State must uphold its pension promises

Dear state Rep. Joe Sosnowski,

I started teaching in Michigan in 1960, after time in the military, for a bit over the poverty level for our family of four. I was told then and at schools in Illinois that my pension would help make up for what they could not pay me for my work. This is called "delayed compensation," much like Gov.-elect Bruce Rauner collecting $34 million last year from previous work. Some of that may be from his fees from investing teacher contributions to the pension fund.

There is a bit of irony here considering he wants to decrease pensions even more. I paid into my pension in Illinois for 23 years at 9 percent. The state, even before Thomson and Edgar, failed to make full payments, and they put the money into the general fund to pay for roads and projects, not specifically education. Now they have to pay the current matching contribution plus an equal amount for interest on unpaid amounts due.

Over many years, Illinois state government has dug itself into a deep financial hole by not raising money to pay its bills. So many in the government are lawyers and businessmen who have profited from their service while putting Illinois in debt. It seems rather duplicitous that politicians and the business elite blame teachers for their failure to budget and spend responsibly.

If you retired after 40 years of investing in a 401(k) with an employer match and found that he had not co-invested as contracted, you would be facing hard times and your employer would be fined and sent to jail. Then if you were blamed for his financial hardships and asked to work longer, receive less, and pay more for your benefits, you would be outraged.

David G. Kives

Hoffman Estates