The clandestine mindset of the Nevada’s government pension system

Regarding Betty Jean Waite’s “In the open” letter in the March 18 Review-Journal:

As is consistently the case with government insiders defending their privilege, it’s not what they say that counts, it’s what they don’t say. I have no doubt Ms. Waite’s PERS check “is in the $700 a month range.” What she doesn’t say is how long she worked to get it. Full time? Part time? Number of years? She doesn’t say and neither will PERS.

District Court rulings and even a Nevada Supreme Court ruling say the agency must make this information available to the public. But they are PERS and refuse to be subjected to anyone’s oversight. That clandestine mindset is exactly what the Reno Gazette-Journal was fighting when the newspaper filed its suit and won. It’s what the Review-Journal has been trying to get across to us, too.

PERS not hiding anything? More like hiding just about everything.

By the way, for all you 35- to 40-year private-sector workers/retirees out there: The average Nevada PERS pension is $36,279 annually after 19 years.