You expect politicians to game the system and rip off taxpayers for their own benefit. But not our police.
In Montgomery County, Maryland, 41 percent of retiring police officers now receive disability payments, and requests for disability pay have jumped an incredible 300 percent in the last year.
In nearby Fairfax County, Virginia, on the other hand, only 3 percent of retirees receive disability.
Of course, police work is often dangerous, and when officers are disabled on the job they ought to be compensated properly. Still, something is way out of whack in Montgomery County.
Former county officers receiving extra disability retirement pay have been discovered working other very physically demanding jobs — like flying commercial aircraft, or breaking up fights as a high school security guard, or serving in the army reserve.
Thomas Evans, a former county police chief, calls snagging extra disability pay “almost as easy as signing your name on the application.”
Now the feds are investigating. That’s good, but how does a system get so far out of whack?
Two factors are at work: (1) a unionized police force means constant pressure for more outlandish benefits, and (2) politicians negotiate these deals with securing the political support of the union in mind, not fulfilling their fiscal responsibility to taxpayers.
Or maybe it’s just proximity to Washington, D.C.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
6 replies on “Modern Disabilities”
Mr. Jacobs, in view of our current economic and political state of affairs it is more than painfully obvious money, power, position, party politics amid our legislative bodies in conjunction with Wall Street have once again demonstrated you can legalize crime with legislation. It is a sad day for all American (mainly the hardworking tax payers) when all they get for their tax dollars is more rhetoric, denials and continued politics as usual over honesty, common sense and a true committment/pledge to uphold the values that made this nation the greatest on earth. When I think of all the fine men and women who have fought, died to preserve the freedoms our Founding Fathers put in place to form this great nation then see a herd of career politicians act with absolutely no regard for anything but their own gain I truly believe we should send them to war for at least 6 months and let them earn not legislate their right to hold an elected office that represents the real mainstream American. Unfortunately Will Rogers is no longer among us but we certainly have enough jokes in office. Men of integrity, committment to honor, duty and respect for others has been lost in a quagmire of political rhetoric disguised as legal crimes both in Wall Street and Washington D.C.(which now resembles Death to Country rather than District of Columbia).
It may also be the one party state and a single party control of Montgomery County for years
Steve, Baltimore
I think those officers should be charged with fraud and spend the same amount of time behind bars as any other fraud perp. I think that would promptly bring this to an end and restore a little civilization to society. Maybe even make it double time because it was the public trust that was broken.
Ken Howe
Clearwater, FL
Paul,
You got it right on No. 1.
Unions.
The only group who equals Unions for greed is Management.
It’s like both sides are retarded. First management was out of control, that is why unions came about, employees needed protection. But now unions are just as outragous as management ever was.
Now we need protection from the unions.
No balance in sight on this one.
Naugatuck Police Department, in Connecticut uses the disability loop-hole as standard practice to beef-up pensions…at taxpayers expense.
Municipal pensions, must go down. The servants of the public must be EQUAL in Bummasville.
Social security check for retirement, are for all.
Haha. I woke up down today. You’ve cehreed me up!