Letter: Public employees are scapegoats
Photo credit: Randee Daddona | Shelter Island Town Hall is at 38 North Ferry Rd. (July 26, 2012)
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The attacks on public workers by politicians and media outlets like Newsday have always troubled me, but even more so today than when they first became prevalent more than 20 years ago ["LI city and town employees: What they all earn," News, Dec. 26].
Elected officials started to look for scapegoats when their policy failures contributed to an acute and persistent rise in property taxes. They pointed to the nominal salaries and pensions earned by public workers as a primary reason for their fiscal problems, but it was just a smoke screen designed to prevent their constituents from realizing that politicians themselves and their reckless policies in countless areas were in fact responsible.
The media played along because their access to these same politicians would be compromised if they did not, as would their influence among their colleagues. This sad scenario continues to play itself out, just like a broken record.
Nick LaMorte, Commack
Editor's note: The writer is the president of the Civil Service Employees Association, Long Island Region.
