May 2012
DONE - District One News Events
Latest News for May 2012
=== Nothing is worth more than this day. ===
=== Each day is a gift to be treasured. ===
Contact jerryd at: jerryjd@jerryd.ws
May 31.8, 2012
The Chicago Tribune has an article by Ray Long and Rick Pearson titled: "Pension overhaul hits snag in Springfield" which you can see here.
May 31.7, 2012
On a ligther note, although it's nearly June, it's 46 degrees ( brrr ) with about 1" of rain in Boone County, IL. But...it seems to be baby bird day at the feeders. So far, we've seen a baby northern oriole, a baby rose breasted grosbeak and a baby cardinal.
May 31.7, 2012
CapitolFax has a feed from reporters at the legislative 'process' which you can follow here. Scroll down past the Cross video for current twits.
May 31.6, 2012
The Chicago Sun Times has an article by Dave McKinney titled: "Pension-reform package moves to full Illinois House" which you can see here.
May 31.5, 2012
CapitolFax has a link to a recent Youtube interview with Tom Cross which you can view here.
May 31.5, 2012
The Daily Herald has a Blog post by Mike Riopell titled: "The pension debate is like a trip with your wife" which you can see here ( but only if you are a Daily Herald subscriber - if not, you need to be FAST to read the post. )
May 31.5, 2012
The Chicago Tribune has an article by Ray Long titled: "Pension overhaul on track in Springfield" which you can read here.
May 31.4, 2012
Marty Anderson [Elec; 2009] sent this very interesting link he found in CapitolFax. It's from the Center for Business and Public Policy at the U of IL Urbana-Champaign by Nolan Miller titled: "The Choice Between Two Unconstitutional Options is Not Constitutional" which you can read here.
May 31.3, 2012
As I mentioned below, IL legislative bills can languish and die, move at the speed of light or have provisions changed in a heartbeat. CapitolFax has a couple of pertinent threads this morning:
"*** UPDATED x1 *** Oops" gives a good account of what's happened ( publicly; who actually knows what is going on in the 'smoke-filled' rooms ) lately on the pension crap which you can read here, along with some typical Trib editorials. [ I guess the only thing that would make the Trib happy is to get rid of all State workers and Retiree benefits. ]
"*** UPDATED x1 - IFT Responds *** The next time you blame the state for skipping pension payments, remember this" which discusses legislative calling out witnesses about a previous 'pension payment holiday' which you can read here.
May 31, 2012
The Southern has an article by Andrew Thomason titled: "Illinois' pension reform in limbo" which you can read here. [ Well, at least is was in 'limbo' the instant he posted it; a lot can happen in moments in the IL legislature. ]
May 31, 2012
WUIS has an interview by Amanda Vinicky Statehouse Bureau Chief, Illinois Public Radio/WUIS, titled: "Interview With House Speaker Mike Madigan" which you can read here and listen to here.
May 30.5, 2012
A DONE viewer sent a link to this State Journal-Register article by Sean F. Driscoll titled: "Illinois Rep. Mike Bost flips his lid over pension legislation" which you can see here. Included is a link to a minute and half Youtube rant which is well worth the watch. [ I'm just guessing, but I suspect a lot of State workers and Retirees have similar thoughts. ]
May 30.5, 2012
Here's some recent twits:
IL Statehouse tweets @SJRthedome - 'AFSCME's Henry Bayer says only employees, retirees and school boards are sharing the burden of this bill.'
IL Statehouse tweets @SJRthedome - 'Bayer: You'd never tell the bondholders you don't have enough money, so you'll pay them less.'
Kristen McQueary @StatehouseChick - 'Radogno calls out union leaders for supporting $2.3 bill shorting of pensions in 2005. IFT, IEA, CPS, SEIU all filed pro witness slips.' [ Uhhh, yeah. But NONE of the 'witnesses' passed the legislation, did they? Wonder how many times Radogno has called out lobbyist groups or other business associations? ]
May 30.5, 2012
The Chicago Tribune has an editorial titled: "Improve the pension bill - Quinn's plan would lock in more savings — more reform, really — than Madigan's would" which you can read here. [ So, now the Trib wants to trust Quinn? Really. ]
May 30, 2012
CapitolFax has a thread titled: "House Republicans go ballistic" which you can see here concerning the pension revamp.
May 30, 2012
CapitolFax has a thread titled: "Today’s numbers" which deals with "...how much some politicians put into their pensions vs. how much their cash benefits have been worth to date…" which you can see here. [ Media LOVES to throw numbers like this around to show how 'exorbitant' State Retiree pensions are. What they always fail to discuss is that the point of regular contributions over a period of time which are intelligently invested result in far larger numbers than the original contributions. But that wouldn't help turn the tide against State workers and Retirees, would it. ]
May 30, 2012
Marty Anderson [Elec; 2009] sent an interesting link to the Illinois Senate Democrats Website. On the Website, there is a report by the Senate Democratic Caucus Staff titled: "The Great Pension Debate. A detailed analysis of the Illinois Constitution’s pension clause. [UPDATED]" which you can read here. They have a one page Abstract by Eric M. Madiar, who is "Chief Legal Counsel to Illinois Senate President John J. Cullerton and Parliamentarian of the Illinois Senate", titled: "IS WELCHING ON PUBLIC PENSION PROMISES AN OPTION FOR ILLINOIS? - AN ANALYSIS OF ARTICLE XIII, SECTION 5 OF THE ILLINOIS CONSTITUTION" which you can quickly read here.
May 29.5, 2012
The BS keeps getting deeper. The State Journal-Register has an article by Chris Wetterich titled: "Illinois House committee approves pension overhaul - Republicans opposed to shifting costs to school districts, universities, colleges" which you can read here.
