Harold F. Cornett Letter to Editor of The Oak Ridger

The Oak Ridger

If retirees can’t swim,

DOE lets them drown

To the Editor:

I am a retiree of one of the plants here in Oak Ridge and have been retired for 27 years.
During this time, I have had one small adjustment to my pension and that was 10 years ago. I have cut back and have done without necessities where I could, but it is to the point of nowhere to turn.

CORRE (Coalition of Oak Ridge Retired Employees), an organization that represents retirees of Oak Ridge, has repeatedly asked the Department of Energy to give ad hoc adjustments to our pension — but they refuse to even consider it.

DOE has been a thorn in the side of the plant workers since the early years of Oak Ridge. They have yet to honor or respect those of us who built and operated the plants through the productive times. Now that we are retired and inadequately compensated, their attitude is if they can't swim then let them drown and good riddance.

Even today, the elite personnel of DOE sit in the Federal Building on their fat duffs with high salaries, spending millions of dollars of taxpayers’ money daily to accomplish very little if anything.

Incidentally, if I have stepped on any toes or have offended anyone with this letter, I did it on purpose.

Harold F. Cornett