Cheri Helt’s In My View piece on May 25 was absolutely right. She said that any money raised by taxpayers for schools should go to schools, “not to prop up PERS.” If people don’t already know this, the problem with expecting the Legislature to solve the problem of PERS is that in the 1970’s, the legislators made themselves members of PERS. It would be a remarkable thing to see members of Oregon’s Congress legislate against increases in their own retirement fund.

It makes no sense for these politicians to make laws that force taxpayers to pay more money every year to fund the legislators’ retirement. They should, like all Oregonians, create their own retirement system. They should be removed from PERS immediately.

Maralyn Thoma

Bend