We have recently witnessed the exposure of various examples of abuse by government employees. This abuse includes the theft, pilfering and misuse of public monies, and also bribery. It seems that these people do not fear being caught, and worse, they do not fear punishment.
How can you discourage such behavior? Just as happens with voters, it hurts the worst when you feel it in the pocketbook.
I would suggest the following:
1. Immediate unpaid suspension of their employment
2. For such persons to be arrested, the evidence is already overwhelming; An immediate and speedy trial should be provided for us, the injured party
2. Upon conviction, there should be loss of voting rights--permanently. They have proved themselves unworthy of a citizens’ franchise
3. Loss of any and all future government employment and benefits (including health care coverage)
4. Many times, the monies are already lost, but there is a source of recompense that would be just. Such persons usually have retirement benefits. Why should they, who have stolen from us, the citizens, reap those benefits?
Now before you start labeling me as a hard-hearted Republican, I would have you know that I am fair-minded (I consider myself a Free Man). I would not deprive them of all funds (AFTER they have paid their debt to society). I suggest penalizing the acts with a 50 percent reduction in benefits. That would make a potential cheater think twice before risking his future security.
Patrick Shepherd
Mesa
truth posted at 3:31 pm on Sun, Feb 3, 2013.
The real crime our politicians have done to the American people is selling us out to communist China. In the U.S. there are millions of people who have jobs that leave them mired at the edge of poverty. Their ranks include legions of retail clerks at chains like WalMart, fast-food workers, dishwashers, customer assistance representatives, home health care aids, factory workers, and farm laborers. Some 46.2 million Americans now live in families where someone is working but earning less than the poverty line: $11,702 a year for individuals or $23,021 for families of four, incomes that do not cover basic needs: food, clothing, housing, transportation, child care, and health care. By the standard, there are more than 141 million Americans in the poor-but working class.
truth posted at 3:32 pm on Sun, Feb 3, 2013.
The real crime our politicians have done to the American people is selling us out to communist China. In the U.S. there are millions of people who have jobs that leave them mired at the edge of poverty. Their ranks include legions of retail clerks at chains like WalMart, fast-food workers, dishwashers, customer assistance representatives, home health care aids, factory workers, and farm laborers. Some 46.2 million Americans now live in families where someone is working but earning less than the poverty line: $11,702 a year for individuals or $23,021 for families of four, incomes that do not cover basic needs: food, clothing, housing, transportation, child care, and health care. By the standard, there are more than 141 million Americans in the poor-but working class.
truth posted at 3:40 pm on Sun, Feb 3, 2013.
About half of the working poor are white, mostly living in the south or southwest: over a quarter of blacks and Latinos live in poverty while only a tenth of whites do.
truth posted at 3:41 pm on Sun, Feb 3, 2013.
The top 50 employers of low-wage workers, recent studies found pay their top executives an average of $9.4 million a year and have a return $175 billion in dividend to their share holders since 2006. In contrast, the typical worker eligible for earned Income Tax Credit, a tax break for lower-income workers, has a adjusted gross income of $13,900 since the Great Recession of 2008,
about 60% of the jobs created in the U.S. Have been low wage ones. One out of four Americans now earn less than $10.00 a hour. Many of these service jobs can't be outsourced or automated. But thanks to globalization the waning power of labor unions, workers have little leverage to press for higher salaries.
truth posted at 3:42 pm on Sun, Feb 3, 2013.
One major factor is that manufacturing companies that were once union strong holds have closed or sent their jobs overseas where wage earners earn .50 to $1.50 a hour. U.S., unions have dwindled partly because of “right-to-work” now in place in 24 states. The average high school graduate makes $12,000 less than the average high school graduate did in 1990. Folks in our state are working hard, but for many families working hard just isn't enough. This is the overwhelming destruction of American people our politicians have done since slave labor was legal in this country.
Arizona Willie posted at 7:50 am on Mon, Feb 4, 2013.
truth: your are on target.
It is always amazing to me, and saddening, to see the posts from right wingers condemning the bottom 47% because they wind up owning 0 Federal Income Tax, yet at the same time they admire millionaires who hire tax attorneys and lobbiests to get them a zero tax liability or as close as possible.
But, always remember, MONEY ALWAYS WINS --- ALWAYS.
We have the best government money can buy.
Arizona Willie posted at 1:40 pm on Tue, Feb 5, 2013.
As an example of how some of our elected officials can commit crimes and get away with it we have our Gang of Four. Brewer, Montgomery,Horne, and now Kavanaugh are spending millions of dollars of State Money on lawsuit after lawsuit trying to overturn a law they personally don't like. Kavanaugh is trying to get the state legislature to sponsor another election on the same law that was recently approved.
Every lawsuit filed by Brewer, Horne, and Montgomery has been lost. Losing a lawsuit does not stop them… because they are not spending their own money they are spending state money to try to force their own personal way on this citizens of Arizona.
That's Abuse of Power, but you will never see the media call for their prosecution.