RH Jones re: New board member

From RH Jones, January 15, 2010
Subject: Finally, treasurer appoints new STRS board member
To all:
Down below, please notice John Curry's forward statement. It seems, finally, the State Treasurer has filled the long overdue vacancy on the OH STRS board. Hopefully, since he is President of the Mount Vernon- Nazarene College, he will be sympathetic to we who are retired educators. And, also, hopefully he will not be a "Lone Ranger" as others on the board realize retired STRS members must be safeguarded from those who would in any way try to grab our pension, or to diminish it in any way, shape, or form. If anything, the pension should be enhanced for those who are already retired.
A pension that does not keep up HC/Rx, nor a COLA that really is a COLA (not like the one we now have that almost everyone seems to want to cut), is not worth having. Also, "Bean counters", that do not have empathy with STRS retirees, have no business having so much power over so many lives who depend on our STRS. Hopefully, Daniel Martin's doctorate is in religion -- I suspect it is.
All retirees may get our just heavenly rewards for educating Ohio's public, but we need some "bread" in our retirement. Again, hopefully, he will "gather in some sheaves" for us. And, by maintaining a decent and proper retirement pension for educators, Ohio will continue to move forward. We will be able to stay here at home, rather than moving to more retiree friendly states, or countries, to spend our retirement checks. The resulting spin-off for Ohio business and jobs is, therefore, tremendous -- By the way, we benefit Ohio with our volunteering which is a great savings; without which, Ohio would have greater social expenses.
That is my opinion,
RHJones, retired teacher member of STRS