Retiree benefits about to be reduced

I’m posting this message in hopes that retirees and those who are contemplating retiring read the post in this forum. If you have not already been informed this last Thursday on 4/1/10 the Florida Legislature in the House voted for House Bill 5701 to eliminate the Health Insurance Subsidy ( H.I.S.) from all retirees pay checks. This will mean a significant reduction for all retirees take home pay and it will be reduced even further when the recently passed National mandatory health plan goes into effect and all insurance cost goes to the ceiling.

It is not too late to defeat the action of the House. The Senate has not approved the budget yet and until they do and pass a comparable version of the house bill it cannot become law.

I encourage you to make contact with the State Senator who represents the area you vote in and encourage him or her to not vote to eliminate H.I.S. If enough Senators oppose this bill it can be defeated and they do pay attention to the squeaky wheels of their constituency. Remain silent and you will have no reason to complain when your retirement check is reduced significantly beginning in December of this year.

In addition go on line and access the House of Representatives web site and pull up the voting records of HB 5701. If the Representative for you area voted to eliminate H.I.S. you should not support that Representatives candidacy for another term.

If you are not presently retired but plan to someday, this reduction in retirement benefits will have an impact on you in the future and you too have a stake in what is the final outcome of this issue. If you have contact information with other Officers or employees in surrounding areas and other departments who do not usually read this forum I urge you to also contact them and recruit their support in making contact with their Senator.

Russ Swinney
Retired Deputy/ 2004
Escambia County Sheriffs’ Office

I AM RETIRING IN APRIL WITH 20 YEARS WITH PROBATION. THE SINGLE HEALTH INSURANCE COST IS $550.00 A MONTH. WHEN I TELL THE DOCTORS THEY ALL BUT LAUGH AT ME IN DISBELIEF 550 x 12 = $6600 A YEAR. I HAVE 17 YRS CREDIT TIMES $5 = $75 A MONTH OR OUT OF POCKET $475. I HAVE SENT MY EMAILS TO THE POLITICIANS BUT I REMAIN IN COMPLETED DISBELIEF THAT THIS IS ON THE TABLE. 20 YEARS OF DEALING WITH DRUGS, SEX AND CRIME FOR THE STATE GETS ME THE REPUBLICANS ANSWER TO HEALTH INSURANCE: DROP DEAD

It will die in confenece most likely but will not be around in a few years.

we need to clean house and vote out the ones who are going to cut our bennies. we have the power of the vote. also an interview at their home offices would not be a bad idea.I know its late in the game but if these clowns want to mess with the state workers next year we have to show pressure that we are not going to take a hit year after year. state workers can also get their family involved.so get out and vote.The buck stops here.

The money to make up the $15.4 billion deficit can come from three sources:

- raise taxes

- reduce pension benefits

- employee contributions


The last time I checked, taxpayer voters greatly outnumber public employer voters. It is political suicide for any politician to even mention tax increases to make up the pension deficit during this economic recession with 12.5% unemployment and 5-6% underemployment. So there are only two realistic options left because an Obama bailout of the FRS ain't going to happen.

republicans? okay so your a republican politician and you count on the older vote to get you elected each year. (most state employees are jesus people, against abortion, hard on crime?) i have no idea how many state retires are out there? understand, frs is not just dc its a whole whole whole lot more. some like me sweat each months budget but many more are swinging on the golf course, cruises and rocking at the senior events with nothing but time to reverse screw the politicians if they cut the little we get. so, the leg. and charlie couldnt take a pay cut last time. how about it republicans screw your voting base? i dont think so!

The money to make up the $15.4 billion deficit can come from three sources:

- raise taxes

- reduce pension benefits

- employee contributions


The last time I checked, taxpayer voters greatly outnumber public employer voters. It is political suicide for any politician to even mention tax increases to make up the pension deficit during this economic recession with 12.5% unemployment and 5-6% underemployment. So there are only two realistic options left because an Obama bailout of the FRS ain't going to happen.

