Dear Sen. Olsen,

Senator Olsen,

  I attended the rally protesting the Governor's Budget repair Bill.  I wish you had attended the rally and heard what the people you represent had to say.

I saw on one sign a teaching contract that
had your signature on it.  I was thinking that I could go into my files and find a similar contract.  I remember when
you were a school board member and you moved to state government.  I worked with *********** at the time and
I know you worked with us on issues relating to education and reading.  You were a friend to education.
Please consider what will happen if we do not have collective bargaining.  Professionals who know about education bargain
for more than money.  Our public education is one of the best in the United States.  Would you have us go backward to
be like states who do not have bargaining and are ranked in the bottom 40 as far as education goes?

Here is one scenario that may illustrate to you how this is effecting middle class people.  My sister in law has a college degree, so
she is qualified, and she works as a paraprofessional in a media center in a Public High School. Right now her yearly salary in pay is $16,000. Isn't
that below the poverty level.  What keeps her working in our schools is the benefits which she will now take 40% of that poverty salary. How can she continue to
work in that job?  She was really working for the benefits.

Here is something else that my husband heard today from one of his customers.  The man's wife is an non-union administrator of nurses at a state facility.  She is very upset because
all her nurses have told her that they will be leaving within the next three months. There is a nursing shortage and they have stayed in their positions even though their pay is lower than the private sector because of benefits.

The unions have said they will agree to the money concessions to keep bargaining rights.  Doesn't that tell you something about how important it is for the working class
to have a voice in their employment.  If they have a voice they will work harder and be more productive.  Maybe we could look at what happened in communist countries
were everyone got the same thing and their wasn't any way to give a voice to change working conditions or wages.  Those workers became complacent, those workers
didn't care about the product the produced, those workers had no pride.

Personally this bill effects me only because I will now retire this year instead of waiting a couple more years.  My expertise and knowledge will, I believe, be wasted.  I have taught many
children to read and worked with many teachers to improve.  It saddens me to see what is happening to our Great State.  You own a business, it isn't a huge business, not like
the Koch brother's businesses.  Perhaps they will buy up your business as they sweep in and take control of our state.  Get a good price and maybe ask for silver.

Please be a man of integrity and a hero for the middle class and negotiate this bill.
I voted for all Republicans this last election and I guess the joke is on me just like it is on the rest of Wisconsin, I expected representatives
that would sit down and work together to solve difficult problems.  I wasn't expecting sneaky politics and introducing a "bomb" on the middle class.

Again please be a hero for the middle class.

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And a second one: Dear Senator Olsen,

   I wrote to you earlier this week.  I attend the protest in Madison on Saturday. I was proud of our Wisconsinites.  It is amazing how polite and civil 120,000
people can be when so worried about their state.

I want to urge you to go through this repair bill and amend it?  Did you just trust Walker to do the right thing?  I also was sucked in by him but I won't be voting
for him again and I will sign a petition to recall him.  His methods are undemocratic.

Please go through this bill and amend it or Kill it entirely.  Have you read the Oshkosh Daily Northwestern Editorial today?  This will wreck havoc in our area.  Already
school districts have non-renewed all their teachers.  You know that is different from being laid off.  It would mean veteran teachers may be out of work and that the pay
bases could plummet.  This may be much more than the money concessions in the bill for many people.

Please follow Dean Kaufert and Dick Spanbauer and break away from Walker.  Following him may bring in campaign money but it will be suicide for republicans in
Wisconsin.