Why I Went To The Public Safety Rally

by: brendanod

Fri Mar 04, 2011 at 03:48:44 PM EST

The number one reason I attended was hypocrisy. Republicans love to preach about limited government, but what is Governor Christie attempting to do? Create more laws that do an end run around collective bargaining. We made a law to cap budgets. We made a law to cap superintendants salary. We made a law to require health insurance contributions. There is legislation to make additional health insurance contributions. The governor has made remarks conveying his respect for the collective bargaining process, but really this is a covert, dastardly attempt to end collective bargaining. By the time Christie and Sweeney are done making laws there will be nothing left to negotiate because it will all be superseded by state law.
The number two reason was to engage politicians and tell them so stand up for democratic principles or get out of the way. At the NJEA rally in May only 3 politicians appeared (I think Greenstein, DeAngelo, and Coleman). I realize that we are 3 months away from a primary, but yesterday's rally had around 40 politicians who decided they were coming back to the base. Christie fooled many cops, firemen, and teachers into voting for him. Those votes are gone now. It was impressive to see a galvanized group of people focused on mission. The mission going forward has to be to support those politicians willing to stand up and redeploy the legislative branch of government.
Number three was to sound the alarm. Public safety has taken a beating over the past 18 months, and the beatings will continue. The mass layoffs have created giant gaps in police and fire coverage around the state. It is ludicrous to think that police and fire can maintain a service where in some cases there have been staffing reductions of 50%. You cannot do more with less in emergency services, anyone who tries to tell you otherwise is a bigger liar then Christie. The radical downturn of the economy causes more reliance on government services. Public Safety is the last safety net for many citizens, cutting government services only deepens the chaos created by recession.
The demoralizing of a workforce is also a condition that will affect the quality of service. I know this is really the last of Christie's concerns, but the reality is that he is the leader of the state who expects more out you for less, and shits on you the entire time. It is no secret that the best employer/employee relationship is one that shares a common respect. Christie wouldn't know this because he never had a job. The motto, "the beatings will continue until morale improves" is appropriate for Christie, because I think he believes it.

brendanod :: Why I Went To The Public Safety Rally