A little vent... well not so little

Yesterday Seanny took part in the rally at the state capitol to protest the furloughs. I didn't go cuz I was in an anti-social funk but that is neither here nor there. I am proud of Seanny for standing up for what he believes in because you don't see a lot of that now a days.
My vent is about the people who make comments about news articles here in Hawaii. You see the same thing over and over when it comes to these furloughs and state workers. This morning after reading about the rally I came across a lot of "who needs them" when referring to the state workers. What kind of question is that?! Are they going to become police officers, teachers, medical professionals, firefighters, fix the roads, pick up the trash on the side of the roads, count air particles so others can continue to breathe easier?! I know that some people want the government out of EVERYTHING, but the grass is always greener. If we privatize these services there will be no regulation-you may have to pay to have people come put out your fire to save your home, pay to have you're unemployment checks cashed, tolls and fees on roads to pay for repairs, and if no one puts up a funk you may not know when the air quality is bad and should stay home due to some breathing condition you may have.
I understand that there are a lot of factors when it comes to this furlough situation and from what most people I talk to say, don't complain about the idea of the furloughs (they understand sacrifices must be made) but have a problem with how the governor is going about this. From what I gather she hasn't discussed this with the unions, and there are other ways to take care of this so called deficit. I dunno... I've gotten vocal about it myself. Other people made comments about "living within your means", I have no problem with that, but as a couple starting out our timing was a little crappy. We went in with a budget with room to spare and able to save money but with this furlough we don't have that. We will survive this and reformat the budget and I'll have money coming in by September that will help but when people are already living paycheck to paycheck and are on the low earning scale (the janitors, secretaries, etc) a 14% pay cut is massive. Hawaii isn't cheap to live and we have the blessing of getting discounts at military facilities but what about these young people starting out and barely making by as is? It's sad to think about.
I've taken basic economics and by this much money getting taking out of the money rotation, it's going to harm all business here in Hawaii.... not just effect the state workers. If people don't have the money to spend then they will not buy except for the bare necessities... how does that help the state economy?! Sean and I won't be out buying from the farmer's markets, or just going out to movies, or anything that cost money.... we are going to look for anything that is free to do. I'm going to go to the cheapest places to buy things... and for me that's on the military bases, again nothing into the state. I keep hearing the term "trickle down economics" and I understand the idea of it, but I have yet to hear how it REALLY works to help the lower classes. Just look at the term... how is "trickle" in any shape or form a positive thing?
Oh have I mentioned that not only are we possibly taking a pay cut but we have already seen a raise in health care cost. We got a double whamming, getting less and giving more. I will make our money dance around and work for us, we will make it through because we are both willing and able to make sacrifices and redo priorities.
It is amazing me to read these remarks how bitter these people are about state workers. I don't understand it. They talk about how their lives are hard in the private sector with pay cuts etc. but then turn around and tell state workers to suck it up and so forth. I feel as though if the situation was reversed and THEY were part of union that fought for fairness of their work conditions then they would be all for it, but since they are "private" they are acting like haters. There are bad lazy workers EVERYWHERE, no place is exempt from these "ride on the coat tails of other workers" type workers. I'm not this varied worker, but I've seen it constantly since I've entered the work force in high school. From my job at Hardee's, being in the military, to even being a student AND even being a consumer I've seen private sector and state workers that I am confused as to why they are employed.
This whole thing goes to court and we will see how things work out. It will be great to see that the furloughs get put off, and that the governor HAS to sit down and work out a plan with the unions and not just throw numbers out to the public to freak everyone out. There has to be a compromise... a give and take on both sides and I hope that the governor will sit down, look at the numbers, and do what will work. Mom mentioned that "you can't please everyone" and this is true, especially in this situation but I believe there are better ways to deal with it. Instead of a 14% cut across the board, take into consideration what people are taking home. A 14% cut feels differently to a secretary than someone who is a manager.
That's that for now....