Double Dippers

Lovely.

The Legislative Audit Bureau’s study, which recommends the department develop written investigative procedures and collect more data, provides the most comprehensive picture yet of how widespread rehiring retirees has become across Wisconsin government.

According to the report, the University of Wisconsin System and state agencies rehired 2,783 annuitants from the beginning of 2007 through early 2012. More than 1,000 school districts and local governments that responded to an LAB survey reported hiring 2,599 annuitants between January 2011 and March 2012. The vast majority of the rehires worked fewer hours for a year or less.

Wisconsin law allows returning retirees to collect their retirement pay-outs on top of their salaries as long as they were out of the job for at least 30 days and didn’t reach rehire deals before they left. Managers say the practice makes sense because the returning workers already have experience and skills and the government doesn’t have to pay their health insurance or make pension contributions.

Opponents, though, contend it amounts to inappropriate double dipping because rehires can collect their retirement benefits on top of their salaries.

Only 26 of the nearly 2,800 rehires on the state level chose to suspend their retirement benefits during their return stints, the study found.

Connecticut School Murders

How absolutely tragic.

A heavily armed man invaded a Newtown, Conn., elementary school today, killing his mother and 26 others, mostly children, federal and state sources tell ABC News.
The gunman, identified as Adam Lanza, 20, of New Jersey, was killed inside of the school.

In addition to the casualties at the school, a dead body was also found in his home, officials said. Sources said Lanza was armed with four weapons and wearing a bullet-proof vest when he opened fire in the elementary school.

NOTE: Name of killer corrected from original story.

U.S. to Build Death Star?

Chuckle.

The 25,000-plus signers of a “We the People” petition calling on the federal government to start building a Death Star by 2016 must be feeling as peppy as the Rebel Alliance, now that they’ve put their plea over the threshold that will trigger a response from the White House.

Campaigns on 4chan, Reddit and Twitter helped put it over the top with a day to spare. This means someone at the White House will have to take a good look at the Death Star issue and draw up a response (unless officials decide it would be improper to speak out on something that’s more appropriately addressed by, say, the Defense Department, NASA or Lord Vader).