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As someone who basically retired at 53 for health reasons (though my pension is pretty high), I would be totally broke and destitute if I was an American Citizen, so I can at least be thankful for that.



John, I surely have no idea where you think you're getting your information from. You're a retired Fireman, right? Los Angeles Fire and Police Department people have absolutely full coverage insurance and extremely generous pensions as retirees. These people are getting pensions of over 100K a year in most cases with full coverage insurance too. Broke and destitute?!? You've got to be kidding. One of our California State Leglislators is a retired CHP Captain. He's 58. He's drawing his pension of $107,000 plus he's making about 150K in the Legislature. One of the big problems here is this idea of "double dipping". Fire and police usually retire around age 50-55 or so and then go to work full time in the private sector. It's perfectly legal but just seems wrong. If you can take a job at the same or more than what you're pension is from the Fire Dept, then the pension should not be paid or at least not all of it but no, these guys get all of it. It's especially bad when the "retiree" goes to work for another government agency. One example of this is a guy who retired from the DA's office as an ADA. His pension is over 140K and he was appointed by the governor to be a state court judge at a salary of 180K. That's right, this person is making 320K a year! Plus full coverage health insurance from the DA's retirement system. These scenarios are all union negotiated contracts and is a big reason why California is some 20 billion in the red.
Nobody who retires as a municipal employee is hurting in the least, John. Far from it.
Don't just listen to me, google LAFD health and retirement and read all about it.

Bob

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