[ Some thoughts on quotes from the article. ]
First: "...the union officials that have given him millions of dollars, don’t want to do pension reform. They got us in the mess and they’re keeping us from getting out of it. There’s no question this is what this is about,” Cross said." [ Actually no, Mr. Cross - the legislature, of which you are a current member, created all these problems. ]
Second: This is great: "If they were in the bill, judges would decide whether changes to their own pensions are constitutional. Explaining why the proposal leaves out the judiciary, Madigan said, “To avoid putting judges in a conflict of interest, because eventually this matter is going to be up before the Illinois Supreme Court." [ Apparently even the legislature has decided it can't trust the judiciary? If judges decide it's a conflict of interest, they'll know how to resolve it. ]
Third: "Ty Fahner, a former state attorney general and head of the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago. "In all fairness, that’s exactly where the responsibility belongs, as long as it’s done over time so that it doesn’t result in an immediate tax increase,” "Fahner told the State Journal-Register in an interview Friday." [ Isn't that special? Tax increase is OKwith us as long as the blame for it won't fall back on any of us, especially Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago and the legislature? Raising taxes? Oh, it's the school boards that are doing that; not us. ]
May 29, 2012
Folks have said that everyday should be Memorial Day. From Chicago Tribunes Eric Zorn blog, a poem written by 71 year old Curtis Vevang of Palatine titled: "An 'Owed' to the Life of the Soldier" which is below.
You saved our freedom by going to war.
I worked and partied and stayed on our shore.
I have what you've earned, I've hardly a care.
You fought in the war. Life's not at all fair.
You were killed one day, by a road side bomb.
I'm here in the states in the peace and calm.
I have the freedom that you've earned for me.
Your life has ended. I'm happy and free.
I have what you've earned, I've hardly a care.
Your home is a box. Death's not at all fair.
You lie there in pain, confined to your bed,
fragments of shrapnel entombed in your head.
What price did I pay for all that I got?
A pebble of sand compared to your lot.
I have what you've earned, I've hardly a care.
You lie in that bed. Life's not at all fair.
I have my freedom which I didn't earn.
You paid the price and got nil in return.
May 29, 2012
The State Journal-Register has an article by Chris Wetterich titled: "Pension proposal: choice of COLA cut or no health insurance - Judicial pensions not affected" which you can read here. [ 'Judicial pensions not affected' Shocking, eh? ]
May 29, 2012
The Chicago Tribune has an article by Monique Garcia titled: "Record tax hike isn't fixing Illinois' problems - $7 billion windfall can't stave off pension crisis, health care cuts and slashes in service — all being tackled this week" which you can read here.
May 29, 2012
How about that; another great editorial from the Trib. Paraphrasing: 'Screw the poor and the Retirees and State workers even more; but condemn increased revenue.' Gotta love the Trib's spin. The Chicago Tribune has an editorial titled: "Good start. Now finish. - Lawmakers need to fix a pension system built to fail (but not to fail them)" which you can read here.
May 27, 2012
Thanks to all who have given so much for us
Take time to remember
their sacrifices
Memorial Day 2012
It is the VETERAN, not the preacher, who has given us freedom of religion.
It is the VETERAN, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the VETERAN, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the VETERAN, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to assemble.
It is the VETERAN, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the VETERAN, not the politician, who has given us the right to vote.
It is the VETERAN who salutes the Flag.
It is the VETERAN who serves under the Flag.
Eternal rest grant them, and let perpetual light shine upon them.
Thanks to Jim Klafeta [Exec; 1997]
for the thoughts & image.
May 26.5, 2012
CapitolFax has a thread titled: "But will it work?" which you can read here with comments. The thread links to a Chicago Tribune article by Ray Long and Rick Pearson titled: "Public pensions deal in the works - Lawmakers hope to ease debt by changing cost-of-living formula, offering state employees choices" which you can read here. [ Offering??? More like coercing. ]
May 26.5, 2012
The Chicago Tribune has an article by Rick Pearson titled: "Illinois House approves $1-a-pack cigarette tax increase" which you can read here.
May 26.5, 2012
And as of about 12:30pm today, the House is adjourned, so they can't publicly do much more damage to us this week.
May 26, 2012
CapitolFax day.
"Pension plan: Workers who stay with the current retirement system can’t buy state health insurance" which you can read here. [ Do they just keep pulling stuff out from their (dreams) to see what sticks? ]
"Madigan confirms that retirement age won’t be raised" which you can read here. [ Could it be they figured out there'd be no one left with any experience to turn the lights out at all the agencies? ]
"More like this, please" which you can read here. [ Cooperation? A long lost concept! ]
"Question of the day", a Madigan interview dealing with Medicaid & Pensions which you can see here.
May 25.5, 2012
The Chicago Tribune has an article by Jason Grotto and Ray Long titled: "When it came to pensions, state officials looked out for No. 1 - Lawmakers took care of themselves in 1989 pension revamp" which you can read here. Gail received an AFSCME robocall this morning warning of a vote to change the COLA as early as tomorrow & to call her legislators.
May 25.5, 2012
Marty Anderson [Elec; 2009] sent a link to a Chicago Tribune article also by Jason Grotto and Ray Long titled: "Hefty payouts, but few regrets - Only Netsch has given money back to the state pension system" which you can read here.
May 25, 2012
CapitolFax has a thread titled: "Retirement age may not be raised" which you can see here.
May 25, 2012
The Chicago Tribune has an article by Richard Wronski titled: "Panel urges adding mass transit in renovation of Jane Addams Tollway" which you can see here.
May 25, 2012
Something strangely un-American about stories like this. The Chicago Tribune has an article titled: "Police: Man who stole chips turned himself in hoping for place to stay" which you can read here.
May 25, 2012
CapitolFax has a thread about tax increases even when the taxees support it titled: "Question of the day" which you can read here. [ At least WE (downstate - boonies - northern IL) get to vote against Syverson. ]
May 25, 2012
CapitolFax has a thread titled: "Medicaid votes, budget battles and a very big cut" which you can read here. [ Does anybody in Quinn's office or the legislature do the homework to evaluate the impacts? Apparently not. ]
May 25, 2012
The Chicago Tribune has an interesting column by Phil Rosenthal titled: "Cubs subsidy foul or fair? Depends on your angle - Ricketts family taxes credibility with subsidy talk for Wrigley Field improvements" which you can read here.
