John McCain touted the Straight Talk Express during his bid for the presidency. Unfortunately, the “Maverick” was anything but forthright in his proposals. McCain (and everyone else) should take a look at what a straight-talking politician sounds like.
FWIW, Rita Wilson does not speak for this teacher. I have known many teachers over the years who try to play the “we do it for love” angle. While I enjoy what I do for a living, I do not clang that bell. Drop a few million dollars into my bank account and I’ll gladly sip fruity drinks with little umbrellas in them for the rest of my days and forget the “love” I supposedly was doing it for.
Puhleeese!
It’s a job. A good job. A good that can be enjoyed. But a job full of all the things people can loathe about work too. Doing it for love doesn’t justify a tax increase this year, Ms. Wilson.
I’ve always found the pay us as babysitters argument amusing. It goes something like this.
Babysitters make $3 per hour per child. With a class of 25, that would mean that a teacher would earn $75 per hour. Over the course of a seven-hour day, that would be $525 daily or $2625 weekly. Over the course of a 180-day school year, teachers would earn $94,500.
So, it is argued, teachers aren’t paid nearly as well as babysitters.
While amusing, it is such a flawed exercise. Most teachers I have found have never had a day of non-governmental work in their careers. So overhead is something they are unfamiliar with. Nevertheless, to repeat this silliness to the governor to bolster your claim that you aren’t paid enough is audacious!
Everyone (it seems) is commenting how New Jersey Governor Chris Christie smacked down Star~Ledger reporter Tom Moran. Moran has never impressed me, but I don’t view the exchange as smacking down Moran as much as it is smacking down New Jersey politics, particularly Democrats.
When is the last time your governor sounded like this?
Governor Chris Christie has taken on the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA). With education representing 40% of the state budget, reform cannot occur unless education is addressed. Christie is addressing education front and center. NJEA is understandably perturbed.
I support Christie’s moves. He’s frozen funds for districts and told them to spend their nest eggs surplus funds. He had the Legislature pass a series of pension reforms. Now he is battling for wage freezes for teachers. This is another item I support.
Speaking to the Asbury Park Press editorial board the same day, Christie said a wage freeze and contribution of 1.5 percent of salaries toward health benefits would save taxpayers $800 million and nearly make up for all the state’s cuts in school aid. If it were “all about the kids,” you’d think the NJEA would support that idea, as it would keep more teachers in the schools and help keep taxes down during these troubling economic times.
Christie is trying to guilt teachers into opening their contracts in order to preserve jobs.
First off, collective bargaining is collective bargaining. I have argued for years that athletes should not demand their contracts be re-worked just because others have garnered a better deal. Live with the deal one has agreed to. Frankly, I see no onus for teachers or any other public group to open a contract. Make the changes as the contract expires. My district’s contract, for instance, will expire expire at the end of the academic year. My wife has been working without a contract for a year. Make the change there. But for a district that is under contract, it is disingenuous to expect the contract to be opened to freeze salaries.
But more alarming is that Governor Christie is using a false premise in his bullying tactic. Freezing salaries to save jobs should not be the motive (or the expectation). Freezing salaries should be sought to save the taxpayer. Eliminating jobs will also work toward that end.
By framing the question as “saving jobs”, not only does Christie preserve the status quo, he is creating a one-time gimmick. Freezing salaries now, only to have them rise again after whatever agreed to time they are frozen, does not fix the problem; pension payments still need to be made by the taxpayers. Reducing the workforce addresses the problem.
Much of the fiscal issues with education is the number of people on the public dole and guaranteed pensions. Freezing salaries to preserve these jobs totally misses the point. Christie should be moving to reduce the payroll not only by freezing salaries, but by reducing the number of salaries. As I pointed out two months ago, there are still plenty of areas to cut from education that does not affect academics.
By running around trying to make NJEA look bad (NJEA needs absolutely no assistance in that regard), Christie looks to be protecting the status quo. That is a losing proposition for everyone.
Be bold, but leave the playground games to someone else, Governor Christie. You are a supposed leader, act like one.
