Thanks to The Dude, for introducing me to Ramin RealTalk.
According to his youtube site, Ramin Ekhtiar is a loan officer located in California. And he’s even more pissed off about the pensions than I am. Go Ramin! Take a minute to listen to his post “They got the pension, you got the bill…”
Chico Taxpayers Association 
Good catch Juanita.
Your followers may remember that I have written that my father Bob Rushing, was a firefighter, a chief, and he died from injuries he suffered in a residential fire. He did not make a big salary even as a chief, and ended his career on a meager disability income as he was slowly dying. My mother was left nearly penniless when he died after taking care of him for years. How did the system get so out of whack? First responders deserve a good income and a pension that subsidizes their personal savings, not a guaranteed lifetime income from the taxpayer.
Ironically, my son, Tyler Rushing, Chief Rushing’s grandson, was killed in Chico by first responders and a 23 year old armed security guard…(the frontal lobe of a man does not mature until age 25.)
Scott Rushing
Thanks Scott, you bring up an important point. Yes, all people need some sort of retirement plan, but the public pensions are OUT OF WHACK.
Here’s something I have realized – the public salaries and pensions are causing UNAFFORDABILITY. They raise the cost of EVERYTHING, from food to housing to healthcare. Ever been out-bid for a house by a public worker whose income is guaranteed no matter what their performance? But the average person can be fired for being late for work, even when it becomes increasingly difficult to get there?
Yeah, that’s where we’re at – the public employees have become our overseers, they can do no wrong, and they can shake us down at will.
time to shake things up. Let’s start talking about the difference between Defined Benefits and Defined Contributions.
Hi Juanita. The simple phrase, Defined Benefit v Defined Contribution, seems to confuse every taxpayer and likely every politician. *The first responders retiring today have won the lottery. *Regardless of performance, a first responder is guaranteed a fabulous pension without having to think about it… just show up, sit on your hands, and wait for your 20+ years to pass. Of course, during the years they allegedly work, they get an assortment of benefits, a good salary, and union protection. My main gripe is that CPD has become a jobs program, and the “good ole boys” will protect each other… good work if you can get it. Over the years since my son was killed by CPD “rescuers,” I have learned that there were personality conflicts between the officers present who stood back. Ruppel got to do what he wanted, and his tactics killed Tyler while senior officers stood around. The senior officers have been promoted. They know who they are, and it appears they have no shame in benefiting from the killing of a 34-year-old. While being investigated by purportedly impartial colleagues, Ruppel retires a few weeks after killing Tyler at $100K plus an annual pension, and it seems he received an undeserved “golden handshake” of a Guaranteed Pension, and is that just a coincidence? The investigation stopped immediately.
As you know, a private party would have to save up $2,500,000, after taxes,and achieve a consistent 4% return to have a guaranteed pension of $100K. The system is unsustainable, and the workers are overprotected and have no accountability. An interesting point is that during the regimes of O’Brien, Madden, and Aldridge, no female officers have been promoted to leadership positions. It appears the “good ole boys” of CPD believe women are only good for one thing. I find it hard to believe the ladies on the council, including your mayor, think that is perfectly fine. Do the recent sex scandals support my opinion? Unfortunately, you will NEVER get the pension based on contribution versus benefit. The scam is baked into law enforcement by feckless politicians letting police run the government so they don’t look soft on crime. You are one of the few people with common sense to point out that the system is unsustainable. Thank you for doing so. From small acorns, mighty oak trees grow! Best- Scott
Yes, I know, despite Mayor Reynolds argument about “good” salaries attracting “good” people, I am not convinced that CPD has much moral fortitude, or, for that matter, intelligence. I get it. I think a lot of the problem is the guaranteed wealth. But, Reynolds has a pea-brain (IQ barely high enough to dump a bag of sugar into an ice cream machine) and she is one of the band of pea-brains making the decisions. No matter what the three liberals say, these contracts are approved unanimously.
So, like a stinking fish, the problem is in the head.
The women I’ve met from Chico PD are just as bad as the men – that argument doesn’t float. We actually had a woman officer who was in charge of alcohol “control” – she was doing half the bar owners in town. She told a gay cop that she could “make a man of you…” That brought on a city lawsuit and the offended cop won, but that woman retired with full benefits, after giving a commendation to a local girl scout troop.
So, I’m not afraid to talk about the difference between defined benefits and defined compensation. Here’s the skinny – defined benefits means, they get what they want without paying, defined contributions means, they pay what we say or they don’t get nothing. And if their CalPERS train crashes, they don’t get nothing. What is so complicated?