May 24, 2012
The State Journal-Register has an article by Doug Finke titled: "State cuts temporary deals with 3 health insurance providers" which you can read here. [ This is nice. 90 days - and THEN what? Try again? Golly: thanks for that. ] [ Let's see now. The legislature AND CMS is involved; what could possibly go wrong? ]
May 24, 2012
Marty Anderson [Elec; 2009] sent a link to a State Journal-Register commentary titled: "Ted Dabrowski: Quinn plan for pensions inadequate" which you can read here. [ Two things: 1) '...to empower their state workers by offering them control of their own retirement.' Thanks for 'empowering' me. and 2) '...more importantly, Michigan hasn't missed a single payment to the plan since it reformed, nor has it gamed the system.' And that relates to IL politicians - how??? This IS IL after all. ]
May 24, 2012
Quinn finally finds a crowd that he's comfortable with. Two from CapitolFax. First a thread titled: "*** UPDATED x1 *** Dude. Really?" which you can read here. And a followup thread titled: "Quinn mugs for the cameras as Medicaid plan goes off the rails" which you can read here. [ Ahhh...IL politics and politicians. ]
May 23, 2012
Super pacs. The Chicago Tribune has an article by The Associated Press titled: "Illinois among 22 states joining campaign finance fight" which you can read here. And, the Chicago Tribune has a related editorial 'cartoon' by Stantis which you can see here.
May 23, 2012
A DONE viewer sent a link to an email that they called: 'Staying On Message' about a State Journal -Register article by The Associated Press titled: "Road fund still being raided, transit group says" which you can read here. [ Thanks, media folks, keep the stories going on Retirees benefits. ]
May 23, 2012
Marty Anderson [Elec; 2009] sent a link to a Peoria Journal Star article by Chris Wetterich titled: "Pair of professors propose alternative state pension plan" which you can read here. [ Great for SURS - How's about some profs/economists helping SERS Retirees out? We get whatever the 4 tops decide. ]
May 21, 2012
Watching a WGN TV report of some NATO protesters yesterday (Sunday) who were around 22nd Street & Michigan. Crowd started getting unruly. They were told to disband. Chicago Police started moving in to disperse the group; some, clad in all black, moved forward and decided to confront the cops. The Chicago Police Commissioner was about 3 rows of cops back; on the street; at the site; actually helping arrest a protester; directing his forces; helping out; wearing an 'everyday' uniform - no riot gear. Then he helps up a fallen cop who's OK; gives him a big grin. How about that? In the front lines; with the folks he directs. And, not sitting in some air conditioned command van blocks or miles away. Props [ props? ] to Garry F. McCarthy. Good job, Commissioner. And, thanks for the professionalism. Good job Mayor, for hiring him.
Update: The Chicago Sun Times has an article by Mark Konkol titled: "Supt. McCarthy on the front line: ‘You lead from the front.’" which you can read here.
Update2: You can see a short WGN TV video here.
May 21, 2012
The Chicago Tribune has an article by Andrea L. Brown titled: "Panel backs plan to extend Route 53 - Proposal calls for tollway from Lake Cook Road to Highway 120, but lacks funding" which you can see here.
May 21, 2012
The yin yang of our third arm of government: the judiciary.
The yin: Businessweek has an article by Andrew Harris and Marie Rohde titled: "Wisconsin Top Court Fires Judicial Oversight Panel Chief" which you can see here.
The yang: The Chicago Tribune has an article by Ameet Sachdev's Chicago Law column titled: "Federal Judge Richard Posner takes on science and law - Technical advances outpace, outsmart many in court, he says" which you can see here.
May 21, 2012
The Southern Illinoisan points to IDOT's "2012 Long Range State Transportation Plan - Transforming Transportation for Tomorrow" which you can see here.
May 21, 2012
A twit from CapitolFax's coverage of the 'live session' of IL government. "RT @AmandaVinicky: Sen. Republicans say Sen Dems' plan spends $645mil MORE than Quinn's (Dems say it's $248m LESS).
by Blueroomstream via twitter 4:04 PM" A DONE viewer asked earlier this week: 'Does anybody trust the GA (general assembly) ?' I suspect the twit above gives the answer.
May 21, 2012
Illinois Issues has an article by Jamey Dunn titled: "Fund sweeps - Special funds blur the budgetary process" which you can see here.
May 21, 2012
PBS has an article by Paul Solman titled: "Are U.S. Wages Enough to Live On?" which you can see here.
May 18, 2012
CapitolFax has a couple of interesting posts.
"Question of the Day" from yesterday which you can read here. It's Miller's commentary about a letter to the editor which is in the post. Milller's logic appears to be: 'folks in the printer media (like Miller is himself) lost pensions and benefits, so it's OK for State workers and retirees to lose them as well.' I guess the logic here is multiple wrongs make it right.
"Spoiled rotten brats" is a from Wednesday which you can read here. Apparently Miller didn't like some comments that were posted about a previous question/post of his concerning AFSCME. So, apparently Miller felt he needed to went his ire again by elevating the dialog with his 'Spoiled Rotten Brats' title and telling State workers and retirees to quit 'whining'.
May 18, 2012
CapitolFax has a "Question of the day" about 'pension reform proponents’ legislative performance' which you can read here along with the comments.
May 17.5, 2012
CapitolFax has this image today, which I'll call: 'Two Choices'. You can see the CapitolFax post here.
May 17, 2012
If Retirees think that the stuff going on now by big money, big business, by Quinn and by the legislature isn't an all out, frontal attack on State workers and Retirees, I'd ask you to think through this again. Let me know if you see this differently. A DONE viewer offered the next 3 links.
First, the State Journal-Register has an article by Chris Wetterich titled: "Unions gear up to oppose state pension changes" which you can read here. About time, I'd say. Yeah, the article had this: '...2011 income tax increase, which increased the individual income tax rate from 3 percent to 5 percent...' and that's not enough to help State workers and Retirees out, nor pay off the 8+ billion in outstanding bills either, nor has it apparently stabilized the budget in the short term, for that matter. State workers and Retirees are easy targets these days; let's get more from them; public opinion is against them now; government's failures to fund aren't an issue any longer; workers and Retirees are the bad guys not - not the governor nor the legislature.
