Letters: Don’t put blame on retired workers

Retirement security is not something to gamble with. It is an issue that affects all Americans. Everyone must be able to retire with dignity and that should be protected and expanded, not reduced or eliminated.

The Review-Journal’s March 30 editorial, “Time is ripe for pension reform,” blames hard-working teachers, firefighters and nurses when in reality the problem is with elected officials who have failed to uphold their end of the deal. This is what happened in Chicago and in Illinois. While workers pay their portion of pension payments, lawmakers have shirked their responsibilities. When states and cities skip their payments – the equivalent of an individual consumer skipping credit card or mortgage payments –they go into debt.

And, to set the record straight, Assembly Bill 190 at the 2015 Legislature - which the editorial praised as positive reform - was dangerous, costly and unneeded legislation. The bill died because it was fiscal suicide for the state of Nevada. It would have cost taxpayers millions. No matter what the claims were about AB190, it would have effectively dismantled the Public Employees Retirement System, causing retirement insecurity and a massive public debt.

It’s time to stop making excuses and start creating a retirement system that works for everyone. It’s time to stop advocating for changes that rob current and retired workers of their hard-earned benefits.

Bailey Childers

Washington, D.C.

The writer is executive director of the National Public Pension Coalition.

The Rebels

In response to Robert Burton’s April 2 letter on UNLV basketball: The Rebels have been down the road of hiring a coach with no head-coaching experience who had ties to the program. It was an unquestioned failure. We must learn from our mistakes and not continue to try to put the square peg in the round hole.

Congratulations to Athletic Director Tina Kunzer-Murphy, UNLV President Len Jessup and former player Robert Smith for learning this lesson.

I’m sure Stacy Augmon is a quality individual. He was a fantastic Rebel player and an accomplished NBA player. But he also has no head-coaching experience and was an assistant with a failed program. What university promotes an assistant to the head position in a program that was failing?

Mr. Augmon was also in charge of the defense - a defense, mind you, that has not stopped dribble penetration from the mediocre guards of the Mountain West in five years of his leadership. Where on his resume does it scream “head coach”? Oh, that’s right. He played for the 1990 national championship team. Let it go, Mr. Burton. Move on. It’s 2016.

Tony Brock

Las Vegas

Gold Butte

I was pleased to read Henry Brean’s article about the return of Nevadan pioneer Arthur Coleman’s remains to his original grave site in Gold Butte (“Ceremony marks pioneer’s return to Gold Butte grave,” March 29). In addition to grave robbing, the recent chaos in Gold Butte has led to illegal development and road building, the vandalism of petroglyphs and the destruction of cultural sites.

Every day that Gold Butte is not protected we are losing valuable cultural, historical and natural resources. Now is the time to protect Gold Butte.

Brandon Willis

North Las Vegas