en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/1439474 Comments by pgh_actuary1 http://biggovernment.com/sparker/2010/10/23/revisiting-clarence-thomass-ordeal/#IDComment105671991 I heard the tape. Ginnie Thomas couldn't have been more polite or matter-of-fact in asking if Ms. Hill thought it was about time after this long to apologize. (Let's not forget Ms. Hill followed Clarence Thomas to be on his staff again AFTER she was supposedly sexually harassed and one of her absurd excuses was that she was fearful she wouldn't be able to find another job - yeah, nobody wants to hire an intelligent black female Yale Law School grad.) Anyway, Anita Hill's response to the voice mail? She turned it over to campus police, who in turn sent it to the FBI. Class act all the way. Sat, 23 Oct 2010 23:00:31 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/sparker/2010/10/23/revisiting-clarence-thomass-ordeal/#IDComment105671991 http://biggovernment.com/abreitbart/2010/10/22/washington-post-blockbuster-confirms-worst-fears-about-holder-justice-dept-race-policies/#IDComment105505718 Andrew Breitbart is being generous, because the story is closing in on 2 yrs old and the Post finally caught up, but he believes in giving credit where credit is due. I have a Facebook "friend" from high school who's a columnist for the Wash. Post, and when I correct the inaccuracies or omissions in the occasional story she posts a link to from the Post, she and her liberal friends get apoplectic, attacking me personally. When she posted a link to a story about how clueless Christine O'Donnell was about the Constitution, not knowing ("giggle, giggle") that separation of Church & State was in there, I explained that it wasn't and detailed the actual history of that phrase. All these Post reporters & friends went nuts, calling me all kinds ot names and saying I was a radical right wing tea-party "strict constructionist" who didn't understand that the constitution is a living, breathing document, and guys like me are dangerous to democracy b/c we have our heads stuck in the 18th century, wanting to bring back the days of slavery and women not being allowed to vote. Fri, 22 Oct 2010 23:40:18 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/abreitbart/2010/10/22/washington-post-blockbuster-confirms-worst-fears-about-holder-justice-dept-race-policies/#IDComment105505718 http://biggovernment.com/cstreet/2010/10/18/public-sector-pension-funding-just-became-three-times-more-fun/#IDComment104861662 I'm a pension actuary and earlier this yr received a glossy full-color brochure and a few phone calls to entice me to fly out to Anaheim, all expenses paid, to interview for the chief actuary position at CALPERS, probably b/c of a project I did for another state. No freaking way was that gonna happen. They have a well-regarded in-house actuarial team and well-respected in-house investment analysts, plus the best outside investment advisers. The investment & actuarial teams get together, make recommendations to the pension board, then whatever they decide on is brought to the legislators, who say "No - too expensive." (Effectively, "We're going to leave the pension underfunding problems to somebody else down the road.") Tue, 19 Oct 2010 22:10:56 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/cstreet/2010/10/18/public-sector-pension-funding-just-became-three-times-more-fun/#IDComment104861662 http://biggovernment.com/eyeblasttv/2010/10/12/federal-employees-union-releases-teabagger-ad/#IDComment103764753 I agree with the original post (for some reason I can't view the others). Yrs ago, people took govt jobs b/c they had lower pay, but bigger benefits. Unionization changed that. They now have significantly larger pay AND better benefits and cry like babies when they're asked to move towards pay & benefits like their neighbors have. I'm a pension actuary, and in the last few years have occasionally peer-reviewed work for some large public pension plans. Easily worth 3-5 times more than the most generous pension plans in the country (many of which are now frozen). And under most state laws they're allowed to