September 2015

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  • Spotlight on: Alabama

    [rwd imageid=’768′ small=’0′ medium=’600′ large=’1000′ src=’http://protectpensions.org/files/2016/02/Alabama-Pensions.png’] The health of Alabama’s pension system has been in the news a lot recently. Why the sudden interest in Alabama’s pensions, you might ask? Well, it has a lot to do with some familiar…

  • Spotlight on: John Arnold
    John Arnold

    Today we continue shining a spotlight on anti-pension politicians and activists by turning to the story of John Arnold. Arnold got his start at Enron, where he left with an $8 million golden parachute as the company collapsed, wiping out…

  • Partner Organization Spotlight: NCPERS

    Occasionally here on Defined Benefit, we like to highlight the work of one of our partner organizations. Protecting retirement security for public workers is hard work and we can’t do it by ourselves. Today we’re taking a look at the…

  • Dispatches from the Field: Wisconsin

    What do you think of when you think of Wisconsin? The Green Bay Packers? Fried cheese curds? Anti-worker (failed) presidential candidates? Here at Defined Benefit, when we hear Wisconsin we think of a fully-funded model pension system. Wisconsin’s pension system,…

  • Myths and Facts About Public Pensions
    pensions

    In the conversation around public pensions, there are a lot of myths that get repeated over and over again. We’re going to dispel three of the most common myths here. Myth #1: Pensions are Underfunded and Unsustainable Fact: Most public…

  • Tax Fairness

    States looking for revenue to fund key priorities like education, infrastructure, and pensions need look no further than tax fairness. Tax fairness—the principle that the wealthy should be taxed the same as the middle and working classes—could help resolve a…

  • Spotlight on: Chris Christie

    Today we begin a new series where we shine the spotlight on the politicians and ideological activists behind the attacks on public pensions. Our first subject: New Jersey governor and presidential aspirant Chris Christie. Below are five things you need…

  • West Virginia Has a Lesson for Kentucky

    Just the other day, Matt Bevin, a candidate for governor of Kentucky attacked the retirement security of public workers in Kentucky when he declared, “We have to move to a defined contribution plan, period.” When politicians like Matt Bevin attack…

  • The Hidden Cost of Reducing Pension Benefits: Increased Income Inequality

    In a previous post, we discussed the consequences for states that abandoned their pension plans. But gutting defined benefit pensions has consequences beyond unstable funding and decreased retirement security. A recent report by the National Conference on Public Employee Retirement…

  • Three States that Abandoned Their Pensions- And Suffered the Consequences

    We all know that pensions provide a safe and secure retirement for public employees in a cost-effective way. In many states, though, anti-pension ideologues and politicians try to sell pension “reform” as a way to save money for the state.…

  • Welcome to Defined Benefit!

    Happy Labor Day! Today as a nation, we celebrate and remember the contributions of workers to the prosperity and well-being of our country. The working people and their families that comprise the National Public Pension Coalition are fighting hard every…