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Don’t blame unions for financial mess

The fact is that Wisconsin teachers made all the concessions that they were asked to make. The fact is that the new governors of Wisconsin, Indiana and Ohio want to stop all collective bargaining. They want you to think that the problem is wages and pension, not the improper use of tax dollars.

The state never fulfilled its obligation to fund the pension and health funds as stated in the contract. Now on the books they are a liability, so blame the teachers and their union.

The same is true of Social Security and Medicare, but there is no union involved. So who is to blame? The politicians.

A national test for teachers sounds good, but it does nothing to aid the quality or honesty of teachers. It sure did not help the quality of lawyers and CPAs who have been involved in the financial meltdown and other scandals lately.

Unions are only as good as their members who are involved. Responsible politicians should not buckle to exorbitant demands just to get re-elected. We all have to live by our budgets.

Richard Markiewicz

Huntley