We do it for the community

Hey, I just decided I’d like a higher wage for all the sacrifices I and all my brothers and sisters in arms have made for this community over the past 30 years of my service, perhaps starting with the benefits we gave up in the recent past, DURING COLLECTIVE BARGAINING, in exchange for a good pension that we knew we were working for. I know that is what I was thinking about, that my family would be taken care of, when I was wiping that blood off my face (that a suspect spit in my mouth and eyes), during those high-speed pursuits, going into those burning buildings to look for survivors, running towards men with guns, knives, bombs, hostages (you name it) when others were running away, being investigated by three different agencies for doing my job with the highest integrity, missing all kinds of family events and living in a surreal reality in which we lose track of what day of the week it is. If we no longer need to adhere to the agreements that were negotiated on our behalf, and the pension can be changed mid-stream, then I think I’d like better wages and benefits- retroactively. This recent theatre and lack of support does not reduce my community commitment one bit, and I know my brothers and sisters in blue are the same; it just makes me question some people’s definition of loyalty; I know where mine lies.