Then, they drop this into the Illinois Statehouse News by Andrew Thomason: "More potholes in Illinois’ future?" which you can read here.
Earlier, the State Journal-Register had this article by Doug Finke titled: "IDOT official: Medicaid, pension cuts would help road fund" which you can read here. Let's see; is this the same IDOT official that didn't have the yarbels to stand up to Blago?
And, of course, Quinn's new Website titled: 'Save Our State' which you can view here. Quinn's Save Our State (SOS - how catchy) website seems far more political than State business related. Who's paying for it? Developing it? Maintaining it? Writing it? Are taxpayers paying for this? Oh, Lisa? Oh, Pat Fitzgerald?
And, finally, somebody pushing FOR us at the '' Website which you can view here. Class action suit, anybody? From this Website: "... public employees are in danger of losing the pensions they have contributed to throughout their years of service. Instead of working toward real reform, Politicians are shifting the blame to the men and women that work to keep us safe, teach our children, and provide other essential services."
May 17, 2012
CapitolFax has a thread titled: "Question of the day - How would you rate the pension reform proponents’ legislative performance so far this year?" which is worth a read along with the commentary and you can read it here.
May 16, 2012
CapitolFax has a thread titled: "Judges may sue over health insurance bill" which you can see here. Of more interest is a note about Quinn's new website titled: "Save Our State" which you can get to here.
This from the governor who has adamantly refused to pursue additional gambling in IL which would increase revenue. Gov, people will be spending that money somewhere if they want to gamble. And related: WUIS has an article titled: "Top Democrat Pushes Online Gambling" which you can see here.
May 16, 2012
A DONE viewer sent a link to this Youtube titled: "Sidestep - Charles Durning - The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas". Seems appropriate. Politics Illinois, anyone?
May 16, 2012
CapitolFax has a thread titled: "Words vs. Reality" which you can see here.
May 16, 2012
We're now living in a civilization that is no longer civil. And some celebrate that. The Chicago Tribune has an editorial titled: "No more Mr. Nice Guy - Lugar's loss" which you can read here.
May 16, 2012
Huffington Post has an article titled: "Prison, Calls It 'The Saddest Place On Earth'" which you can see here quoting Patti.
May 16, 2012
If you Twit; you can send your 140 character thoughts to the gov right here: @GovernorQuinn. I have.
Or you can send the gov a note by completing an email form here.
May 15, 2012
Some out of State Retirees have wondered if they could do anything, other than worry. Short answer? Yes. As I mentioned yesterday, AFSCME is encouraging members to contact legislators. Today, as usual, the Chicago Tribune is encouraging legislative contact for people who want State workers and Retirees to suffer more take-backs. So, even if you live outside of IL now, you could certainly contact the 4 Tops (a Republican and a Democrat leader in both the House and Senate) as well as the governor. You might remind them of your years of service to the people of IL. And that they need to balance their careless handling of finances across more than State Retirees. You can see the Trib editorial titled: "Rescuing Illinois - Two weeks crucial to this state and its people" here.
May 15, 2012
If you're interested, here's some recent commentary from State workers and Retirees after the legislature, with Quinn's blessing, took away Retiree's health care benefit. Got some thoughts of your own you'd like to share? Send them here: jerryjd@jerryd.ws
May 15, 2012
Yesterday, Quinn twitted: "You can listen to my City Club Chicago visit this morning where I talked about the need to rescue these systems here."
May 15, 2012
And, for our-of-towners who haven't been following the NATO-Chicago stuff, here's a couple of items, both from the Chicago Tribune. First, a serious one by Richard Weonski titled: "South Shore line: Passengers face 'rigorous' screenings for NATO - 11 trains to be canceled Monday" which you can see here. Second, a tongue-in-cheek column by Rex W. Huppke titled: "A very serious introduction to the NATO summit - Here's how to handle the coming 'weekend invasion' and not be menaced by hippies" which you can see here. Some businesses are telling their folks to work from home and judging by the pics, a number of businesses have protective screening in front of their buildings, etc. And, again seriously, the Chicago Sun Times has an article by Fran Spielman titled: "Cops from as far as Philly, Carolina to help with NATO" which you can see here.
May 14.7, 2012
CapitolFax has a thread titled: "Today’s quote" which you can see here.
May 14.5, 2012
Gail just received an AFSCME robocall suggesting to call her legislators; that hey now want to take the COLA away. This jist is that the legislature is now considering cutting the COLA, although there is no bill yet, but with the speed of the 'health care 'reform', it could be done in a matter of days. You can take a look at an AFSCME web page titled: "Call now to stop pension cuts!" here.
May 14.5, 2012
Jim Shay [Spfld; ] sent this email out:
"To all on the IDOT News list:
Following is a very informative open letter to State retirees from Nancy Thurman, President of the
Macomb Area AFSCME Illinois Retirees, Chapter 31. She informs us that this week SB 3913 was introduced which outlines the payment structure for retirees. It is based on a "point system".
Points are the sum of the age of the retiree plus the number of years of service AT THE TIME OF RETIREMENT.
If you are not aware, SB1313 was passed by the Senate this week and is on the way to the Governor for his signature. We need to let our elected officials know how we feel about this matter, (our retiree health care benefits). We should also thank officials who stood with us on this matter, even though they were voted down.
Rep. Hammond, Rep. Unes, and Senator Sullivan all voted NO on this bill. Rep. Jill Tracy voted YES, which was not the way we would have preferred her to vote. Remember folks, elections are in November and how these people feel about state employees and state retirees should have some effect on how you vote.
