>> i like cf the most. inexpensive. lamar doesn't make money and alpera looks like a nasdaq to me. >> that would be love and that is us here today. >> taxpayers getting sick over government sick pay. states all over america paying retiring public workers hundreds of millions of unused sick days and new jersey's republican governor is fighting back chris christie vetoing a bill that would guarantee them $15,000 in sick day pay outs. taxpayers can't afford it and private workers don't get it. merry christmas to you all. we'll go in focus with steve forbes and rick unger and dennis neal and victoria barrett and what a great crew. what about it, steve? time to eliminate the sick

pay. only in the public sector do you get paid twice. one showing up to work and not getting sick. it is two-thirds retirement pay. and health care benefits pay. and so unaffordable. and dave in the public sector they are benefits and over all pay. dinner than what you have. and we are fortunate enough to go the whole career. first thing you need to do is thank god and after that. your next move should not be to move out your hand and demand six figure pay outs. do you agree or disagree. we'll look at essentially

these people negotiate these and these are part of the benefit package and they are paid less money than what they are paid for in the private sector. this is what people are relying on and we paid people for years. i take it to kin telling steve he can't take the stock option and cash those in. yes, there is it a need of reform and paying these people more money. >> victoria, some of the people you take issue with. some of the pay outs are huge. one phoenix police commander cashed out $144,000 worth of sick days. this is not done in the private sector, is it? >> it certainly isn't. and hearing chris christie talk about this. it makes me want to move to new jersey. it is awesome he is taking it on. and that said a lot. not everyone want to move to new jersey. no offense, new jersey.

it is it a hidden little benefit. one superintendent in illinois showed up to work to start his job with 200 days of sick leave. he's not planning on getting the flu. he knows he can get a pay out eventually. you have to call a spade a spade at least. >> what happened in the 80s and nines. they offered these benefits that were too good to be true in pay out and time to sunset. >> over all. the more that government salaries and pay packages that can reflect the private sector, better for taxpayers. my mom was a teacher and she retired with 85 days of sick pay. that was a nice bonus. sorry mom, we shouldn't pay more. it gets people because they want to save and bank the sick days and get a bonus on retirement. you come to work sick and get

other people sick. rick what is happening is not tearing up the contracts but trying to sunset these provisions that were too good to begin with, and so the people under the contracts would get what they promised but future contracts will not be as generous. is that okay. it is very easy to talk about this when we put the word public employees. we are talking about policemen and fire men and people who do jobs that we don't see in the private sector and talking about people who protect our lives and save our lives and we turn around and get them. >> let's pay more? they are affecting us. that's hat it sounded ow the. >> let him finish. go ahead, rick. >> when it comes to sick pay, in the private sector it is use it or lose it what happens?

most people tend to use it whether they are sick or not. take it to the public sector. when cops end up use it. they end up off of the street. we have to pay for someone else to come in and take their shift. it isep pay me now or later but you are paying it either way. >> but mike, if you don't have the cash, you don't have the cash. a lot of these communities don't have it right now. >> they give them the benefits because they can't afford to pay for it. that's the point. if they included benefits in present salaries there is no way they could pay it. they push it off in the future. in my town in glen rock new jersey. budget increased by 25 percent this year. and that was what people signed off on years ago. you have to reflect when you have the money. you don't know what will

happen down the road. >> pay outs are simply unsustainable. given the current budget crisis. >> i agree, a deal is a deal . you can't just say we are take back. as we are doing with pensions. and mark, they are not suggesting ripping up the contracts but suggest they should sunset the rules . >> let's phase it in over time. and i think that is fair. but i don't think we can suddenly write it. the states are saying we are broke. we can't pay. fox news decided they would not pay you tomorrow. and they say yeah, we will not pay you, dennis. would you show up for work? >> the private sector finds it necessary sometimes to change the benefits they promised for retireees. because the future is changed for them it happens all of the time in the private sector.

sometimes you have to try to change current contract terms. >> i didn't see the liberals doing that. >> you cannot do that. >> i didn't see you crying when president obama tore up the creditors contracts for gm. >> that's a good point. >> i didn't see you crying when mortgage contracts were torn up and freebees brought home. >> (talking all at once.) >> it is it a example that mike just brought up. government took over gm they tore up the rights of the secured bond holders that. was abriigating contracts, no in >> that is the problem no one want to talk about. what you do in the private sector which gets involved in bankruptcy is not the same as the public sector. states can't take bankruptcy and there is. >> you are right. and therefore, you are doing the apples to oranges

comparison. >> hold on. the boss wants to talk. go ahead steve. >> if you don't have the money, you have to cut back. >> exactly. >> and most government workers have far more job security than in the private sector. a few gives up are not asking a lot when they have security. . >> that's the last word. in congress. lawmakers spending on pork. and 6.9 billion and machine is calling it a error. first, create hundreds of thousands of american jobs and make flying hassle free. >> new job's plan that will work. you will want to hear about it coming up next. p

>> i am kelly wright. newt gingrich and rick perry failed to submit the required number of ballot signatures to appear in virginia. they were among four candidates who submit they don't have the 10,000 signatures needed. virginia will hold its primary on super tuesday on march 6th. and the justice department rejecting the voters id law that requires voters identification at the polls. it would make it harder for minorits to vote. south carolina can challenge or pass a new law. the state attorney general is vowing to fight this one. i am kelly wright. back to foshes on fox. for all of the headlines go to fox news.com.