underfund them - LEGALLY they're funded, but actuarially, a time bomb that's already started to go off. I saw one plan that allowed workers to retire with 100% of their pay (with cost-of-living) at age 45 with 25 years of service - thought it was a mistake in the report - nope. Wed, 13 Oct 2010 04:40:39 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/eyeblasttv/2010/10/12/federal-employees-union-releases-teabagger-ad/#IDComment103764753 http://tv.breitbart.com/obamas-recess-appointed-medicare-czar-refuses-to-answer-questions/#IDComment100454314 I provided a tip to Byron York of the Washington Examiner, and he amazingly posted a story online within a few hours (he did a great job - Google it). The non-profit Berwick founded provides lifetime free health care for him and his wife, and for NO ONE ELSE who works there. Easy to verify. Go to IHI.org, click on the "About Us" tab, scroll to the bottom, click on the "financial report" link, go to the second-last page, footnote 8(c). Hypocrisy at its finest. I'm an actuary and can say, don't be fooled by the "present value" numbers. They're based on the law in effect at the time. It'll be worth a WHOLE lot more under Obamacare. Let them eat cake. Thu, 23 Sep 2010 00:04:02 +0000 http://tv.breitbart.com/obamas-recess-appointed-medicare-czar-refuses-to-answer-questions/#IDComment100454314 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2010/09/18/obamas-palace-guards-maher-colbert-jon-stewart-go-all-in-to-save-the-democrats/#IDComment99824638 Bill Maher, who calls himself a libertarian spoke like one when Clinton was president (and Arianna Huffington was the "conservative" voice on his "Politically Incorrect"). When Jon Stewart took over "The Daily Show" I thought he was the funniest guy on TV. Then when Bush came into office, all 3 turned so far left so fast out of hatred for him, it was amazing. Maher & Huffington always took themselves seriously, but Stewart suddenly turned into someone who thinks he's a legitimate political commentator. And way too many HS and college-age kids look to him for their news & views. Sun, 19 Sep 2010 23:40:05 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2010/09/18/obamas-palace-guards-maher-colbert-jon-stewart-go-all-in-to-save-the-democrats/#IDComment99824638 http://biggovernment.com/jpanero/2010/09/11/symbolic-ground-zero/#IDComment98281341 A repost: The navel-gazers need to get over the focus on "we MUST have done something to provoke this". Buy a Koran or go online - look up 2:191, 4:5, 5:34, 5:51, 8:12, 8:37, 9:5, 9:29, 9:123, 22:19-22, 47:4, 69:30-37. Yes, many Muslims look past these passages b/c most were written at a time when Muhammed was often under siege from the Quraish (who weren't Christians or Jews btw), but this is what some still teach today. It's not political. The word "Islam" means submit, and the Koran makes that pretty darn clear - definitely not peaceful in its origins. Sat, 11 Sep 2010 23:49:11 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/jpanero/2010/09/11/symbolic-ground-zero/#IDComment98281341 http://biggovernment.com/jpanero/2010/09/11/symbolic-ground-zero/#IDComment98280834 JohnK has it right. The navel-gazers need to get over the focus on "we must have done something to provoke this". Buy a Koran, look up 2:191, 4:5, 5:34, 5:51, 8:12, 8:37, 9:5, 9:29, 9:123, 22:19-22, 47:4, 69:30-37. Yes, many Muslims look past these passages b/c most were written at a time when Muhammed was often under siege from the Quraish (who weren't Christians or Jews), but this is what some still teach today. It's not political - it's what they believe. Sat, 11 Sep 2010 23:44:52 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/jpanero/2010/09/11/symbolic-ground-zero/#IDComment98280834 http://biggovernment.com/jpanero/2010/09/11/symbolic-ground-zero/#IDComment98276426 I'd never heard that. If that's true - AWESOME. Sat, 11 Sep 2010 23:18:27 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/jpanero/2010/09/11/symbolic-ground-zero/#IDComment98276426 http://biggovernment.com/jpanero/2010/09/11/symbolic-ground-zero/#IDComment98276186 I worked for Marsh & McLennan. Flight 