LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas law "expressly prohibits" the use of a multiplier in determining the state lottery director's salary for retirement purposes, Attorney General Dustin McDaniel said in an opinion Monday.
Lottery Director Ernie Passailaigue's base salary is $141,603 a year, but the Lottery Commission has been paying him $324,000 a year thanks to an optional multiplier included in the state's lottery law. His retirement benefits have been based on the $324,000 figure, not his base salary.
Sen. Bobby Glover, D-Carlisle, and Rep. Johnny Hoyt, D-Morrilton, asked McDaniel whether the practice was legal. McDaniel said in his opinion today that the lottery director's multiplier "may not be used in calculating salary for retirement purposes."
Rep. Barry Hyde, D-North Little Rock, has filed House Bill 1302, which would amend the lottery law to prohibit the use of a multiplier in determining a lottery employee's salary for retirement purposes, among other changes. The bill has been assigned to the House Rules Committee.
Let them save up for the own retirement just like the rest of us, as far as I'm concerned they are double dipping.
The entire Federal, State, and Municipal Government Pension Scheme makes my blood boil. Decades ago, civil servants were exactly that, servants of the people. The average private sector worker earned more than the average government employee. Now with all the wrangling and scheming unions have done to "enhance" the defined benefit plans of government employees combined with the year after year of annual wage increases, the average government employee earns double what an average private sector worker earns and the benefits are also twice as nice for government employees than for private sector employees.
Now those who are government employees will just say quit bellyaching, quit hating as "they earned it and deserve it because they have advanced degrees." Well, those schemes combined with the saavy nature in which the typical government employee games the pension programs has led to numerous federal, state, and municipal pension programs being underfunded and on the verge of bankruptcy. I say let them go bankrupt before they increase everyone's taxes just to pay those pension obligations. Then those fat pensions won't be so fat...just ask any private sector worker who worked for a company that declared bankruptcy.
I agree...