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All public employees should need to get a pay cut or simply get downsize like private company does when facing losses.
Most of the government employees are simply not needed. We would not miss them if they all get fire tomorrow. Nothing will be change at all.[/quote]
I think you would be very surprised if that happened.
Would you agree that at the very least our Government is too large? While Government is needed, has it's role, and obviously must be staffed... I do believe it's bloated and we could eliminate significant staffing at a very minimal impact to the overall country. Sure, there's probably only a handful of roles that absolutely no one would notice... but the Government must look big picture... the pain of a few for the benefit of a lot.
Would you agree that at the very least our Government is too large? While Government is needed, has it's role, and obviously must be staffed... I do believe it's bloated and we could eliminate significant staffing at a very minimal impact to the overall country. Sure, there's probably only a handful of roles that absolutely no one would notice... but the Government must look big picture... the pain of a few for the benefit of a lot.
The only way to know that would be to review the positions and what they do and see if they are necessary. I don't work for the state, but I have worked in the public sector and know that very often the general public has no idea what it takes to get things done.
The first thing I would look at is whether the government (state or otherwise) is top-heavy--too many high-level managers doing redundant work, for example. Unfortunately, when it's time to make cuts, it's usually the lower-level people who get cut to make numbers look good, and then the other lower-level people who are left behind have twice the work to make it up. Or things might just not get done and no one will notice until a problem arises because no one is doing the work.
If there are people filling jobs that are only there because they knew somebody and an unnecessary job was created for them, they should be bounced out asap. I would not be shocked to learn that was the case in our state.
When ever I hear about a local NJ Cop of Fireman crying the blues I think about the US Veterans. My sister retired from the Army after 20 years. She was a Veteran of 4 Foreign wars where people are TRYING to kill you, highly decorated female Army Officer, spent YEARS out of the Country away from family and friends and has two Masters degrees. I look at her "package" after serving the Country, about 40G plus lousy medical. She's still serving by teaching some of the third world ghetto darlings Florida can't get anyone else to deal with in a Troops to Teachers program...........Florida gets a highly trained leader with excellent credentials and background for 35,00 per year........oh and they don't have to pay benefits because she's already covered under her Military Medical coverage.
A NJ Cop whose career highlight may have been busting some 17 year old with a bag of pot or more likely won the ticket writing contest 6 months in a row............: That same person puts in 20 years, earns triple what even an Officer in the Army makes per month and retires with a benefit package to die for for him AND his family. Now he either retires to Florida and has NJ send him his 80,000 pension or goes back to work in the same department making the same salary except now he not only gets to collect a pension at 45, he gets to start a new one!!!!!!!!!!!
Then we have the recent 60 minutes segment on disabled veterans, kids who have lost legs, riding bikes cross country to bring attention to their need of help. I'm sorry but I see something very wrong with this picture and IMHO NJ cops and Firemen's salaries and benefits have gotten way out of control.
When Cops go back to "Serving and Protecting" not being a revenue stream for the town/State I may start to respect them a bit more. Right now they typically fullfill the slang 60 term for them....
I posted this in an older thread and feel it's relevent to be posted again:
I'm very pro-police but have become substansially more cynical towards police.
Years ago I was the biggest police suppoter around but after getting stopped for twice traffic related reasons and being treated like a punk by condescending officers when showing them nothing but deference, I have lost a great deal of respect for police.
As far as I'm concerned, police in New Jersey are overpaid. Yes, I said it. Don't give me this rubbish about putting your life on the line. Farming, commercial fishing, and construction have more deaths per 100,000 than police work. And guess how much the Brinks or Dunbar armored guys start out with? Try $12/hr and they too put their life on the line. Armored car robberies happen way more often than you think and it's usually a gunshot to the back of the head - instant death. While I think they are underpaid, making $120K a year patrolling a white picket fence neighborhood is a bit much.
Plus, you can't even get the job in these areas if you aren't the brother of the cousin of the mother of the chief. It's a goodl ol' boys club that keeps truly qualified people out and keeps the comfy jobs within their inner circle.
I have served for over 30 years on a mun. force. I love what I do and I am proud to do it. I love the pay and the benefits that I will get when I retire. It makes me sad when I see brother and sister officers complain that they are being picked on because the state is attempting to get it's house in order by requiring them to pony up a very small percent of the money that they earn. If I was the gov. I would have pushed for more. Man up and stop complaining. Let the state and towns try to get their finances in order. This is only a small step. Feel blessed that you don't have to wait on line at a soup kitchen
The greatest risk to existing beneficiaries is not immediate, it's that the pension fund will run out of money in the future on the existing trajectory.
So somewhere down the line, people are going to have to make sacrifices. We will be faced with either higher taxes, a federal bail out, or a bankruptcy style negotiation with beneficiaries that imposes a substantial haircut.
In this interview, Orin Kramer describes the looming crisis very well:
The norm when you’ve got something that’s that difficult is that people need an emergency in order to have actually the political cover for dealing with it.
It is true that pensions aren't going to be the same (but that has nothing to do with Christie). When the "assumed" returns don't materialize, the scam collapses.
My two firefighter brothers-in-law in Bergen county & my police office cousin from Morris all voted for Chris Christie. Its been just about 30 days, and all three are very upset, mad about Christie & the pension.
Before the elections, they were so gung ho about cutting so called waste, very vocal about reducing teacher "excessive" NJ teacher perks. Very outspoken about Corzine being protector of wasteful public employee spending.
There was only one problem. They forget that they too, were "public employees". They too have benefitted "tremendously" for generations, decades, many years of 'generous" benefits accorded to state & municipal employees.
I've asked my cousin on several occassions. Where can you find a job paying 80K, 100K, 135+ & all the "cadillac healthcare & pension benefits for PEOPLE who NEVER went to College ??? "
Told him that the overwhelming majority of teachers have not only bachelors degrees but post-graduate masters degrees. So they are getting nice salaries to compensate all that studying.
They decided to join the " mob" in attacking teachers, taxes, & put all the blame on Corzine without ever stopping & thinking.
They went against the warnings of their very own PBA & Fighter unions, Todayreality has set in. Now they are pissed off.
This is the problem when you join a mob of voters without analyzing your person situation.
As the saying goes, " You never bite the hand that feeds you".
Their very own pension will never ever be the same. And they part of that change. Oh well .
I'd have some very choice words with your relatives about wanting the other guy to pay. "Joining the mob attacking teachers"? DISGUSTING. That attitude makes me sick quite frankly and this case, I'm glad Christie is going to stick it to them.
I'd have some very choice words with your relatives about wanting the other guy to pay. "Joining the mob attacking teachers"? DISGUSTING. That attitude makes me sick quite frankly and this case, I'm glad Christie is going to stick it to them.
I remember it put very simply once: "it's always wrong to be part of a mob".
But this isn't really about "attacking teachers". It's about "attacking" out of control spending. The teachers shouldn't take it so personally.
I remember it put very simply once: "it's always wrong to be part of a mob".
But this isn't really about "attacking teachers". It's about "attacking" out of control spending. The teachers shouldn't take it so personally.
i'm talking specifically about the OP's relatives.
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