CNBNews

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Governor Chris Christie: On sick leave reform – now, I don’t know if we’re going to be able to come to a philosophical agreement on this – I have to tell you, I cannot begin to understand why not. The legislature sent me a bill that said we should cap all future sick leave payouts – cash payouts – at $15,000 initially. I still don’t understand where that number comes from and I don’t know why it has any significance. And I don’t know why anyone is entitled to $15,000 for the privilege of not getting sick. Then the legislature proposed $7,500. $7,500 is better, but it still doesn’t make any sense. See, it seems to me to be a pretty simple proposition. If you are fortunate enough to go your entire career without getting sick, the first thing you should do is hit your knees and thank God for having good health. But after that your next move should not be to put your hand out to the taxpayer on the way out the door and demand six-figure payouts from the people who have been paying you over the course of your entire career and will continue to pay for your pension and health benefits for the rest of your life. I mean, there has to be a limit somewhere to this. So, my position is pretty clear – sick days are for when you’re sick. And taxpayers and mayors working on tight budgets should not have to pay the cost for accumulated sick time.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSW4V4mDSkk