Why did I start this blog?

Why would a professional woman from Long Island who worked in the non-profit world for 18 years care enough about public pensions to start a blog about them? Why, indeed.

Well, let's start by saying that I didn't always care, because I wasn't always aware. But having opened the proverbial Pandora's Box on the subject, there was no going back to those balmy days of blissful ignorance. With my new-found miserable knowledge came the overwhelming urge to shove everyone's else's head in Pandora's Box, because misery loves company, right?

What if I told you that there exists, right here, right now, in this dimension, an alternate universe, along side your miserable one; filled with happy workers whose pay is generous, who are showered with so much sick and vacation time that they can never use it all and will be able to cash it out when they retire? Workers who know that raises and promotions are guaranteed, and there is pretty much no way they can lose their job? These happy workers are secure in the fact their healthcare costs are paid for, and that their health plans don't contain scary things like high deductibles or huge co-pays. They can visit the dentist whenever they like, they can get new glasses whenever they need them, and sooner, because if their plan says they can have four pairs a year, well you can be sure they will get what's coming to them.

Many of these happy workers also look forward to retiring in their 50's or even their 40's with a generous pension that is guaranteed for life, along with healthcare for themselves and their families. They can look forward to COLA increases on their pensions too, which will come in handy when they start to snowbird in Florida. After all, the house in Yonkers, the condo in Palm Beach, all those trips on the auto train and the cruises out of Ft. Lauderdale cost money!

Well, after my discovery of this wonderful alternate universe, and the accompanying green-eyed monster, my next question was, "how is this possible?" Where does this money come from?

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