Picking the wrong fight

In the U.S., instead of getting mad at the super-rich, who enjoy low tax rates (lower than many of us!), and instead of pointing a finger at our out of control defense budget, many people choose to get mad at the middle class public sector employees like teachers and government workers, rather than holding their job benefits up as an example to which private companies should aspire. By all means, scrutinize the six-figure pensions earned by firefighters, police officers, and politicians, but don’t scapegoat the average state worker, who in New Jersey is paid less than $20K per year in pension funds. And don’t forget, pensions are deferred income that were funded in part by employees’ own contributions.