Change takes more than talk: Walk the walk
PEF Retirees are proud of their contributions to the citizens of New York state. We dedicated our careers to providing good government service.
Many functionaries, however, never fail to take the opportunity to criticize “big government” and to paint us with the same brush as those who are responsible for waste in government.
In the June-July issue of the Public Employee Advocate (published by the American Federation of Teachers), PEF President Ken Brynien, writes a scathing indictment of wasteful government practices.
He states, “Privatization, as practiced today, is an insult to good government.
“Republicans and some Democrats successfully made government the bogeyman and allegedly ended the era of big government. It was a ruse, accomplished by replacing civil servants with private contractors.”
I cannot agree more completely with President Brynien. It is not the unionized civil servant, laboring within the merit system and trying to secure a living wage, who is the cause of egregious waste in government.
In addition to wasteful privatization, I suggest that political appointees, patronage, and cronyism compromise productivity and contribute to the enormous cost of government. Regrettably, the true missions of many of our state agencies are subjugated to unessential political undertakings. This environment inhibits productivity, innovation and creativity.
As an example, recent investigation of many public authorities — heavily loaded with patronage and politics — demonstrated the arrogance and ineffectiveness of these political entities. Add shadow agencies, hired consultants and contractors, and catering to special interests and the waste of tax dollars is mind-boggling.
Hidden waste in government hurts us all. Our retiree benefits are diminished. PEF members suffer with lower pay and benefits, and taxpayers are denied needed services.
We ask that all PEF retirees and members stand with President Brynien. Don’t allow these fatuous functionaries to continue to perpetrate this ruse with their obfuscation of the facts and their masterful misdirection.
Take the opportunity to write your local newspaper or address the call-in media programs that propagate these misconceptions.
Let’s all work to make the public aware of the reality of our work environment. Explain and defend our contributions in providing essential public services and expose the true perpetrators of government mismanagement and waste.