Op-Ed: Don't Cut Public Sector Jobs

Sal Liccione, a Westport resident, wrote a letter to the Westport Patch to share his opinion on the recent wave of proposed cutbacks and layoffs of municipal and state workers in Connecticut:

Connecticut residents are at risk. The threat is coming to us from state and local officials who aim to cut back public services and lay off public sector employees in the name of balancing a strained budget.

Public sector employees are being maligned by government officials for enjoying bloated pension funds and lavish perks. Anyone who knows a teacher, fireman or police officer knows this is far from the truth. Instead of denigrating the very people who add to the quality of our lives in Westport, Norwalk and throughout the state, our government officials should be looking at alternate ways to balance the budget. Specifically they should stop putting all the burden of sacrifice on the lower economic echelons of our communities and instead increase taxes at the highest levels...

Click HERE TO READ the rest of the letter, along with online comments and feedback from readers.