Reyes, Dalila

Instr. Gross

English 103

April 26, 2011

Revoking Public Pensions

            As public servants enter the workforce each day, both city and state levels guarantee pensions after a certain amount of years of employment.  Public pensions are funded through state funds and tax paying dollars, but with the state in a budget deficit, officials speculate that pensions must be eliminated.  Legally, many argue, pensions cannot be revoked without violating exciting contracts in which benefits are guaranteed for the services rendered.  Mayors throughout states like California are looking for legal loopholes that will allow states to cut pensions from their public servants.  Due to the states financial struggles, many facilities have had to cut back on their payroll and involuntary terminate employees, in order to  continue paying the high cost pensions.  With this political debate, many of the actual city and government employees do not agree with the proposed measurements the state is considering.  Many people believe that it is morally and legally incorrect to strip pensions off of an employee after many years of dedication and loyalty.  Police officers and fire fighters whom dedicate and scarifies their lives for the public deserve to retain those benefits but it would be at the cost of other public services.  Although many argue that it is those same benefits and pensions that attract people to continue that line of profession.  Considering states are not expecting a decrease in demand for these professions, states must determine different measures that will help control and decrease the budget deficit. 

             Like many political issues, the public becomes informed through the media’s reports and articles.  Regardless of the informative content such as this as topic conducted by the New York Times, many of the authors express their political opinion within the editorial.  Biased opinions, doublespeak and inflated language are all tools in which people such as authors and political speakers use to convey their message across to the reader or audience.  This article entitled, Public Pensions, Once off Limits, Face Budget Cuts,  appeal to readers by highlighting both pros and cons of the issue.  First, the article address the issue of the massive budget deficits many states around the country face.  This appeals to each American, as we are affected by the funding or lack of funding in public resources such as law enforcement or fire departments.  It address the issue of the need of severe reduction of speeding in order to relieve the financial mess our country is in.  Secondly, the article appeals to the countless of individuals which would be affected by the removal of their pensions.  Not only affecting the working class, but also affecting the income of retired citizens who’s lives depend on the yearly pensions.   The rhetorical effectiveness of an article allows the readers to form opinioned ideas and thought in regards political debates that occur within the country.  Due to the strong influence media and written publications, it can become very difficult for measures or decisions to be made as the public scrutiny can either provide huge support for a topic or kill an idea dead in its tracks.