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The Fastest Government Study In History

Is Common Sense Decision Making A New Trend?  Don’t Count On it!

By Art Gallagher

The New Jersey Department of Transportation completed its engineering study into the feasibility of allowing commercial trucks to travel the Garden State Parkway north of exit 105 with lightning speed.

The Asbury Park Press reported that the department’s engineers were studying the issue on Saturday.  By Monday afternoon, Transportation Commissioner James Simpson announced that the truck ban would continue.  The department’s engineers had concluded that there were significant engineering issues that would prevent even a preliminary consideration of the idea.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if common sense decision making was at work throughout our various governments as it apparently is in the Department of Tranporation.  How much more affordable would New Jersey be if our leaders could do or not do something without first performing expensive studies simply because the answer is obvious.

Isn’t it obvious that it doesn’t make sense to pay men and women in the prime of the lives generous pensions for the last 30, 40, or 50 years of their lives while they pursue new careers either in or out of government “service?”  Isn’t it obvious that paying for health benefits for those men or women and their families for life is not sustainable fiscal policy?

Isn’t it obvious that paying elected officials a pension and a salary for the same job, while they are in the job, is ludicrous?

Isn’t it obvious that it is wasteful and inequitable to pay someone who worked part-time for 20 years a full time pension if they work full time for 5 years at the end of their career.

Isn’t it obvious that the Abbott District experiment didn’t work?

Isn’t obvious that government employees having civil service protection and union contracts is overkill?

Isn’t obvious that guaranteeing a teacher lifetime job protection after three years gives no incentive to that teacher to preform exceptionally?

Please add more in the comments.

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Posted: April 19th, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Government Waste | Tags: | 4 Comments »

4 Comments on “The Fastest Government Study In History”

  1. Maybe Someday said at 8:32 am on April 19th, 2011:

    We the people are the fools that let it happen, but you would hope that common sense would prevail, NOPE! The prevelance of the entitlement attitide in the public and political culture is sickening. For some reason, these people think that they “deserve” all the things that they had for the last 30 years. Just look at the Brookdale presidents spending spree, not only a $200K+ salary with pension, but a country club membership with all the fixin’s. The “country club” mentality is what is wrong with NJ.

    Send a message to your legislators on election day – Your country club membership has been revoked!!!

  2. James Hogan said at 9:24 am on April 19th, 2011:

    Isn’t it obvious that the Urban Enterprise Zone experiment didn’t work?
    Reference: http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/pdf/NJ%20Urban%20Enterprise%20Zone%20Program.pdf

  3. brian said at 12:54 pm on April 19th, 2011:

    lsnn’t it obvious that our current crop of “representatives” only care about protecting their little fiefdoms at the expense of the voters

  4. Roselynde said at 1:25 am on April 20th, 2011:

    There IS a reason that associations (unions) developed. I’ve seen good, decent, hard-working people royally screwed by their bosses– whether teaching, law enforcement, firefighting, whatever– people suck. And, not having a union to protect members from underhanded administrators, public directors, what have you– it’s necessary.
    Believe me– it is necessary.