Subject: Well, one dude is taking buyout
Hardly representative of the masses - this is just *one* anecdote. Been texting a bit this morning (god I hate conversing that way)

Young man - good guy - but prima donna like *all* his profession is. Yeah, *all* of them.

Anyhow, late 2000s showed promise in trade school. He was hired as an auto technician helper to do grunt work but also begin training.

Did well. He had help to split training costs and really went deeper and deeper, getting ASE certifications but also, more sophisticated OEM training.

Eventually became a Master Technician - journeyman "A" tech and in late 2000's, (2009?) was making around $100K per year plus benefits.

Anyways, someone in charge of Secret Service vehicles was a customer of this company and this kid used to work on many of those suburbans.

The company was sold (at a high big g'damn profit.... like huge lol) and now the Secret Service dude had no loyalties to the new company so he RECRUITED this kid who by 2012 was making $125k. The kid accepted $75K per year ---which I thought was nutty because he was always stretched on expenses, family, Disney trips, etc but the government fella convinced him to take the pay cut but get better health, and especially retirement benefits ok - fine - whatever.

Today, kid is deciding to take the deal ---- this after all the talk about 'retirement benefits". Why?

He would get the 8 month pay which he says is around $60,000. He can get a job in 10 minutes making $125k at *least* as an auto technician. He feels he can sock away $60k cash quickly. (Wifey will blow thru that money, this kid still doesn't get that)

But anyway, for people who are able and willing to go to private sector who knows, maybe this can be attractive.

I still say most of those government 401K'ers don't want to leave the easy gravy train that is their life in the government.