11 that hit the North Tower took out floors 93-99; Marsh occupied 93-100. Not a single one of the 295 Marsh employees at work that day, or the 60 outside contractors on-site, survived. I attended 3 memorials. Gut-wrenching. The Cumbaya approach does not work with radical Muslims - let's not forget the cheering in the streets in Muslim nations on 9/11. The word "Islam" means submit - the ultimate goal, achieved by any means. Libs refuse to believe that even though it's true. Some don't like her b/c she's harsh in her choice of words, but Google Brigitte Gabriel, & if you can, buy a few copies of her books and loan them to ignorant liberal friends, and DARE them to read the truth. Sat, 11 Sep 2010 23:16:26 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/jpanero/2010/09/11/symbolic-ground-zero/#IDComment98276186 http://biggovernment.com/mikeflynn/2010/09/10/big-government-what-a-difference-a-year-makes/#IDComment98082803 Someone I went to school with writes for one of the papers you mentioned, and when I post FACTS on Facebook (always w. references, e.g. on the Ground Zero Imam), she gets apoplectic. Always a snarky comment or baseless accusation of hatred, racism, Islamophobia, whatever. Anything but addressing the truth. She has lamented about "amateurs" like Andrew Breitbart taking over the news business & putting REAL journalists like her out of work. They just don't get it. Fri, 10 Sep 2010 21:10:51 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/mikeflynn/2010/09/10/big-government-what-a-difference-a-year-makes/#IDComment98082803 http://tv.breitbart.com/scholarship-scandal-congresswoman-falls-apart-in-anderson-cooper-interview/#IDComment97907656 I saw this. Disgusting. It's amazing how easy it is to get elected - and stay - in Congress if you live in a Democratic district. Where I grew up in northeast PA our congressman (Dan Flood) got re-elected in a landslide even though he was in federal prison & it was too late to have his name taken off the ballot. Thu, 9 Sep 2010 23:45:13 +0000 http://tv.breitbart.com/scholarship-scandal-congresswoman-falls-apart-in-anderson-cooper-interview/#IDComment97907656 http://tv.breitbart.com/scholarship-scandal-congresswoman-falls-apart-in-anderson-cooper-interview/#IDComment97906181 Wow. Not an Anderson Cooper fan, but gotta give him credit for doing he did his best to get her to tell the truth. Didn't seem to come out. It sounds like a small amount of money, but I've been on a scholarship committee that gave out the same amounts, and it's a new laptop, books, lab fees - no small deal. Thu, 9 Sep 2010 23:36:23 +0000 http://tv.breitbart.com/scholarship-scandal-congresswoman-falls-apart-in-anderson-cooper-interview/#IDComment97906181 http://tv.breitbart.com/left-wing-criticism-of-tea-party-smacked-down-by-big-governments-dana-loesch/#IDComment97902397 Libs can be like little children. "Nah nah nah" I can't hear you. It's amazing how they abjectly refuse to look at, listen to, or speak, the truth. I guess what they say is true for libs - Ignorance is Bliss. Me? I like to know the truth. Thu, 9 Sep 2010 23:05:34 +0000 http://tv.breitbart.com/left-wing-criticism-of-tea-party-smacked-down-by-big-governments-dana-loesch/#IDComment97902397 http://biggovernment.com/kolson/2010/09/06/congress-should-abolish-labor-day/#IDComment97363306 As you might guess from my screen name, I'm an actuary. I work w. pension plans. Sen Bob Casey (D-PA) has introduced a bill to give underfunded private sector union plans what's been called a $650B "do-over" - taxpayers will take over their debt. My area of expertise - the true number is much, much larger - certainly closer to $2T. Public employees' plans will be next up to bat. Touted as $1-2T, probably closer to $3-4T but that's just a guess since there are so many plans. It can all go down in October-January whether Dems retain control or not. Unreal. Mon, 6 Sep 2010 23:38:27 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/kolson/2010/09/06/congress-should-abolish-labor-day/#IDComment97363306 http://biggovernment.com/sahiller/2010/07/31/thanks-big-labor-senator-bob-caseys-165-billion-union-bailout/#IDComment90220528 