In Wisconsin, as in most other states, a new governor is proposing spending cuts to balance the budget. And in Wisconsin, as in most other states, some people are upset about the plan to bring down spending.

This week, public employees have staged angry demonstrations in Madison, the state capital, to protest Gov. Scott Walker’s plan for spending cuts and other reforms.

Like governors in the 43 other states running in the red, Walker, a Republican, is proposing some unpopular changes. And like other governors, both Republicans and Democrats, Walker says public workers should be on a par with workers in the private sector when it comes to contributing toward their health care coverage and pensions. No more two-tiered system where public employees enjoy generous fringe benefits without reasonable contributions to help cover costs.

Like New Jersey’s Gov. Chris Christie, who had led the way in cutting state spending and taking on public employee unions, Walker has a blunt message about state finances — “We’re broke.” It’s the same in many other states, including Pennsylvania, where government spending exceeds tax revenues by billions of dollars.

Walker wants his state’s public employees to pay at least 12.6 percent of their health care premiums. Today, most of those workers contribute only about 6 percent. (In the private sector, employees often cover 20 percent, or more, of their health care costs.) Walker also wants state employees to contribute 5.8 percent of their pay toward their pensions. Today, most of those workers contribute far less.

So, Walker’s proposal looks reasonable to everyone except those who have enjoyed years of generous taxpayer-funded benefits — while remaining insulated from the realities of rising health care costs.

Wisconsin’s state capitol has been crowded with thousands of public employees protesting and expressing outrage over Walker’s proposals, including new limits on collective bargaining for some public employees. But beyond the halls of the Legislature, the attitude is probably very different.

Walker’s proposal for significant changes to the collective bargaining rights of certain public employees deserves further debate. But Democratic lawmakers’ decision to flee the state Thursday to stop Walker’s plan from being voted on is wrong.

Public employees are not helping their cause by orchestrating angry demonstrations over proposed changes that most people — at least those outside government — see as reasonable. No doubt causing further erosion of public support, 40 percent of Madison’s public school teachers called off sick, forcing many schools to cancel classes for several days.

In exchange for the additional contributions for health care and pensions, Walker has offered to cancel plans to lay off thousands of state workers. A plan for public employees to contribute more for their benefits in exchange for saving co-workers’ jobs sounds fair.

Other changes pushed by Walker would prohibit Wisconsin’s public employee unions from requesting wage increases that exceed the Consumer Price Index, unless OK’d by public referendum. Another sensible proposal, yet unions tried to stop the measure from being voted on, and also surrounded Walker’s home, forcing police to block the street.

Public employee unions hope this week’s demonstrations will build support for their cause. Their over-the-top behavior is more likely to do the opposite.

It’s estimated that the additional contributions for health care and pensions would effectively reduce take-home pay for Wisconsin’s state employees by about 7 percent. In recent years, millions of private-sector workers have taken bigger hits. For too long, public sector workers have been immune to the economic realities that others face. That must change, and Wisconsin should join New Jersey, California, New York and other states in cutting spending and requiring public sector workers to accept reasonable reforms.