EDITORIAL
Don’t use Measure 8
to reform pensions
Forcing Oregon's public employees to pick up 6 per
cent of the state's contribution toward their retirement
plans is a concept too long in coming.
The Public Employees Retirement System is too gen
erous compared with the average private-sector retire
ment par kago and bogs for reform. Ballot Measure 8 is
an attempt at reform, but it fails in its simplistic and
dangerous approach. It deserves a no vote Nov. 8.
The problems started in 1979 when state agencies
negotiated contracts with public employee unions for
which the state picked up the 6 percent contribution in
lieu of wage increases. Collective bargaining agree
ments have maintained this clause ever since.
Over the last 15 years, the 6 percent pickup, coupled
with steady wage increases, has placed public employ
ee aggregate [toy for ahead of average private-sector
compensation.
The collective agreements reached after 1981 when
inflation began to drop never included a "sundown
clause" — where the state would give employees wage
increases while decreasing its contribution to the
retirement system.
Measure f) seems more like a punitive action than a
carefully considered solution to this complex problem.
The measure would create a constitutional amend
ment requiring an estimated 115.000 public employees
and 60.000 retirees to contribute 6 percent of their
gross salary to the retirement system. This action
would save taxpayers more than 5347 million per year.
While such a scenario seems tantalizing to taxpayers,
the consequences of the crude measure would be
extreme.
Measure 8 amends the constitution. Such a multi
faceted issue is wholly inappropriate for a document
intended to protect our basic freedoms. The authority
to set pension benefits and wages for public employees
should Ho with the legislature.
The ability of state agencies, including the
University, to attract quality employees could he seri
ously hindered under the measure. If the constitution
forbids any wage increase to offset the loss of the PERS
contribution, adnqunte compensation packages won't
exist — and neither will top-notch professionals in
stale employment. Ballot Measure 8 will discourage
talented people from entering government service.
The intense debate generated by this topic will hope
fully persuade the 1995 legislature to reform the sys
tem if the measure loses.
But if the Legislature fails to take action, whether
because of intense lobbying by the public employees
unions or the standard gridlock to which wo have
become accustomed, an initiative on the scale of
Measure 8 would be in order.
Measure 8 is the right idea at the right time.
Unfortunately, its specifics will do more harm than
good. Vote no on Measure 8.
Oregon Daily
Emerald
»o ooi )m fuofMf
TNi Qriyc#» Ofrfy Ifmaratf i pubfeahed darfy MixvWiy through F 'Oi*y dunng !ha «d»OOi
y#a» and Tusftdfy an<J Thursday during lha luffmw by lha O*agon Da*!y Eme'ald
PutAihing Go . Inc . ai th# Onrvarsrty of Oragon. l ugena, Oragon
Th« opa-ratos *xJapandar>tty cJ t»>a Uru-v^vt> mt* o**ca* at Su*a 300 O* tt>a
i ft) Memorial Un*on and is a mamber ol Lh« A*JkX»alad Pf**s
Th« inMn&tci » pfTvala proporty Tha unlawful ramovai or um o4 papa** t* proescutab*#
by law
Edftor-ln-Chiaf Kaiy Soto
DsvkJ Thorn
Managing Editor
Editorial Editor
Graphics Editor
Fraaianc# Editor
tn-Oapth Editor
Joa Harwood
Jah Paatay
A) ana Baum
Ed Kioplanaton
Naws Editor
Sports Editor
Photo Editor
Suppiamants Editor
Night Editor
Rahacca M«rr»»t
Chris M«ri
NAchaw SNncSar
Tnsta Noai
David Thorn
Assoc lata Editors: I nadanch von Carp. Student Goverrvnar* Acf?>*he* Marcatana Edwards
Convnynrfy. Tittarvy Smifh. A4gh«* £ ducatew Adm*rk*Aranon
Naws Staff: Ion Baltina**-. Wilson Chan. Amy Colombo T*»hs Eichansahar, Aba
EsUmada. Pnmo Fontana. Gayta Forman. Chnatophar Fo». M*fl Gwton, Gary Grass. Sarah
lianderson. Krt» Manry. Tfavcv Kavnay. Adam K*nchar. Mar* Me Tyre. Ban Moat*u*. Antxi
Mi-vw Kornlato. Shorty Ra»nay. Rot**a IWvtr* Lja Saiocoa, Paul Van Scan. K«m W«**y
Dan** wmi. Brian Worn**
Oanarai Managar Jody Reef
Advarttamg Director M41 Walter Production Managar: M*he*e Ross
Advertising. M.» co Ch*rvg. Tony fo«. Erin Harsher. N*coia Mar*mad, Jeremy Mason
KAchaei MtfHaha. Sara?' Mtcbd Tom Mne»sta**J Ka<*«> WeAe«
Classified: 8ec*y Merchant. Managar Job Sa*on. Jod Was
Distribution: John Long, f aranc RaAocn. Ftegma /supntfc
Business: Kaihy Ca/bon«. Supervtsor Judy Conno&y
Production Dehua McCobb. Production CoortAnafor Shawns Abe*n. (Wag Daamond. laa
GauAnay. (Vad Joss. Jarvwtar Roland, Raft Thangwpt. Dayton Yea
Newsroom ..346-5911 Dispiay Advartlsing _346*3712
Businass Office.— 346-5912 Classified Advertising . 346-4343
Why
Voters
A^E
Angry
Shut(pOOMfcwSi
Woir tmtNl //'
I CAUfO kP+,-VO HOUBS
MjO- STHX no CO**6«1V*An
to u*tf> vu C> W»i TV*'S ”>
I
! (o*tO#*iSt**+* yontj Few
Hu& (JWMNMlNf {HNPNfr
P»A*tf, Pl*J MV $M«M fllVMK
ACmMi«Wiom to** (MKX
ij On.^/
urtr
W CAR
My (ONfafcfoMN -' CAisit
Foa&HtfN Mi$ (onSt.tuwt5'
/
OPINION
A nation of whiners and victims
We in this fino country
have a nasty habit We
love to whine.
