row, row, row...

the boat...
This {could be} a soapbox post..however,
I cannot say that this is a solid opinion.
Therefore, I am just rowing along with this one...and I have never
been much of a rower, so, you are along for a wobby ride in this one.

Today, and for several days, the folks in Wis. have been {demonstrating}
about the right to organize etc.--these are state workers.
NC and VA, according to NPR are the only states who do not {give} this right to our workers.
I am a state employee.  I have actively chosen this...there are options in my field.
My reasons are: stability and ...well, stability.
To be honest, in the whole battle over organize (union) or not, I am a {not} person
WHEN IT COMES TO FOLKS EMPLOYED BY THE TAXPAYERS.
The {folks} in this case are the taxpayers..no?
We are at least a part of the taxpayers.
I sort of think that being employed by the state puts us in a unique niche...dependent upon
Capitalism...yet...not actively involved in capitalism.
So, if we were to {organize} would we be organizing against ourselves.

I will give you a couple points to ponder:
**I have a friend, we'll call her {salt}.  Her husband has loads of work right now, it all comes from up North, bc the folks up there are all {organized} and the company with whom he contracts can afford to pay him {really well} down here..and all his employees..b/c there is no union.  If one day he does not agree with a contract...well, he can refuse, no?--this is a capitalist pursuit, as he is in proper business for himself...
*The money for serving children who need speech mostly comes from...well, the {state}, or public funds, tax money, or MEDICAID.  That's right..very few people, even the wealthy, are prone to wanting to {pay out of pocket} for speech services --they would rather buy their children N.fAc4 coats and name brand sneakers than to have them speak well...(it's true).  So, they say...oh, he/she will get it free at school...or people who {qualify} step up, and Medicaid pays...so , do you get it?  The state pays either way.  There is the case where the child does not qualify under our DPI guidelines--in other words the speech issue is not affecting the education of the student {according to DPI} so the child does not {qualify}.  In this case--well, usually the child would get {nothing}.

Is this making sense to you all?  Do you see...??
We have to have the commercial pursuits...thus the tax base to fund many things...

So, when the economy is failing..would I feel right asking for more money?  My answer is no...right to organize or not...there is no money.
The people in that state elected that person whose mission it is to dismantle the right to organize....go figure!

There is the chance that our legislature could say (as they did with the good ole lottery) well, everyone else is doing it...we should too!  Now there's an argument for doing something, if i have ever heard one!!
BUT--if there is no money...there is no money.  At this point I think that people employed by tax money should all use our sense...could something like the following work???
Anyone employed by tax money who makes more that two times the average salary in their county will take a ten percent pay cut...you will still have YOUR JOB.  You will not make {as much}.  Let's be honest with ourselves..no one wants to live with less..but all of the people who are dependent upon private enterprise (who also fund the public interest, in part) have lost so much....

There was a big poll taken about this..I was included.  All of the questions were the yes/no kind..YIkEs! I am not much of a yes/no person...I answered the best way that I could.
BUT if a legislator were to ask me...I think I would print out this blog post and put it in their hands.