This is about looking forward. We're in dire economic straits, our funding for something as basic and fundamental s our children's educations are being threaten

This is about looking forward. We're in dire economic straits, our funding for something as basic and fundamental s our children's educations are being threatened. Public libraries are closing across the country. Research funding is reaching dreadfully low levels - especially in comparison to countries that we now find ourselves competing with. And on top of that, people are getting poorer. Even folks "protected" by traditionally pro-labour unions are being thrown under the bus to protect the pensions of its older members. The treatment of young union members by the organization that supposedly protects their rights is laughable if it weren't so damned unjust. So yes, let's look forward. We face a desperate economic situation, in which we must all make deep cuts and great sacrifices if this country is to have a competitive future. Our education system has certainly paid the price. Our arts and culture, too. Taxes are rising, but yet the greatest liability we have is still pension funding. The one quarter where no sacrifices, no compromises must be made. Toss the band program. Screw math textbooks. Fuck scientific research. The pension is holy! It must not be touched! So yes, we are looking at the future, and these people will doom it. Even if we're not playing the blame game - there is not much we can do productively to save ourselves unless pension compromise can be brought to the table. Unfunded pension liabilities are the threat to our economic existence - the over-promised benefits are really going to gut us. Even if we continued along this path of "everything must go in the name of funding pension liabilities", it's still not enough. Without cuts to pensions we're screwed no matter what.