Why should we justify pensions?

Here we go again! Why are public employees in the position of continually justifying our pensions?

Bill Zettler of Mundelein in the April 25 edition of the Daily Herald is just another example of people criticizing decent pensions for teachers, firefighters and police.

What seems to be the biggest misunderstood part of this is the pension funds would be doing fine and not costing the taxpayers so much money if the state government could keep their sticky fingers out of the funds.

For years the money in public pensions has been shifted to help fund other things in the state. So to answer Mr. Zettler's last question in his editorial -- "Why do the taxpayers have to pay for better pensions for public employees than they can reasonably expect for their own retirement?" -- I would say because your elected officials stole it. It is the equivalent of someone stealing from your 401k. Unfortunately, it ends up being an example of a past due bill and passed off to the taxpayers at some point.

Teachers have no option except to contribute to this fund. They will never receive Social Security even if they have contributed to it. Is that fair?

Lynne Kaskela

Wauconda