[mattduke]

This shouldn't be news to you.

http://www.martinarmstrong.org/files/Wh ... 8-2011.pdf

[vision-master]

Ok, I won't look then.

[Oakley]

Ah yes, when you can vote yourself wealth that is produced by someone else, why produce wealth yourself!

Corporations do it, bureaucrats do it, politicians do it, old folks do it, poor folks do it. Competing in the free market is not a worth pursuit when you can get a law passed that rigs the markets in your favor; and even if you are at the bottom of the pecking order you can still count on some visible hand out in return for you political support.

And just imagine the squabbling over the crumbs as the economic pie contracts again and again as the energy slaves no longer support economic output sufficient to keep the huge world population alive and kicking.

[Ferretlover]

Nothing new here. It's about the money. It's ALWAYS about the money.

[FairMaiden]

This is a very cool read - thanks for posting it.

As a gov't worker, I don't totally disagree. Things are a little different here tho - our pension is run by a totally different organization (non-govt) and is supported by the workers (we pay more if it needs it - not the govt). So the gov't can't and doesn't dip into it. They can and do reduce THEIR contributions...but it operates exactly like my corp pension did when I was in the private sector. My corp contributed 3.5% and the gov't is 5%. Not totally out of line.

I do have to apologize to the PO crowd for defending gov't workers! I saw a house hunting show where a "food distribution manager" was buying a 3bdrm house and driving a Mercedes! This was a college so I'm guessing he was the cafeteria manager???? My boss, the highest paid gov worker in the region drives a Mazda 3 and thinks that is a luxery item!! (her counterpart in the next region over drives a pontiac vibe - she's more frugal, LOL) My point is that I don't see gov't workers here as overpaid. In fact, I would not want my boss's job and most of you wouldn't either. It's human garbage sorting...very sickening stuff...

Peace out

[FairMaiden]

Looks like private companies have unfunded pension issues too...hmm...

The future of Reader's Digest magazine in the UK – and the fate of its 135 employees – has been plunged into doubt after a deal to bail out its pension fund fell through.


The magazine's US parent company, Reader's Digest Association (RDA), said UK regulators had not approved a rescue plan to resolve "a longstanding and significant unfunded liability within its UK pension scheme".

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/feb/02/readers-digest-pension-blow

[nobodypanic]

seriously? pensions?

christ people with axes to grind simply interpret everything through the lens of their choice.

the collapse of rome was a very complex event. the reduction of the fall of rome to a simplistic cause should be a red flag warning you to be especially skeptical of the author and his arguments.

if anything, you should be asking... how the hell did rome last as long as she did!?

[Pretorian]

I wonder why do you even talk about "Fall of Rome". Rome still controls more than 500 years after it's founding and expanding. Obviously though, Italians of today are no Romans ( alas). During Dark Ages Rome also controlled significant chunks of land.

[dorlomin]

The Roman Empire ended in 1453