Mike, you say, all of them worked hard. What kind of feel good drugs are you taking this morning. Then, spiders lay eggs. A Night Gallery episode years ago featured an earwig laying eggs, inside a guys brain. The earwig thing would be a suitable punishment for say the War College Director for teaching use of US nukes on Islam Holy cities and that Islam is the enemy of the western world for the last year... BBC broke this story today. Makes young Soldiers posing with body parts, appear the orders to do so came from the very top of the food chain. I lean towards Plan B for feds. Nothing is going to happen until that 60 day window after the Nov elections, when they all (with any luck) are looking for new lobbyist jobs to use that well earned influence in DC. Of course this assumes they don’t burn every bridge in the country in that 60 days and actually do something to fix the debt. I read this quote yesterday, kinda sums up the problem. http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/09/whos-the-problem-people-or-politicians/?hpt=hp_bn2 Junckers Curse, We all know what to do. But we don’t know how to get reelected once we've done it...

We have met the enemy and it's us. It's the lure of free stuff. Everybody wants the benefits but nobody wants to pay the costs. Take a magic pill make it all better. It's the new American way. Free Stuff for baby boomers has been a way of life for 50 years, why stop now? Who cares about the trillions of debt left to their grandchildren?

Nobody is asking for free stuff.... All we're asking for is for Congress to stop moving the goal post and to make sure that everyone is in the game and playing by the same rules. When the economy was going gangbusters a few years ago and people were becoming millionaires in the tech sectors and busting out six figure incomes flipping houses I don't remember anyone in Congress suggesting a little extra be given to the public employees. Once those bubbles burst (and the smart people got out before the burst), people are left wondering what happened and how dare we give those same public employees a better pension than they have. Doesn't matter that the guy down the street from me cashed out his stock options at the top and paid off his house in full and has his three kids college paid for....he doesn't have a pension and public employees do! How unfair!!

It is not free. We all work for that pension. I am average wage in my profession in a low income state. But, now I have so much time it, I would loose to much to quit. And some people actually plan for their retirement, so a moving target makes that difficult. I don't have any problem change for the newbies, as they probably just want a job in this economy and retirement is the last things on their minds. Just like it was for me when I got a job with the government in the mid 80's at 11 1/2% unemployment. but, then again....in my borther in laws company everyone with less than 5 years lost their defined pension (kept the 401(k) program, over 50 kept the pension as is, and everyone in between got it frozen where it was and could add years to it. My brother in law was 49 - ouch! So even if we have to pay a little more in, I don't like it, don't think it is fair, but won't complain too much, if other things get cut as well. That however, is the problem. Congress thinks it can fix the deficit entirely on the backs of the federal employees.

Big Joe you are so right!!!!!!! How about the 80s with a pay freeze and watching the pirce of homes passing us by

When I signed up with the Fed. Govt. in 1986, I sign an agreement with the benefits that were being offered. Now the Govt is backing down on their word and expecting me and the rest of the Fed. employees to bring this country out of the red. It's not "free stuff" that I'm taking, I'm taking what was promised to me when I signed on with the U S Govt.

It's not "the Gov't", it's RepubliCANTS. Just like they've gone back on their word over the Budget Control Act of 2011. Beware striking any deal with these four-flushing, greedy, hypocritical SOBs.

We have already paid for our benefits. I worked for my retirement and paid 7%, for the most part, of my salary into the plan. The employer pays the rest. I also earned the right to lifetime medical, which can be removed through legislation I know, by working for the government for most of my working life. Nothing was free.

It is very tough to fix the debt when we were left with the Bush and the Republicans Depression. Get the latter fixed and perhaps we can fix the debt unless the Republicans want another war or more tax cuts for the wealthy.

