The city of Miami, Florida is declaring a state of "financial urgency," which gives city commissioners the ability to cut the salaries and pensions of government employees despite their being under union contracts. The mayor of Miami said that the only other option would be to cut 1,000 jobs or raise taxes. The president of the general services employee union said that the move will result in a mass exodus of government employees, costing the city years of experience and expertise. But considering the facts surrounding city employee salaries and benefits, the chances of them leaving because of a pay cut are highly unlikely.

While governors throughout our nation wring their hands over budget deficits, there is one fiscal adjustment that has been routinely ignored … the re-thinking of over-generous public pension plans whose unfunded liabilities present an ever-increasing stumbling block to financial stability. Yet tackling this one issue can begin the important reform work that will have a substantial impact on tomorrow’s taxpayers – our children and grandchildren.

Great stories always have a hero and a villain. In this political narrative we have two characters, corporations and unions. Can you guess the villain?

Your answer to this question may be very different depending on your political ideology, your past professional experience or the letter that appears on your voter’s ID card. Yet, upon closer examination these two characters are quite identical, the only difference is that one earns profits through the selling of goods, which creates tax dollars, and one represents 16.9 million people, half of whom are public servants and rely on taxes for their wages and health benefits.

The next time you enter a casino and hear the clink-clink-clink of the coins pouring out of a lucky slot machine, check your wallet. As a taxpayer, there’s a chance that the money used to hit that jackpot was yours. There are numerous states where welfare cards are being used in casinos and even strip clubs. The most insulting part is that there are very few programs in place to prevent this indirect siphoning of your tax dollars into the overflowing coffers of a casino or strip club, and some states have no interest in even attempting to prevent it.