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Ann and Greg's letters are so well written and on point. I am a state employee, I work for DCF (DYFS), and for years have had to listen to the never ending claims that state workers have it made, have our own state cars, are overpaid, have a great pension, etc. Well as a great poet once said "Don't believe the hype." None of the above are true (especially the ridiculous claims made about state vehicles. Employees can only take them home in an emergency, and because of the decreasing amount of state facilities, very often have to pay for the fuel needed to investigate and respond to child abuse or neglect). Centers of disinformation, like 101.5, have caused much of the myth making. And it's no accident. It's unbelievable how comfortable people are with blaming the state budget problems on people who earn LESS than 60,000 a year. Teachers and social workers are the problem?!! Do people forget that we pay taxes too? This demonizing is a deliberate and brilliant distraction created to protect the status quo. And this is what republicans do, let's be honest. They create bogeymen, while they protect a feeding frenzy at the top. The rich are largely unaffected by budget gaps, inflation, and the decreasing value of our money. And look, Christie didn't waste a hot minute cutting taxes for the wealthy. If he really cared about NJ, he would at least have some humility about it. He did it boldly, and really doesn't care what people think. He swindled New Jerseyans into voting for him, and now he is doing exactly what was expected of him by the most cynical of voters. He is basically saying, 'who cares about the vulnerable, the hard working, and those who have already made sacrifices?' People who choose to teach, or protect children, or protect the average citizen are already sacrificing. To compensate for our low pay, state employees were given health care (which we contribute plenty to), and pensions (which we have also contributed plenty to). If taxes have to be raises across the board, then fine. Do it fairly, and "across the board." government employees are willing to make sacrifices. State employees have sustained a pay cut with little complaining or protest. For me it means about two hundred less dollars a month. This is a lot of money for someone earning 50,000 dollars a year. Both Ann and Greg are right. It's wrong to go after the middle class, the poor, and state workers to protect the greed of others.