On Wed May 16th there will be a Lobby Day in Springfield hosted by the Illinois Alliance for Retired Americans. You should be at the Howlett Building, (south of the Capitol Building), by 10AM. You can park behind the AFSCME Building located at 615 S 2nd Street and walk across to the Capital Area. I would encourage you to attend. Contact your fellow retirees and car pool. Let those in Springfield know how we feelabout trying to balance the budget on the backs of those who held up our part of the contract we signed on for when we became state employees and determined when we would retire based on circumstances at that time. Issues being addressed will include the attack on public sector health insurance, cuts to Illinois Cares Rx., cuts to Medicaid, fixing the revenue problem through the creation of a fair tax structure, and cuts to community care programs for seniors.
I have received the following information through the agency I worked at before retirement:
This week, SB 3913 was introduced which outlines the health care payment structure for retirees. It is based on a "point system".
POINTS are the sum of the age of the retiree plus the number of years of service AT THE TIME OF RETIREMENT.
78 or fewer points:
Pension income of $15,000 or less - pay 50% of premium
Pension income of $15,000-$30,000 - pay 60% of premium
Pension income of $20,000-50,000 - pay 70% of premium
Pension income of $50,000 - 100,000 - pay 80% of premium
Pension income of 100,000 - 125,000 - pay 90% of premium
79-85 points:
$15,000 or less - pay %35
$15,000 - 30,000 - pay %45
$30,000 - 50,000 - pay %55
$50,000 - 100,000 - pay %65
$100,000 - 125,000 - pay %75
$125,000 and over - pay %100
86-92 points:
$15,000 or less - pay 20%
$15,000 - 30,000 - pay 30%
$30,000 - 50,000 - pay 40%
$50,000 - 100,000 - pay 50%
$100,000 - 125,000 - pay 60%
$125,000 and over - pay 100%
93 or more points:
$15,000 or less - pay 5%
$15,000 - 30,000 - pay 15%
$30,000 - 50,000 - pay 25%
$50,000 -100,000 - pay 35%
$100,000 - 125,000 - pay 45%
$125,000 and over - pay 85%
SB 3919 (which contains the above rate structure) was just introduced and has not been voted on yet.
Although not included in the bill, legislative members/leaders are saying that if you are Medicare-eligible, these rates will be reduced since the cost to the State is reduced at age 65.
Nancy Thurman
President
Macomb Area AFSCME Illinois Retirees, Chapter 31"
And, my comment from May 11, 2012? [ Oh yeah. 'Sliding scale.' They KNOW there will be 7 'tiers'....but don't KNOW what they are; what the costs will be; what the income level breaks will be. But they KNOW the number of tiers. I'll bet somebody KNOWS all the 'unknowns'; otherwise how can they KNOW how many tiers there'll be ? ] Yup. Nobody knew then; but there sure is a lot of detail 3 days (or less) later.
May 14.5, 2012
CapitolFax has a thread titled: "Press release of the day" which you can read here. The story includes this Rich Miller quote: "These guys are always at the Statehouse either asking for special treatment or trying to stop somebody else from getting a leg up on them, so backing the leaders certainly helps them because it shows they’re 'on the team.' But it sure rubs me the wrong way. 'Zap the workers and retirees, zap health care for the poor, but keep those special favors coming for the giant utility company!' Such a great slogan."
May 14.5, 2012
The Chicago Tribune has a Letter to the Editor by State Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington titled: "Pension imbalance" which you can read here.
May 14.5, 2012
The State Journal-Register has an article/column by Doug Finke titled: "Jumping to action to cut off retirees" which you can see here.
May 14.5, 2012
And peeking back to March 2011, the Chicago Tribune has an article by Monique Garcia and Ray Long
titled: "Cullerton suggests taxing retirement income - Extra money might possibly lower income tax rate" which you can still see here.
May 14, 2012
Quick break over, but the flowers were nice this year (see the May 13, 2012 post below.). Time to get back to it. The Chicago Tribune has a commentary by Quinn titled: "Honor our mothers by saving our state" which you can read here when you have a strong stomach. Recalling my deceased mother's views, I suspect she'd be a lot more honored if the pols that her generation and we've kept electing over the decades would have kept their promises to State workers and Retirees (and her son) by appropriate pension funding and not by putting us into the hole that they have now. I could certainly be wrong, but I suspect this all would have been avoided with honorable, ethical elected officials doing the right thing over the years. So, if I can paraphrase what Quinn is saying: 'Let's honor our mothers by screwing their sons and daughters who've had an expectation from us politicians for 2, 3 or 4 decades that we're now backing out on.'
May 14, 2012
And the usual Chicago Tribune editorials. One titled: "More like this, please - House votes to curb retirement perk" which you can read here. And their followup titled: "More like this, Part 2 - 31 senators cast the tough vote that others only promise" which you can read here. With more of the same sensational wording: "...after the Illinois House voted to kill a generous retirement perk for most state retirees..." Ahhh, yes; that generous retirement perk that NOBODY said boo about for 3 or 4 decades. Is that the one?
May 14, 2012
May be adding some of the comments I received over the legislature's sell out of us in the next while. Want to add your voice? Send your thoughts to the email address near the top of the page. Comments that get posted will be anonymous, paraphrased and in random order to keep identities out of this.
May 14, 2012
On a lighter note, Parade magazine has a column titled: "Sunday with... Kate Meyers: "Charles Barkley on Weight Loss, Life Lessons, and Walking in Heels" which you can see here.
May 13, 2012
Let's take a quick break from the legislature screwing Retirees and take a breath ...... Ahhh ..... and take a moment to -- Relax and Enjoy.
2012 was a great year in northern IL for flowering everything. Here's a set of pics to sit back and relax with. Hope you enjoy. There's about 100 pics if you stay all the way through; takes about 5 minutes. There's also a couple of short, crappy videos of the butterflies. One of them around the porch is here; one of the tree they hung around on is here.
May 12, 2012
Looks like we're all screwed, Retirees and current workers alike; and this is probably just the start. Marty Anderson [Elec; 2009] sent several links. First, the State Journal-Register has an article by Doug Finke titled: "Quinn will sign bill to end free health insurance for state retirees" which you can read here. The vote is here. [ By the way, thanks for that, gov. ]
May 12, 2012
Then, the State Journal-Register has a so-called 'editorial' titled: "Our Opinion: Legislators take step in right direction" which you can read here.
