Public employees kept WI safe during blizzard

Like many new governors, Wisconsin's Scott Walker likes to dump on public employees. “We can no longer live in a society where the public employees are the haves and taxpayers who foot the bills are the have-nots," he said recently. He wants to take away government workers' right to form unions and bargain collectively.

Those government workers did a great job clearing the snow and helping stranded motorists during this week's blizzard, according to Dave Zweifel of The Cap Times. In his "Plain Talk" column today Zweifel wrote

Here in Madison, Al Schumacher’s snow-plowing crews worked around the clock to stay ahead of falling and blowing snow, while their counterparts in other communities and the employees with Dane County’s highway department made it possible for much of the area to function despite the terrible weather. Many worked with little sleep to make conditions as safe as possible for all area residents.

But it wasn’t just the snow plowers. Other public employees, from police officers to water department crews, braved the high winds and treacherous conditions to do their jobs. Vehicles that had slid off roads were checked for occupants by city and county law enforcement, and as a result several unlucky motorists were saved from being stranded.

Wisconsin's government workers have been subject to pay cuts and furloughs over the past two years, Zweifel notes.

Btw we're waiting for government employee Walker to announce how much of his $137,092 a year salary he plans to sacrifice.