John Curry: What the Ohio General Assembly didn't do for STRS retirees and spouses in 2007....please remember & Merry Christmas

From John Curry, December 25, 2007
Subject: What the Ohio General Assembly didn't do for STRS retirees and spouses in 2007....please remember & Merry Christmas

Well, the 2007 (127th) General Assembly closed out this year by meeting for the fewest sessions in a decade. They spun their wheels for many sessions and agreed upon a few significant issues but our voter friendly Ohio House, thanks to the leadership of Jon Husted, just couldn't manage to bring House Bill 315 (additional funding for STRS retirees' healthcare) up for a floor vote, could they? But then, these public servants(?) don't retire with STRS and neither do their spouses. They retire in a system (OPERS) which imposes monthly healthcare premiums of only one tenth the premiums that STRS will charge for a pre-Medicare aged retiree and spouse in 2008. Their ox wasn't gored like ours....was it? The only agenda item on the fast-track for these public servants was their trip back to their home districts so that they could be at the Christmas dinner table to enjoy a little turkey and generous helpings of pork which was supplied by Columbus area lobbyists. Please remember Mr. Husted at the ballot box in 2008 when he runs for the Ohio Senate! Merry Christmas.

John