When this guy is a political victor, it means we've all lost.
(Reuters/Jonathan Ernst)
No surprises:
New Jersey lawmakers tonight voted to enact a sweeping plan to cut public worker benefits after a long day of high-pitched political drama in the streets and behind closed doors.
Union members chanted outside the Statehouse and in the Assembly balcony, and dissident Democrats tried to stall with amendments and technicalities. Although they successfully convinced top lawmakers to remove a controversial provision restricting public workers’ access to out-of-state medical care, they failed to halt a historic defeat for New Jersey’s powerful unions and a political victory for Republican Gov. Chris Christie.
Ugh. A political victory for Chris Christie. That's adding insult to the injury of major increases in what public workers will have to pay into their pensions and health care. Don't forget that police and firefighters already pay 8.5% of their salaries toward their pensions while others pay 5%, and that their health care costs will double or even triple.
Why was it necessary? In part because of this:
Over the years, lawmakers and local leaders from both parties have offered increased benefits to public employees, often in exchange for political support. But even as benefits improved, the state and municipalities failed to meet its financial obligations. Since 2004, the state has not made $15.11 billion in required payments to the pension funds, while the municipalities have skipped $1.9 billion. Public employees, meanwhile, have fully paid their required contributions.
And now they're going to pay some more.