at, if not totally ignoring the problem. State or local governments in California, Illinois, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, West Virginia and elsewhere face budget strains aggravated by runaway pension promises. In San Diego, the shameful pension abuse has virtually bankrupted the city.

What can be done? Plenty, but it will take courage and political risk.

First, immediately stem the bleeding by "two tireing" pension loop holes so that the current ones are eliminated for newly hired state and munici

At a time when traditional pensions in the private sector are disappearing at an alarming rate, the pensions in the public sector remain juicy plums with glaring loop holes to be to be exploited at every turn at the taxpayer’s expense. Overtime pay, bonuses, cash-specific payments, severance pay, detail pay, unused vacation pay, unused sick time and God knows what else apparently can be applied to the highest three years of earnings (which are usually the last there) and thus enhance the retirement annuity pay out. Don't blame a small town police chief in NH for taking the lid off this fetid situation; blame a rotten and neglected system.

Now then, the basis for today's extravagant pension-benefits structure in the public sector can be traced all the way back to the era when pensions were collectively bargained in New York City. Mayor John Lindsay's notorious 1966 pension-bonus giveaway to the transit workers' union—later replicated for other city workers—was the first fiscally disastrous mistake of his fiscally disastrous term in office...one that invited collusion between employee and supervisor to ensure that overtime pay was abundant in an employee's last year of service so that his or her pension also would be abundant. Indeed, sometimes the pension was more than an employees base salary!

That city's pension-cost explosion wasn't brought under control until the early 1970s, when New York state's Taylor Law was amended to prohibit collective bargaining of retirement benefits. The Legislature then created two new retirement "tiers” offering (slightly) less generous benefits to newly hired workers. New York still has a problem, however.

But the problem is not just New York's. State and local government pensions throughout the country are approaching the point where the deficits are now becoming an intolerable burdens for taxpayers. Public pensions, which are paid by taxpayers and thus enjoy an implicit form of insurance, are under funded by a monster amount of dollars, but unfortunately, state governments have been winking at, if not totally ignoring the problem. State or local governments in California, Illinois, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, West Virginia and elsewhere face budget strains aggravated by runaway pension promises. In San Diego, the shameful pension abuse has virtually bankrupted the city.

What can be done? Plenty, but it will take courage and political risk.

First, immediately stem the bleeding by "two tireing" pension loop holes so that the current ones are eliminated for newly hired state and municip

. Don't blame a small town police chief in NH for taking the lid off this fetid situation; blame a rotten and neglected system.

Now then, the basis for today's extravagant pension-benefits structure in the public sector can be traced all the way back to the era when pensions were collectively bargained in New York City. Mayor John Lindsay's notorious 1966 pension-bonus giveaway to the transit workers' union—later replicated for other city workers—was the first fiscally disastrous mistake of his fiscally disastrous term in office...one that invited collusion between employee and supervisor to ensure that overtime pay was abundant in an employee's last year of service so that his or her pension also would be abundant. Indeed, sometimes the pension was more than an employees base salary!

That city's pension-cost explosion wasn't brought under control until the early 1970s, when New York state's Taylor Law was amended to prohibit collective bargaining of retirement benefits. The Legislature then created two new retirement "tiers” offering (slightly) less generous benefits to newly hired workers. New York still has a problem, however.

But the problem is not just New York's. State and local government pensions throughout the country are approaching the point where the deficits are now becoming an intolerable burdens for taxpayers. Public pensions, which are paid by taxpayers and thus enjoy an implicit form of insurance, are under funded by a monster amount of dollars, but unfortunately, state governments have been winking at, if not totally ignoring the problem. State or local governments in California, Illinois, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, West Virginia and elsewhere face budget strains aggravated by runaway pension promises. In San Diego, the shameful pension abuse has virtually bankrupted the city.

What can be done? Plenty, but it will take courage and political risk.

First, immediately stem the bleeding by "two tireing" pension loop holes so that the current ones are eliminated for newly hired state and munici

trous term in office...one that invited collusion between employee and supervisor to ensure that overtime pay was abundant in an employee's last year of service so that his or her pension also would be abundant. Indeed, sometimes the pension was more than an employees base salary!

That city's pension-cost explosion wasn't brought under control until the early 1970s, when New York state's Taylor Law was amended to prohibit collective bargaining of retirement benefits. The Legislature then created two new retirement "tiers” offering (slightly) less generous benefits to newly hired workers. New York still has a problem, however.

But the problem is not just New York's. State and local government pensions throughout the country are approaching the point where the deficits are now becoming an intolerable burdens for taxpayers. Public pensions, which are paid by taxpayers and thus enjoy an implicit form of insurance, are under funded by a monster amount of dollars, but unfortunately, state governments have been winking at, if not totally ignoring the problem. State or local governments in California, Illinois, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, West Virginia and elsewhere face budget strains aggravated by runaway pension promises. In San Diego, the shameful pension abuse has virtually bankrupted the city.

What can be done? Plenty, but it will take courage and political risk.

First, immediately stem the bleeding by "two tireing" pension loop holes so that the current ones are eliminated for newly hired state and munici

rement "tiers” offering (slightly) less generous benefits to newly hired workers. New York still has a problem, however.

But the problem is not just New York's. State and local government pensions throughout the country are approaching the point where the deficits are now becoming an intolerable burdens for taxpayers. Public pensions, which are paid by taxpayers and thus enjoy an implicit form of insurance, are under funded by a monster amount of dollars, but unfortunately, state governments have been winking at, if not totally ignoring the problem. State or local governments in California, Illinois, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, West Virginia and elsewhere face budget strains aggravated by runaway pension promises. In San Diego, the shameful pension abuse has virtually bankrupted the city.

What can be done? Plenty, but it will take courage and political risk.

First, immediately stem the bleeding by "two tireing" pension loop holes so that the current ones are eliminated for newly hired state and munici

at, if not totally ignoring the problem. State or local governments in California, Illinois, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, West Virginia and elsewhere face budget strains aggravated by runaway pension promises. In San Diego, the shameful pension abuse has virtually bankrupted the city.

What can be done? Plenty, but it will take courage and political risk.

First, immediately stem the bleeding by "two tireing" pension loop holes so that the current ones are eliminated for newly hired state and municipal employees. Do this so that their highest three years of earnings will reflect more realistically their base pay and in a way that prohibits certain extra monetary payments (non-base pay ones) from being applied to wrongfully increase the retirement annuity benefit.

Second, use professional negotiators (and not department heads) who are not impacted by the issues being negotiated.

Third, create a strategy in which collective bargaining goals include the extraction of loop holes from the current collective bargaining agreements.

Fourth, and in line with number three, require employees to contribute to the cost of the pension plan.

The above is just a start. The more immediate problem of under funding will need to be addressed. But let's get the monies from sources other than the taxpayers. If this means taking it from some other projects, so be it.

Like I said, it will take courage.