You don't say!

You know, I never go around saying to myself, "Those gosh darn teachers, firefighters, actors, and police! They just make too much money to do what they do."

Or try this on for size: "Hey, there goes my 7th grade algebra teacher! That's a nice Ferarri she bought for herself. Oh, and I heard she goes yachting on the weekend and owns three homes and a fleet of jetskis."

We just don't say those things. Why? Because people who do those incredibly important jobs - the jobs that involve educating children, running into burning buildings, enforcing the law, and keeping people safe - aren't the people that make a lot of money. Yet they are the people that stand to be hurt over the long term.

More often than not, I hear phrases like, "Oh, he teaches math during the week, works retail on the weekends, and has a new baby at home," or "She works three 24-hour shifts as a firefighter, then has two days off, then does it again," or "This was my best year as an actor - for the first time, I earned enough to qualify for health insurance." These are the people we should think about protecting.

Is there waste in the system? I'm sure there is. But if we don't watch out, there is so much more to lose. All this mess in Wisconsin and other states is about much more than balancing the budget - it's about whether our lawmakers are watching out for people without billions of dollars, without huge political influence. Whether or not you 'like' unions or 'like' a certain party, think about it this way: Do you think these small-town teachers and policemen get whipped into a frenzy for no reason? Do you think that in a conservative-leaning state full of moderately-tempered Midwesterners this sort of protest happens all the time?! Um, no. No, it doesn't. I would suggest that maybe there is something big at stake, and something we should all pay attention to.

"Ahh! What can I do? I also don't have millions of dollars to influence the outcome. And I don't have time to go to protests!" Write to your lawmakers and legislators. Write early, write often, write coherently and persuasively. Call their offices and leave messages, write letters to the editor, or talk to your friends. Do something.