The province could spare us some of the financial impact of the contracts on the health care system by slashing their gold-plated, diamond studded pension plan. A report this week by the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies recommends MLA pensions be eliminated or drastically changed. Provincial politicians today receive up to 75% of their government salary in pension income and are eligible for a pension after just 6 years in office. AIMS says that’s out of whack with the retirement packages offered workers in the private sector. Many Nova Scotians in fact have no retirement plan at all. A so-called independent review panel is expected to release a report on MLA pensions soon, but eliminating the generous government pensions is apparently out of the question under the guidelines given the review panel. They know how to look themselves these politicians of ours.