Save money by cutting back on state workers’ holidays

For too long, state agencies have closed their doors on days when the rest of the country is still very much at work – and it’s contributing to wasted tax dollars. We all want to see wasteful overruns eliminated, and in light of the recent proposals made by our governor to offset these problems, one example of easy cost-cutting practices comes readily to mind.

This year, New Jersey taxpayers paid upwards of $580,000 to private-sector snowplow drivers- just because it happened to snow on Lincoln’s Birthday, a holiday most businesses don’t even recognize.Howis this an efficient way to spend tax dollars?

It’s a very relevant question, considering taxes seem to be getting higher and higher, and I’mthankful thatAssemblywoman Caroline Casagrande andAssemblymanDeclan O’Scanlon are doing something to fix this kind of overspending. I recently read about their holiday-reduction bill (A-2565) and I’m hoping they can push it through.

Something needs to happen and wouldn’t it be a breath of fresh air to see our freshmen legislators effect needed change, and not amoment too soon in this environment.

As a local employee, I have never had Election Day off. I have never sat home and watched Oprah on Lincoln’s Birthday or slept in on Good Friday. So why is it that state workers – in addition to their hefty pension and health benefits – have more days off than I do?

Reducing the number of paid state holidays from 13 to 10 makes our state calendar parallel with the federal one, and enhances our public servants’ ability to do what they have set out to do in the first place- serve the public. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.

A simple trim to the state calendar means more bang for the taxpayer’s buck. In the face of the Lincoln’s Birthday snow job, we need to start running government like a business.

And, as we all know the rule to be in business, the customer is always right.

Peter Hall Manalapan