Duane Tron: Mr. Brandt, get a life!
10/19/05
Dear Mr. Brandt and OSBA,
Mr. Brandt and the Ohio School Board's Association don't know what they're talking about. My daughter pays 18% of her income into her government pension fund and the government pays 18% into the fund. This factors out to 36% a year and we're paying 24% in. That's because my daughter's pension fund is solvent and will probably remain solvent when she retires in 19 years. My daughter's fund receives 12% more than we're paying and STRS is only seeking an increase of 2.5% over the next several years?? What is the issue?? We have to pay for OUR system because no one else is going to pay for our retirement. Mr. Brandt doesn't fully understand our circumstances and the dire forecasts down the road. Like everyone else he along with a lot of other people just can't seem to understand that people need to plan for the future and not just live in the present. It's just like OEA being in denial for all of these years and look at the problems retirees are having to face as a result of the "everything is all right now so not to worry or plan ahead mentality" that got us into the mess we find ourselves. What was that commercial that used to say, "you can pay us now or pay us later?!" Actives and OSBA need to understand that later has arrived and due to pitiful planning by them and OEA we find ourselves in a retirement mess! Mr. Brandt doesn't have a clue what's going on or what he's talking about!
Please convey to Mr. Brandt that OUR wonderful STRS retirement cost my wife and I a meager 39.43% of my gross retirement check last year. Ask him, and actives, if they would like to have to pay 39.43% of their annual checks for health insurance, co-pays, deductibles and prescription costs?!? And he wants to squeal about a possible 2.5 % increase for school boards and actives??!! Mr. Brandt, GET A LIFE! Those of us who gave 30+ years to educating the children of Ohio are being asked to make major sacrifices and suck it up now that we're retired. This was dumped on us AFTER we retired and we had NO support from OSBA, OEA or anyone else when we were slammed! Pay it now or it isn't going to be there for actives later! The bottom line!
Duane Tron
We didn't fire the first shot
From Duane E Tron
10/19/05
Please note! We didn't fire the first shot heard around the state in all of this. We are fighting for our survival in our "Golden Years." We did plan for our retirement! We did plan wisely and prudently! We were promised affordable and quality health insurance and that turned out to be a lie. One of a long stream of half truths and outright lies that we have been compelled to deal with. They did take the spousal subsidy and slammed us with outrageous costs that are eroding our ability to pay our bills and which have compelled many of us to return to work. Thus, the statewide controversy over rehires, etc. has become a distraction.
None of us condone the funding fiasco facing Ohio schools. We have all fought most of our active careers, and in retirement, to compel the Ohio General Assembly to fix the way schools are funded in Ohio. Most of us retirees are among the many who supported the Ohio Coalition of Schools in the battle against the way Ohio funds education. Then we get slammed by OSBA who think we are all well off and just cruising in retirement. Where was OSBA when STRS was destroying our HC component? AWOL! Now they want to argue that a 2.5% increase over the next several years is outrageous and unnecessary!
Next OSBA will argue that affordable and quality health insurance for ALL retirees, present and future, is unnecessary and an extravagant perk!
OSBA has basically indicated that they don't give a you know what about Ohio's ((CURRENT AND FUTURE)) retired educators. They've jumped in line with the Governor, AG, Auditor, OEA and others who feel that once they have used us, they can now abuse us, ignore us, and lose us! Wrong! Very wrong!
Duane Tron
Dear Mr. Brandt and OSBA,
Mr. Brandt and the Ohio School Board's Association don't know what they're talking about. My daughter pays 18% of her income into her government pension fund and the government pays 18% into the fund. This factors out to 36% a year and we're paying 24% in. That's because my daughter's pension fund is solvent and will probably remain solvent when she retires in 19 years. My daughter's fund receives 12% more than we're paying and STRS is only seeking an increase of 2.5% over the next several years?? What is the issue?? We have to pay for OUR system because no one else is going to pay for our retirement. Mr. Brandt doesn't fully understand our circumstances and the dire forecasts down the road. Like everyone else he along with a lot of other people just can't seem to understand that people need to plan for the future and not just live in the present. It's just like OEA being in denial for all of these years and look at the problems retirees are having to face as a result of the "everything is all right now so not to worry or plan ahead mentality" that got us into the mess we find ourselves. What was that commercial that used to say, "you can pay us now or pay us later?!" Actives and OSBA need to understand that later has arrived and due to pitiful planning by them and OEA we find ourselves in a retirement mess! Mr. Brandt doesn't have a clue what's going on or what he's talking about!
Please convey to Mr. Brandt that OUR wonderful STRS retirement cost my wife and I a meager 39.43% of my gross retirement check last year. Ask him, and actives, if they would like to have to pay 39.43% of their annual checks for health insurance, co-pays, deductibles and prescription costs?!? And he wants to squeal about a possible 2.5 % increase for school boards and actives??!! Mr. Brandt, GET A LIFE! Those of us who gave 30+ years to educating the children of Ohio are being asked to make major sacrifices and suck it up now that we're retired. This was dumped on us AFTER we retired and we had NO support from OSBA, OEA or anyone else when we were slammed! Pay it now or it isn't going to be there for actives later! The bottom line!
Duane Tron
We didn't fire the first shot
From Duane E Tron
10/19/05
Please note! We didn't fire the first shot heard around the state in all of this. We are fighting for our survival in our "Golden Years." We did plan for our retirement! We did plan wisely and prudently! We were promised affordable and quality health insurance and that turned out to be a lie. One of a long stream of half truths and outright lies that we have been compelled to deal with. They did take the spousal subsidy and slammed us with outrageous costs that are eroding our ability to pay our bills and which have compelled many of us to return to work. Thus, the statewide controversy over rehires, etc. has become a distraction.
None of us condone the funding fiasco facing Ohio schools. We have all fought most of our active careers, and in retirement, to compel the Ohio General Assembly to fix the way schools are funded in Ohio. Most of us retirees are among the many who supported the Ohio Coalition of Schools in the battle against the way Ohio funds education. Then we get slammed by OSBA who think we are all well off and just cruising in retirement. Where was OSBA when STRS was destroying our HC component? AWOL! Now they want to argue that a 2.5% increase over the next several years is outrageous and unnecessary!
Next OSBA will argue that affordable and quality health insurance for ALL retirees, present and future, is unnecessary and an extravagant perk!
OSBA has basically indicated that they don't give a you know what about Ohio's ((CURRENT AND FUTURE)) retired educators. They've jumped in line with the Governor, AG, Auditor, OEA and others who feel that once they have used us, they can now abuse us, ignore us, and lose us! Wrong! Very wrong!
Duane Tron
posted by Kathie Bracy at 9:24 AM
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