In the past few days, we have seen numerous news updates on the situation currently occurring in Wisconsin. In short, Republican Governor Scott Walker proposed a bill that would aim to balance the state’s budget, which currently shows a $3.6 billion deficit.
In this proposal, he hopes to avoid having to lay-off 5,500 state employees by raising their level of contributions to pensions and health insurance. In this proposal, workers will be asked to “contribute 5.8% of their income towards their pensions and 12.6% towards health insurance.”
When you look at how these numbers compare to those of other states, it is about the national-average of what public employees pay towards their pension, and half of what the average worker pays towards their health insurance.
Wisconsin’s public education system was recently ranked 44th in the country. The failure of the current system is evident, and so is the need for some kind of change.
And yet, teachers in Milwaukee and Madison called-in sick last Friday in such high numbers that school had to be cancelled. Aren’t they supposed to care about their jobs as educators of the nation’s future above all? I can understand they may not be happy about the outcome of the bill, but aren’t there more professional ways to show their discontent, such as by protesting after school or on a weekend? The double-standard of public employees being able to make a mockery of the government, while a private sector worker who cuts work on a “sick” day and is found not to be sick would most likely be fired on the spot, is, well, sickening.
That is not to say that I don’t understand where the teachers are coming from. They are upset, just as millions of Americans are, with the current economic status of the country, but their way of going about things has been the way to lose sympathy from me, and 48% of Americans who side with the Governor, while 38% with the unions.
The sad part is that this whole dilemma is not about unions vs. government, it’s simply the fact that Governors are finally starting to balance their budget. Isn’t that what we’ve learned to do since we were little kids? If we don’t have the money, we don’t have the money, and things are going to have to be cut, all across the board. Fortunately, this plan also allows us to keep these 5,500 workers in work instead of adding them to the already burgeoning numbers of the unemployed.
Collective bargaining rights has been the big focal point of union supporters, but what seems to be misunderstood on the issue is that Walker has not said he wants to put an end to negotiations on wages and benefits, but wants to revisit practices, and to ensure unions do not squeeze the government and squeeze workers out of their jobs in the process.
Wisconsin faces a stunning financial situation. This is not the time to have a temper tantrum and hide out from passing legislation.
I think it’s time everyone starts acting like adults again and does their job, and voices their opinions, and votes on legislation. Two years from now, if the people of Wisconsin disapprove of the way the Republicans are doing, then they can vote them all out, just like they voted out Democrats on the national level this year.
Photo Credit: http://faithinpubliclife.org/content/feature/sanctuary_for_wi_lawmakers.html