Letter to Congressman Regula

Kathie Bracy to Ralph Regula, January 17, 2007

Dear Congressman Regula,

I just blogged your letter (below) to Tom Cooper, a retired teacher in your district and an active member of CORE (Concerned Ohio Retired Educators), a grassroots group of mostly retired Ohio teachers who are working diligently to reform our State Teachers Retirement System and restore it to its former status as a pension system we can justifiably be proud of. You are undoubtedly aware of the corruption that has shamefully tarnished its good name in recent years, under our trusting and unsuspecting noses. While a number of miscreants have been convicted of ethics charges, with more to come, there is much work to be done to restore our healthcare to an acceptable level. Currently, there is a new hole in the dike: possible legislation in the Ohio House to require school boards to establish alternative retirement plans for K-12 teachers and other school employees. My fear is that this would destroy our pension system and thousands of retired teachers in this state could easily end up on Ohio's welfare rolls some day.

I want to thank you for co-sponsoring H.R. 147 and to encourage you to continue to work to get this through Congress. Many retired teachers, myself included, would benefit greatly from the passage of this Act. We worked very hard for extra income to supplement our modest teacher salaries, and did not deserve to have it snatched away from us by greedy people down in Washington. Thousands of retirees need every penny they can get to survive in their so-called "Golden Years," especially with STRS having selfishly squandered millions of dollars of our "gold" for their own benefit, greatly jeopardizing our healthcare, especially now that our very pensions are on the line.

If you are interested in learning more about what a number of Ohio retired teachers (and actives) are saying these days, go to my blog; it's all there: www.kathiebracy.blogspot.com You and I did meet one time; my husband, Carl, introduced me to you and Mary. He's been gone 30 years, so it's been a while. I'm glad to see that you still serve on Mount Union's board. I've been teaching there part time since 1999. It's still a thrill to drive past that big, beautiful science building with those big, bold letters "Bracy Hall" carved in stone over the entryway. Carl would have been so pleased. Go Raiders! (Yes, I got to the Stagg Bowl last month.)

Thank you for all that you do for all of us. Please give my best to Mary.

Kathie Bracy

Columbus, OH