Front complaining about Home
Improvement being moved to
Tuesdays to complaining nltout
the new one week limit on droit
ping ( lasses, it happens all the
time
The problem is that as we con
tinue to whine, the more we
think everything is a right and not
a responsibility, ABC broadcast
a program. The Blame Came, on
this problem Wednesday night
A good example is a man who
got too (risky with his female
employees and claimed it wasn't
his fault because he had
"fondling disease."
Of course, there's that retired
women from the Southwest who
sued McDonald's and was award
ed $20 million by a jury. The rea
son? She burned herself when
she spilled some coffee on her
lap I guess she didn't know fresh
coffee was something you
shouldn't apply to your skin
Kvervbody's a victim
Another man sued a bicycle
company after he got hit by a car
at night He says he thought
reflectors would lie suffic ient in
the* dark 1 fe won a whopping $7
million.
A transient couple in New
York is suing tin* transportation
department They got hit by a
subway train while they were
having sex on the tracks They
say it's the government's fault
that they were hit, and they're
suing for $10 million
I could get into the issue of
lawyers and how they drive this
on, but that probably would be
beating a dead dog I'll just quote
Shakespeare "First, we kill all
the lawyers."
With this attitude of victim
hood in America, we'd hope that
the government would once again
not be part of the problem. Hut it
is.
Because just about anything
can lie claimed under the guise
of a disease under the Americans
with Disabilities Act. the system
is Iniing taken for a ride.
One man says he's a victim of
alcoholism, so he can't help him
self. The interesting thing is that
he's a school administrator who
has been caught driving drunk
twice, once during a cross-dress
ing episode.
HkUS Wom V( k
Bui sun i! he's an alcoholic (at
least at the time of the arrests)
and, more intportantlv, a victim,
lu* demanded $200,00(.)-plus and
a nice pension from the school
board. He won fx* nuse the board
just didn't have the money to
fight it
lawsuits are killing business
es. too Many are settled out of
court because legal costs run into
tens of thousands of dollars if the
case goes to trial. Business just
can t kis*]> up if all these lawsuits
continue piling up
But 1 guess people have got a
right to whatever they want.
lake drug addicts, for instance.
They're sui king off the public
coffers so the\ con keep up the
habit
In the ABC program, one
addict says, “We shouldn't get it.
but w hat are you gonna do about
it'" He used his ch«< k to buy
drugs so he could resell them for
a profit
One of my favorite quotes is
from an addict who says. "I think
everybody should got one (a
check).”
A dependent class of people is
growing.
I know someone hack in my
hometown who got pregnant out
of wedlock. She has a question
able background and is not qual
ified to be a mother, as everyone
around her says. She won't have
an abortion because of bar beliefs.
But she will have the kid and not
give it up for adoption because
she can get a check from Uncle
Sam. Just another great example
of the government getting
involved and messing things up.
More than anywhere else, we
see that government has been a
destructive force in minority
communities.
When people are continually
told they are victims of racism
instead of how they should over
come their problems, they’ll have
difficulties ever breaking free
from poverty. It doesn’t help
when the government makes sun'
there's no good reason to get a job
because the check's alway s there
at the first of the month.
The claim of racism just
doesn't seem to hold up for the
poor black communities anv
more.
just look at all those other
groups that have done well here
in the states. Asian-Americans
have actually surpassed whites
in many areas. For instance, the
University of California at Herke
ley cupped the percentage of
Asians that can he accepted.
Caribbean blacks are statisti
cal K' more likely to have jobs and
are less likely to be on welfare
compared with their native bla< k
counterparts.
The welfare state has made
parts of the black community
more dependent so that they just
won't (can't) get out and get a job
For six months this year, I
worked at a wood products ware
house. The pay usually ranged
from $5.50 to upward of $0-10
per hour. The low-skill work was
by no means glorious, it was dirty
work It was hard work.
But many worked there to help
support their families. Many plan
on leaving the company to "move
up," and some did while I was
there There wore a few blacks
who worked there. About half ol
the workers were first-generation
Hispanics who could barely
speak the language but know how
to work.
They had taken responsibili
ty for themselves.
Blacks would be a step ahead
b«;ause of their knowledge of the
language and the culture. 1 real
ize there's racism out there
That's undeniable. But as one
(Caribbean black quoted in the TV
program said, when that hap
pens. “just move on."
Rising above racism is the
answer. Wallowing in it is not the
answer.
Some blacks have done this
The black middle class has
increased in strength in the last
few years.
But a vast amount of blacks live
in poverty, which they shouldn't
be in.
Whining doesn't work. Taking
responsibility for yourself does.
Brian Womack is a columnist for
the Emerald.