keeping your shoes on in the airport could create 900,000 jobs in the u.s.. it is making it getting more people flying. do you agree? that is one of the biggest hassles of traveling today. why not have the message or precheck program that is going on in a snail's pass. the crazy machine where you empty out and raise your hands like you are robbed of your dignity. we can't get better technology on that. and just how about not using the tax money for tickets and instead use it to the control system. that is a great idea. focusing the tax money.

what about the idea of security. let's just have gratitude and patience here. commercial flying is 50 times safer than it was years ago. and it is about 10 times cheaper and on an inflation-adjusted basis. my goodness. this is it a problem of afluence. i think if we do everything steve said we'll get more travelers and have the minor hastles. it is equivalent to complaining my basket is full in the shopping line and taking too long. how many people had those kinds of problems. >> victoria we can always improve and many say there is a lot of room for improvement here. >> yes. i just found out later today

as i boarded a flight my toddler will be patted down because he is a security risk it is foolish and a nuisance but not stopping people from traveling. the airlines are to blame in a larger part. feem are fed up with the delays. they are out of control and hours spent on the tarmac. and the new industry association study is the pot calling the kettle black. i blame the airlines in a greater degree. >> obviously we are interested in jobs. the biggest problem is that we need jobs. >> tsa goes over board. after i went through all of that security that steve just described before i got on the gate, three tsa employees and one was randomly picking out people on line. they need three employees to pick someone out of the line.

it is overkill as far as i am concerned. >> so morgan we stream line and create jobs it is the best of both worlds. >> i agree with what steve had to say updating the infrastructure where flying is concerned and even if more fliers are more efficient and encouraged to fly, we would even if we didn't create more jobs we would maintain more jobs. we have 200,000 people less a day flying because of the poor economy and other means of travel. if we find a way to bring them back, we'll create more pilot jobs. >> kim, i know a lot of people are not flying because they don't want to deal with the hassle. we should get them back in the air? >> we should get them back in the air, but that doesn't mean more people will be put back to work. >> sure, if more people are flying and more businessor the airlines, that means more

people are employed. >> greater efficiency. proof in 2008 after the recession and massive lay offs and highest unemployment rate and yet the u.s. department of labor reported in 2010 that productivity increased four percent. and in the fourth quarter of that same year, the u.s. generated the same amount of outpit as three years prior. on so to think that greater efficienciy creates more jobs is absurd. >> you can have greater efficiency and more work. >> absolutely. you can have more resources and creates jobs. that is the miracle of productivity does create jobs. >> steve, you mentioned the increase in technology and technology and the increase in technology and better technology against the more people are losing their jobs. >> it is not a zero-sum upon game you can have morive.

and more people use temperature morgan go ahead. >> of making it more efficient create jobs, too. >> that's the last word. food police back firing in public schools. the push for healthy lunches costing taxpayers more, it is making kids eat more junk as well for a hot dog cart. my mother said, "well, maybe we ought to buy this hot dog cart and set it up someplace." so my parents went to bank of america. they met with the branch manager and they said, "look, we've got this little hot dog cart, and it's on a really good corner. let's see if we can buy the property." and the branch manager said, "all right, i will take a chance with the two of you."

and we've been loyal to bank of america for the last 71 years.

>> back to the brown baggings. costly school lunches have them bringing their own food. and bringing

>> file this under we told you so. remember the food police to make lunches healthier. kid in the la are skipping the black bean burger in order to bring their own junk food to school it is it an eye-popping 4.5 billion dollar program and kim, you say it is a waste of the taxpayer money. >> first of the all. black bean burger. that sounds. i would bring junk food to the school if that were the case. initial average was 2.92 and per kid per meal and jumped to more than 3 per kid because of the healthier options. you can spend 29 for a peanut

butter andiely and 75 cents a sandwich. we don't need to spending you million a year which is what la is spending. they are calling it morgan nasty, rotten stuff and so she brings three bags of flaming cheetos and soda. and i disagree that it is not wking. yes, it will take tinker maybe the menus need to be addressed. the number of childhood embarrass has strippled. and yes, school lunches are a part of that. and they have stated it.

>> that is new york and in la it is just the opposite. >> it sounds leak a prohibition. and you wouldn't feed this card board stuff to your dog. >> and if you are worried. how about recess and sports problems. are you saying pay no mind at all. and let them eat. that is just one a day. >> this is a local decision and if the taxpayers in los angeles want to pay more to let their kids try to eat more healthfully. >> go ahead, rich. >> there is a simple solution and doesn't have to involve bean burgers.

limit salt and sugar and you don't serve potato chips or french fris and soda. everybody will do fine and we'll not spend more money. guys thank you very much. coming up. steve forbes topping santa's nice list this year and now the staff is about to give him the stock gifts. will he accept or regift? we love this segment every year. coming up. more important to do. he wasn't focused on his future but fortunately, somebody else was. at usaa we provide retirement solutions for our military, veterans and their families. from investments... to life insurance... to health care options. learn more with our free usaa retirement guide. call 877-242-usaa.

you waited all year and time for steve's stocking stuffers. it is the gift or not. kim you wanted coal in steve's stocking. tell us about it >> a lump of coal but not necessarily a bad thing. the earning in single digits and huge growth opportunities. it is nice way to turn the

money green. we morgan. why do you like it? >> i like it. has room to grow. >> you must read my mind. americans can't make our mines up about jurning and we keep it. >> and pressure is on. i hope you don't mind it is cheap this year. and my bet is that the company gets acquired next year. in the physical world you need army cars and volts and we need it in the cyber world. we need it sadly. >> you did it all. and thank you so much. >> charming assets.