Since When Is Being A Civil Servant A Crime

I am sick and tired of our Politicians blaming the civil servants for their own
mistakes.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    For whatever reason at some point in the workers lives they opted for a steady
job with good benefits.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               They decided not to go work for a Fortune 500 Company and try
to become a Master of the Universe with the Annual Bonuses, Stock Options and
Tremendous Pay. Many times they gave up higher paying jobs in the trades carpenter ,
electrician etc for the security of steady work and good benefits without the worry of
being out of work in slow times. Sometimes it was a quality of life choice and others a
family tradition.                                                                                             For decades they worked for less than they could have made in the
private sector.                                                                                                                
It seems like every week we hear a Politician ranting that it is the Pension Benefits
and Health Care Benefits for Civil Servants that are causing the tax increases and
driving the Schools , Towns and County into Insolvency.                               In their normal doublespeak
these same Politicians fail to mention that they themselves are responsible for not
including the costs of lifetime Healthcare in their annual budgets, and even worse they
never placed the Projected Pension Costs into a Reserve Account opting instead to give
themselves raises.                                                                                        For the Standard Civil Servant the annual cost for his or her pension
is 10-12% of payroll less than the 401k contribution level of 15%. The current problem
is that our Politicians only made an average contribution to the pensions of under 3% for
the past 30 years and have paid nothing for promised Healthcare Benefits. Due to this
incompetence this year we the taxpayers are paying more for these two items at the
County Level than the entire County tax levy 3 years ago. And the towns are not far
behind.                                                                                                  Clarkstown for example has borrowed from the State for a portion of its annual
contribution to the Pension fund for the last decade.                              Money that does not show up in the
Budget but will one day, and that day is now.
Who are these Civil Service Workers our Politicians are blaming for the financial
mess that they ( The Politicians) have created.                                          They are Fathers and Mothers , Aunts and
Uncles, Brothers and Sisters.                                                                     They are hard working individuals who chose a lower
paying (at the time) profession to support themselves and their families. One with
limited room for upward growth but with the promise of security.             They are the highway
workers who work 16 hour shifts clearing the roads of snow and debris so we can get to
work in the morning.                                                                                    The clerks in the many town departments who leap up to help us
whether its the town clerks office or the building department or any other office you
visit. Many work swing shifts so that vital services are covered 24/7.         The Police who
never know what is going to happen when they pull someone over on the street or
respond to a breakin at 3am.                                                                          It is not the workers who are the Cause of our problem it is
the Politicians we elected.                                                                               It is not the workers who Hid the true cost of the Government.
Direct your anger at those that deserve it.                                                  Tell your Legislators and
Councilpersons and the rest of the Politcians enough is enough.
                                                                                                                                                          by James J Flynn      Treasurer/Clarkstown Taxpayers