David Cay Johnston on Gov. Scott Walker's False Claims of Taxpayer Subsidies For Workers' Pensions

[Charleston Chew]

Run time: 13:49 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IJ4E5UJabw   Posted on YouTube: March 03, 2011 By YouTube Member: mediagrrl9 Views on YouTube: 10   Posted on DU: March 03, 2011 By DU Member: Charleston Chew Views on DU: 1230

 
In their coverage of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's attempt to undermine public workers' unions, many journalists have parroted Walker's claim that unionized state workers get their pensions "subsidized" by the state. Democracy Now! interviews investigative reporter and Pulitzer Prize-winner David Cay Johnston, who counters the assertion that pensions are costing taxpayers by pointing out that the workers themselves contribute 100 percent in deferred compensation. Johnson's latest article is called, "Really Bad Reporting in Wisconsin: Who 'Contributes' to Public Workers' Pensions?"

http://www.democracynow.org/seo/2011/3/3/really_bad_reporting_in_wisconsin_media
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Really Bad Reporting in Wisconsin: Who 'Contributes' to Public Workers' Pensions?
David Cay Johnston | Feb. 24, 2011

When it comes to improving public understanding of tax policy, nothing has been more troubling than the deeply flawed coverage of the Wisconsin state employees' fight over collective bargaining.

Economic nonsense is being reported as fact in most of the news reports on the Wisconsin dispute, the product of a breakdown of skepticism among journalists multiplied by their lack of understanding of basic economic principles.

Gov. Scott Walker says he wants state workers covered by collective bargaining agreements to "contribute more" to their pension and health insurance plans.

Accepting Gov. Walker' s assertions as fact, and failing to check, created the impression that somehow the workers are getting something extra, a gift from taxpayers. They are not.

Out of every dollar that funds Wisconsin' s pension and health insurance plans for state workers, 100 cents comes from the state workers.

http://www.tax.com/taxcom/taxblog.nsf/Permalink/UBEN-8EDJYS?OpenDocument
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[Indydem]

1. You can't have it both ways.

You can't make the argument that WI teachers only make 26k and scream at the top of your lungs that they are underpayed, and then prove the repukes right by saying "Well, they actually make 65k but a lot of that is deferred income."

So either they make less than their private sector counterparts, or they are making the same and deferring it in a pension fund.

[blackspade]

6. Having read both articles,

I can't find the numbers that you are talking about.
Are you saying that you have information that the average teacher in WI is making $39K in differred compensation?

[Yavin4]

2. Kicked!

Esp. the last 30 seconds or so. Extremely important stuff there.

[Newest Reality]

3. K&R

Especially after some anti-union, Libertarian tripe I was just sent by someone. Heheh.

[Charleston Chew]

4. Interview w/ David Cay Johnston [03•03•11]

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http://official.fm/tracks/217557?no_frameset=true
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http://official.fm/tracks/217557?fairplayer=artwork&skin=307&width=600
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[savalez]

5. Recall the Republican 8!

http://www.recalltherepublican8.com/

[Charleston Chew]

7. Obama tax scheme to put more pressure on low-paid Americans

Feb 12, 2011

U.S. President Barak Obama was on the path to reduce the size of the budget deficit upon taking office but is now continuing the same economic policies adopted during his Republican predecessors, says investigative journalist and author David Cay Johnston.

"The president's budget proposals would have resulted in increased revenue and decreased spending as the economy grew over time," David Cay Johnston said in an interview with Press TV's U.S. Desk on Wednesday, February 9.

"But now at the insistence of Republicans, the American government is continuing for two more years tax cuts for the wealthy Americans and a tax increase on the lowest paid workers, 51 million of them or about one in three," he added.

"The result of this along with continuing spending on the undeclared wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is that the American government faces huge budget deficits," noted Johnston.

Johnston further said that the "solutions to get out of this are quite simple. The American government needs to specially increase taxes for those on top, those who have received more than the half of tax cuts of the Bush and Reagan."

"The government needs to spend more on things that are productive for the economy, improved infrastructure, improving rail transportation, fixing up highways and bridges in America, which are falling apart and reduce spending in unproductive areas including tax cuts for large corporations, deferrals of taxes where very wealthy people and companies are allowed to earn today but pay their taxes ten, twenty or thirty years in the future, without in many cases, incurring an interest charge and spending on the military which when looked at for all aspects and not just the defense department, works out to be 1.5 trillion dollars a year, just about the size of the American budget deficit right now," he concluded.


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x559348

[Charleston Chew]

8. Paying Other People's Taxes by David Cay Johnston

Jun 21, 2010

You are forced to pay the income taxes of some of the richest investors in America through a federal regulation never before reported on in the mainstream news media; full details at tax.com


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x559356

[democracy1st]

9. K & R I'm sorry but we don't have any friends in this WH! No one is speaking on our behalf .