Thank you, public workers

I spent part of the Labor Day weekend with a couple of public school teachers. One showed off the items she had collected from her garden and the woods over the summer out of habit, just as she has done for over 30 years. She would bring them in to show the students each fall to help flesh out some of the lessons. She won’t be doing that this year, however. Gov. Chris Christie scared her into retirement.

The other teacher mentioned that she would be attending classes every weekend throughout the fall in pursuit of a graduate degree and was celebrating her last free time until winter.

Then I went to work on Labor Day at a health care facility where the workers — all underworked, over-paid and, according to the governor and Star-Ledger editorial writers, over-benefitted — chipped in their own money to buy the patients hot dogs and watermelon as a way to celebrate the holiday.

To all the dedicated, hard-working public employees out there, I offer my thanks for your service and my apologies for the abuse you’ve had to put up with this year.

Barbara Egger, Stirling