I will protect your pensions. Nothing about your pension is going to change when I am governor. - Chris Christie, "An Open Letter to the Teachers of NJ" October, 2009

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Let's Make a Deal, Senator Sweeney

Steve Sweeney wants me to pay more - a LOT more - into my pension. He tells me it's the only way to keep my pension solvent. He tells me it's the only way I can hope to actually have a pension in years to come.

And he tells me that the state, the counties, the towns, and the school districts will now have a contractual obligation to pay their fair share - which they haven't done in nearly 20 years.

OK, Senator, I'll make you deal: I'll sign off on increasing my pension payments, if you tell me EXACTLY how you are going to get the money to make good on your end.

In other words: who are you going to tax, and how much? Or, where are you going to cut? Until you can tell me that, you are making what Mary Poppins called a "pie crust promise: easily made, easily broken."

You and your little buddy the guv can put your heads together and get back to me on that, OK?

"You tell him how we're gonna pay for this." "No, YOU tell him how we're gonna pay for this." "No, YOU, tell him..."

3 comments:

CommutingTeacher said...

Take your thought one step further and ask, are you also capping health insurers to a 2% cap per year in premium increases? Because as long as the state has significantly less skin in the game, the insurers will feel emboldened to keep their insane increases coming.

thinker said...

I really don't see your problem with this Duke...I mean, yeah, they've promised to pay this time and time again and then backed out but this time will TOTALLY be different!

Duke said...

CT: Yes, yes, YES!!!! That is EXACTLY the point!

Thinker: Lucy and the football. And we're Charlie Brown...