[ Funny how the winds blow. I don't EVER recall the SJR pushing anything like this before. How special is that. ]
[And this....."This bill does not mandate that retirees pay 100 percent of the cost. From the bill: “...the Director of Central Management Services shall, on an annual basis, determine the amount that the State shall contribute toward the basic program of group health benefits on behalf of annuitants. In other words, the state still could pay half and save $400 million."
-----
[ Or.....CMS could pay $1.00 which would still be in keeping with the bill's language? And that's great with the SJR? God love us all; especially our sterling legislators and CMS; maybe the SJR too. ]
May 12, 2012
CapitolFax has a thread titled: "Senate passes repeal of free health insurance premiums, Quinn to sign" which you can read here.
[ Not surprisingly, from the Chicago Tribune: "State Sen. Larry Bomke, R-Springfield, predictably voted against the bill. Too many state workers in his district. Too much union pressure. Not enough moxie."
That's Funny. I always thought elected officials were supposed to represent their constituents. My bad, but from my view, the Trib has been against State workers and Retirees since all this started.
As early as in September 2009, the Trib had an editorial titled: "Free Fall" which included the line: "...and set realistic pension benefits for current employees." My bad again. My belief was and still is that we did have realistic pension benefits.
So, Thank You, Senator Bomke for sticking up for State workers and Retirees. ]
May 12, 2012
So, although there's not that many of us, here's the start of my solution. You've probably seen this before here.
Take it to the bank; work for it.
May 11, 2012
Commentary by jerryd.
It's been clear for a while that State of IL Retirees have become targets. Easy targets to both politicians and to the general public. Looking back at DONE, the first mention of the Illinois Is Broke Website, which primarily targeted Retirees, was originally posted on DONE on February 1, 2010, over two years ago. Public opinion has been pushed along against Retirees by the continued use of words like 'exorbitant pensions' in the media and examples the egregious pension windfalls by a tiny handful of people who found ways to game the State's pension systems. Of course those 'ways' to game the system were apparently all legally legislated for them. Email comments I've gotten since the legislators passed the bill rescinding our paid health insurance have a similar negative tone on how IL government sold us out. And question: 'What's next?' State tax for pensions? Anybody think the the pols will direct 'their' $800 million health care savings (dumped on our backs now) to funding our pension system? Fat chance.
So, here's a few items of some possible interest.
The Chicago Tribune has an article by Alissa Groeninger and Ray Long titled: "Quinn gets bill that would raise insurance costs for retirees" which you can see here. [ Oh yeah. 'Sliding scale.' They KNOW there will be 7 'tiers'....but don't KNOW what they are; what the costs will be; what the income level breaks will be. But they KNOW the number of tiers. I'll bet somebody KNOWS all the 'unknowns'; otherwise how can they KNOW how many tiers there'll be ? ]
CapitolFax has a thread titled: "House approves bill to effectively end free employee health insurance premiums" which you can see here.
A D1 Retiree sent this link titled: "Votes on Crippling Retirees Health Care" which you can see here.
A D1 Retiree sent a link to this State Journal-Register article by Doug Finke titled: "House votes to end free health insurance for state retirees" which you can read here. [ This line is special: "The easiest thing in the world is to go after retirees,” Sacia said, before voting in favor of the bill. Sounds like an IL politician, doesn't it ? Apparently it was real easy for him to 'go after Retirees' too. And help throw us and current State workers under the bus. ]
The Chicago Tribune has an article by Alissa Groeninger titled: "Retired state employees could pay for health coverage - Madigan, Cross push retiree health premiums" which you can see here.
And capping the week off is the postcard from CMS titled: "Benefit Choice Options' that says, paraphrasing: 'the Benefits Choice Period begins May 1, 2012....BUUUUT [ as usual ]....there are no options for you to chose from.'
May 11, 2012
And then, coincidentally, there's the IRS stories.
A D1 Retiree forwarded this report from an Indiana TV station titled: "Indiana WTHR: Investigates IRS Tax Loophole; Additional Child Tax Credit" which you can view here.
Then, CapitolFax has a thread titled: "*** UPDATED x2 *** Not a big deal at all, but it’s probably time to delegate a bit more" which you can read here which deals with Governor Quinn and his tax return. [ No big deal? As a few comments indicated, it doesn't speak well for Quinn's judgement. ]
May 11, 2012
The Chicago Tribune has an article by Monique Garcia titled: "Former IDOT exec improperly got NASCAR passes, investigators say" which you can read here.
May 11, 2012
The Chicago Tribune has an article by Ray Long titled: "No driving with a lapdog law fails in state Senate" which you can see here. [ Hmmm. So distracted driving using texting is bad and illegal; but distracted driving with a pooch on your lap is OK. And, we wonder why the State's politicians can't get the State's financial act together ? ]
May 11, 2012
The State Journal-Register twitted: "Holland reappointed as auditor general on a 115-0 vote." [ A little tiny bit of good news for a change ? ]
May 10, 2012
The Chicago Tribune has an article by Alissa Groeninger titled: " Retired state employees could pay for health coverage" which you can read here.
May 10, 2012
The Chicago Tribune has an article by Monique Garcia titled: "Child care cuts may be averted - Lawmakers asked to OK budget transfer to fund service for low-income families" which you can see here. [ Maybe the Gov can find a $72 million or two for Retiree health care? ]
May 10, 2012
The Chicago Sun Times has an article by Dave McKinney and Andrew Maloney titled: "House passes bill that spares state rep $444,500 in disputed taxes" which you can read here. [ Ahhh....Our hard working legislators at work again. Thanks, folks. How special is that? ]
May 10, 2012
The Slashgear Website has an article by Chris Davies titled: "Google driverless cars prompt robo safety worries" which you can see here. [ Oh, yeah - as an old IT type, I can tell you - you can ALWAYS trust the software. HaHaHaHaHa. Ooops. ]
May 9, 2012
A Shoe comic is here. Remind you of anything?
