It's misleading for anyone to use the pension loophole exploited by Bobbie Steele as a springboard to attack public employee retirement benefits in general.

That loophole was designed by and for elected officials.

The average public servant can't access it.

Our state's hardworking teachers, police officers, nurses, child-protection workers and others have kept their end of the bargain in every sense.

They have faithfully served our communities, and they have made their scheduled contributions to the pension system with every single paycheck.

Illinois public employees deserve the pension benefits they have earned.

At just $1,426 a month for the average retired state worker, those benefits are modest, and if the state would fund its obligations, those benefits are also affordable.

Trouble is, the state for years has shorted its pension systems, resulting in its now huge unfunded liability. Comptroller Dan Hynes has rightly noted the urgency of beginning to pay down that debt now-before doing so forces the state to cut health care, education and other essential public services.

A defined-contribution system is not the answer. Recently Nebraska ended its experiment with such a plan because it failed to deliver adequate benefits for the state's retirees while actually costing more than a defined-benefit plan in the long run.

Teachers, police officers and other public servants have earned the dignity in retirement that their promised pension benefits afford. It's time for Illinois to deliver on that promise.

Shawn J. Brown

Director

Illinois Retirement Security Initiative

Chicago

Mike and Pater should learn a little more about the topic before they shoot off their big mouths.

Teachers pay 10%, that's right 10% of their salaries toward their so-called "defined benefit" plan. They were also made promises. Promises that must be kept, just as they are kept in the private sector through the Pension Benefit Guarantee Company.

As a former private sector employee I know Social Security only costs about 7.5% for a comparable benefit.

As for Mike, "the hell with you." Get an education and maybe you can earn a decent retirement, and by the way, our public schools are getting better not worse.

I wonder how valuable you are to your organization?

And for Pater, pensions are only risky because dishonest corporate executives and politicians underfund and do not keep their promises. If the actuaries advice was followed and accounting was kept honest their would not be any pension issues. Liars and cheats are the problem, not honest, hardworking public and corporate workers.

To all of you out there who complain that teachers & others who get state pensions, I agree with you that the state should dump my pension. I spent 36 years as a high school teacher. I was paid from tax dollars, which is not fair. I contributed to my pension, but that is not important. Perhaps you were taught by a public school teacher along the way. They should have done it for free. Think of all the money which could be saved by dumping the state pensions. I will go to work @ Walmart as a greeter, I guess. I sincerely apologize to the citizens of Illinois for taking their tax money for my salary for 36 years. I sincerely apologize for accepting my pension since my retirement. I do not deserve my pension. I'm very sorry for accepting any remuneration for my 36 years of teaching students in Illinois. I hope you will accept my apology in the spirit it is given.

Mike's comment "So what you are saying is that state and municipal employees along with teachers who have delivered failing schools..."

Teachers are only delivering what their bosses tell them! Its the corrupt government that is delivering the failing schools. And Illinois has one of the worst in the country! So thanks Cook County in keeping the failure!

Sorry for going off subject.

Poor Mike, you have made your choices and now want to cry about them. I am a public sector computer geek and for years saw my peers bail out to the private sector for salaries as much as 40% higher than mine. Many told me I was nuts to stay for less money. Now they scream about their lousy pensions. You made your choices so stop crying about them. You could have opted for public service but didn't, your choice....

People who would deny public servants their pensions obviously don't realize all the benefits they receive from our labor. They focus on one bad experience they had with the proverbial "little old lady in tennis shoes" behind the counter at the DMV while forgetting that public servants also provide police and fire protection, medical services, mail delivery, etc. Who do you think plows your roads? Fixes your broken sewers? Processes your tax return so you can get your refund check?

As for bureaucracies, the arrogance comes from the elected and appointed leadership -- the Donald Rumsfelds of the work -- and not the average worker down in the trenches. The vast majority of us come to work every day just wanting to do our jobs and take pride in our work.

Public servants shouldn't get pensions because workers in the private sector don't?? Do workers in the private sector pay into a pension system? Public servants do!! Its not as if we are getting these pensions for free. Most retirees (both state and federal civil servants) have had pension deductions taken out of their paychecks for over 30 years by the time they hit retirement. For us feds, we get zapped for both pension and social security deductions, and are also expected to fund our 401Ks if we want to be comfortable in retirement. Its really no different than paying insurance premiums. If I faithfully pay my premiums should I be denied my payout at the end because my neighbor cries "no fair" even though he didn't pay any premiums??

We all make decisions and live with the consequences. I chose federal civil service even though in my profession I could make a lot more money in the private sector because I wanted stable hours and guaranteed retirement benefits at the end of my career. People who decided to pursue a career in the private sector and are unhappy with the lack of retirement benefits may have a legitimate complaint, but its not with us civil servants.

Mike,
My mother is a teacher in Illinois. She works hard every day to provide the best education that the taxpayers will give to their children (since the taxpayers decide how much of their taxes will go to the schools). Since she is a state employee, she pays into the Teachers Retirement System. She has not paid into Social Security for her entire career. Are you saying that state employees do not deserve the money that they have had deducted from their paychecks to pay for their future, just as you have paid for Social Security to pay for you later in life?
Thanks to governors and legislatures that the state has elected, state employees that have nothing to do with the corruption are going to receive nothing when they retire. Maybe we should wipe out your 401(k) and see how you would feel.

Mike: Do you contribute to Social Security? You get a pension. Teachers and probably the rest listed are not required to contribute to Social Security and therefore cannot receive the benefits.

A lot of private sector employees have worked hard for many years and will get no pensions. Do you think they will allow their taxes to be raised to make up for the massive pension funding shortfall in order to provide government employees with benefits they could only dream about? Once a few politicians have been thrown out of office over this issue, there will be a pension-dumping effort for the public sector just like there has been for the private sector. Pensions are just too financially risky anymore, for both employer and employee.

So what you are saying is that state and municipal employees along with teachers who have delivered failing schools and arrogant beauracracies that do not serve the public interest are entitled to something people in the private sector can't get.
The hell with that. We don't get pensions niether should any of you.

Shawn Brown had it almost right in his article about public servants. He only needed to change the title to 'Public servants deserve their fair pensions'.

Blago needs to quit instituting new programs and start funding the ones that are already in place. Short changing the pension fund has been happening for years. Remember, these public servants do not pay into Social Security so for some, this may be the only money they will have in their retirement. You can bet Blago and the rest of the legislature will not be short changed when they retire.

As for George Ryan collecting his pension? There's not going to be any money for it, so why worry?