Star Ledger: NJ Dems Should Follow Christie's Lead

The Star Ledger of Newark says that New Jersey Democrat legislators should get behind Governor Chris Christie's for public employees' sick and vacation days reform because New Jersey cannot continue to afford the present system which is calls a "golden parachute. Here are excerpts from the Star ledger's editorial:

Sick and vacation pay have become budget-busting golden parachutes. . . .
Municipalities must pay whopping bills that have been decades in the making. Many don’t have the cash on hand, so they’ve had to borrow.
That’s right: While towns are laying off cops and teachers, they’ve been forced to borrow money to stuff the pockets of retiring workers who have saved hundreds of sick and vacation days. It’s fiscal insanity. . . .
Here’s the problem: Democrats still want to give public workers a going-away present. . . .
If Democrats concede this practice is wrong, why would they let it continue? Are they representing the public worker unions, or the taxpayer? . . .
Gov. Chris Christie wants to stop this now. Under his plan, a cop would get what he or she has accumulated, but earn nothing more. He’s absolutely right. Why should taxpayers be forced to pay for benefits that far exceed anything they get themselves? Sick days should be just that: Days to use when you’re actually sick.
Democrats already have backpedaled from $15,000 to $7,500. They should keep going — to zero. . . .