Ron Loewe: What about the people whose careers are ending?

A Page 1 headline in the Sun-Star on Tuesday read, "Retirees to help college budget." In the article beneath the headline, Merced College President

Ron Taylor indicated that 27 employees will be taking early retirement to help ease Merced College's budget problems.

I was dismayed that he said, "It's not as good as we would have liked. We were aiming at 31 or 33. Maybe just a little higher."

My dismay may be a knee-jerk reaction, but it seems to me that Taylor sees only dollar signs to help him meet a budget, and not the ending of careers which may have been very fulfilling to these retirees, a part of their identity. They will all need to make adjustments in their lifestyle to compensate for a smaller income.

I hope that Taylor makes it a special point to personally contact each of these retirees and thank them for their service to Merced College and for their sacrifice to allow it to continue its service to our community.

RON LOEWE

Atwater