I'd like to compare health benefits packages with you or any employee within the private sector and see if this is really true. I doubt it, however. For example, the amount of my compensated care for hospital stays longer than 30-days has decreased over the years. My insurance policy no longer covers vision care directly; it's now an additional $24.95 per month for coverage that's not incorporated into my main healthcare provider coverage, yet my premium remained the same. I don't get overtime and my travel reinbursements (whenever I do travel which was seldom to begin with) has been drastically reduced. So, from someone who's seeing this cuts at the state level first hand knowing how much I get paid, I fail to see how my salary and benefits eclipse those of the private sector. Believe me when I say I'm living paycheck to paycheck just like very body else.
Using your logic, I can tell you to stop your bitching concerning Pres. Obama. But...
Fact is, yourself and just about every other Conservative out there hate Unions whether public or private. I'll give you that many unions have become more like lobbyist, but that doesn't mean that all unions are bad for business or the people they represent. Some have done good work to ensure fairness in pay, employment opportunities and health and safety standards for those they represent. If the issue is perceived "over-reach", might I suggest you and others who share your perspective address those issues accordingly with the unions and their counterparts. But attempting to silence them and/or destroy them while proclaiming to "get your financial house in order" just doesn't seem to be of the proper accord. Governors should be able to work on their budget problems while also pulling back some of the perceived "over-reach" they believe unions have without destroying them and, effectively, removing any voice state employees have. Doing so would, in effect, create state-sponsored dictatorships. That's wrong no matter how yourself and others try to defend it!!