A friend and colleague used to quip, "It doesn't cost any more to go first class. You just cant stay as long."
Well, a lot of folks have been living beyond their means for a long time. Reality is setting in like a bad hangover and, much to my surprise, Wisconsin is the first place it came to a head. From Wall Street Journal:
"Madison, Wis.—As union supporters geared up for their for sixth day of protests at the Wisconsin Capitol, Gov. Scott Walker reiterated Sunday that he wouldn't compromise on the issue that had mobilized them, a bill that would eliminate most of public employees' collective bargaining rights.
"Democratic lawmakers have said they and union members would agree to financial concessions that the Republican governor wants in exchange for workers keeping their collective-bargaining rights. But Mr. Walker said he wasn't willing to budge, and he expected the bill to pass as is.
Rather than watch the bill pass over their minority votes, 14 Democratic state senators fled Wisconsin on Thursday, bringing the legislative process to a halt and giving time for union backers, including a political organization affiliated with President Barack Obama, to rally support at the statehouse."
I really don't have a dog in this race. I don't live in Wisconsin and I wouldn't presume to tell the good citizens of that great state how to conduct their business. What I will point out is that financial reality eventually bites everyone in the ass. And unlike the federal government, states don't have the ability to print money when they are broke. Wisconsin knows this. California, Illinois, Ohio and a host of other states will dope it out sooner or later.
Some are portraying this budget kerfuffle as an attempt to break the affected unions. I don't know if that is true or not, but wouldn't exactly break my heart if that were one result. I don't have a problem with private sector unions because market forces balance their influence. Public sector unions are another matter. They wield power with impunity. Or at least they have until recently.
For the record, I have been in the employ of the State of Missouri for nearly 30 years. I am fully aware that budget woes will affect my bottom line as surely as the sun rises. But my angst is manageable for two reasons.
First, Missouri law does not allow collective bargaining for it's employees. We do okay, but not nearly as well as our union counterparts in other states. In short, I can get another gig without taking a big hit in the wallet.
Second, the framers of Missouri's Constitution were uncommonly savvy in that they required a balanced budget every year. Thus, we take our bitter medicine of reality in tolerably small doses.
I wish nothing but the best for the people of Wisconsin. Bitter medicine sucks, but the sooner you start taking it the sooner you get better.