In response to “Pensions Root of Crisis,” my husband has been a teacher of emotionally disturbed kids for over 30 years, and he does indeed have a public pension waiting for him when he retires. He paid into the state Teachers’ Retirement system for 10 years. I don’t have a public pension but I contribute to my own IRA and other savings accounts. Anyone can, and should, take responsibility for their financial resources whether they are public servants or not. It isn’t as though the pension is being handed to him on a silver platter. He’s worked hard and paid into it. The state has benefited from his payments by investing that money. It’s ludicrous to suggest that the financial problems of the country are caused by public pensions. Furthermore, anybody can get a job in the public sector and take advantage of a pension. There is nothing special or mysterious about it.