RH (Bob) Jones’ speech intended for delivery before the STRS board June 10, 2010

Our “Golden Years”: it takes all of our gold to get through them! Is that anti-family, I wonder?

The STRS has publicly recommended that we older retirees be penalized, perhaps illegally, with a 1% cut in our simple COLA – this coming after a previous cut in retirees’ HC/Rx. Especially penalized are those retirees who have to pay an anti-family penalty cut of the spousal and dependent coverage. Because of this, perhaps, married elderly teachers would be better off to divorce their faithful, longtime spouses. Afterwards, one of them, the one with the smaller income, then goes onto the public dole. Is that not disgraceful for the teaching profession? In all fairness, the anti-family penalty should be rescinded and our COLA left as is, at a simple 3%.

Thank you for allowing me to address you once again.