New York, like many states, is facing a budget deficit and its pension is underfunded. And, as in many states, government workers are getting blamed for the problems they didn't create.
Susan Casadone, fed up with attacks on the state employee pension system, penned a guest column for the Lower Hudson Journal News. She concedes that the system can be improved, but points out that taking a benefit away from one group doesn't make anyone else better off.
We especially liked these fighting words:
The majority of the jobs performed by state employees now collecting their pension were positions that most "white collar" workers would shun. They are the guys who carry away your smelly garbage in the middle of July. They are the guys who spend all night plowing snow. They are the guys who brave the bitter cold repairing a water main break so that you can take your hot shower before you climb into your nice warm bed.
Read the whole thing here:
It is their efforts that allow others to get to their office job in the morning safely. The pay for these jobs has improved over the years but without the incentive of a secure retirement, many would choose to find a position that would not include the aspects mentioned here. So, everyone who wants to pick up the garbage, stay up all night, labor outside in a hole in the freezing ground and do so without a defined-benefit pension, raise your hand.
