Hands off retirement

I publicly thank Shelley Smith for her guest column published in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, and commend the paper for printing it. I was at those hearings, and everything she wrote about them is true. Personally, I feel Chairman Doug House’s attitude was demeaning, obnoxious and inappropriate, particularly to the teaching professionals who are concerned about the committee’s intent.

Why have the meetings if it’s not about making changes to ATRS (Arkansas Teacher Retirement System)? Having people come to present alternatives wastes taxpayers’ time and money. Representative Mark Lowery also kept trying to stress the Pew Foundation’s 10,000 stress tests were better than the annual stress tests by the statewide public pension plans.

As Ms. Smith stated, ATRS is more than solvent, and has been since its 1937 inception. When Representative Chesterfield asked the chairman who brought people from the Pew and Reason Foundations (funded by John Arnold of Enron) to present and why, he didn’t answer and turned off her mic.

Nov. 6 is an opportunity to vote for candidates who will protect our retirement, improve teacher salaries, and improve public-school education quality. In Central Arkansas, Monica Ball (District 39), Jonathan Crossley (District 41), and Chase Mangiapane (District 38) are excellent choices. They strongly support public education and teachers. If anyone in your family is an educator, why cast a vote for someone not looking after your best interest?

We teachers are paying attention to what happens at the state Capitol, we do vote, and hands off our retirement! ALISA B. DIXON North Little Rock