wanted for the job and for no other reason. If she lives to work for us another 30 years she'll retire with a pension here too. Personally, I would have preferred to hire someone who was just beginning a career and needed both the job and the money more, but she brought the exact qualifications and experience we needed. What do you think about that?

[dotymed]

56. No animosity, just facts.

My (very) meager Carpenters Union disability makes me ineligible for SS disability money. Even though it is much below the poverty line.

[otohara]

14. What's Odd About Loophole Greed?

my Governor a Democrat, threw a goat on his 260 acres of land and claimed AG status.
First he considered being a "wood producer", but that loophole wasn't as lucrative as the AG one.

We pay more for our tiny house than the our governor does his 260 acres....but no more.

There was much outrage about this loophole - folks like Tom Cruise and Goldie Hawn have been claiming AG status on their million dollar spreads - Hawn even got a refund off this loophole.

Millionaires will jump through all sorts of hoops to get another tax break

[CarrieLynne]

17. hmm...pay him to get tf outta office? I'm in! lol

[cstanleytech]

18. Grats Rick, way to legally milk the taxpayers !!

[Ken Burch]

20. How can you legally do that?

For most of us, "early retirement" means you don't have the job anymore.

The scary thing is, if he did get nominated, a lot of our "party insiders" would say we couldn't go after him on this, because "it would upset 'The Independents'".

[whistler162]

21. Not great but a good system for some.

I have a few friends, private sector, who when we where laid off where able to use the rule of 80 to begin collecting their full retirement instead of waiting until their normal retirement or taking a smaller payment.

Heck I hope to take my small retirement payment when I reach 62 combined with my years of service before being laid off. Then when I am 67 I will reitre and start collecting my state pension, SS, and drawing from my 401K. All of them are smaller than Perry's retirement but combined will add up to okay retirement. Contingent on all four staying viable.

Can't really pick and chose who is allowed to benefit from a retirement system.

[LarryNM]

27. Taxes Are for the Little People, Benefits Are for the One-Percenters (N/T)

[cyglet]

28. aka do as I say, not as I do

same as infidelity, etc.

[mwb970]

30. Too late to matter.

Perry is dumb scum, but he won't be the nominee. Hopefully people's eyes have been opened as to the conspicuous inadequacy of this doltish clod.

[geckosfeet]

33. classic two faced repuke

[WingDinger]

34. Who wouldn't want 50% more cash? I'm gonna makit rain up in here! Sorry I made it rain. I'll clean t

this up.

[stevenleser]

36. Reminds me of Ayn Rand taking Social Security and Medicare under her married name.

These supply side, anti-tax and anti-taking things from the government, anti-Warshington types are something.

[NewJeffCT]

38. Or, Rush Limbaugh taking unemployment benefits

when he was younger. (Of course, manly-man Rush then said his ex-wife forced him to take unemployment benefits)

[stevenleser]

39. ROFLMAO, I didnt know about that one!

Thank you!

[NewJeffCT]

40. Of course

When Rush took his benefits and Rand her benefits, they really, really, really deserved them, unlike all of the other slackers and shysters abusing the system now.

(I'm sure there have been other plenty of other examples of anti-government RWers taking advantage of government benefits like disability, unemployment, etc as well.)

[NewJeffCT]

37. Meanwhile, he'll complain about public employee pensions

and how they're ruining the finances of state & local governments, and he'll use that to justify slashing pensions & benefits for public employees in Texas.

[SHRED]

44. That is what the RW is all about...HYPOCRISY

[yortsed snacilbuper]

41. I wonder why this dosen't surprise me!

[SHRED]

43. This is about HYPOCRISY

I don't begrudge anyone their retirement however Perry wants every other public employee in 401K's.

These hypocrites make me sick.

---

[zbdent]

47. and I would bet large sums of money that

he considers other "public servants" unworthy of doing exactly what he did ...

(unless they sign on as Republicans ...)

[varelse]

48. Yup, he's a hypocrite

a politician, and a Republican. Or is that redundant?

[HCE SuiGeneris]

49. Another hypocrite fleecing the sheeple.

I'm so tired of the BS GOP rhetoric.

[Bozvotros]

50. They are not hypocrits....

The term is frauds. They don't seem to mnd the hypocrit label. They are a little more touchy about being called frauds and grifters.

[Scurrilous]

51. LOL

He knows he isn't going to get the GOP nomination. So what the @#$%.

[Bolo Boffin]

52. "I'll never be able to pay this country back."

-- Rick Perry at this campaign stop in Iowa yesterday

Well, Rick, stop taking all the government money!

[Jackpine Radical]

57. …so he truly is a Republican down to the core, living out the Golden Rule,

the Republican version of which is "Thou shalt do onto others whatever profiteth thee."

[GTurck]

62. Sadly...

those of us living in Texas who don't like Perry or the GOP have no voice about such things. It all comes out like childish whining since it is "legal" but immoral and hypocritical to double dip for the white males who run this state.

[oklib1971]

65. No hope for WH

He knows he cannot win the WH so he is cashing in while he can. These so called fiscal conservative Republicans always want to do what benefits them the most. I was discussing the payroll tax cut with a friend who is a strong Republican the other day. She said it should be taken away because we cannot afford it. Then I told her taxes will go up by a $1000 a year. Suddenly she was all for it. Everyone loves getting something for themselves. The difference between us and the Christian Republicans is that we as Democrats believe we should all share in our countries good fortune. They believe only they should get that share.