The Dems owed the house, senate and white house for 2 years. all they did was add to the problem with Obama care. I still want to see a single guy working part time at starbucks while going to school or one of those welfare moms, afford the $15,000 or so my platinum federal health care I paid out of pocket last yeat. Forget the $15,000 or so the Govt also paid on my sociaizedl working behalf. These guys (all of them from the white house to house) did this the last 3 years. They are no different than Bush Jr. Only the names have changed to protect some of the guilty. Hopefully this Nov they will all be on FERS and CSRS retirement...

obama care does not add to the problem. It makes medical insurance almost universal. Thus, hospitals that treat low income people will not have to depend on medicaid which does not reimburse properly. Some of these hospitals have gone out of business. The Repub licans were invited to work with the Democrats to get a better law out faster, but chose to obstruction and lies about the law.----Additionally, the Democrats worked on the economy in 2009 and 2010. They recognized that deficit spending was required to get us out of the Bush depression. And what kind of plan requires $30000 for health insurance? I pay about $5100 for BX/BS. I also pay a deductible and copay each year. It goes nowhere near $10000 much less $15000

Long term care insurance isn't going to pay if you live too long in assited living. Don't be fooled that corporations are going to care for you when you are old. I know people close to me who were just informed that they lived too long and their money is out (Well maybe not if they refuse to pay "what wasn't covered" and go live somewhere else). Not good though - not good at all. The health care system and retirement system is broken, as the U.S. has been in internal collapse since George W. Bush started two unfunded wars and caused the financial collapse and great recession. It would have been a great depression if they didn't spend their way out and make credit available to business. Also, Europe now hates austerity plans since Greece has been bailed out twice and nobody thinks that it is working.

Did these people buy lifetime policies or policies for a 3 or 5 year term? I bought 2 lifetime policies for myself and my wife. It is expensive, but potentially worth it if either of us need the care.

When you signed on with the government back in the day, in addition to federal annuity and social security, you also have the TSP. Have you contributed at least 5% of your paycheck to get the full match? If able did you contribute 10% or more? How about IRA's. Have you put $50 a month in a traditional or Roth IRA? Do you pay your credit cards off every month? Instead of buying a used car for cash, do you buy a new car paying on average $485/month? Buy a used car and invest those car payments like paying off your home mortgage? And as far as long term care goes, if you are receiving a federal annuity, as long as you are alive, that is the minimum that will be available to cover LT costs for your assisted living center. Why are Greece, Spain, France, and Italy in trouble? Everyone does want something for nothing. They want more vacation days and they want to retire at 50 with free health care. Just like our government, we need to recognize that the first step to getting out of debt is not accumulating more debt!

Spend less than you make. Makes sense to me. How long would you survive if you routinely spent more than you made? The gov't currently spends $1 trillion more than it brings in each year. How long can that go on? I guess we could turn to Europe for the answer to that question. If you think the gov't should live within its means then you must be a radical, teabag toting loon. Atleast that's what liberals believe. It seems to me that spending $1 trillion more than you bring in is radical.

Apparently it was okay, patriotic even, when the likes of George W. Bush and Dick "Deficits Don't Matter" Cheney were doing it. More right-wing, every-problem-is-liberals-fault blather....

Actually, you can thank your friends at George Bush and Company for the condition we are in. His tax cuts tilted for the wealthy started us off. His unnecessary war in Iraq elevated the process and took us away from the war in Afghanistan, which should have been completed. Then, of course, his crowd gave us the George Bush Depression, which is forcing the creation of huge deficits to get us out of his mess.

The Iraq war (Ver 2.0) was needed. George Jr had to finish what his daddy was smart enough not to do. Now Iraq Ver 1.0 was not needed either as far as I am concerned. Yes, Sodom was a jerk. Kuwait to this day is slant drilling under Iraq territory and steeling Iraq oil. Kuwait to this day is dumping dredge material in Iraqs only shipping channel. Those were Iraqs grips back in 1991. Kuwait is still using slave labor to get oil into the barge at under $10 a barrel. Then none of that oil has ever comes to the USA. Most of it goes to the EU where the socialist Govts tax gas to between $8 and $10 a gallon these days. So Mod, I do agree with you no American should ever have come into these countries, heck being in Kuwait is a federal law violation to this day. I snicker as Americas first Arab American President waives the federal law on international slavery for OIL. However, I also blame the current president for a lot of this. The debt was south of $11T a year ago. It is north of $15.6T today. Maybe Americas first ethnic Arab American, white race, president didn’t get us here, but he sure has contributed to the mess.

First, how do you know Kuwait is slant drilling? Second, I am glad you agree with me that we did not belong in Iraq the second time. Third, just because Obama has some Arab blood in him, that does not make him an Arab. And why are you commenting about his race? I am looking at issues. Finally, whatever the debt is, it is necessary to spen to get us out of the George Bush and the Republican Depression.

