The Boston Globe had an article here about Bristol County Sheriff Department employees who managed to boost their pensions or retire early by gaming the system. That's my take at least. In the article, Sheriff Hodgson argues that he doesn't make the rules but it sure seems like he could try to help out the taxpayer by not allowing these kinds of things to go on.
If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, ...
... IT'S A DUCK!!!
The Bristol County taxpayers are on the hook for millions in retirement benefits that could have been avoided. That is wrong, but not outside the rules. Time for a new sheriff in town.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Bristol Sheriff department pensions questioned
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
10 comments:
Bill
You're straight on when you mention how group (4) employee's who are police officers, firemen, and correctional officers benefit from their last three highest salaried years in government employment. For those who entered these government jobs, this benefit, along with health insurance, early retirement was intended for POLICE OFFICERS, FIREMEN, AND CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS. The salary base was extremely low in comparison to private industries. As I recall, people didn't want to become policemen, firemen, or correctional officers. These positions were consider too dangerous and low salaried for the common MAN. Most city, town, and state governments ran on a shoe string budget and couldn't compete with the private sector. How times have changed and peoples attitude towards these positions. Because of higher salaries, employment security with health benefits, we have a waiting list of want to be employee's.
As you may know, all these employee's pay into their retirement system and can not collect social security. If some of these retired government employee's paid into the required number of social security benefits (quarters) they are reduced by 60% or 60 cents on the dollar. If you retired from the private utilities, teamsters, you collect your full retirement, plus 100% social security check amount for life.
All city, town, and state retirement systems are solvent, while social security a federal government run program intended to provide a supplement to those reaching age 62 are screwed. The federal government is trillions of dollars in debt. Why concern your self with nickle and dime retirements when the true culprit is big federal government, out of control spending.
Examples galore......4,500 hundred dollars for clunkers, sell your home and the government will cover the lost, additional money for unemployment...when will the unemployed look for employment, when they are getting additional monies for doing nothing??
Medicare, another government program is going broke...what ever happened to hard work, save money, and if you can't afford it, it's because you don't have the money. Yup...you can always put it on the credit card, how stupid.
The news people and Bill Trimble, should be bird dogging the federal government out of control spending, and state spending, unfunded programs, before looking at a couple of people being funded through a retirement system that is not going broke.
This article appears to have been motivated by want to be sheriff John Quinn. After all, wasn't he in the legislative mix that passed the retirement laws, as they apply to the three highest years of salary, shall equal the retiement benefit.
I'm voting for Hodgson.
3/13 @ 9:13
Ok well, we can narrow this anonymous person down to, ten people in this town. LOL!!!!
Only a fiscal conservative MOONBAT would blindly vote for a frivolous spender like Hodge Podge
I know there is a sheriff's race coming up. Does anyone know if there is a select board race this year? It has been eerily quiet.
Once McDonald gets on the Select Board, the schools will have complete control of the town.
BS!! I know that McDonald will do what is right for the entire Town and not just the schools. Some people around here have short memories.
Talk about out of control spending! This administration has been trying to clean up the last eight years of out of control federal spending. A war of choice that we continue to pay for is at the top of the list!
Sheriff Hodgson has been a little to free with our money! He doesn't need all those toys to run the jail. Come on now!
When it comes to voting for County sheriff, why should we vote for John Quinn. Sheriff Tom Hodgson is not only a county sheriff, he looks like a county sheriff. John Quinn, if elected, will never be the sheriff that we have in Hodgson. John Quinn is not experienced in correctional institutions or how to control a large grourp of union employee's. Tom Hodgson has been performing this job for twenty years. What has John Quinn been doing for twenty years??Other then voting, or filing Bills for consideration, what as Quinn accomplished in the area of corrections??
Sheriff Hodgson has allowed the inmates to work on town projects, saving the county large sums of money. Tom Hodgson has a voluntary inmate work crews picking up trash along highways. They have been used by our school department to paint school buildings, saving the town money. Sheriff Hodgson is a pr oven leader. The Bristol county house of correction is not a nice place to stay....well it's not supposed to be a nice place to live. In my humble opinion, John Quinn is looking to take a more liberal view of inmates and their cell conditions. John Quinn is looking to make the county jail a place to watch T.V. lift weights, and have singalongs ....... Kumbiya. Just my opinion, you can disagree with out being disagreeable.
John Quinn is a fiscal conservative. He knows the law and he will not waste taxpayer money on 'toys' or foolish lawsuits.
I will agree that Hodgson did a good job when he first took over after Nelson, but it's time to move on.
I will be voting for John Quinn.
What was Hodgson's qualifications when he was appointed to the sheriff position by Nelson?
1. High school certificate
2. Disgraced detective from NJ
3. Landscaper
Sounds like he was a great candidate back then to run a multimillion dollar public office
Quinn's qualifications now
1. BA in Economics, Master in Public Administration from Harvard, JD from Suffolk
2. 9 terms of collaborative work on Beacon Hill as State Rep
Hmmm....which one would you choose
Oh and PS current Bristol County House of Correction inmates have more channels than you probably do and more time to watch TV. Check your facts.
And I wouldn't call pizza delivery to workers who are assisting facility construction as 'touch on crime'.
Post a Comment