NJ LEADERS LACK APPETITE FOR DOUBLE-DIPPING REFORM
Double-dipping is so sweet that New Jersey public officials have little appetite for reform.
So despite the sour taste for taxpayers, the legacy of governmental retirees who collect a state pension – then return to public payrolls for a second check – will continue into 2014 and likely for years to come.
New Jersey Watchdog investigations in 2013 found:
· Eighty State Police retirees were rehired by the state, but continued to receive their pensions. Collectively, they received $12.8 million a year – nearly $7 million a year in salaries, plus $5.8 million in retirement pay.
· Seventeen county sheriffs and 29 undersheriffs also double-dip. Together, the 46 top cops raked in $8.3 million a year – $3.4 million from pensions and $4.9 million in salaries.
· Forty-five retired school superintendents returned to work as interim superintendents during the past school year. In addition to their executive pay, they used a loophole in state law to pocket more than $4 million from pensions.
Even though state pension funds face a $47 billion shortfall, New Jersey authorities have never tried to keep tabs on double-dipping or calculate how much it costs.
The full story is online at http://newjersey.watchdog.org.
The direct link is http://newjersey.watchdog.org/
8 comments:
This article should read "The Rape of the Taxpayers by the Slick Politicians and Public Employees that Claim to be Public Servants".
A good many of them are experts at this mode of conduct and show no remorse . Just give the hypocrites the opportunity and the money and
to hell with the taxpayer bearing the financial burden.
Until the practice is made ILLEGAL with consequences, it will go on.
I know of someone, a retired police officer, who works at a seasonal job (not a state job.) I don't have a problem with that - he works, he gets paid, fair enough.
But, in the off-season, he is "laid off" and collects unemployment. Maybe I'm a big ol' meanie, but I think someone who is "retired" shouldn't be entitled to unemployment benefits as well.
Your Leonardo reader
How right you are Leonardo reader. It certainly appears unethical at best.
Some people will do almost anything for monetary gains and have no conscience about what they are doing or who they are "stealing" from.
Sad but true !
And the saddest part is that it is the democrats that are blocking this!
Shouldn't they have to abstain from voting sighting conflict of interest?
This is BS, let the vote be taken!
Anon 11:38,
It's not just Democrats, this is a bipartisan problem and issue. The Republicans are just as guilty as Democrats are.
Republican assemblyman Dave Rible is a big double-dipper!
Mike,
You are absolutely right. All the SLICK politicians regardless of party affiliation engage in this practice if it benefits them.
Aren't there good examples of it right here locally, e.g. retired cops in Middletown collecting pensions and working another public employment position right in this town.
As for Dave Rible, isn't he supposed to be disabled ?? Hasn't that been questioned before?
Venture to say anon 11:38( same ole BS) always tries to make the Democrats at fault....nothing new here ,but it's about time to recognize that the Republicans are just as ready,maybe more so, to engage in whatever makes them RICHER and they care not who they trample on !!
What I said was -
"And the saddest part is that it is the democrats that are BLOCKING this!
This is BS, let the VOTE be taken!"
So who is in control of BOTH house of the legislature???
The democrats!
Who controls all the committees?
The democrats!
Who controls what gets voted on and what doesn't?
The democrats!
So who is holding up the vote?
Yup you guessed it -The democrats!
I agree that both parties are double dippers! We AGREE on that.
Dave Ribble is a hard sell as a double dipper. I don't see him running down criminals and arresting them as a Assemblyman. The physical requirements for being a cop and being an assemblyman are not even close. Stephen Hawking could serve as a Assemblyman! If a doctor thinks he is not able to perform the job then the public is safer for having those policies in place to be able to make those determinations, but saying that he cannot ever work ANYWHERE again is absurd, try living off that income. A suit and tie job is a far cry from saying he is physically able to be a cop again, nice try!
This is not just about one individual. It's about every one of the double dippers. regardless of party affiliation...ALL OF THEM !!
Many of those classified as disabled have reasons that insult one's intelligence and that's the truth of the matter !! Stop defending them.
The laws should be changed and the practice made illegal with consequences. Much of this is about monetary political gain at the taxpayer's expense. The taxpayer can NO LONGER AFFORD TO PAY THOSE BILLS ! NOT THE REPUBLICAN TAXPAYER nor THE DEMOCRATIC TAXPAYER nor the INDEPENDENT TAXPAYER.
A citizen should only be entitled to collect ONE check on the public's dime.
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