Shared Sacrifice

Politicians keep demanding "shared sacrifice" from public sector employees, although in reality the pain of layoffs and wage and benefit reductions is seldom shared.

Last week, I attended an event featuring Howard Wolfson, a NYC deputy mayor who in the private sector functioned as an attack dog for political candidates who preferred not to attack opponents directly (campaign examples: Bloomberg v Thompson and Clinton v Tasini).

When I asked Wolfson what sacrifices he was making, he repeated the Bloomberg line that wealthy people would leave NYC if taxes were increased on them.

Only after I repeated my question about Wolfson's own sacrifices did he respond directly by claiming that he made more money when he worked in the private sector. While undoubtedly this is true, it also is likely that our billionaire mayor will reward Wolfson for his relatively brief service in city government.

So again I pose the question, which should be asked of all politicians who oppose targeted tax increases but advocate solving budget problems through benefit reductions for employees and the public: Where is the shared sacrifice?

Wolfson other deputy mayors and commissioners should take substantial salary cuts before asking the rest of us for "shared sacrifice."

Scott