“The simple truth is this: Folks who voted for [Scott] Walker don’t necessarily hate unions or public employees. Ordinary, compassionate people are simply tired of seeing public services cut so that government employees can receive far more generous compensation and job security than the rest of us. Raising taxes is always an option, but that just means these folks expect bigger pay increases. . . .
“There are Democrats who want a strong social safety net and a level playing field for all citizens and are dutifully paying taxes to receive those benefits, but are seeing decreasing returns because so little is left of the pie once public employee obligations are removed. Their votes weren’t bought by the Koch brothers in Wisconsin, or San Jose or San Diego.”