Savings Plans

Teachers unions are militant and tax payers are outraged. And then there is our current economic situation while Newsday (“Teachers’ union takes lower raise”) only fans the flames. There is no dispute that school costs have to be brought to a sustainable point. Similarly, we have to have teachers and they have to be paid the salaries necessary to attract and retain qualified people.

The misdirection is worthy of Houdini. The article refers to “step” increase five times and in every instance these are distinguished from salary increases but they are cash payments that raise salaries. Looks like a duck, quacks like a duck… But the pro-union people act like they do not count even though they increase taxes just like salary increase would.

In the time honored tradition of political “savings”, not spending money in future years is considered a cost cutting triumph. According to this logic, if my plan is spend a million dollars next year and I manage to eke by only spending a hundred thousand, an easy way to save $900,000. That will be my new retirement plan.