Protecting the middle class would mean crisp financial stewardship of state government, not piling government debt onto the backs of taxpayers and their children. Protecting the middle class would mean tight oversight of pension funds, not making funding promises that would be broken. Protecting the middle class would mean lowering the overall tax burden, not ratcheting up spending that skyrockets property taxes for the thousands of union members who own homes. Protecting the middle class would mean adopting workers' compensation, tort reform, tax and other policies that encourage economic growth. Job growth.