Thread: Protesting in Wisconsin....Just the beginning?

This really isn't or shouldn't be a political issue or a matter of respect for teachers. When all the layers of the onion are peeled it comes down to economics, simple pencil and paper math. Having been a high school English teacher, I know the hours the people put in and the sacrafices they make. It's a tall job and my hat is truly off to anyone who does it.

All of that said, the core issue here is basic math. The states simply cannot afford the sweetheart deals that these unions have set up for these people. What the teachers and all the people screaming about their "entitlements" don't seem to understand is that yes, they may have to pay for some health care or pay into a retirement fund but they will still have jobs. If we do nothing, the states and in time the federal government ends up bankrupt and can afford to pay no one.

Now being a Southerner, I've never been big on labor unions but it seems to me that the Governors of Wisconsin and Ohio are simply doing what they were elected to do, straighten out this unsustainable mess. I'm encouraged when politicians not only do what they say but have the stones to make some long overdue business decisions. Unpopular though they might be with some, these guys are simply doing what employers in the private sector do all the time. Basically, here's what I can afford to pay you and here's the benefits package. If you can't live with that, get to steppin'. Nothing unfair or illegal there.

My final point is probably what bothers me the most about these protests. Just about every sound bite I've heard from these "teachers" has been laced with some of the most appallingly stupid remarks I've ever heard in my life (i.e. this is just like what happened in Egypt, Governor=Hitler, I want what I'm entitled to, etc.) Worse yet teachers walking off the job shutting down the schools for multiple days and, my personal favorite, BRINGING THEIR STUDENTS TO THE PROTESTS. I mean honestly, what kind of example are they really setting for their students? When life doesn't give you exactly what you want or feel entitled to, simply walk off the job to rabble rouse in the streets and throw a fit like a five year old in Walmart. If my kids were being bused out to this crap in lieu of going to school, I'm pretty sure my foot would be straight up someone's backside. The kids should not be used as a rent a crowd for stuff like this and most of these folks seem a whole lot more concerned with their "entitlements" than the best interests of their students. Firing these idiots would be no huge loss, says I. I'm sure there are people who would be more than happy to take their jobs even with the reduced benefits. The military has consistently cut benefits over the last 20 years, there were no angry mobs in the streets, no one refused to deploy because their raise wasn't big enough. Whether they agreed or not, they did their job. If the cuts were too objectionable they simply left the service at their earliest opportunity. Then again, GIs typically are not statist socialist Democrats and we had no union with enough money to have bleeding heart politicians in their hip pockets. Speaking of which, I think the next sweetheart deal that needs to be addressed is the retirement package and benefits extended to elected officals.