Disclaimer: I am a state employee who works in Higher Education. Will, I understand that state employees get a lot of bad press. I understand that a lot of people are angry when they hear about all of the people who get jobs through connections, and get raises beyond what private employees get, etc. But, …
Financial analysis of deep energy retrofit
This post continues the sharing of learning from the “deep energy retrofit” of our home. It summarizes a financial analysis of the project.
Income Trends
There are many ideas out there about how earnings, real and expected, affect spending. Milton Friedman’s 1957 Permanent Income Hypothesis is probably the most famous. In its strictest form, it implies that changes in current income, such as a raise or inheritance, shouldn’t change consumption at all. That’s an awfully strong statement. In 1989, John …
Blue Cross Blue Shield Severance Payout
The $8.6 Million payout to the ousted Blue Cross CEO ( Cleve Killingsworth) doesn’t give me much confidence in this near-monopoly “Non-Profit” company or its Board of Directors. (Directors are paid over $50,000 per year each, for one meeting a month). That’s a lot of co-pays at $20 each ! Note that Killingsworth will …
Two more articles on the unions/pay/pensions issue
Today, NYT: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/02/business/02leonhardt.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=leonhardt&st=cse . Summary: it’s not the pay, it’s the pension and disability benefits. And the work rules. Recently, Fortune/CNN: http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2011/02/28/are-public-unions-our-convenient-economic-scapegoats/?section=magazines_fortune . Summary: the unions are (generally) not the cause. Neither article supports the current moves to strip unions of the right to strike and/or engage in collective bargaining.
Transparency — Overview
Posts on MBTA pension transparency End the Secrecy of the MBTA Pension System Senate Transportation Plan includes Transparency Enhancement Posts on financial transparency in the legislative process July 2012 Senate Transparency and Financial Management Reforms Progress on Controlling Special Interest Tax Breaks Transparency Improvements Implemented Transparency Rule Changes Passed Transparency Improvements Passed Transparency and the …