Sen. Nicholas Asselta Should Be Run Out Of Office
The $2.2 billion annual state price tag for teacher and public employee health insurance and retirement benefits is expected to triple in just five years. At the current pace, those costs will soar to $6.7 billion by the time the state budget is drafted in 2009, and account for more than one-fifth of all state spending.
Sen. Nicholas Asselta (R-Cumberland), a member of the committee and sponsor of a bill that increased pension benefits by 9 percent in 2000, took issue with projections presented by Fred Beaver, director of the state's Division of Pensions and Benefits. The bill Asselta sponsored to boost pensions by 9 percent added $4.2 billion to the state's long-term pension cost.
Asselta said those who make their careers as teachers, police officers or public employees often consciously decide to accept modest public paychecks in return for the job security and retirement benefits government offers. "They made a deal when they got into public service for us; now they're being blamed. “
We believe police and firefighters deserve special consideration – they put their lives on the line for all of us – that is true public service. The other categories of public employees do not deserve retirement and benefit packages that far exceed those offered to employees in the private sector. We don’t blame public employees for these out of control costs; we blame our representatives in Trenton - starting in this case with state Sen. Nicholas Asselta.
The Republicans better start looking for a candidate to replace Nicholas Asselta because he apparently thinks he represents the tax receivers and not the tax payers. The Democrats already have that constituency pretty well covered and so there is no need for a Republican on the ballot representing the same positions.
Asselta can not be trusted to spend the people’s money wisely and should not be reelected. Asselta thought process is exactly what is wrong with our representation in Trenton. He exhibits a mentality of job security and entitlement that has gotten the taxpayers of New Jersey into a financial nightmare. Sen. Nicholas Asselta should have been run out of office, not promoted to the state senate in 2004.
Sen. Nicholas Asselta (R-Cumberland), a member of the committee and sponsor of a bill that increased pension benefits by 9 percent in 2000, took issue with projections presented by Fred Beaver, director of the state's Division of Pensions and Benefits. The bill Asselta sponsored to boost pensions by 9 percent added $4.2 billion to the state's long-term pension cost.
Asselta said those who make their careers as teachers, police officers or public employees often consciously decide to accept modest public paychecks in return for the job security and retirement benefits government offers. "They made a deal when they got into public service for us; now they're being blamed. “
We believe police and firefighters deserve special consideration – they put their lives on the line for all of us – that is true public service. The other categories of public employees do not deserve retirement and benefit packages that far exceed those offered to employees in the private sector. We don’t blame public employees for these out of control costs; we blame our representatives in Trenton - starting in this case with state Sen. Nicholas Asselta.
The Republicans better start looking for a candidate to replace Nicholas Asselta because he apparently thinks he represents the tax receivers and not the tax payers. The Democrats already have that constituency pretty well covered and so there is no need for a Republican on the ballot representing the same positions.
Asselta can not be trusted to spend the people’s money wisely and should not be reelected. Asselta thought process is exactly what is wrong with our representation in Trenton. He exhibits a mentality of job security and entitlement that has gotten the taxpayers of New Jersey into a financial nightmare. Sen. Nicholas Asselta should have been run out of office, not promoted to the state senate in 2004.
Posted by Enlighten-NewJersey @ 12:16 AM
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4 Comments:
Good post. Sensible.
The notion that bloated pensions are necessiary to attract quality personnel is trotted out right up until it's time to negotiate the pay packet. Then we need competitive salaries to attract quality personnel.
Let's retire the term 'public servant.'
The other categories of public employees do not deserve retirement and benefit packages that far exceed those offered to employees in the private sector.Teachers do not earn wages which are competitive to the private sector. Advanced degrees and decades worth of service to the company easily earns a teacher between $50,000-$75,000 annually. In the private sector, most professions pay significantly better.
Aren't retirement benefits compensation for reduced salary?
Anonymous -- public school teachers certainly earn better than teachers in the private sector (religious/private schools). Most professions don't have 3 month vacations and don't have unions. My purpose is not to run down teachers or demean their hard work or importance. But you can't compare their compensation with 'other professions'. There are too many other factors to consider.
Sluggo's absolutely right. Teachers like to compare their profession to engineers or doctors, but the comparison doesn't stand up. Civil engineers risk their personal fortunes and professional reputations every time they certify a set of plans. They are subject to being sued into oblivion if it turns out that their calculations were incorrect. When was the last time a teacher was subject to the same risk because a child didn't learn?
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