Although the PERS structure for employees hired in 2017 is viable and does not need to be replaced with a "401(k) type retirement plan," your key point is correct. The Legislature's history of entering into fiscally untenable arrangements has eroded taxpayer trust.

Tina Kotek's desperate attempt to reintroduce a gross receipts tax is misguided for many reasons. The largest one is that the voters clearly rejected this approach. 

What the legislature needs to do is propose services cuts to ride out the rising tide of PERS. Perhaps, after a year or two of drastically reduced services, the public will be ready to reevaluate options for additional revenue. Right now, it is not, and the legislature must honor the will of the voters and stop trying to make an end run around them.