In answer to the April letter by Salt Lake City's Steve Nelson (" Scott Walker, True Patriot?"), Scott Walker is a true patriot if you are anti-union and anti-poor. It is true we are supposed to get a tax refund next year. Maybe I will take my $41 refund and buy a meal, or 1/2 tank of gas. That is the size of refund that is coming. To get that token refund, we lost in the thousands of good union jobs. Many of the poor are being left without health insurance because of his games. He still gets all of his $142,000 salary, plus full benefits that he denied to public workers. He wants to do away with minimum wage. He wants to create a right-to-freeload law (it's time to start calling the right-to-work law what it really is). These are just some of the shenanigans. Oh, the millions in surplus — same thing that happens under every governor. Money magically shows up. He borrowed money and after next year it is looking like a larger deficit than before. Patriot? Not on your life. He is a power hungry, union-busting, career politician looking for glory. He cares nothing about this state.

Tim Coger, Local 159 member
Madison, Wis.

Kudos to Brother Steve Nelson, Local 57 member, for touching on the subject of private vs. public sector unions. In the big picture, Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin should be lauded by all citizens, union and nonunion, for keeping his promise of returning money to the taxpayers. There is a world of difference between a private union that has real competition for their jobs, and a public sector union where jobs are secure and therefore they can make greedy demands, demands that would put us out of business.

Clifford Smith, Local 99 retiree
Providence, R.I.

My husband, Brian Moore, is an electrician and member of Lafayette, Ind. Local 668. On October 28th, he was injured while working on a bus duct in a factory. He was burned over 25 percent of his body: his arms, face, chest, shoulders and both hands. He had two surgeries to graft new skin to his injured areas. He spent three weeks in burn unit, followed by five weeks at a recovery hospital and then two weeks in a rehab facility. He now goes to therapy four times a week. He is still in pain, still struggling, but slowly improving.

All this occurred right when we were thinking about Christmas for our children, who received a better Christmas this year than they would have. We have received financial donations from so many, including food, wood for heat, even snow shoveling. We want to thank all of those who have assisted our family. These donations of time and talents have allowed Brian's mind and body to begin to heal and help provide for our family during this time of recovery. I believe the poem says it best:

Brothers
Reaching
Out
To provide
Help to a brother
Electrician; allowing him to
Repair his
Health, heart and spirit from an accident
On an
October
Day!

Beth, Ben and Brandon Moore, wife and children of
Local 668 member Brian Moore
Lafayette, Ind.

I'm a third-year apprentice who has been in the electrical trade going on seven years. I think that it should be mandatory for apprentices to go to at least one union meeting a month. The "old timers" aren't always going to be around to do it for you. We need to learn how things work and how to properly get things brought up.

Zach Lambert, Local 175 member
Chattanooga, Tenn.