Broken Promises

Yesterday, several thousand off duty police and firefighters rallied in Trenton. By doing so, they did nothing wrong as the US Constitution guarantees the right of public assembly and the right to petition elected officials for a redress of grievances. But I feel they miss the point. Let's start with an analogy. You're doing very well, job wise, so you promise your kid a new Lexus as a high school graduation gift. BUT six months before the kid graduates, you lose your job! You made a promise yet you have to tell the kid you can't afford a Lexus - you might be able to come up with a previously owned Chevy. The kid's really disappointed and screams, "You promised!" Before I continue, let me say I have realize the importance of the police and firefighters. As a retired probation officer, I know the police have a hard time; they deal with a lot of attitude; they also don't know if the individual they're dealing with has a weapon or not. The job is dangerous. The same for firefighters. The perform a valuable service; they do a super job. And they were promised a great deal. These promises, however, were made when everyone believed the economy would continue to grow. WE WERE WRONG!! In fact, there are those who believe our economy is heading for a total collapse. The money just ain't there no more. So here's the choice. Pay more for your medical and not only have a job but also have medical insurance or maybe have neither. Work a few more years before you can retire at full pension or have no job to retire from. What I'm trying to say is a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. This isn't being done to be mean or to blame you for all the problems (I do believe the governor should ask the wealthy and the very wealthy to kick in a few more bucks; I also believe it is time for everyone to pay into Social Security no matter how much they make each year. There is a cap; after you reach $105,000 [I think], Social Security is no longer deducted. Stop that. It's not fun when things go up. I am not thrilled when my Medicare payment increases. I was not thrilled when I was notified that COLAs were gone. I was, however, relieved when my pension check was decreased by only $8.00. I really expected a decrease of more like $50. The governor could have been more diplomatic in his approach. I don't like breaking promises, but I also believe that we MUST if we are ever to climb out of this financial hole. So police and firefighters, please don't take it personally; we are all going to have a diet of bread and water for a long time, and the bread will be stale and moldy. The sooner we all accept that, the sooner we will get out of this mess.