Duane Tron: They view us as worthless and a bunch of baggage who just keep hanging on

From Duane Tron, May 2, 2009
Subject: Re: STRS, keep your hands off my COLA!

Wow! I'm impressed! You mean there are people getting $45,000.00 + pensions from STRS??? Must be really nice compared to those of us in the poverty zone who're getting $29,000 to $35,000 and paying nearly $12,000.00 for health insurance premiums! Sheesh!

There really are two classes of retirees in STRS aren't there? There are those who're getting the really big bucks and all of us poor people who're making less today than we were 11 years ago when we retired in 1998! Darn! It's nice to know that there are many among our profession who're living the "good" life and have plenty of money to fund their "Golden Years!" I'd hate to think we're ALL suffering in misery and poverty!

It's great to know our OEA "brothers & sisters" are making out quite well in this downturn of an economy! I mean I look at Big Bill's house in Upper Arlington and I now know how he can afford a house that my house would fit in his garage. I'm sure he earned all of that as I KNOW he worked much harder for the children of Ohio than all of the rest of us. I know he made the kind of sacrifices that those of us made who used to bail out of bed at all hours of the day and night, and volunteer our time fighting fires, saving lives, going out on horrendous car accidents, and much more, and we did so for nothing because we were so stupid that we volunteered our time to help our fellow community members.

Golly, and to think that our leadership at STRS would even consider messing with our COLA's. My COLA's for the past eleven years haven't even equaled my increases in health insurance premiums from our wonderful STRS management during the same period. My actual annual pension is lower than it was eleven years ago when I retired and we have people figuring their retirement incomes at twice what the rest of us are getting?

It's good to know that the managers of our pension fund believe in equality, justice, integrity, and doing what's right. Oh! I keep forgetting they've forgotten about all of us at the bottom of the pot. Our management at STRS have given me a fuller appreciation, and understanding, of what it was like for African Americans back in the 1960's and prior!

We mean nothing to any of them and they view us as worthless and a bunch of baggage who just keep hanging on. One day they're going to grow old and I pray they get their just dues.

From a member of the STRS poverty level of retirees!

Mr. T