Retirement security is not something to gamble with. It is an issue that affects all Americans. Everyone must be able to retire with dignity and that should be protected and expanded, not reduced or eliminated.
The Review-Journal’s March 30 editorial, “Time is ripe for pension reform,” blames hard-working teachers, firefighters and nurses when in reality the problem is with elected officials who have failed to uphold their end of the deal. This is what happened in Chicago and in Illinois. While workers pay their portion of pension payments, lawmakers have shirked their responsibilities. When states and cities skip their payments – the equivalent of an individual consumer skipping credit card or mortgage payments –they go into debt.
And, to set the record straight, Assembly Bill 190 at the 2015 Legislature – which the editorial praised as positive reform – was dangerous, costly and unneeded legislation. The bill died because it was fiscal suicide for the state of Nevada. It would have cost taxpayers millions. No matter what the claims were about AB190, it would have effectively dismantled the Public Employees Retirement System, causing retirement insecurity and a massive public debt.
It’s time to stop making excuses and start creating a retirement system that works for everyone. It’s time to stop advocating for changes that rob current and retired workers of their hard-earned benefits.
Bailey Childers
Washington, D.C.
The writer is executive director of the National Public Pension Coalition.