State Employees Earn Their Pensions

Re “Government Pensions,” letter, Sept. 9: As an employee of the state of California for 34 years, my salary had about 6% withheld for the pension fund, with interest rates set by the state, not the free market. I am thus one of many thousands of state employees who are receiving pensions of our own money. We are not “living off the taxpayers.”

If civic coffers are now being strained, it’s because money never stays in a “lockbox” but gets spent elsewhere, and then has to be repaid. It’s still our money. Even taxpayers have to repay accrued debts.

Frieda A. Stahl

Pasadena