Editor’s note

We haven’t seen a good argument in favor of the constitutional amendment requiring a three-fi fths vote to approve any pension or retirement benefi t increase for public employees. Proponents are being quiet, hoping that anti-government, anti-public employee sentiment is enough to make this turkey fl y. A simple majority for benefi t increases would be hard enough in this political climate, in which legislators are more likely to reduce benefi ts than raise them. If in the future the people who work for us taxpayers, many of whom live in Springfi eld, can muster a majority of legislators to get a little more retirement money, a simple majority should be good enough. We say vote no on the constitutional amendment. –Fletcher Farrar, editor and publisher