To the editor:

Your paper runs too many articles on the plight of various state and local government workers — small pay raises, increased insurance costs, pension underfunding and declining job security. They even publicly protest when their employer does something mildly irritating.

I would like to say “Waaaa.” It seems about time that these unpleasant realities affect them — just like they have affected most other Kansans for a long time. They should remember that other people involuntarily pay for their salaries and pensions whether or not their “services” have any value. They are not entitled to their jobs any more than any private sector individual is entitled to his. They should also understand that for a supposedly conservative state, we have a high percentage of our population on public payrolls.

They might also reconsider trusting elected officials who promise them more than taxpayers should be obliged to deliver. Of course, our legislators must realize that they cannot be everybody’s everything, no matter how many of their votes come from people who are employed by the state.

Chip Cook,

Lawrence