The letter “Why punish workers for state budget woes?” seems to indicate that Maryland state employees are the only people on the face of the planet being asked to sacrifice through tough economic times. Many citizens of Maryland, contrary to the letter writer’s insinuation, are already making sacrifices, and there’s nothing wrong with asking state workers to do the same. I would remind, or inform, the letter writer that at this point many folks have been laid off, had their hours cut back, and /or had their bonuses eliminated or reduced through no fault of their own. I suspect that a large number of Maryland's residents would welcome a one-week furlough, if they could then keep their job. Does the letter writer feel as though his state job should be the only job not affected by the economy? Is he entitled to some type of job immunity that the rest of us aren’t entitled to? I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing that from time to time state and federal workers get a taste of the real world. In the real world, there are layoffs, and furloughs, and times at which bonuses and raises aren’t what we’d like them to be. It seldom has anything to do with the work performance of the individual employee. One final note: the letter writer resides in Pennsylvania. In these tough economic times, wouldn’t it be wise to give our precious state jobs to Maryland state residents? Many private sector employees would kill for the health benefits, pensions, flexibility and pay afforded to Maryland state employees. The furloughs are the right thing to do. For once, O'Malley got it right.