advertisement

State must live up to its obligation

I devoted 33 years of my professional life hopefully contributing to the preservation of our American way of life. I taught young people in public school classrooms so, as adults, they too would make a meaningful contribution to perpetuating our nation's good fortune.

While supporting a wife (stay-at-home mom) and three sons, I faithfully met my obligation paying a percentage of my salary into the Illinois Teachers' Retirement System expecting my employer, the state of Illinois, to also meet its obligation by matching my contribution.

That didn't happen. This is the exact same legal obligation employers in the private sector have in matching Social Security payments made by their employees.

If private enterprise employers do not meet this obligation, they are committing a criminal act.

It has been very, very painful over the last few days being slapped around and vilified for indiscretions I, and my fellow retired classroom teachers, did not

commit.

We simply went to work every day fully cognizant of our huge responsibility. We were teaching other peoples' kids.

Richard J. Piagari

Des Plaines