Scott Walker-Bashing Bill Maher Calls For Public Pension Reform

Noel Sheppard
July 6th, 2012 9:41 AM
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This will show you what a bloviating hypocrite Bill Maher is.

After comparing Wisconsin's Republican Governor Scott Walker to the mentally-handicapped banjo player in the film "Deliverance" last month, the vulgar comedian on Thursday called for public pension reform:

Providence, Rhode Island, was going bankrupt. So last month -- in cooperation with the unions -- they reformed the pension system. You can do this stuff, if both sides agree not to be assholes. One of the things they did was get rid of the 5 percent and 6 percent annual increases given to about 600 former firefighters and police. Another was to cap future pensions at 1.5 times the state's median annual household income, or about $82,000. Which doesn't sound like any robber barons are kicking the stool out from under the workingman, but that's just me.

There are two dozen city retirees collecting more than $100,000 a year in Providence. Which is nice for them, but hard on a tiny city of people who aren't evil or greedy or anything. Really. I've been there.

Maher offered as an example a former fire chief who retired in 1991 at the age of 55 making $63,510 a year. As his contract guaranteed a 6 percent cost of living increase each year, he's now making $196,813.

If he lives to be 100, under the old system, he would make $700,000 a year.

"So Providence -- and the whole state, governed by our old pal Linc Chafee, neither greedy nor evil, nor out to destroy the middle class -- are suspending cost of living increases, and capping benefits," wrote Maher.

"I think we need unions. But when people hear about the retired fireman whose pay doubles every twelve years, you can see how they might not like it."

Indeed. And this is what was happening in Wisconsin.

So the citizens elected a new governor and legislature to take care of it, but when they did, people like Maher attacked them for doing so.

In fact, last month Maher compared Walker to the mentally-handicapped banjo player in the film "Deliverance."

Yet now he's speaking out for the very things Walker has been doing in Wisconsin.

Maybe when Maher returns from his summer vacation he will explain his position to his perilously liberal audience and apologize to Walker.

Don't hold your breath!

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