Guest Commentary
by Rick Winet
The Governor of Wisconsin, Scott Walker, is a courageous leader and representative of The People. I believe that the law he crafted and signed on March 11 will be duplicated by numerous States in the coming months.
The vast majority of “news reporting” on this important issue – the fiscal solvency of our government – has been nothing short of abysmal. Walker has not “stripped unions of all of their collective bargaining rights.” The new Wisconsin law requires most state employees to participate in the funding of their own pension and healthcare benefits. Wisconsin state employees retain their collective bargaining rights for salary and other working conditions.
Let there be no doubt what Walker has already achieved. He has begun educating the entire nation on the specific elements that are driving most State, County, City and School Districts into bankruptcy. Employee compensation and benefit obligations, required by law, are drowning local governments.
Consider the facts in Wisconsin: Due to Wisconsin’s inability to fund its employee benefit obligations, the State was forced to issue thousands of lay-off notices. As soon as Walker signed this law, all of the notices were rescinded. In order to continue to operate, Wisconsin needed to reform employee compensation and benefit obligations…or lose a large portion of its workforce.
Now consider the disaster that is the State of California: Due to the fact that we have a Governor and Legislature that would never consider taking this needed corrective action, local governments in California are issuing tens of thousands of lay-off notices that will not be rescinded. Even if Jerry Brown is successful at garnering a special election for a tax extension initiative in June, the measure will fail miserably.
The People of the State of California need a Governor and Legislature that is committed to salvaging our system of government. We are a Representative Republic and, especially in this time of fiscal crisis, we deserve courageous representation and leadership…like they have in Wisconsin.
###
Rick Winet is the president of the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District
Comments 1
I can be contacted at rickwinet@cox.net
On 3/15/2011, the La Mesa-Spring Valley School Board voted 3-2 against the idea of a special election in June to extend present tax increases.