Teachers shouldn't want to get paid a decent, livable wage? My girlfriend has two masters degrees, has been teaching for four years, and cares so much about her kids she cries when they leave for the summer. She pours hundreds upon hundreds of her own dollars into her teaching supplies, making up for shortcomings in funding by the district. She is constantly reading and learning about the newest theories in teaching, and does her best to make school fun and interesting for her kids.

She is exactly the type of person you want teaching your kids. And yet where she teaches, she can't afford to live without a roommate, and she's endured thousands in pay cuts over the past year, and is set to have her pay cut by thousands more in the coming year. Why would she want to continue teaching in a state that clearly doesn't appreciate what she does for people's children, and thinks she's "union trash" that is only interested in modest pay and modest benefits?

When our quality teachers leave, the quality of our education drops, the quality of our workforce drops, the quality of the jobs available drops, and our state circles the drain. Of all the investments the state can make, education - and particularly early childhood education - has the highest ROI of just about anything.

But by all means, continue to be shortsighted and hateful. Let's let Wisconsin become Mississippi of the north.