Pension Scandal

The ClubHouse: Archives: Pension Scandal

Ketchuplover

Friday, January 25, 2002 - 12:51 am Click here to edit this post
Has anyone else here heard about the pension scandal of the Milwaukee County Board? In a nutshell the board voted to enact a pension deal last april (I believe)

Someone from the website milwaukeeworld.com decided to do a story about the deal. I don't know why.

This person discovered among other things that the head of the board (Tom Ament,who from now on shall remain nameless :) would receive a lump sum payment of $2,300,000.00 & a yearly pension of $136,000.00 if he stays at his job through 2008.
He(the nameless one) is currently making$124,000.00/yr

Long story short,the Milwaukee Journal (jsonline.com) published a story about the pension on the first Sunday of Jan 2002. Since then the nameless one has been the subject of a recall campaign. Nobody on the 25 member board knew the details of what they were signing...or so they claim. They may all lose their jobs.

About a week ago or so it was discovered that congress put a cap on the lump sum portion at $500.000.00 Board members say this makes themselves less guilty. HOGWASH.

This story may appear soon in Time magazine & or THE NEW YORK TIMES.

I'm tired. Typing is hard work :(

ps, I am not a resident of Milwaukee County.

Ketchuplover

Friday, January 25, 2002 - 01:09 am Click here to edit this post
for more info go to milwaukeeworld.com & jsonline.com This story also appeared in Milwaukee magazine. I don't know if they have a website.

Keep an eye on your government.

Twiggyish

Friday, January 25, 2002 - 06:24 am Click here to edit this post
It doesn't surprise me that no one knows anything.

Misslibra

Friday, January 25, 2002 - 06:59 am Click here to edit this post
No I have not heard anything about it and I listen to the news quite a bit.

Oregonfire

Friday, January 25, 2002 - 07:46 am Click here to edit this post
Speaking of keeping an eye on your government...also double check your Social Security card. I've been carrying around a card with the WRONG SS# number on it for three years! It's caused me no end of trouble at my new job in the past week. I'm embarrassed that I never really looked at it because I had the real number memorized, so I just assumed--it was off by one number. Even the SSA makes mistakes.

Another way that the government gives you the shaft is through paying back student loans. The interest rate is a joke, and the way that they arbitrarily change the amount that they'll put toward the actual principle every month varies wildly. In December, they only applied $13 of my $204 monthly payment to the principle, and the rest went to interest, all because I moved the due date back one week, so they decided to skip a month. I was not a happy camper.

Norwican

Friday, January 25, 2002 - 09:55 am Click here to edit this post
Yes Ketchuplover, I live in Milwaukee and have been following the story. Did you notice that the Milwaukee County Sheriff quickly retired before the attempts to revise the pension deal could begin?

Ketchuplover

Friday, January 25, 2002 - 06:07 pm Click here to edit this post
He may have been the first,but definitely not the last. Let us pray for the Brewers. They're gonna need it :)

Ketchuplover

Friday, January 25, 2002 - 11:15 pm Click here to edit this post
Have you signed a petition?

Norwican

Monday, January 28, 2002 - 07:42 am Click here to edit this post
Yes I have, two of them. One for Ament and one for the County Supervisor in my area. Looks like the one for Ament could get enough valid signatures by the deadline... the County Supervisor ones probably will not.