How About Reforming Public-Sector Pensions?

Re “Municipalities Struggle to Pay Pensions,” July 12: Those of us in the private sector worry about whether we will see any of our promised Social Security benefits when we retire. We hear discussions of “responsible reform” to save the program that would further increase our payroll taxes, delay our retirement and reduce our benefits.

Our Social Security trust fund is being pillaged to pay for government revenue shortfalls, part of which is assistance to states and municipalities as well as funding public-sector pension programs. To fund generous public-sector pension benefits at early retirement ages, taxpayers are being burdened with higher taxes and more public debt.

How about reform that folds all the public-sector pensions into Social Security and we all -- public- and private-sector employees -- participate in the program alike?

David Brown

Los Angeles