There has been much talk about government workers paying into their pension but what we are really asking of them is to take a pay cut. When we look at salaries and benefits as total compensation then paying into pensions becomes a pay reduction. Do you think your police, firemen and teachers are making to much money or are most little more than pay check to pay check like the vast majority of the middle class is? Do you think they deserve a pay cut? The powers-that-be are being disingenuous and using the word pension to enflame those middle class workers who don’t receive one.
There has been a lot of comparison of government workers to private sector workers; first of all it’s inappropriate to use Florida in that over reaching comparison. Quite frankly Florida has never paid its government workers very well. Florida’s teachers are about to be ranked 47th in the nation in regards to pay. Next most government workers require degrees where many private sector jobs don’t. When you compare public sector employees with degrees to their private sector counterparts they always lose and do so badly.
Here is the thing if you need to come after the middle class and have them pay more we understand that times are tough but at the same time don’t allow corporations and select individuals to benefit from Florida’s lax tax laws. If you need the middle class to sacrifice okay but others should be sacrificing too.
Chris Guerrieri
School Teacher
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