What Would Happen Without Public Employees?

The Lakeland Times posted a letter to the editor this past week from Steve Lucareli, from Eagle River. I find it very strange Steve goes out of his way to scare the citizens of Eagle River if Governor Walkers budget plans go forward. I will comment in red asking some questions making some thoughts all of us might have.

2/25/2011 6:58:00 PM
A day without public employees

To the Editor:

You get out of bed at 6 a.m. and the first thing you notice is that the street in front of your house is not plowed. Instead, the 12 inches of snow that fell overnight remains undisturbed and impassible.

Steve what else is new, I have to wait till two or three in the afternoon before my road is plowed.

The snow plow drivers all quit last week after Gov. Walker took their collective bargaining rights.

Steve, if the drivers quit, there are thousands of people with plow's on their trucks to open up main roads. If I have to use my ATV to open my road, I'd be glad to do it. Hey buddy, if the plow drivers quit last week, I and thousands would today be driving those trucks because we would have been hired at a third of the cost to your high paid salary and benefits. Steve as of today the roads would be plowed and cleared and your buddies that quit would today be out of a job. 

You go to fill the coffee pot, but no water comes out of the tap. It seems that the water main that services your house broke overnight from the subzero temperatures that finally drove the frost far enough down to cause a heave and a fracture. Not only can you not fill the coffee pot, but the hot shower you looked forward to is now out of the question.

Nobody from the water department responds because they have all quit because Gov. Walker took their collective bargaining rights.

Steve we are now into March and chances of water mains breaking would only come from a former water department worker sabotaging the water system. Is that what your members will do, Possible contamination of drinking water? Steve, will your brothers really do that?

While you are looking out your front window at the intersection just in front of your house, two cars careening through the snow crash in the middle of the intersection. A man gets out of one of the cars, and you can see blood pouring from a gash in his forehead as he staggers in the deep snow. A half hour later, no police have responded to investigate the crash, or to radio for help for anybody who was injured.

Steve, your scenario could happen today, I'm sure there are a lot of people that would help get the injured person to the hospital. What did people do a hundred years ago when there was only a saw bone doctor every 30 or 40 miles. 


Steve, so your saying all police quit their jobs? Really? 

The police are no longer on the job because they walked out in solidarity with the other workers who lost their collective bargaining rights after Gov. Walker took them.

So we have no police, Steve let me remind you that during the Wisconsin 9 day deer gun hunt, there are over 650,000 guns in the woods.Something like the third largest army in the world each November in Wisconsin. We have our 2nd amendment rights, people's right to bear arms. If police quit their jobs, we will be in anarchy, and everyone will be protecting their own belongings and property. It will not get to that point because the National Guard will be called in to keep the peace. Did I forget  to tell you a lot of people will now have more guns and ammo in their homes? 

A half an hour later, your children are up for school, but there will be no school today.

There are no public school teachers as of today, because Gov. Walker has disbanded the unions.

Steve, school may be closed today, tomorrow or next week but within 10 days we will have our schools back up and running. There are thousands of young teachers without jobs right now. I know there are parents who would volunteer to help teach, make meals, monitor the hallways.With in a week, schools will be teaching again and your comrade teachers will be home without a job. I also will say there are a lot of good teachers who would not walk off their jobs because there are a lot of good teachers who do care for their students and not for the leaders of their unions. 

Along with the teachers, the custodians are gone, too, and the heating system at the school has shut down for some reason. The building's temperature is rapidly falling, and in a short while, it will be freezing inside and pipes will begin to burst, ruining the $30 million school that was built a few years ago.

Steve, Steve Steve, Are you saying custodians would, can I say again, sabotage the heating system? What did you mean by "some reason", humm?  As far as custodians, I know a lot of people unemployed who would also sweep the floors at school for $8 - $10 and hour.

With the schools closing, the privately run bus company has also shut down. There is no need to bus students to a school that is not open, and has no students or teachers. The bus drivers are all told that they have been let go because there is no need for them.

No Steve, within a short number of days the bus drivers will be taking our children to school. Schools will be open and our children will finally get an education that tax payers pay for. Nice try buddy.

The food service truck driver gets a call. No delivery to the school, or any school for that matter, because without students, there is no need for food in the school cafeteria. By the end of the week, the truck driver will be let go, and the food service company will file for bankruptcy because the school was their main account.

Moot point again, within a few days all schools will be open and the radical union teachers will be at home out of work. How long will those teachers protest in front of their schools. My school back in the late 60's or early 70's went on strike. They came back after one week. Also, what would students think, seeing their teachers walking the picket line? 


At 10 a.m., you are looking across the street at the house where an elderly widow lives, and you see a man breaking in a window. You try to call the sheriff, but nobody answers the phone at the dispatch. All of the dispatchers, deputies and detectives have quit their jobs in solidarity with the other public employees.

