Everyone Needs to Sacrifice...Except Us

In a Wisconsin forum for civil discourse on the subject of the Wisconsin state budget crisis representatives from the Public Sector Union and People for the Ethical Treatment of Taxpayers gathered to debate the issue.

Steve Morahn, union boss and lawyer for the Public Sector Union of Deadbeat Teachers and Social Services stated that his people deserve better than their private sector counterparts. "We should be able to retire before anyone else... you know, retire at 55 and suck on that big fat pension teat for another 30-35 years during which we provide no goods or service to anyone in the state. I mean, come on... if that's not worth striking for I don't know what is?!"

A representative for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Taxpayers responded to Morahn with some economic data. "Unfortunately, Mr. Morahn we cannot sustain the model you described and heres why: the state of Wisconsin spends 32 billion per year or $5,714 per person in a state where the per capita income is $25,000 per year. The people of Wisconsin spend 20% of their income on state government, another 20% goes to the federal government and then the local yokels get their 2-3%. All told that leaves the average working stiff with maybe, $15,000 for their families after their public sector mugging."

Morahn wondered at loud how our country survived when we paid only 10% to Caesar. "We refuse to go back... at least not without a fight. I mean the audacity to ask us pay a little more for our Health Care, to contribute to our own retirements. I mean, are you kidding me? What do we look like? Private sector stiffs?! You can see what is at stake for us by those numbers you quoted. Everyone else needs to sacrifice right now. Not us."