May 8, 2012
CapitolFax has a thread titled: "Madigan connects retiree health care to budget fix" which you can read here.
May 8, 2012
A Non Sequitur comic is here. Remind you of anything?
May 8, 2012
The Chicago Tribune has an article by Rick Pearson titled: "Report: Summer youth job money misspent on community organizing, golf course work" which you can read here. And, a D1 Retiree sent a link to a related Letter to the Editor in the State Journal-Register titled: "Letter: Story raises questions" which you can read here.
May 8, 2012
CapitolFax has a thread titled: "House Speaker blames media, downplays pension differences with Senate President" which you can see here.
May 6, 2012
Roy Fonda [Exec; 2001] sent a link to the obit for Ray Kristopaitis [Maint; 1999] which you can see here. Ray's Funeral Mass is tomorrow, at 9:30 a.m., Monday, May 7 at Incarnation Church in Palos Heights IL.
May 6, 2012
The Chicago Tribune has an editorial titled: "Your Daley reminder: Fix pensions now, not 'later' - Legislators, don't plunge Illinois, too, into the Mariana Trench" which you can read here.
May 6, 2012
The Chicago Tribune has an article by Jon Hilkevitch titled: "NATO road closings: 'It won't be business as usual' - Transportation experts pessimistic about how weekend will roll for motorists" which you can see here describing some 'minor inconveniences' to traffic flow. And, the Chicago Tribune has an editorial titled: "Natomageddon" which you can see here.
May 4, 2012
Marty Anderson [Elec; 2009] sent a link to a State Journal-Register article by Doug Finke titled: "Bill to cut free health insurance for state retirees advances" which you might want to read here. [ More nice work by OUR legislature. Thanks for that, gang. But, legislature, please explain how this DOESN'T diminish our pension benefits. As one example, my aunt has to get drug coverage thru Medicare for about $50 per month - additional. If you don't have Medicare, private health insurance is costly. Seems that would seem to diminish OUR pensions. ]
May 4, 2012
The Chicago Tribune has an article by Ray Long titled: "Illinois voters will decide pension question this fall - Voters will decide constitutional amendment on pension increases." which you can see here. [ I confuse easily these days, I guess. Why can't our sterling legislators just pass a bill? They passed the bills that allow these windfalls. ]
May 4, 2012
CapitolFax has a couple of threads today which I put under the 'does anybody that has media access have any credibility' category. First is one titled: "Cross distances himself from 'senior pension adviser'" which you can see here from a Crain's Chicago Business column. Then, one titled: "The big lie on teacher pensions" which you can see here from a WLS TV 'Investigative' Report. [ Is real investigative, factual, journalism is dead? See a post from May 1: The Chicago Tribune has a column by Rex W. Huppke titled: "Facts, 360 B.C.-A.D. 2012 - In memoriam: After years of health problems, Facts has finally died." which you can see here. ]
May 3, 2012
Marty Anderson [Elec; 2009] sent an updated link to an interesting Associated Press article in the State Journal-Register by John O'Connor titled: "U.S. investigating IDOT payments for jobs program" which you probably want to read here. [ Hmmmm. "Illinois' top transportation official said Monday she approved more than $3 million in questionable payments for a 2008 summer jobs program, which caught the interest of federal investigators, because arm-twisting from then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich's office made her fear for her job." But, she's still there at the top? ]
May 3, 2012
Mike Kroot [Elec; 2002] sent a link to a CNBC article by the Associated Press titled: "States Scaling Back Worker Pensions to Save Money" which you can read here. [ Looks like a common problem nationwide with no good solutions. ]
May 3, 2012
Roy Fonda [Exec; 2001] got an email from Ted Faurbo which reads in part: "Hi from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Why the UP? Family farm is about a mile away and all of our family vacations were here. Used to play as a kid on property I built on. Told Deb I could build a place in 5 years, took me ten, she says 11.
I have been battling bladder cancer for the past year and a half. After 4th operation (2 in IL and 2 at Mayo's), the last Mayo's doctor came in and said he got it all, and it only took 15 minutes. Then came 6 weeks of radiation and chemo. Lived in motel for six weeks in Rochester MN. All is well now, except for all the normal old age problems, but none life threatening. Thank God for our insurance, life is good.
Last retirement statement said I had paid in 64k and to date have received a little over 1 million back. I usually spend about ten months per year up here. I have to be home for all the holidays, etc. I don't mind if you pass my info around or my email address. This morning (April 29th), 26 degrees up here, no leaves on trees yet and grass does not need cutting yet. Take It easy !!!! Ted"
[ You can send email to Ted at: far1812@hotmail.com ]
[ As an aside, some folks have great results at Mayo; some don't. Gail & I always have had great results. Mayo's has been able to solve some important problems for us that no one in IL could figure out. Conincidentally, the Chicago Tribune has an by Bonnie Miller Rubin article titled: "Second opinions are often worthwhile - Especially for rare or hard-to-diagnose illnesses which you can see here.]
May 3, 2012
The Chicago Tribune has an article by William Hageman titled: "Watch for wildlife when driving in warmer weather - Deer collisions rising: Damage costly, but tips help avoid accidents" which you can see here.
May 3, 2012
IDOT twitted: "Illinois averages more than 7,000 work zone motor vehicle crashes every year. Please drive safely. Embrace the Orange."
And IDOT twitted: "Update on Mississippi River Bridge" which you can see here in .pdf format.
May 3, 2012
The Southtown Star has an article by Tina Sfondeles titled: "South suburban intersections among Chicago area’s most dangerous" which you can see here.
May 3, 2012
CBS in St. Louis has an article by Dave Dahl titled: "Ill. Lawmakers Still Handing Out Free Tuition Rides" which you can see here.
