Pocket change: small amounts of money brought in to supplement a wage; not enough to be a living or a second job, but enough to help buy extras.

Second job: supplements a main job in an attempt to bring total income up into the range of a living wage.

Dear So-called Governor Walker;

When you consider job-related legislation, please keep in mind the differences between the three defined above. In order to keep citizens in Wisconsin and discourage them from moving away, people need to earn a living, not just work. It seems you’ve grown out of touch with the people who actually pay bills regularly. Maybe those speaking engagements (out of state, raising big bucks from PACs and wealthy donors) are giving you the wrong impression: the impression that anyone and everyone has bucks to spare. To tell you the truth, most of us everyday citizens are grasping tightly every cent.

So Gov. Walker, next time your entourage passes a yard sale, remember that the people there may really need the money to buy groceries. When you see a second-hand bookstore, consider that a struggling worker may have sold a stack of books to put a few gallons of gas in the car. Do you see the family cleaning closets and preparing clothing for a consignment store? They may be doing more than de-cluttering; they might be bringing in the cash to buy a workplace wardrobe for someone who hasn’t yet received a paycheck. And if that paycheck isn’t a living wage, well, can you really take credit for job creation in our state? No, I don’t think so.

My ramblings could move yet to the need for an educated workforce, but I know you don’t understand that, either. Maybe if you’d taken the time to actually graduate from college, finish that degree, you could better understand the dedication and motivation it takes to accomplish a goal. A positive goal, that is: a goal that betters the individual and all those around him.

In closing, Governor, if you really want Wisconsin to remain a great state, think outside the box — your isolated, security-protected box. Make yourself aware that the living wage is an essential part of living, and a quality education is essential to get there.

Sincerely,

Daisy