Mod, Because Iraq still has surface to surface missiles (they say) aimed at Kuwait because of slant drilling and dumping dredge material in Iraq shipping channel. Kuwait news reports this, course they dont admit to slant drilling or dumping. As for Arab ethnicity. I hazard a guess if Obama was Hispanic he would be parading this (a net gain vote getter). Since being an Arab would be net loss vote getter, he hides that fact and that he by formal USA definition is also white. Under Arab and Islam law, Mr Obama is both Arab and Islamic. Both of these are passed by the father ONLY. It is very possible the guy held dual citizenship until he was 18, maybe still does, if he did not formally renounce both his Islamic belief and fathers country of citizenship at 18. Of course just renouncing the religion in Kuwait could get you put to death. It is also a federal law violation in Kuwait (no idea about Obamas home county) to hold dual citizenship, thus he does have a US birth cert, but it could be bogus from the day it was issued, based on the law of his fathers country. A man is Kuwaiti, or not. I had high hopes for the guy, being of a darker completion, to maybe curtail the use of slaves across the ME. But alas, he is pro slavery in exchange for cheap oil and socialism in Europe that cheap oil fuels.

Just because Iraq allegedly has missles that does not mean they are illegally slant drilling. Why do you accept the so called Iraq version? As far as ethnics are concerned, how is that relevant? It is his policies that count, not his race. Islam is a religion and not a nationality. You are what you believe in. Obama says he is Christian. Your comment that he is Islamic makes you sound very small. Your reasoning regarding his citizenship makes you sound very tiny. And the rest of your comments here are pure nonsense. Please learn how to reason better.

Imagining that a few thousand dollars saved is a fortune is a disease called "being in fantasy." It is estimated that for someone to retire at a normal age (perhaps like 60), they need 5 million to live comfortably. I assume that is if you live into your 90s or even 100, because why would you need 5 million. The problem with "non-liberals" as these are the only people that make sense to you, is that they never do the math. They need to run the math for retiring at 60 or 65 with reasonable inflation with the unexpected happenstance they they live until they are 100 - some 35 years being subject to some retirement home and bank crooks bleeding them dry. Then you may not be living in fantasy and you will be like me, advocating never retiring and just working until you can't anymore.

I think you may have a very good point. With the phase-out-elimination of the defined benefit plans, it is extremely difficult to save for retirement. Although I could probably retire at around 65 as I have a CSRS plan, I am not ready to do so. And the people with FERS have it more difficult. Does FERS plus social security approximate CSRS defined plan? FERS people need to answer me on that one. I have not figured it out. I hope to work longer to save a little more for retirement and maybe get a small amount of social security. Those starting out today will have it much worse. I bet they will be lucky to retire at 70. 75 might be a better approximation.

Actually, I am CSRS. When I was allowed to contribute to TSP I started at 5% and built it to 10% with no match. And yes, we both have Roth IRA's with the maximum contribution allowed by law.My last car lasted me 20 years and was new.I incur no interest on my credit cards and get money back.My pension will not cover LTC so we have policies. So, I am covered as best as I can. I still support Obama's policies because the government must spend in order to get us out of the Bush Depression.

If you believe that you need FIVE MILLION dollars to be prepared for retirement, buy lottery tickets. However, for a new federal hire to put $100 per month in a Roth IRA, invested in growth mutual funds with historic returns for forty years, will generate over $1 million tax free. Run the numbers. Put that together with SSI, federal annuity, and TSP, and most federal employees would be incredibly comfortable in retirement.

You hope for historic returns. No one really knows. That is why I do not like defined contribution plans

As another poster wrote, when times are good, they don't give any to the fed worker. When times get tough [and the smarter ones got theirs before the stuff hit the fan] they are jealous of the small pensions we get and want to scroo us. Just lookit that 1/30th rule the scumbags in the congress put in on us. Used to be you got no tax liability the first year and a half or so after you retired because you ALREADY PAID TAXES ON THAT MONEY. Now, the scumbags have decreed that it ain't the SAME MONEY, and only allow 1/30th of it tax-deducted each year for 30 years. So, if you croak before 30 years, and your heirs DON'T KNOW about the after-tax money you paid into the system, the SCUMBAGS KEEP IT. Nice gang of scumbags, hah? Thank you for your 30+ years of faithful service, and the horse you rode in on. And this is only part of the reason that I put in my papers as soon as I was able, and I escaped to a sunny climate.