Governor Christie’s budget address yesterday was a breath of fresh air. Never before have I heard a politician speak so frankly and honestly, although I do note that Governor Corzine was honest in his budget address I attended at Rowan in 2006. It is my hope that Christie is able to follow through with his plan; Corzine did not and the problem became worse.
Christie took on NJEA. Why does the NJEA president have an invitation to the budget address? She is not a government employee. Hallelujah!
Next year’s budget will be 9% less than this year. Hallelujah!
One area I have an issue with in pension reform. While a lot was said and some items addressed, yes I will be paying, Governor Christie is not making the state obligated payment to the fund. The state skips this regularly. This is a large part of the pension problem. While payouts are too numerous, they wouldn’t hurt nearly as much if the fund had the missing billions of dollars the state owes.
Another issue is the apparent $159 million grant program Christie has in the budget. This is an easy cut to the budget, which will reduce spending even further. Christmas tree slush funds have no business in a state budget. Get rid of it, sir!
Christie took the first step. Of course, none of this means a thing if local governments increase taxes. Christie said there will be tools for municipalities to reduce spending. Millville City Commission take note: you cannot raise taxes to bridge the gap of lost “revenue” from the state. You must reduce the size of government. Spending needs to decrease, not remain flat. Don’t manipulate things to keep from laying off employees. There are only so many block parties that can be reduced before real jobs are affected. And Mayor Shannon, the governor spoke about the importance of having recreational opportunities this summer; don’t close Union Lake (even though the goose poop will) stating you are cutting spending while the Recreation Department remains fully staffed.
Likewise, state agencies need to heed the same advice. Cuts to public transportation does not mandate a 25% fare increase. Where are the cuts within the department? The state is not going to give you the money; don’t just find a new funding source (riders). Cut the overhead. No state employee should have a salary larger than the governor. No one.
The budget address was refreshing. Thank you Governor Christie. There is still a lot of work left to do. This is just the opening chapter to resolving New Jersey’s woes.
P.S.
NJN is a taxpayer-funded enterprise. It posted video of the budget address. Thankfully. I missed the broadcast and the re-broadcast. The address is public business and the video is public property. Why does NJN not permit one to embed the video? This is not proprietary content. And fwiw, I support the governor’s desire to privatize NJN.
My issue with Christie’s remedy is a constitutional amendment. Government needs to be prudent; it should not take the state constitution to do so. Obviously, the economy has tanked. A 2.5% annual increase sounds prudent today. But should/when the economy bounces back and “revenue” is flowing, 2.5% may very well be an impediment to government.
How about things remain the way they are and the state refuses to allow Millville bypass the law? That would seem a far better approach to me.
Christie is also reported to be looking at eliminating property tax rebates. Hallelujah! The property tax rebate program is nonsensical. Eliminating it is worthwhile.
I am alarmed, however, with some of the nuances that seem to be included with this proposal.
Christie will also propose converting the state’s property tax rebate checks into direct credits on homeowners’ tax bills, eliminating what was once considered an almost untouchable fixture of New Jersey government and politics because of its popularity among voters. Some homeowners may still receive a refund, but the envelope from the state treasury containing an actual check that has arrived almost every summer for 30 years would be gone.
. . .
It was not clear Saturday which residents would receive direct property tax relief through tax credits.
Rather than jerk around the money and spend the time, effort, and money managing a nuanced program, just make the money grab and be done with it.
Christie has stated multiple times he has no problem being a one-term governor. Only someone concerned with re-election would need to construct a piecemeal program.
Tuesday will be an interesting day. I am hoping not to hear a lot of gimmicks such as one-time freezes, etc. Large chunks need to be paired. I suspect it will be a mixed bag. I cannot see how Christie is going to make any pension payments this year. Underfunding the pension system does nothing to help out a financial mess. Since that is one of the biggest effects on the budget, shouldn’t the yearly promise be made?
We shall see what becomes of this baby. New Jersey needs leadership, not politics.
