Kids’ future at stake over pension woes

• Article

I attended the pension forum at Harper College, and it was enlightening. The pension system has to be reformed or there will be no future for pensions. They say it is in the Illinois Constitution to preserve the pensions. There should be a forum on government procedures, especially the part about amending the constitution. If there is no money then there is no pension funding.

Teachers are taking the brunt of the criticism. Well, school programs that the taxpayers paid for are now being cut in order to pay into the fund. Good teachers are being laid off because they need to cut budgets to use the money for pensions.

I am not against the unions, only against people who want to raise taxes to cover pensions or bankrupt the state of Illinois. Yes, the state has not been fully funding the pension funds. But how much do the union members contribute to our Social Security plan? Zero. And the members of the teachers union say nothing when their upper management gets over 5 percent increases for the last five years to boost their retirement payout.

Do not forget the children. In the future there will no teaching the students because the budget money has to be diverted to the pensions.

Edd Jarina

Rolling Meadows