Re "Bankruptcy may rein in pensions" (Dan Walters, Nov. 5): Dan Walters appears to be siding with the pension-buster mentality that suggests bankrupt cities should suspend payments to retirees to make up for their poor financial decisions.
People make career decisions based on the available salary and benefit choices they are presented at the time of hiring. To come back 30 years later and renege on those promises is legally a breach of contract and blatantly immoral. These folks cannot start over again.
What must be done is to offer new employees less salary/benefits to offset these poor financial decisions. This may result in a smaller less skilled work force, but it's the only fair and moral thing to do. Secondly, officials making these poor decisions are breaking fiduciary responsibilities to the people they represent, and they should be held accountable in criminal or civil court.
-- Mike Clegg, Davis
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