Parented
(by R.P.Edwards)
“No, Johnny!
No, Sue!
Put that back
It’s not good for you!
Yes, it’s pretty
Yes, it’s sweet
But I’m the boss
Of what you eat.
Now, put that down!
And save your tears
And madam, sir,
Let me make this clear
I am older, stronger, wise
So, hush your mouths!…
And we’ll get some fries”
I was in one of those discount food stores. You know the place; where the basics are less (sometimes much less), but the ambiance is not, let me say--chic. Anyway, I was shuffling along the first aisle (I love these places) and, up ahead, I heard the distinct, authoritative voice of a stern traffic cop who was calmly, but forcefully, keeping three vehicles…in line. In other words; a young mom was shopping with three adorable, but hard to control, halflings. I remember one conversation in particular: We were near the cereal wannabes (knock offs of name brands. Some good, others not so much). Her young cherub-like man cub desperately needed some faux cheerios. She told him, “Ok, we’ll buy those. But I’ll make you eat the whole box by yourself. I’ve tried them before…and they’re terrible. And you, sir, will eat the whole box…by yourself.” The cereal stayed on the shelf.
The other day I saw a brief interview involving the new governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie. It appears that “The Garden State” is at the point of insolvency and, as promised, the chief executive is doing something about it. And…it hurts. Yes, by using his pulpit and pen the new parent of the state is doing what good moms and dads do; running the household…within the budget. And, naturally, he’s getting some heat over it. Yes, much like the young’ns in the store, there are many on the public dime who want everything they see. But the big guy with the wallet and the wisdom, knows better. And, apparently that’s what the citizens of New Jersey…voted for. So the question is: what about the rest of us?
That’s what I think. How about you? Click comments below…and say.
1 comment:
There will be few, if any, layoff letters to NJ state workers. Out of ~ 155K state workers, of which 13K had been added by the previous two governors, only 1,100 positions are to be eliminated in the near future; and the governor is trying to use normal attrition methods of retirement and quitting to achieve this. That's pretty much bending over backwards to prevent adding to the currently high unemployment rate.
Departments and agencies are being scrutinized to consolidate, to eliminate duplication, to dump no-show positions and unneccesary administrators, etc.
Education is a tremendous joke. Teachers have been asked to accept a pay freeze. Those in the NJEA (biggest teachers' union in the state) cannot vote as their union decides for them. NJEA said "no", and teachers in other unions said "no" (so much for union brotherhood) and most also refuse to contribute so much as 1.5% of their pay to their for-lifetime health benefits and pensions (in applicable districts). So, school districts now have to decrease number of teachers, aides, clerks, and other workers to achieve their budget; hopefully without raising local taxes because taxpayers simply have no more money to give. With ~ 19.8% unemployment rate in southern NJ, this is necessary. No one is asking the teachers for anything even closely resembling what the average taxpaying worker has to deal with.
Example, my town (in an Abbott Disitrict) has one whole school for about 550 3 & 4 year olds. There are 38 full-time teachers and 40 full-time aides, plus principal, vice-principal, administrative assistants, special counselors, etc. This is in a town where starting pay (any level) is $45K for 9 months work, with good benefits & pension at little to no cost (for their whole lifetime). The average non-gov't wage in our county is $19K for single person and $29K for a family of four. Benefits, if available (& certainly not for lifetime), are anywhere from 6% to 25% of their wages.
So, please don't anyone feel too terribly sorry for what small amount of sacrifice on the part of gov't workers is being asked. We taxpayers are fed up with the huge entitlements awarded gov't workers and the don't-want-to-work slugs in this state. We watch company after company leave the state and/or the country because of this nonsense. Working people are leaving faster than the non-workers and illegal aliens are arriving.
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