Letters to the editor for April 3

Why I’m Catholic

A long time ago I met a girl who invited me to a Catholic retreat. Like many young men, I was inclined to take up the offer just to get close to a beautiful girl. Despite being a “cradle Catholic,” I didn’t feel a particular connection to my faith and figured this retreat would be a familiar exercise in “going through the motions” from my youth.

On the retreat I was surprised with a large envelope enclosed with letters from family and friends. “Dear Patrick, You are so loved!” was a common theme from my parents, an old Scoutmaster, my roommates, and my friends. I was overwhelmed by the abundance of affirmation. I remember looking at the beautiful girl who brought me to the retreat and saying through streams of tears, “I don’t normally cry like this!” In that moment, I was given a message: I am dearly loved, but even more so by Jesus Christ. It was hard to imagine and humbling.

I’ve since returned to the faith I was baptized in. The beautiful girl is now my wife. My encounter with the unending depths of Christ’s love revealed the joy and purpose behind His Church. Despite the scandal the church faces today and despite my own brokenness, the one true source of love and fulfillment remains. I make my home at St. Michael Catholic Parish, where I know I will encounter perfect love, regardless of all that attempts to interfere with this saving grace.

Oldest public school retirees deserve better

Our oldest public school retirees are struggling financially. Many Teacher Retirement Systems (TRS) Plan 1 retirees are near or at the poverty level, some are on food stamps. Single women and widows comprise the majority of these oldest retirees.

TRS Plan 1 retirees have four dilemmas: 1) Low 1950-70 salaries have become a small monthly retirement benefit. 2) Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflationary increase from 1960 to 2019 is 748 percent. That’s a purchasing power debacle. 3) Many Plan 1 teachers retired 25-30 years ago. 4) Plan 1 retirees last full cost of living adjustment was in 2010.

There are 15 Washington retirement plans available to our retirees who have been employed by state public schools, agencies and cities. Except for a 1.5 percent COLA in 2018, TRS and PERS (Public Employees Retirement System) Plan 1 are the only two plans of the 15 retirement plans that have not received a COLA since 2010. That’s nearly a decade. They deserve better.

How did this happen? Why have our oldest teachers and public employees been overlooked, left behind and seemingly forgotten? We clearly see the unfair and inequitable COLA treatment TRS/PERS Plan 1 retirees have received from our legislators since 2010.

Call your legislators to support our 70-, 80-, and 90-year-old retirees. Support HB 1390 and SB 5400.

This story was originally published April 1, 2019 at 5:21 PM.