Who Screwed the Pensions?
- Illinois' pension system was in precarious enough shape in 1994 that Democrats and Republicans came together to solve a crisis threatening the state's financial future.
The agreement they forged was supposed to take politics out of pension funding by requiring a steady stream of payments over the next 50 years. The law was billed as an "extraordinary measure" that would finally force the Legislature to fulfill its "constitutional responsibility" to hundreds of thousands of state workers past, present and future.
The promise proved to be an empty one.
The politicians did it? Who would have guessed?
Go read the entire article. It's a long piece but it explains a lot of what went on the last seventeen years.
Go read the entire article. It's a long piece but it explains a lot of what went on the last seventeen years.
Labels: pension
posted by SCC at 12:01 AM
26 Comments:
If this doesn't make you get involved and get out and vote you're a mush.
Those motherfuckers !!!
You know they will get theirs.
Polititions should feel our pain.
We can probably identify all of the crooked corrupt politicians who bankrupted the pensions for years. Why isn't the US Attorney standing by to put these selfish bastards away for a few dozen years. Selective prosecution. They would rather go after big names like Ryan and Blago than all the "little" thieves who put our pensions at risk.
This is just another prime example that contracts are meaningless and all the hype about passing this law or that law are also just about meaningless in Chicago.
They passed a law and it's in writing. BIG F-N deal!
How did that work out for everyone?
THEY LIED!
To top it off we get talk about our obligations to multi-millionair ex-city employees that we the taxpayers should be beholden to into perpetuity.
Picking and choosing who succeeds, who gets a break, who the laws apply to. They choose not on the best and the brightest. Not on experience or eduction or your math and science score. No, choose on who you know.
We have immigration laws that are in writing. The Federal government has requested that we hold certain illegal immigrants and Chicago and the the State of Illinois basically tells the fed where to go. What good is that law in writing?
Oh and how about that restaurant deal? There's another signed contract and it's in writing!
Certain people run around like oh I have it in writing now and they have to honor it. It has their signature on it and everything..HA!
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Chicago takes Millennium Park restaurant to court
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is heading to court against a Millennium Park restaurant that gets a bargain deal for a prime location.
In 2003, the Chicago Park District signed the 20-year deal that gave the Park Grill free utilities and freedom from property taxes. Now the city, claiming it and not the park district has rights to Millennium Park, wants a judge to invalidate the deal.
more > http://www.wbez.org/story/chicago-takes-millennium-park-restaurant-court-94528
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So there you go!
Hey, don't get me wrong this deal was bullshit for the taxpayers of city. However here we go with political figures picking and choosing the winners and losers.
Why do they go after this contract and yet the parking meter deal has a no trespass sign on it?
Pay attention out there world.
Does the city of Chicago keep it's word? If you're thinking about doing business here you may just find yourself in some court battle over some b.s. clout.
Contracts will not protect you.
The elites ones have immunity and amnesty from the laws. The laws are for the churls and the chumps not the royal highness's.
Sorry I can't get excited about any new pension deal or union contract being signed. What does it mean? It's an illusion.
Someone needs to xerox that article, highlight that part and post them all over city hall. Maybe then Rahm would realize that messing with our pensions isn't the right or just thing to do.....then again probably not. Rahm doesn't care whose fault it is he just wants to screw with our measly pensions.
I don't understand how the media has failed to pick up on the whole mess being directly attributable to politicians malfeasance. Nobody seems to be interested in holding their feet to the fire only ours.
And how long did she last?
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Rahm Emanuel communications chief Chris Mather moving on
Mayor Rahm Emanuel's communication chief Chris Mather is moving on, after launching a City Hall press shop yielding Emanuel enormous positive local and national coverage almost every day since he was sworn-in on May 16.
Mather returned to Chicago earlier this year from Washington, where she served in the Obama administration as communications director for Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. Before that, she was press secretary for Jill Biden during the 2008 presidential campaign. Ironic: When Emanuel made his first run for Congress, Mather was the campaign manager for his chief rival, Nancy Kaszak.
Mather is the first departure of a major Emanuel staffer. No word yet on her next gig; as a veteran of the Obama administration and Emanuel City Hall she is considering a number of options.
"While it was difficult to leave the Obama Administration, I was thrilled to be offered the opportunity to come back home and help ensure Mayor Emanuel's smooth transition at a time when Chicago faced enormous challenges," Mather told me on Thursday.
more >> http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2011/12/emanuel_communications_chief_c.html
So all Chicago's enormous challenges are over now eh?
