Opinion

Teachers did their job, lawmakers didn’t

Posted October 26, 2011 5:00 am

Ladies and gentlemen of the General Assembly: Please do not vote to eliminate teacher pensions in Illinois. Teachers are not the bad guys. Teachers did not cause the economic stress in Illinois. Poor fiscal management did. It is always difficult to admit when “we” make mistakes. Not obeying the law (making the mandatory payments to the retirement systems) has been the mistake.

Blaming the victims (public employees of Illinois) is similar to blaming a clerk shot by a robber. Teachers did their jobs. Teachers paid their 9.5 percent into the program for 35 years. Teachers trusted the elected. The criminal act has been skipping the payments to the teacher’s retirement program. Some of the (past) Illinois chief executives have demonstrated their contempt for the law. Taking the contractual and constitutional pensions from teachers is wrong.

Alan P. Murdoch

Arlington Heights

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