Teachers

Unless you live in a closet, you know that there have been protests in Wisconsin for about a week now regarding the elimination of collective bargaining rights for the teachers in that state. The bill currently being kicked around in the state senate also would require teachers to contribute 5.7% of their pay toward their own pensions and 12.4% toward their healthcare premiums. Tensions are growing on both sides, because I think there is still a feeling that teachers are underpaid. Now, the pay of these teachers does start low, but when you add in their benefits, the cost goes up.

I love teachers, and have friends who I admire for having the patience to teach as a career, but the union leadership is ridiculous. Why should my friend be forced to join a union just so she can get a job? And then, to add insult to injury, that union contributes her dues to political causes which she doesn't agree with!

I was watching the news the other night, and some 17 year-old said we should "raise taxes on the rich" to help the teachers. Who are "the rich?" Let's see...the top 50%, who make more than about $35,000 - these people currently pay about 95% of all income taxes - should we make them pay even more? The top 25%, who make more than about $67,000 - currently paying about 85% of all taxes - should we make them pay more? Where do we draw the line? I fall in between those two groups, and I don't know about you, but I think I pay enough taxes already.

The teachers in Wisconsin aren't currently paying anything toward their pensions. If I pay nothing toward my retirement, you know what happens? That's right - I can't retire. I certainly can't depend on some stranger to pay for me to retire, yet that is what we, the taxpayer, are expected to do in this case for the teachers. Is it too much to ask for them to pay just a little bit for themselves? If they don't have to belong to the union anymore, that would save them about 75/month which they could put toward these extra expenses.

I know times are tough, and people still have their purse strings tightly in hand, but here is what I am saying; I think a little bit of sacrifice can go a long way. We, the average taxpayer, simply do not have the money for the government to raise taxes to compensate for all the unfunded liabilities on the books. Plus, isn't it better for ALL the teachers to make a little sacrifice rather than have 12,000 of them laid off entirely? That's what I really don't understand.