This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

And so it begins. "Trump and GOP plan to overhaul government 'job for life' guarantee" (The Salt Lake Tribune, Nov. 22).

This mentality is precisely why federal employees need to be protected — so that they don't have to go job-hunting every four years, so that every incoming administration can't sack incumbent civil servants such as engineers and scientists with years of experience in favor of partisan sycophants, costing the citizenry invaluable institutional memory and efficiency.

My father was part of that "waste, fraud and abuse" for 30 years, and was able to retire to a new home in Phoenix, Arizona — approximate value, $175,000. And when my mother suffered a heart attack four years ago, she was able to depend on the continued health insurance that my father earned over those 30 years, even though he himself had passed away. Not an extravagant lifestyle in exchange for three decades of service to flag and country in the United States Marine Corps and the Department of the Interior.

But by all means, Donald Trump and Rep. Jason Chaffetz, let's save some money and take the ax to that damn gummint payroll, starting with the pensions and health insurance of the most "privileged class" of all — senators and representatives. They're the only ones with a job for life. How much in cash and benefits has Trump's water carrier Newt Gingrich collected from the American taxpayers over the last 20 years, in spite of resigning as speaker of the House over ethics violations?

Terry A. Mundorff

Murray