Something's got to give on pension plans for government employees.

In plain language, too many pensions aren't realistic for people who work in government. They're out of line and excessive.

Nobody should expect to make 75 percent of their fulltime salary in a pension plan, let alone 100 percent.

After leaving government service, too many retirees make nearly as much money as they made when they were working full-time.

That's not equitable because taxpayers are footing the bill.

In the real world (read "private enterprise"), American workers took a bath as their IRAs and 401(k)s collapsed with the stock market.

Thanks to union contracts in the world of government, many employees were protected, no matter how the stock market performed.

Talk about a sweet deal.

If the stock market goes up, government workers win.

If the stock market crashes, government workers win again because their pension plans simply shift to and become the burden of taxpayers.

Pensioners who work in government win no matter what.

Existing agreements can't be changed, but contracts with new hires need to include a more modest pension plan. It's up to elected officials at every level of government to negotiate on the behalf of taxpayers.

According to a recent grand jury report, basic services to the residents of Ventura County will be at risk if taxpayers are expected to continue subsidizing the pension plans of county workers.

In a perfect world, everyone would have the equivalent of a golden parachute and nobody would have to worry about pinching pennies in their retirement years.

This, however, isn't a perfect world. Government employees shouldn't expect their overly generous pension plans to be carried on the backs of taxpayers.