Saturday, July 14, 2007

Congratulations to my friend, Lee Lipps

I had an encounter a couple of years ago with Lee Lipps, who was recently appointed to the Public Employee Post-Employment Benefits Commission.

Here's what the press release says about Lee:

"Leonard Lee Lipps is a teacher who has worked in elementary, middle and high school classrooms in California. He currently serves the California Teacher’s Association as a regional manager where he works with school districts on budget analysis, State Teacher’s Retirement System issues and the economic impact of state legislation on education finance. Lipps has worked as the lead trainer for countless seminars on school finance and teacher retirement to fellow educators around California. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in History and a lifetime teaching credential from St. Mary’s College in Moraga, California and graduated from Harvard University’s Trade Union Program. Lipps is a Democrat."

Governor Schwarzenegger issued the following statement:

“Promised pensions and health benefits are vitally important to state workers and their families, especially public safety officers who put their lives on the line everyday. And they are obligations that must - and will - be paid by government.

"Soaring obligations of this type, however, also remain one of the biggest problems facing governments everywhere for the simple reason that rising pension and retiree health care costs mean less money for other government programs such as education, public safety, environmental protection and health care. We must seek ways to meet these obligations while not harming other government programs and taxpayers or handing invoices to future generations.

“I look forward to working with such a diverse and talented group of people who bring with them a wealth of knowledge in financial services in both the private and public sectors as well as have an extensive background in local, state and federal governments to find a solution to this immense problem facing California.”

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