Dear Editor:

The Wall Street Journal’s A San Diego Retirement (Sept 6) and the Gay and Lesbian Times’ The Garden at this Skunk Party editorials demonstrate what happens when political sloganeering takes cheap shots at the retirement security of San Diego’s hard working city employees.

Our city’s financial challenges will not be solved by our City Attorney’s quixotic and costly campaign to strip the pensions of city workers. Time and time again, courts have ruled that the City Attorney’s legal arguments to reduce our pensions have no merit.

San Diego’s pension crisis was not caused by its city workers. It was caused by city leaders’ decisions to build ballparks and convention centers rather than make obligatory matching contributions to the city’s pension fund. Meanwhile, city workers continued to contribute their share into the pension fund.

Solving this crisis requires all stakeholders to work together. Our city’s blue collar employees have played an exemplary role.

When the crisis first hit, the city’s blue collar workers took a pay cut with the savings dedicated to reduce the pension liability. This summer city workers reached an agreement with the mayor that saves over $20 million, reduces the city’s pension liabilities and preserves pensions for future employees.

Most of the pension benefits earned are the direct result of worker contributions and strong investment earnings of SDCERS, the city’s pension system. The City Attorney has repeatedly been told by the courts that he can’t take our money.

It’s odd to read about attacks on the retirement security of working people in the Gay and Lesbian Times. In this election season, the attacks on our retirement security are coming from the top of the Republican ticket.

John McCain is a strong backer of President Bush’s efforts to privatize social security. Alaska recently terminated pensions for new employees. The state’s now famous governor, Sarah Palin, believes privatizing retirement benefits is a great idea.

Privatizing social security and eliminating pensions will bring new riches to a Wall Street in desperate need to find someone new to fleece.

The much maligned City of San Diego got it right with retirement security. We are on the road to recovery.

Ed Lehman

Business Representative, AFSCME Local 127

Dear Editor:

Now the GLT is telling the LGBT community not to suffer memory loss and vote for City Attorney Michael Aguirre. Maybe we can no longer support him because we do have a good memory. Gee maybe it is because members of his own San Diego Democratic Central Committee referred to him as “Embarrassment to the party”, “erratic”, “unpredictable” and “liar” when they vetoed his endorsement. Maybe it is because our own San Diego Democratic Club failed to endorse him. Maybe it is because Russell O’Brien, the former editor of the GLT, slammed Aguirre in his 2/15/07 editorial for his treatment of the gay community. Maybe it is because San Diego District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis said she was concerned about the manner in which this City Attorney recklessly and without supporting evidence accuses citizens in our community of corruption, conspiracy and other criminal misconduct. Maybe it is because he had an ethics complaint filed against him for soliciting or accepting donations or gratuity in money from subordinates or employees. Maybe it is because of the millions of dollars of the taxpayers money that he has wasted. Sorry GLT but we have not suffered memory loss and now we are going to vote Aguirre out of office.

Charlie Sharples