PERS-eligible employees not highly paid

I am responding to a recent letter published in My Nickel’s Worth, which stated that, among other things, cuts to the Oregon Public Employees Retirement System would be an appropriate method of reducing the cost of government. That statement is open for debate, and there may be some valid arguments to support it. However, as a recipient of PERS benefits, I must disagree with the generalized statement that government employees are paid more than their counterparts in the corporate world. Being a retired teacher of 36 years, I wish the statement was true but unfortunately it is inaccurate. While it may be true that a very few individuals that are members of PERS are paid high wages, the average PERS-eligible employee, which include public school teachers, law enforcement personnel, fire fighters and other state, county and city employees, earn salaries well below those of corporate employees in the business sector. It is unfortunate that statements are made which tend to give the general public a false impression of what most members of PERS are paid before and after retirement.

Frank Barnes

Bend

President fulfillspromise on parks

As we brace ourselves for the final few months of winter cold and excitement grows for warm spring hikes around the Three Sisters, President Obama fulfilled his promise to protect our parks this year and called on Congress to help fulfill his vision.

As mentioned in “Obama’s budget changes wildlife funding” on March 5, President Obama released his annual budget last week. And just as the article highlighted the changes concerning wildfire management, almost everyone can agree on the importance of keeping our parks and wildlife protected — now and for future generations.

Toward this vision, Obama’s budget fulfills the promise he made to our parks last year to fully fund our nation’s premier conservation fund, the Land and Water Conservation Fund. This conservation program has a long history of giving our parks and public lands across Oregon the critical protection they need from development and pollution, including the Oregon Dunes and Mt. Hood National Forest.

I am thankful the president’s budget makes moves to ensure states’ best natural places are kept pristine. Now it is time for Congress to fulfill this promise to our parks.

Rikki Seguin

Portland

Snow plowinghampers handicap access

I recently became temporarily handicapped. It has been an eye-opening experience. The obstacles that confront the mobility-challenged are many and huge.

One large obstacle to the mobility-challenged was caused by the plowing of downtown streets.

Don’t get me wrong, I very much appreciate the streets being plowed. My problem lies in the huge snow berms left in the plows’ wake. In downtown Bend, the plows left snow berms over the handicap access ramps to the sidewalks. There is no way for anyone who is handicapped or mobility-challenged to go to the post office or bank, to shop or easily park. A lot of the handicap parking spaces were compromised by giant piles of snow.

Some of the business owners I talked to were reluctant to have employees shovel snow because of possible injury.

I called the city street department and learned that there is some confusion as to who is responsible for the berm removal.

Who is responsible for removing the snow berms over the handicap access?

Turns out, it’s both the city and the business owners.

The shopping malls are private property, and maintenance falls under the mall owners’ responsibility.

Although the snow is now melted, we will have plowable snow again. And there will be snow berms again.

The city and downtown business owners need to make sure that all citizens of Bend have access to the downtown areas and are free to shop, bank, eat and come and go as we please.

So please, shovel the handicap access.

Laurie Floyd

Bend