Desperate times call for desperate measures. For the state of California this might be the perfect slogan in reference to its economic status. The public is constantly reminded about budget cuts, including retirement benefits.

Through a recent poll conducted by the Times/USC Dornsife College of Letters, California voters were able to present their ideas on retirement benefits – government employees should give up some retirement benefits in order to release some strain on the state budget.

Normally, it would be agreed that retirement benefits should be left alone because employees have worked hard to earn their rewards.

However, we aren’t in a normal situation. According to California Debt and Investment Advisory Commission, the state of California is about $4 billion in debt.

If California residents themselves are agreeing that reducing retirement benefits is a step in the right direction, it should be taken seriously.

Public employees should give up some of their benefits because we are no longer in a golden economic era. For whatever reasons, fair or unfair, we have somehow landed at the bottom of a cliff and we need to work our way up.

The survey revealed that voters would be in favor of a cap on pensions and a later age for collecting them.

It’s not that retirement benefits should be cut completely and never heard of again. There should just be some slight changes as long as the people affected by them agree. 

For example, employees who already have a contract should stick to that. Their contracts should be honored because they have already put in the work for what they are entitled to.

Future employees, however, should accept what they are given because they are barely starting their jobs.