KANSAS – Taxpayers United of America has released the top pension estimates for Kansas government teachers and employees. “We are shedding light at last, on the problems with Kansas’ government pension system,” said Christina Tobin, Vice President of Taxpayers United of America (TUA), and founder and President of Free and Equal Elections. “Minimal reform has occurred in Kansas as legislators consider measures that do little to actually solve the problem. Much more pressure is needed from taxpayers,” she said.
“Kansas’ government pension system desperately needs reform. Releasing the specific names and pension amounts would show who’s really benefitting,” said Tobin. “But Kansas refuses to release actual individual pension payments and that really raises questions when estimates range to nearly $8 million. So, why won’t the Governor let Kansans see the facts?”
“There is no fair representation of taxpayers. This is a nationwide problem that burdens the Left and Right alike, and has fueled the financial crisis facing taxpayers and retirees. The urgency of this crisis is illustrated by the extensive press coverage that our government pension reports have received throughout Kansas.”
Tobin, who toured through Kansas towns revealing top government pension estimates to the public, received coverage from KSN News Wichita, KWCH 12 Eyewitness News, Salina Journal News, KSALLink.com, Wichita Business Journal, Kansas City Business Journal, and Fox 4 Kansas City.
TUA will be exploring all options to get the information still being withheld by the government bureaucrats of Kansas, released. “I have written letters to Governor Brownback and the members of the Kansas Legislature, asking for transparency. As long as taxpayers feel the pain of the hefty bill for these pensions, those payments should be available for public review.” Tobin plans to work with legislators but does not exclude the possibility of filing a lawsuit to obtain the information.
TUA will be revealing more States’ pensions across the nation, including those of Pennsylvania, New York, and Arizona in the coming weeks.
CHICAGO—Tax Accountability (TAC) president Jim Tobin announced today that the organization is formally endorsing U.S. House Representative Ron Paul (R-TX, Dist. 14) for President of the United States.
“There simply is no comparison between Ron Paul and the other Republican candidates,” said Tobin. “Dr. Paul consistently has had the highest rating in Congress from the non-partisan National Taxpayers Union (NTU) in Washington, DC. He is the only true fiscal conservative. The other Republican candidates believe in big government,big spending, big crony-capitalism, and big wars.”
“All the other Republican candidates are neoconservative warmongers. Paul would bring all our troops home, cut needless defense spending, and stop the country’s march toward fascism. He would have our military protect this country, not intervene in the affairs of others.”
“Ron Paul is sincere when he states he will literally cut federal spending by $1 trillion. The other Republican candidates have no real ambition to cut spending or taxes. They are enthusiastic supporters of what Pres. Eisenhower called the ‘military-industrial complex.’ The other candidates support U.S. foreign military adventures, and if any of them is elected, we will have at least one war occurring at any one time.”
“I enthusiastically endorse Ron Paul for President of the United States.”
Tax Accountability is the political action arm of Taxpayers United of America (TUA).
Founded in 1976, TUA is one of the largest taxpayer organizations in America
Findings from TUA’s pension project on Wichita, Kansas, are featured in this story from KSN News Wichita.
WICHITA, Kansas (KSN) — A grassroots group took their message of pension reform to Wichita hoping to shock citizens into action by releasing some stunning figures showing their estimates of what some city employees will make during their retirements from government pensions.
“We do intend to sensationalize the numbers and we do intend to outrage taxpayers,” said Raeann McNeilly with Taxpayers United of America.
McNeilly and the organizations vice president, Christina Tobin, have been traveling the nation by car and stopping in cities like Wichita with their message of pension reform. They say it’s the top challenge facing states looking to balance their budgets.
“This is serious,” said Tobin. “This means these checks will stop coming if we don’t have real reform here in Kansas.”
Pension reform was a goal of the legislature this year in Topeka but efforts to reform KPERS have stalled.
They were also critical of Kansas officials for refusing to release the firm figures on pensions. Taxpayers United used salary figures from 2010 to estimate what city employees will make in pensions based on a life expectancy of 85.
“They release the pension numbers but not the names next to the pensions”, Tobin complained. “It’s the first state we’ve ever encountered like this.”
A spokesperson for City Hall says the numbers provided by Taxpayers United are “generally misleading, taken out of context and in some cases inaccurate”.
