Show Warning to Officials The Utah Supreme Court has ruled unanimously that the State Legislature does not have the power to end a retirement retirement retirement retire retire- ment system for public unless a substantial substitute for the benefits is provided Chief Justice V Wolfe oUe in writing the decision relative to the attempted abandonment abandonment abandonment aban aban- of the Ogden City Public SchoolTeachers SchoolTeachers' SchoolTeachers SchoolTeachers' School SchoolTeachers SchoolTeachers' Teachers' Teachers Retirement Association said The IThe promise made to teachers and by extension to members of other retirement retirement re reo plans that they will receive an annuity if they serve the public faithfully faithfully faith faith- faithfully fully for or a certain number of years and make contributions to a retirement fund fundis is illusory if the Legislature can at any anytime anytime anytime time repeal a retirement act and leave teachers with nothing but their share of the assets This stand makes sense It is plainly unfair to promise public a are are- retirement retirement re re- benefit of some kind part of the condition of their employment and then after they work faithfully for years in confident expectation of that benefit take it away from them It is in effect little different than robbing them of an annuity which they had put aside through years of work and sacrifice The supreme courts court's decision does however place a heavy responsibility upon the Legislature and public officials They should not make retirement program program pro pro- gram promises lightly or without carefully care carefully fully considering the obligation they are assuming ng on the part of government government- and therefore the obligation they are placing on future officials and taxpayers A retirement program must be actuarially actuarially actuarially actu- actu sound when it is adopted It must be within the capacity of government to pay It is just as wrong to bamboozle the public by putting forward a retirement program which cannot be soundly fi financed financed fie on the basis of estimated contributions contributions contributions contri contri- as it is to cheat public by promising them benefits and then later reneging |