Pension penalty
restores faith in government
EDITORIAL, thnt
Online, August 14, 2007
One of the most meaningful
consequences of corrupt behavior by public figures is not the prison time that
may be imposed on them, however that might satisfy our more concrete sense of
justice.
The reduction or even the abrogation of retirement benefits is at least as
telling a response to crimes such as bribery and obstruction of justice, because
it is a penalty whose effects last a lifetime.
It's not a matter of cruelty, of running up the score; it's a matter of
restoring the dignity of public service, a matter of renewing the public's
confidence in representative government, and a matter of notifying those who
would hold elective or appointed office that the public sets a high standard for
those it employs.
A law signed by Gov. Jon S. Corzine in April prohibits government employees from
collecting pension benefits after they have been convicted of or have pleaded
guilty to such things as accepting bribes or laundering money.
Since then, the Public Employees Retirement System has reduced or eliminated the
benefits of several offenders — including former State Sen. John Lynch, once the
chief political power broker in Middlesex County. The law also mandates
prison time, but the reduction or elimination of retirement benefits is an
eloquent provision.
State Sen. John Adler, D-Camden, who co-sponsored the bill, said the
Legislature's goal was to "punish the wrongdoers and deter others from
committing corrupt acts that cost taxpayers so much money."
That's a worthy goal, but there is a loftier goal, and that is to elevate the
view of public service held by the public itself and by potential officeholders.
Holding public office is a matter of service, not a matter of privilege, and
it's the assumption of privilege that too often morphs into arrogance and then
into corruption.
The amount of arrogance and corruption that has infected public life in New
Jersey has become the fodder of comedians and wise-cracking radio hosts, but it
isn't funny. The shenanigans of people like Lynch have contributed to a
malaise in the state's electorate, a cynicism about government and politics and
an indifference to policy and the political system.
Those who profit from public service as have Lynch, former Assemblyman Anthony
Impreveduto, former Hudson County Executive Robert Janiszewski, and former Essex
County Executive James Treffinger, have done more than enrich themselves at the
expense of others. They have critically harmed the process by which
democratic people govern themselves.
Confidence in the institutions of politics and government is not an ethereal
idea that enlivens civics textbooks; it is a practical necessity in the everyday
operations of our state and our nation.
Imposing prison terms and taking away retirement benefits should be signs that
the public wants and needs to have that confidence again.
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