30,000 In The Streets, Schools Closed In Madison, WI

Schools closed as over 40% of the teachers in Madison, WI called out sick, and joined in the 30,000 person protests in the streets of the Wisconsin Capitol, as the legislature ponders whether to accept the sick plan of Governor Scott Walker to gut out all collective bargaining rights from state workers. Under his backward plan, public workers would no longer be able to negotiate their retirement or health benefits, and would only be allowed to negotiate compensation raises under the rise in the consumer price index.

They should not leave the streets of Madison, and if this legislature in Wisconsin passes this plan, they should not go back to work either. Too often we hear that public sector workers "should have to sacrifice like everyone else." They do. Most of them make the "$50,000" average wage, and accept doing hard jobs without getting rich, so that they can have decent security- good benefits, retirement, and regular, modest raises. If you think your teachers, fire fighters, and cops are driving you broke, you know nothing about budgets. If you think they are causing deficits, you fundamentally don't understand that spending levels rise and fall with many factors besides "runaway contracts." If the basic protections public workers have are removed by a Governor elected in an off-year, lower-turnout election, those workers shouldn't take it lying down. They should simply stop doing those jobs. What's the point of being a sanitation worker if the protections and guarantees of rights are gone? Why teach students in tough schools if the ability to earn a living is gone. Maybe it's time in this country we make the counter demand- no, public workers shouldn't accept a crappy deal, private sector workers should demand a fair deal. Millionaires should pay their share, and lose their loopholes. It's time to fight back. I support those state workers in the street, and am inspired by them.