Freshman Legislator Jim Steineke Calls for a "New Era of Shared Sacrifice".

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Link to December 5 Appleton Post-Crescent op-ed piece, "We'll all have to sacrifice to strengthen state".

Excerpt:   Unfortunately for all of us, we're in such a period of our history. What we need is a new era of shared sacrifice. A new era of understanding that, if we're ever to recover, we must understand that our government cannot be all things to all people.

We must be willing to come to the conclusion that we cannot raise taxes to cover the excesses of our government. We need to realize that, as nice as some programs may be, as good as some services are, they aren't critical to the core functions of government and are unaffordable during this fiscal crisis.

This next legislative session won't be easy. We won't be afforded the luxury of starting new programs to help handfuls of people. In fact, we will likely have to eliminate some programs and services to which some have become accustomed.

There will be pain. Some people will fall through the cracks. You will hear stories that pull at your heartstrings. It's inevitable.

Related post:
Meet Jim Steineke, Freshman Republican Legislator from Wisconsin's 5th Assembly District.