Editorial: No cushy retirement

Published in the Louisville Courier Journal Dec. 27, 2007

I take exception to your Dec. 20 editorial "Whiffing at a crisis."

The "Alice in Wonderland pension system" you wrote of is not very wonderful to me. I worked for the city of Louisville for 15 years as a paramedic and contributed over $30,000 to the state retirement system. When combined with my employer's contribution, the total payment, which began in 1980 and ended in 1995, probably totals about $100,000 and has been sitting there growing larger. I'm eligible for full retirement now, and if I retired I could expect to receive a little less than $5,000 a year (and maybe get three-quarters of my health insurance paid for). That will about cover my property taxes and water bill.

You wrote we must "stop allowing public employees to retire with full benefits after working as few as 20 years." Full benefits end up being about half of your working salary. And just what is the city supposed to do with 68-year-old police officers, firefighters and EMS workers, even if they did age gracefully, while they are waiting to retire?

You wrote that future employees are a "group that doesn't even exist," so there is "no one to upset." I know plenty of emergency services directors across the state who are very upset as they face the prospect of recruiting for a low-paying and very dangerous job without the attraction the pension system currently offers.

I agree that Kentucky's retirement system is in a crisis. A fix is very challenging but must be done. But painting a picture of a cushy, exorbitant benefit is not accurate, and encouraging a fix that undermines recruitment for emergency services isn't doing anyone any favors.

JOHN HULTGREN
Louisville 40206

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