A big change is underway for Rocky Flats retiree’s pension plan. To our other readers: please forgive the focus of this post – but you might be curious about how your government treats the Cold War Warriors. The government is dumping the pension plan. No longer will your pension be guarenteed by the Fedral government. You must choose to receive a lump sum or a private annuity plan.

I’ve received my Plan Termination Benefit Kit and if you have not, call the Support Center at 1-800-709-7697.

There are deadlines coming up – the end of May for corrections. Check your information. My spouse was listed as deceased. He assures me he is not now and has never been deceased, so I had to submit a correction.

There’s a lot of detail in the kit and I won’t try to summarize it. Get your kit, read your kit, and make your decisions. Don’t delay. There are various financial instruments to research. There are forms to fill out, some need to be notorized, and if you are divorced there are extra forms. Did I mention, don’t delay.

Whatever you decide, your paperwork must be postmarked by the end of June or you get whatever the default option is.

I’m not qualified to offer recommendations. Heck, I haven’t decided what I’m going to do.

Here’s the commentary part of this post, and remember – it’s just me ruminating. I liked my pension the way it was, so I’m not happy. Diversifying seems like a good idea to me, and the pension was something guaranteed and therefore different from other retirement investments. Buying an annuity is not the same thing. States differ in regulations, but no one offers a guarantee as reliable as what I’m losing.

I could get worked up about this. My pension was part of my compensation at Rocky Flats. I stayed at the plant for years, providing the government with my experience and continuity, and saving them the expense of hiring, training, and obtaining clearances for a replacement. I stayed until they decided to lay me off, only to rehire me as a subcontractor at reduced compensation. They – the Federal government – still wanted my efforts, just not to pay me the same. The Cold War fizzling out devalued me as a worker. I was part of the Peace Dividend.

Like thoughts and prayers, thanks are cheap. Cold War Warriors turn into drones sucking up taxpayer dollars. “What have you done for me lately?”

I could get worked up, but what’s the point? I’m hardly alone among Americans, and many private companies make similar decisions. Times change, standards change, and valued employees become legacy liabilities on the debit side of the leger. Lifetime empoyment at a single company sounds quaint today. What good would it do anyone – past workers or present – to bankrupt a company, or saddle the next generation with crushing debt? The past is a different world.

I can’t completely condemn the attitude. But as Rocky Flats retirees experience the legacy side of the situation, it may inform our opinions about the treatment union and government employees – Federal, State, and Local – should expect, and should accept.