BARRINGTON — To the editor:
In her letter to the editor published on Nov. 2, State Rep. Joy Hearn advocates that Rhode Island should “make the difficult decisions necessary to correct the mismanagement of the past.”
As a supporter of pending “pension reform” legislation, she proposes to accomplish that by “correcting” the fiscal malfeasance of her legislative predecessors and other culpable state officials by misappropriating funds from the pensions of state employees. She apparently believes that breach of contract is an appropriate remedy.
I believe that the identification (and possible prosecution) of those who plundered pension funds for other purposes should be part of any “pension reform” package, as should an investigation into the selection of investment firms to whom state pension funds were entrusted.
Nor should we overlook the sweetheart deals (i.e., pension credit for being a homemaker; inordinate numbers of disability pensions; etc.) that contributed to the current fiasco, and which continue to drain dwindling pension funds.
While Rep. Hearn may be an expert library assistant, her vapid statements about pension reform do not reflect either expertise or originality on that subject.
What role did she play in those “difficult discussions” she mentioned? For example, what safeguards has she proposed to protect state pension funds from continued mismanagement and/or misappropriation in the future?
Her part in Rhode Island making “difficult decisions” appears limited to voting for “this pension reform legislation.” Her “action” apparently does not include proposing or evaluating alternatives; no heavy lifting!
R.A. Lembo
Barrington
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID