First, thank you for your service. Public employees don't get enough appreciation.

However, I strenuously disagree that you have earned every penny. Tier 1 PERS was not a sustainable model based on market returns, but instead offered a guaranteed return that clearly far exceeds any sustained growth period in market history. You are no more deserving than Tier 2 retirees or the overwhelming majority of private sector employees, but you will receive a far better pension. You did nothing to earn this imbalance.

I know that you, and most other Tier 1 retirees, will not exactly be rolling in dough and I don't hate you for collecting the money. I do, however, recognize that it comes on the backs of current employees, who face layoffs and compensation reductions. It comes on the backs of today's taxpayers, who will pay more for less services. It comes at the expense of poorer schools for our children, poorer public safety for our citizens,