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On Social Security: The Washington Post Gets It

"Recently I wrote a column for this publication contrasting the different approaches to Social Security reform taken by the New York Times and the Washington Post editorial boards; differences that have now put these two media titans on opposite sides of an increasingly heated issue. It was during the presidential campaign that the Washington Post dared to stake out this new territory by challenging firmly entrenched assumptions and seriously considering alternatives to the current[.]"

Letter to the Editor of the Washington Post on Pension Reform, First Do No Harm

Excerpt: The Post exaggerates problems with defined-benefit pension plans that employers provide voluntarily for 44 million American retirees and workers ['Government's Disgrace,' editorial, Oct.17]. Of the more than 31,000 such plans, 42 percent are better than 100 percent-funded and only 15 percent are funded at less than 70 percent.

Going Beyond the 'Medical Malpractice Myths' -- Three Letters to the Editor of the Washington Post

Excerpt: Why is it that when a doctor weighs in on the medical malpractice crisis ['Dispelling Malpractice Myths,' op-ed, Nov. 14], the solution never includes giving the public access to the National Practitioner Data Bank, with its record of malpractice claims payments and out-of-court settlements made on behalf of individual doctors? By blocking public access to these records, physicians perpetuate the malpractice crisis.

Letter to the Editor of the Washington Post: Putting Professionals in a Social Security Fix

Excerpt: In his Nov. 27 op-ed ['A Fix for Social Security?'], about a possible bipartisan compromise that would lift the current $90,000 cap on taxable Social Security earnings, Sebastian Mallaby made a factual error and ignored important questions of fairness.

Letter to the Editor of the Washington Post: Avoiding Britain's Pension Problems

Excerpt: An April 11 Business story said that President Bush's Social Security proposal 'closely echoes' Britain's individual account system. However, Britain created a decentralized system in which individuals can choose from an almost limitless number of options in which to invest their state pension funds. This program is referred to as 'contracting out' and is made up of private accounts in the private sector with private investment firms. [John Shadegg, U.S. Representative (R-Ariz.)]

The Washington Post Tries to Scare You on Public Sector Pensions

"[I]t is almost impossible to construct scenarios in which stock returns will come in much below the levels assumed by the pension funds.The point is simple, it was absurd to project high returns in the stock market in the late 90s, when the ratio of stock prices to trend earnings was over 30 to 1 or even in the last decade when it was still over 20 to 1. However with a current ratio that is close to the historic average of 15 to 1, real returns of 7 percent are very reasonable."

Washington Post Announces Cuts to Employees' Retirement Benefits

"The Washington Post announced large cuts in retirement benefits on Tuesday, declaring that it would eliminate future retirement medical benefits and freeze defined-benefit pensions for nonunion employees.... The changes will hit hardest at employees hired before 2009 who could plan on receiving pension payments based on their income and years of service. Each of those employees could see scores -- or hundreds -- of thousands of dollars less over the course of a retirement. More recent hires do not have traditional pension plans. The Post will create a new cash balance plan to replace the pensions for nonunion employees and a separate but similar plan for those covered by the union."

Washington Post Reporters Discuss 2004 Executive Compensation Survey

Excerpt: Post reporters David Hilzenrath and Terence O'Hara were online to discuss The Post's survey of executive compensation at Washington-area companies.

Washington Post Obituary for Nell Hennessy, Online Guest Book; Link to CUA Donations Site

Ellen Anne Hennessy (Nell) ... was a nationally recognized expert on the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and a tireless champion for the rights of plan participants and pension plans. She was a model and mentor to many in the field of employee benefits and worked to educate both lawyers and other benefits professionals in the intricacies of employee benefits law and practice.... Donations in her honor may be made to The Nell Hennessy Employee Benefits Scholar Award at the Columbus School of Law at The Catholic University of America, Office of Development and Alumni Relations [which has an online donation form at https://secure.cua.edu/donate/placeOrder.cfm?productType=1&productID=50&submit=Donate+Now ]

Joint Response to Washington Post Reporting on Pew Study (PDF)

1 page. "[The National Association of State Retirement Administrators, the National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems, and the National Council on Teacher Retirement] submitted [this] Letter to the Editor of (The Washington Post; free registration required) in response to their mis-reporting on The Pew Center on the States' report on public sector pensions and retiree health care."