Joshua Gotbaum's resume got a bit longer last week.
The director of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. now can add lyricist and vocalist to his CV.
The Pension Rights Center marked its 35th anniversary with a gala in Washington on March 30, at which the center honored four retirement security “superheroes” for their work in promoting pension rights. The honorees were Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa; Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa; Rep. George Miller, D-Calif.; and Marilyn Hennessy, former executive director and president of The Retirement Research Foundation.
As part of the celebration, Mr. Gotbaum took to the stage and, along with local performers Celeste Crenshaw and Debra Tidwell, regaled the estimated 300 attendees with a takeoff on George and Ira Gershwin's “I've Got Rhythm.”
“We've Got Pensions,” written by Karen Friedman, the Pension Rights Center's executive vice president and policy director, with a contribution from Mr. Gotbaum, was a paean to the defined benefit system and the work of the Pension Rights Center. Mr. Gotbaum also poked fun at himself when he sang (in a verse he penned):
“We've got billions / Less than we need (pointing to himself)
But / We've got pensions / We don't ask for anything more.”
The complete song lyrics are below.