Doing the Right Thing

i think i've posted before about the possibility of N getting laid off this fall. if i haven't, well, it's a possibility.

michigan's economy is seriously in the toilet. i know it's tough everywhere, but our unemployment is over 14% (by far the highest in the nation) & with the death of the american car co.s & pending plant shut downs, its only going to get worse. lots worse. 100 troops (state police) are getting laid off at the end of the week. (did i mention the governor is also closing down 9 state prisons? great idea, right? release felons & cut back on law enforcement... sounds safe.) if no money materializes soon, 200 more troops, including N, will be laid off come october. what about the stimulus money you say? well, there is some doubt as to whether the state filed things properly to get the money in the first place, & there are rumours that the governor is threatening to deduct the amount of the law enforcement stimulus from the state's budget for the police (effectively taking the law enforcement stimulus & putting it to a completely different use.) who knows if any of this is true, but things are looking bad regardless.

on to the point of my post-- this week, the state police union sent out a private ballot to all of its members, asking them to give up 40 hrs of pay to keep the 100 troops who are getting laid off this week working until october (when they WILL be laid off, potentially along with the additional 200). it may not sound like much at first blush, but its around $500 a month, which for a blue collar or single income family (like ours & most trooper families) really adds up. so that leaves us with a dilemma-- is it better to selfishly look to the needs of your own family first? or to think of the families, many of whom are your dear friends, who will shortly have no income & no benefits if you don't give up the pay? on a larger scale, will the state police as a whole look selfish if they refuse to work without pay to keep their comrades working, thus harming their chances to get state reps on their side? (i find this a questionable argument, since last year the state police bailed out the state government & drained its own stash of money, which the state will not repay, to prevent layoffs then, but it is something to consider.) since layoffs are definitely coming in october for the 1st 100 troops, & likely for an additional 200, does it even matter which way you vote?

N has made his decision & i support him fully, (i will not be revealing which way we went-- i don't want to sway your opinions), but it was a choice we struggled with. the sh*tty economic situation here is forcing some tough moral choices, & i'm wondering what you all would do... what do you think? when times get tough, is it every man for himself, or does success depend on our determination to stand together?