Letters to the Editor for April 8, 2010

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Letters to the Editor for April 8, 2010

Opinions

Thursday, 08 April 2010 09:55

A slap in the face
To the editor:
A little boy and a man struck a deal. The boy agreed to mow the man’s lawn and the man agreed he would pay $20 for this service. The boy completed the task and requested payment as agreed. The man then told the boy, “You did a great job, but I am only going to pay you $10 because I changed my mind about the value of your service.”
Are you outraged on behalf of the little boy? If so, you should be really outraged at the Legislature for doing the same thing to Florida retirees. House Bill 5701 says to retirees, “We are taking away your insurance subsidy because we changed our minds about the value of the lifetime of service you performed.”
Times are tough, budget cuts have to be made, and we all have to tighten our proverbial belts. That being said, we do not have to spit in the face of integrity, break promises or rob retirees of benefits they have lawfully earned to achieve fiscal responsibility.
Retirees of FRS (Florida Retirement System) devoted their lives to public service as teachers, firefighters, law enforcement officials, support staff, court personnel and judges. Rather than earning higher salaries in the private sector, these people chose to work as government employees at a lower salary, due in part to the promise of a pension and the small insurance subsidy to help offset health insurance premiums in their golden years.
Instead of heartfelt thanks for their service and honoring our financial commitment to their retirement benefits, the Legislature is dealing retirees a strong slap in the face by taking away their insurance subsidy under House Bill 5701. It absolutely shocks the conscience that this type of legislation is even being considered.
One should also consider the following: What caliber of professionals will want to work in government service if the retirement benefits are not worth the paper upon which they are written? Moreover, why would anyone with talent and education commit to public service at a lower salary than could be earned in the private sector if the Legislature can simply change the retirement benefits after they are fully earned, and at will?
Florida already is experiencing an exodus of quality professionals who have determined that the salary and benefits are better in other states. If House Bill 5701 passes, the number of state and county professionals who leave public service for employment in other states or the private sector will increase exponentially. It is a downward spiral from which I do not believe we will recover.
The subsequent declining quality of public services will impact our quality of life in a negative way, as well as the already-suffering school and criminal justice systems. The long-term consequences may include even lower property values, a smaller and less collectable tax base and less money than ever before in the state budget. The long-term results of HB 5701 will be nothing less than catastrophic for Florida.
Common sense dictates that Florida should protect its residents, their investments and their quality of life by honoring the state’s commitment to pay the retirement benefits earned by those in public service. Integrity, honesty and fairness demand that the state of Florida stand by its promises and continue to pay retirees their earned benefits.
“In the absence of justice, what is sovereignty but organized robbery?” — Saint Augustine.
Please contact your legislators immediately to stop this injustice.
Elizabeth R. Dilts
St. Cloud