Former Governor Edgar bragged about increasing state pension benefits when he left office – Updated – Quicktake

A bit of history to keep in mind when you see former Governor Jim Edgar pontificating about our fiscal and pension problems.
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Bob
5 years ago

I consider Jim Edgar to be one of our best BUT to claim pension prowess is a stretch. The “can kicking” to solve “can kicking” is well documented. He also transferred $21 million from a fund earmarked for state employee pensions into the General Revenue Fund. Some elected officials could be well served to follow the example of Herbert Hoover, John Kennedy, and Donald Trump (no not THOSE examples) and donate their $ when they don’t need it. Since I paid into Social Security since 1968 (pumping gas & painting houses in the summer) but cna’t under the Gov Offset… Read more »

Mike
5 years ago

I don’t mean to quibble but republicans didn’t control both houses for much of Edgar’s term. They controlled both houses for 2 years, the democrats controlled both houses for 2 years, and then the other 4 years of Edgar’s term had the democrats controlling the house and the republicans controlling the senate. One thing I won’t quibble about is the damage the Edgar ramp has done to the pension system. Also the cost of living increases that began under Thompson haven’t helped either. At the state level the blame can be spread evenly between democrats and republicans. As for the… Read more »

Mike
5 years ago
Reply to  Mike

Well I guess I’ll use a more unique name since someone else posts as Mike sometimes.

Mike
5 years ago
Reply to  Mike

I’ll change my posting name since you were here first.

Bob
5 years ago
Reply to  Mike

One state, two teacher’s systems – very telling!

world with end
5 years ago

“We’ll just have to pay the pensions” (or move out of state, of course).

Erik
5 years ago

The idea that “we’ll just have to pay the pensions” directly correlates to whether or not you’re being paid one of these obscene pensions.

nixit
5 years ago

If Edgar had made full pension payments (straight line) instead of his measly ramp payments, what would Edgar’s so-called balanced budgets have looked like? Not balanced. And it was under Edgar that the state began picking up the employEE pension contributions, which lasted many years.

JWB
5 years ago

What a loser. It’s was easy to cave to public unions and of course he feathered his own nest. We MUST get politicians out of the pension business. How do we do this? Form a taxpayers union?

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