We agree with Don Ross’ July 8 letter, “Inslee is wrong about pensions,” regarding U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee’s, D-Bainbridge Island, proposal to raid the state retirement funds for job creation. Once these funds are taken, they will likely never be replaced.
As a former railroad worker, I recall that part of the railroad pension retirement, funded solely by the workers and the railroad and negotiated by the unions, was used to loan to Winston Churchill for England after World War II. I wonder if these funds and the interest they were earning were ever replaced?
There seems to be an effort to demonize public employees and make them scapegoats of the current financial crisis. This “divide and conquer strategy” diverts attention from the real culprits. When public employees are asked to sacrifice, does this ever include the politicians, governors and mayors? Do they take a cut in their retirements?
Inslee has many good ideas with which we agree and support. This is not one of them.