May 3, 2012
Govtech magazine has an article by Sarah Rich titled: "Nevada DMV Approves Regulations for Testing Driverless Vehicles" which you can see here. [ Wow. Driverless ! ]
May 2, 2012
Sad News. From Jim Klafeta [Exec; 1997]and Bob Holub [Maint; 2002]: The arrangements for Ray Kristopaitis [Maint; 1999] will be: Funeral - Monday May 7 @9:30am at Incarnation Catholic Church at 5757 West 127th St.; Palos Heights IL; Phone: 708-597-3180. Ray's daughter Terry said there would be an obit in the Sunday Tribune.
May 1.5, 2012
CapitolFax has a thread titled: "Oh, yeah, this will soothe a lot of tensions" which you need to read here. And, the commentary.
May 1, 2012
Many thanks to all who send information about Retirees, yourselves, articles and links to articles about items of interest to D1 Retirees. This is the way to make DONE interesting and useful. If you see something you think is of interest, send the info and/or link to jerryjd@jerryd.ws. If you add a comment to your note, let me know if it's OK to post it. Thanks again ! jerryd
May 1, 2012
The 26th Annual Keep in Touch Luncheon for District One Retirees is just about five months away. So mark your calendars for 11am, Wednesday, October 3rd, at the Wellington Restaurant in Arlington Heights. Last year over 100 Retirees attended and expect that many or more again this year. The last two years Roy has invited a speaker from our State Retirement System who brought us up to date on changes and proposed changes to the retirement system, and he will invite her back again. You don't want to miss it. If you have questions, contact Roy Fonda at rdfonda@comcast.net.
May 1, 2012
Marty Anderson [Elec; 2009] sent a link to a State Journal-Register article by the Associated Press titled: "U.S. investigating IDOT payments for jobs program" which you can read here. And you can read the full (redacted) report in .pdf format here. And, the Chicago Tribune has an article by Rick Pearson titled: "Report: Summer youth job money misspent on community organizing, golf course work" which you can read here. [ Ahhh.....Blago again. ]
May 1, 2012
The Chicago Tribune has a column by Gail MarksJarvis titled: "Austerity debate carries consequences that can be explosive - Fiscal issues in Europe and U.S. may further trouble economies" which you can read here. And, perhaps somewhat related, the Chicago Tribune has an article by Brian Slodysko titled: "In tough times, municipalities turn to volunteers to get the job done - But some officials say free labor comes with a price" which you can read here. [ Let's see now. Fewer paying jobs; less income; less purchasing power; less spending; less tax revenue to support government services; larger deficits; lower wages. And, the spiral continues. ]
May 1, 2012
The Chicago Tribune has an article by Richard Wronski titled: "Tollway worker suspended for using agency car for personal use" which you can see here.
May 1, 2012
ABC TV in Chicago had an Associated Press report titled: "Illinois Transportation Department officials are highlighting environmental efforts as they mark Earth Week" which you can see here.
May 1, 2012
The Chicago Tribune has an article by Richard Wronski titled: "Tollway committee OKs nearly $170 million in contracts - Work includes engineering on Elgin-O'Hare, Addams routes" which you can see here.
May 1, 2012
The Chicago Tribune has a column by Rex W. Huppke titled: "Facts, 360 B.C.-A.D. 2012 - In memoriam: After years of health problems, Facts has finally died." which you can see here.
AND...
If You Missed It:
April 30, 2012
CapitolFax has a thread titled: "Madigan has bill to strip state retirees of their health insurance subsidy" which you can read here.
April 30, 2012
SAD NEWS. Bob Holub [Maint; 2002] sent an email that said: "Ray Kristopaitis [Maint; 1999] died Saturday . His daughter Terry called. No details, probably no wake and just a burial ceremony late in week." We extend our heartfelt sympathy and condolences to Ray's family and friends.
April 30, 2012
From an email forward: "Diane O’Keefe has announced her retirement from IDOT as of June 1, 2012. She has worked for the department for 31 years. She will be taking the summer off for personal recreation and has not decided what her next employment will be." [ Congrats to Diane; enjoy your retirement ! ]
April 30, 2012
Here's the text of an email Diane sent out: "This morning I announced to you that I would be retiring at the end of May 2012. I have loved being a part of IDOT for the last 31 years but am very excited about moving on. I plan to take the summer off before becoming that dreaded “prohibited source”. The challenges here have been great but the best part of IDOT will always be the people who work here. Being a part of the IDOT team will be what I miss the most! I have valued all of your insight, knowledge, expertise and camaraderie.
I realize that my timing for announcing this is unfortunate due to the recent discussions involving the pension reform. Already I have heard concerns that I am leaving because “I know something”. I can honestly say that my timing is based on the fact that I reached eligibility back in March, and because I desire to have a summer off for the first time since grade school. Retiring in May to spend the summer in Chicago is far more appealing than retiring in December and spending some cold months looking for something to do. So please reiterate to your staff that this has nothing to do with the pension reform.
There will continue to be information coming out about potential pension reforms. Nothing has been settled and any changes that are made will take time. I have always been honest with my staff and would not hold back any information if I had it to share. I hope for the best for everyone involved! Please feel free to share this with your staffs. This isn’t a case of the Captain deserting the sinking ship! This Captain is just planning on taking an extended vacation!"
May Birthdays
Quote / Thought of the Month:
Gratitude consists of being more aware of what you have, than what you don't.
Recurring Thoughts of the Month:
Kids shouldn't go to bed hungry in America - Donate to your local food panty.
Go adopt a dog. Saving one dog may not change the world; but it changes the world for that one dog.
See a panhandler today? Give him or her a buck or two or ten. They wouldn't be doing it if they had real money. Life is getting tougher for a lot of folks these days.
Nothing is worth more than this day. Any day can be the last we have.
Each day is a gift to be treasured. Don't Miss It. Don't Blink.
Still Smoking?If you still smoke; get some help; find a way to stop now. Click here to get started.
Heart Disease in Women?
Go directly to the Go Red for Women Day
Website here with information about heart disease in women.
One More Thing
We're always looking for email addresses (and missing birth dates) of D1 Retirees on the 'Looking for Retirees' web page. If you have any info, send them along to jerryjd@jerryd.ws or jerryd@technologist.com
...