Steve, you forgot the guy next door, he will use his Smith & Wesson 357 to protect the widow. On second thought, I bet the elderly lady has a Saturday night special and will drop the guy in the front door. Again, the National Guard will be out but people will protect themselves and their neighbours if they have to. 

They realize that once the unions are broken by Gov. Walker, it is only a matter of time until Gov. Walker comes after their union. They know that is a hallmark of union busting, divide and conquer. Then you realize that the man you see breaking in was an inmate in the jail who walked out this morning after the jailers walked off the job.

Steve, why don't the the police and fire fighters unions come to the table today and discuss with Walker what they can do to help Wisconsin get out of this budget mess? Their leaders will not negotiate. To the inmate, meet my elderly widow next door, I didn't know she had a Crimson Trace on that gun. 

You leave your house and walk down to the courthouse a few blocks away. Along the way, a tree rocking in the wind blows down and falls into a power line. The wire from the power line sparks a fire on the house adjacent to the line and the house begins to burn.

This happens every day in the world, If fire fighters walk off the job, one, we will have the National Guard and two, a lot of fire departments are volunteer. We will get by. If radical members think of starting houses on fire, well, let's not go there. 

There are no sirens.

All of the firefighters walked off the job in solidarity with the other public employees whose unions Gov. Walker disbanded. In a short time, the house will burn to the ground and the family that lived there will not only be homeless, but will lose all of their worldly possessions.

Steve, if they walk off their jobs, it is an illegal strike. Illegal for which they can be fired.Will all fire fighters just stand their and watch someone die in a burning house? Some might, but not all.People will help the 


When you get to the courthouse, it is dark because no custodians came to work to turn on the lights. Although all of the elected officials are in their offices, nothing is getting done because there is no support staff.

They all quit after Gov. Walker took their collective bargaining rights.

Steve, did you forget there are unemployed people who would jump at a job at the courthouse sweeping floors or working in the courthouse. The only reason the lights would be off is if someone cut the wires. Now who would be that low to destroy government property? Maybe it time we shut government down and only be open one or two days a week or month. 


You are amazed at the offices that will be closed without support staff which include the clerk of courts office, the register of deeds, social services, child support, the treasurer, county clerk, public nurse, extension office, district attorney's office, juvenile intake office, corporation counsel, etc.

How many times must I say, these jobs will be replaced by non union workers, working for far less money and or benefits. 

The impact of all of these offices closing hits the city like a wave. In a short time, realty offices and title companies will close, along with attorneys and accountants. No mortgages will be written or loans made to buy cars. Concerned about an economic collapse, there will be a run on the banks as people try to withdraw their savings and the banks will close in response.

No Steve, private business will still be running and probably  solve a lot of big governments problems the unions gave us. Life will go on unless someone tries to obstruct services in a temper tantrum. 

As you watch and read about the events that are unfolding in Madison this week, think about how all of the dedicated public employees who go to work each week touch all of our lives.

Can we really risk a world without them?

How right you are Steve. As most people in Wisconsin watch teachers calling in sick, doctors writing fake excuses. Out of state union members coming to Madison to protest and people putting doughnuts and cups of coffee on the Wisconsin State Constitution  in one of the most beautiful state houses in the country. Steve your right when we see protesters deface and mutilate the Veterans memorial in the Capitol, we are so proud. 

Can the people of Wisconsin risk the world without unions in Wisconsin? Can I answer for the 80 to 90 % of the people of Wisconsin? 


Yes we can and 


yes we will. 


Don't let the door hit you when you leave.

Tell King Scott the public employees are not his servants, they work to serve you. Tell King Scott that his plan will be a disaster for all of us.

Tell King Scott that Wisconsin is not his kingdom, it belongs to all of us.

Steve Lucareli

Eagle River

Scott Walker is no king, he is our governor that was elected last November. The people of Wisconsin elected him and a majority of republicans to fix the deficit and fix the problems Jim Doyle and the democrats gave us the last four years. And yes, Doyle and the democrats served the union leaders like a millionaires butler and maid.What ever union leaders demanded, they gave to them. 


Steve, the only kings in Wisconsin are the union leaders. Union leadership is looking for their members to serve them without question. Union leadership is looking for democrats to serve them hand and foot. Union leaders are afraid that if members have to send in their monthly dues by themselves, most will not. Union leaders are afraid to lose membership, lose their stranglehold on state and local government leaders. Union leadership is running scared and that is what we are seeing in Madison today.


Yes Steve Wisconsin belongs to us. That includes you. The people of Wisconsin will not be bullied, threatened or pushed around. Your party lost last November. Collective bargaining is not a right. It was a privilege given to unions in the past. Because of the greed of union leadership, they took it too far , too far against the people who pay them. The taxpayers of Wisconsin.