Change can be a good thing. Remember, when President Obama campaigned for change, I bet he didn’t see this one coming back in 2008 while campaigning. Over the course of this week, public service unions in Wisconsin have been protesting, because Governor Scott Walker is planning to raise the public employees’ share of health insurance premiums, which are among the lowest in Midwestern States. The unions are also livid, because they might have to contribute to half of their pension contributions, and Walker is also planning to control the labor unions’ collective bargaining powers to cover wages. Now, you might be wondering why all of this is happening.
Walker is being faced with a $3.6 Billion budget gap, and with Wisconsin having a constitutional ban on running a deficit, he has to cut something that would prevent massive tax increases. Sometimes, when you are faced with tough decisions, you have to go ahead and proceed with cuts. When you have union workers who are being catered to at every whim, then you have to make the necessary cuts and be willing to walk on fire.
Well, Walker made the choice to reduce public employee benefits, and considering that many workers outside of the government do not receive such posh benefits, I believe he did right. Since Walker did this, the unions (and Senate Democrats) have been showing their true stripes with protests in Madison with true mayhem. The DNC and Organizing for America have rallied union members to disrupt legislative sessions, while the Senate Democrats have fled Madison to prevent a quorum from taking place.
Walker did what he was supposed to do: Govern, regardless of what choices may stand in his way. Will he persevere through these challenges or fall victim to special interests? Hopefully, he and other Governors (Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and New Jersey) will continue to stand up to the unions and look out for competitiveness.
