Pension calamity
Letters to the Editor December 24, 2012 2:54PM
The National Rifle Association executive vice president Wayne LaPierre gestures during a news conference in response to the Connecticut school shooting on Friday, Dec. 21, 2012 in Washington. The National Rifle Association broke its silence Friday on last week's shooting rampage at a Connecticut elementary school that left 26 children and staff dead. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)
Updated: January 26, 2013 6:16AM
Pension calamity
Illinois’ pension plans are estimated to be under funded by $96 billion [“Where’d the money go?” Dec. 23] When are our politicians going to recognize the calamitous reality of the situation? There is no way that such a massive shortfall can be remedied in any reasonable manner — even if our wishy-washy legislators should somehow develop the backbone to try to do so.
Lee J. Regner, Park Ridge
Stealing paid-for pensions
Everyone is pounding teachers on their automatic annual pension increase — otherwise known as a COLA — when we paid for it out of our paychecks. In order to get the increase compounded (instead of just being on the original base pension), the deal to get it passed by the Illinois General Assembly, all Chicago teachers, myself included, had to immediately increase our pension contribution by another half percent. We paid for the upgrade and were promised it would be there every year of our retirement. If it’s stolen from us now, will we be reimbursed the amount it cost us for years?
Pamelyn Massarsky,
former Chicago Teachers Union officer
NRA’s idea not crazy
Many people are laughing and poking fun at the NRA’s idea to put armed guards at our schools to protect our children. If you think that more guns are not the solution and this is a radical thought, then think again. We have armed guards at banks protecting our money. So, are children not as important? They are more important, so why do we have to think twice about putting armed guards in our schools? We don’t want thieves taking our money — we don’t want insane people harming our children. End of debate.
Cecile Bolton, Westchester
NRA sham
Kudos to Lynn Sweet on her article regarding Wayne LaPierre’s ridiculous call to arms [Dec. 22]. I cannot believe a mature, supposedly educated man would even come up with such a suggestion. But then, what can we expect from an organization that is funded by gun manufacturers? What a shame . . . or should we say sham.
Ann M. Gutierrez, Bridgeport