Listen tea party person -Our union is stronger than any divided taxpayer voting group including you guys... :twisted: ( Thought we were New York for a while there :snicker: )

[CPT Aubrey]

What garbage:


The moneyy to make up the $15.4 billion deficit can come from three sources:

- raise taxes

- reduce pension benefits

- employee contributions

Raise taxes? If I exempt yacht owners this year? It all depends on you definition of raising taxes. If I rose taxes on those that should have been paying all along, is this raising taxes? The major problem here is that you can buy politicians that can exempt you for the price of your viote. Alexander is a perfect example. He introduces privatization legislation through the amendment process while receiving significant contributions from GEO group. Crap. This guy ought to be fired, tared and feathered and run out on aTallahassee rail.

-Reduce pension benefits? When was the last time you heard of proviso language in a private contract that says, " If the legislature demands a 10% oeverall reduction from our agency, your contract will be reduced 10%?"

- Employee contributions? Hell, I have no problem with employee contributions. Eliminate the minimum employment comepnsation caps and the maximum caps on the other end, let me negotiate my own personnel contract and I sure wouldn't have a problem with it.

These guys are a bunch of idiots who want something for nothing. They want to be electied, standing for absolutely not a thing. They are empty bags of air.

To hell with them.

Raising taxes right now with 12.5% unemployment and 6% underemployment is political suicide for any legislator. The money has to come from somewhere, otherwise, the FRS will cease to exist 10-15 years from now. The deficit will grow to NJ proportions - $45 billion and rising. Keep an eye on the cuts NJ will have to make and you will get some idea of what's coming. If the deficit cannot be made up over the next 5 years, odds are good that the legislature will decide the FRS is too expensive to fix and will phase it out, replaced by a 401k type state plan. If that's what you want, give the politicians and the unions a free pass and pretend the pension deficit doesn't exist.

Raising taxes right now with 12.5% unemployment and 6% underemployment is political suicide for any legislator. The money has to come from somewhere, otherwise, the FRS will cease to exist 10-15 years from now. The deficit will grow to NJ proportions - $45 billion and rising. Keep an eye on the cuts NJ will have to make and you will get some idea of what's coming. If the deficit cannot be made up over the next 5 years, odds are good that the legislature will decide the FRS is too expensive to fix and will phase it out, replaced by a 401k type state plan. If that's what you want, give the politicians and the unions a free pass and pretend the pension deficit doesn't exist.


They can institute a value added tax when I reach retirement. :snicker:

[CPT Aubrey]

Oh my:


Raising taxes right now with 12.5% unemployment and 6% underemployment is political suicide for any legislator. The money has to come from somewhere, otherwise, the FRS will cease to exist 10-15 years from now. The deficit will grow to NJ proportions - $45 billion and rising. Keep an eye on the cuts NJ will have to make and you will get some idea of what's coming. If the deficit cannot be made up over the next 5 years, odds are good that the legislature will decide the FRS is too expensive to fix and will phase it out, replaced by a 401k type state plan. If that's what you want, give the politicians and the unions a free pass and pretend the pension deficit doesn't exist.

I'm not sure what scare tactic to answer first,

Again, I ask the guest. If I remove tax exemptions from all those who have bought their exemption through the wholesale purchase of politicians, can this be considered raising taxes? If I tax out of state internet purchases, can this be considered raising taxes?

Regardless, you don't need to raise taxes. First, you stop giving new exemptions. Second, you stop having sales tax holidays until the unemployment rate drops. Third, you quit putting forward proposals to buy sugar comapny land. You want them to quit poluting the Everglades? Make them pay for the polution. And by the way, the Federal Government ala the Florida sugar lobby and all of their bought politicians, subsidizes the sugar industry.

You quit building prisons for recidivism sake. You quit giving companies like GEO Group hundres of millions so they can have private prisons.

That's just a few suggestions. There are many more.

As to the solvency of FRS. All of the sudden the sky is falling. If it is, I want to know why? That's the first step. Could it be because guys like Jeb Bush when he left office assisted Lehman Brothers in selling bundled securities to Florida? Maybe, maybe not.

Here's what I do know. A large percentage of state employees never make it to 6 years, yet the state pays their percentage into the system. That alone should keep it solvent.

If it isn't solvent when it has every right to be, why not? to contniue to hire the same management guys, pump more money into it only to keep it afloat makes sense only guest can figure out.

Find out what the problems are, then fix them. If that means a little more sacrifice on the part of employees, fine. But air all of the dirty laundry, then send those bad guys responsible to one of those newly built private prisons.