Attention

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not represent our advertisers

Monday, April 16, 2018

A $76,000 Monthly Pension: Why States and Cities Are Short on Cash

Governments are struggling as mounting pension obligations crowd
out the rest of their budgets. Oregon faces a severe, self-inflicted crisis.

A public university president in Oregon gives new meaning to the idea of a pensioner.

Joseph Robertson, an eye surgeon who retired as head of the Oregon Health & Science University last fall, receives the state’s largest government pension.

It is $76,111.

Per month.

That is considerably more than the average Oregon family earns in a year.

Oregon — like many other states and cities, including New Jersey, Kentucky and Connecticut — is caught in a fiscal squeeze of its own making. Its economy is growing, but the cost of its state-run pension system is growing faster. More government workers are retiring, including more than 2,000, like Dr. Robertson, who get pensions exceeding $100,000 a year.

More

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

How did state legislatures do this?
It is criminal.

Anonymous said...

If we didn't house and feed illegals all Americans could receive this amount upon retirement.

Anonymous said...

Let's not blame Dr. Robertson.
It's the fault of the legislature, bureaucrats and labor unions who decide these outrageous benefits are the right thing to do.
It's a knee-jerk reaction to strike a deal with complete disregard on how to pay for it in the future. After all, when the dinner bill comes due, they're already putting on their coats.

Anonymous said...

A $900,000 state pension??! WTF!

Anonymous said...

Limelight Lewis is going to get a huge payday when he combines his pensions.