Editor's note: The cost of playing politics with pensions
A mistake is costly. And the poor cannot afford the luxury of errors. Mistakes, however happen. The people in power are, after all, just human.
President Kwaśniewski, whose second term is coming to an end, is also just a human and has already committed a few mistakes. Now is not the time to dwell on them. However, the one he committed in recent days, and which is very harmful for the Polish economy, will be difficult to forget. The reason? He did it with premeditation. And it will cost a fortune, as much as zł.18 billion by 2010. The President signed a bill that will allow miners to retire earlier than the rest of society (see article on page 3). This is a typical populist bill enacted by parliament, which in the last days of its ruling yielded to the pressure of miners that fought a real war in front of the Sejm. All the recognized economic experts urged the President not to sign the bill. They argued that it will have long-term, negative consequences for the budget and that it will demoralize society. Privileges that are won on the streets give birth to trade groups, who feel their rights are superior to the rights of the rest. Miners will be followed by others, who, with stones in their hands, will try to convince the government that they are not obliged to work as long as full retirement age.
In the economically erroneous decision by Kwaśniewski one can find not only a populist's fear of breaking the Polish miner's taboo, but also something that is much more disgusting. Kwaśniewski took zł.18 billion from the budget at the taxpayers' cost to win ad hoc political support for his favorite in the Presidential race. The information about the President signing the bill reached the miners the moment they were meeting the candidate Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz, who is trying hard to improve his ratings in the polls (see page 8).
It is a pity that the President has so easily sold the economic welfare of the country. It remains for us to hope that the Constitutional Tribunal, where the bill will most likely be directed, will acknowledge it as incompliant with the Constitution.
President Kwaśniewski, whose second term is coming to an end, is also just a human and has already committed a few mistakes. Now is not the time to dwell on them. However, the one he committed in recent days, and which is very harmful for the Polish economy, will be difficult to forget. The reason? He did it with premeditation. And it will cost a fortune, as much as zł.18 billion by 2010. The President signed a bill that will allow miners to retire earlier than the rest of society (see article on page 3). This is a typical populist bill enacted by parliament, which in the last days of its ruling yielded to the pressure of miners that fought a real war in front of the Sejm. All the recognized economic experts urged the President not to sign the bill. They argued that it will have long-term, negative consequences for the budget and that it will demoralize society. Privileges that are won on the streets give birth to trade groups, who feel their rights are superior to the rights of the rest. Miners will be followed by others, who, with stones in their hands, will try to convince the government that they are not obliged to work as long as full retirement age.
In the economically erroneous decision by Kwaśniewski one can find not only a populist's fear of breaking the Polish miner's taboo, but also something that is much more disgusting. Kwaśniewski took zł.18 billion from the budget at the taxpayers' cost to win ad hoc political support for his favorite in the Presidential race. The information about the President signing the bill reached the miners the moment they were meeting the candidate Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz, who is trying hard to improve his ratings in the polls (see page 8).
It is a pity that the President has so easily sold the economic welfare of the country. It remains for us to hope that the Constitutional Tribunal, where the bill will most likely be directed, will acknowledge it as incompliant with the Constitution.
