Retirees In Action

A message from PEF Retirees President Steve Muscarella
Make sure your views are heard in 2010

Former PEF President Roger Benson, in his remarks to the 2009 PEF Convention in September, discussed the barrage of newspaper articles, cartoons, and radio and TV attacks on public employees, our pensions, our benefits and our union.

Benson called on PEF to respond to those continuing attacks. I say all PEF retirees and members should take up his challenge and make a New Year’s resolution that in 2010 we will write “letters to the editor” and phone the media to refute the propaganda and misinformation that impugns us as public-sector workers and retirees.

Our former PEF president went on to say, “Unless our message is heard, it just doesn’t exist.”

Roger was paraphrasing the social thinker, Marshall McLuhan who posited, “The medium is the message.” Roger’s comment also mirrors the riddle posed by Irish philosopher George Berkeley: “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?”

In our case, we know the audience and the medium to reach it exist. However, if we fail to voice our issues or arguments, or if they go unreported, our point of view won’t affect the public debate and will be ignored and irrelevant.

We can’t allow the politically connected special interests or the wealthy and powerful to determine what’s on the public agenda or what course of action our government pursues, especially on issues such as our pensions and health benefits that are so critical to our daily lives.

In recent years, many people have lost confidence in the media, which is largely financed by advertising and committed to earning profits.

We expect the press to be an instrument of social justice, to work in the public interest and to be an objective safeguard against the abuse of power. We should insist the press protect the public welfare and our democracy.

Our challenge is to make so much noise our issues will not be denied. We know justice and fairness are not automatic; we must fight to maintain our rights and benefits.

Make your 2010 resolution to protect democracy in our nation and ensure fairness in our society. Have the courage to speak out.

Let’s all work to place our issues on the public agenda. Let the media know we have a deep concern for our country and it has a responsibility and obligation for truth and to report all sides of the issues, including ours.