That's exactly right. They've paid a $9 per person PBGC premium for years, versus the (if the $165B is correct) $177 per person that non-multis would pay and similarly big numbers for decades, AND multiemployers have special funding rules allowing them to fund their plans VERY slowly (in other words, underfund them). So now, guess what? They're in bad shape. Well then, let's just let them have a "do-over" at taxpayer expense. Sun, 1 Aug 2010 23:30:47 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/sahiller/2010/07/31/thanks-big-labor-senator-bob-caseys-165-billion-union-bailout/#IDComment90220528 http://biggovernment.com/sahiller/2010/07/31/thanks-big-labor-senator-bob-caseys-165-billion-union-bailout/#IDComment90117504 As a pension actuary, I'm a guy that recommends how much money to keep a plan soundly funded, and won't work with multi-employer (union) or governmental plans, on principle. What the unions, and more ESPECIALLY the government-sponsored union retirement plans (BIGGER and even more poorly funded) have done to damage the financial status of these plans, their states, their businesses, counties and municipalities, is appalling. Sun, 1 Aug 2010 06:57:04 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/sahiller/2010/07/31/thanks-big-labor-senator-bob-caseys-165-billion-union-bailout/#IDComment90117504 http://biggovernment.com/sahiller/2010/07/31/thanks-big-labor-senator-bob-caseys-165-billion-union-bailout/#IDComment90115933 I'm a pension actuary. Here's the insanity of this. Union pension plans pay $9 per head for PBGC (Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation) coverage of their benefits, which is where Casey wants to dump this. If they paid the same premiums required of non-union pension plan sponsors, and if the $165B figure is correct (I have no idea), they would instead be paying $177 per person this year, and similarly very large figures going back years, but, nope, just nine bucks. Bob Casey wants to give them a four-decade "do-over" and have us pay for its underfunding of their plans. Sun, 1 Aug 2010 06:38:52 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/sahiller/2010/07/31/thanks-big-labor-senator-bob-caseys-165-billion-union-bailout/#IDComment90115933 http://biggovernment.com/capitolconfidential/2010/07/26/obamacare-the-rationing-begins-in-earnest/#IDComment89024108 On the Donald Berwick recess appointment, first, he is paid an absurdly large salary at his own little non-profit - I don't care if he's a doctor, it's a small non-profit. Second, and this would only take 60 seconds to check, go to his non-profit's website, ihi.org, click on the "About Us" link, scroll down to the bottom of that page and about 15 lines up there's a link to their "financial report" which is KPMG's audit report. Footnote 8c on the second-last page of the audit: Berwick, who is a huge advocate of health care rationing and will now be in charge of it, a guy who says the HC system should be a primary tool to redistribute wealth, is insulated from any changes to Medicare b/c he has his non-profit providing private health insurance for him - and ONLY him (& his wife) - for life. Mon, 26 Jul 2010 22:37:59 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/capitolconfidential/2010/07/26/obamacare-the-rationing-begins-in-earnest/#IDComment89024108 http://bigjournalism.com/wthuston/2010/07/20/top-ten-most-left-biased-american-journalists-3-journolists-own-paul-krugman-the-new-york-times/#IDComment87742872 And his Nobel was a just a $1.8M political thank you for his unrelenting liberalism and using his bully-pulpit by constantly changing his economic views depending on who's in power. The thesis he won his Nobel for was very basic - that having production sources geographically close to one another makes for more efficient production. If anyone submitted that for an econ master's thesis, their this adviser would laugh them out of the room. Tue, 20 Jul 2010 20:59:48 +0000 http://bigjournalism.com/wthuston/2010/07/20/top-ten-most-left-biased-american-journalists-3-journolists-own-paul-krugman-the-new-york-times/#IDComment87742872