Or is it a smart move on her part because we all know what's coming up in May?
One can only wonder how 'thrilled' she is now after getting suckered into a position here and then getting kicked to the curb after how many months...how many months??
Yeah..What do you think? She leaving on her own or is she being kicked out? Either way you go it doesn't look like a very loyal situation does it?
I mean you get someone to relocate to a different part of the country and then put them on the streets after a few months when they where perfectly happy with the job that they had and where they were living.
Pretty cold.
Let's see where she pops up next and who will be the new Chicago minister of information. Maybe that guy out of Iraq... what was he called?? Comical Alli, Baghdad Bob?
Remember? "we are pounding them and they are moving to the back. They tried sending some of their units...blah..blah..blah. There are no tanks in Baghdad ahh-haha.."
If we get that guy we can use the same script with a little tweaking for the G-8 party protestors no?
Mike Madigan makes convicted Illinois governors Otto Kerner, Dan Walker, George Ryan and Blago look like a choir boys.
The taxpayers of Illinois don't realize it because he does his dirty work in backroom deals and behind closed doors, but Mike Madigan is the worst of the worst, most evil bastard, EVER to be elected into Illinois politics! He's like our homegrown POS Daley though, in the regard that he has all of the manipulation done by underlings so nobody can pin things directly to him.
The laws that he secretly pushes for are designed only to enrich him and his friends, fleece the working man and get shoved through the system much like Daley shoved the LAZ parking Meter deal down the throats of the city council a year before HE KNEW he'd be retiring. Can't wait for his evil spawn, Lisa, to actually BE governor. They might as well have our tax checks direct deposited into his campaign fund account when that happens. And not a Fed from the Department of Justice in sight. It pays to have friends in the White House, right Mike?
On a side note, does anyone know if Coca Cola owns a piece of LAZ Parking?
Anonymous said...
... Oh and how about that restaurant deal? There's another signed contract and it's in writing!...
12/17/2011 02:27:00 AM
F*ck these connected a$$holes with their political connections! The money they SHOULD BE paying to the city COULD BE funding our pension (not that it would, but you get my point!).
Anonymous said...
... Yeah..What do you think? Is she [Rahm Emanuel communications chief Chris Mather] leaving on her own or is she being kicked out? ...
12/17/2011 03:00:00 AM
Since you asked, I think she must have gotten in enough time to qualify for her city pension and has decided to move on for another pension somewhere else.
Perfect example of how bog government breeds corruption. When government gets too big that even a watch dog group had a hard time following the money then it is time for s change. People, please start looking at people who think like Ron Paul when electing your officials and representatives. This has to stop.
But they want to repair it by putting the burden on our backs...
Why doesn't the Feds watch Madigan like they did with all the other politicians over the past 10 years?
Isn't it obvious he's intimidating officials into changing laws and intentionally not following laws that are on the books?
Isn't that fraud and misappropriation of funds?
Other people have been convicted for far less....
C'mon Fitzgerald
Andy Shaw and Larry Msall should personally apologize to each public employee they insulted by calling us greedy.
WE DID OUR PART! 9.75% of our salary went to the funds each and every paycheck.
Madigan is a thief.
They should all be arrested. Fucking with all out pensions, our lives and our familys future is criminal.
tick tock tick tock....we are screwed, retire now if you can!
Even the WEALTHY nobodies in this city have more respect from the bosses than the blue shirts. There's a guy who drives a different exotic car every few weeks with his SINGLE DIGIT Michigan License Plate and parks wherever the hell he wants. He's gotten in copper's FACES about writing him tickets and called the commander to have the guys shafted.
Short little shit with DEEP POCKETS and lots of people in them.
Tired of people like him ….
Got FaceBook? Post the article to your page. Make the original article, linked in the post, available on every medium you are involved in.
Get the word out that these assholes have been screwing everyone for years and now want to blame the pension crisis on those who legitimately worked and contributed for 10, 20 or more, years.
While I do not agree with double and trible dipping, and believe that anyone who has had multiple jobs paying into the same pension fund should only be allowed to pull down payments from the highest level pension he or she is qualified for, I do not condone, nor will I take part in, bashing those who worked hard and intended, by way of their payments and payroll deductions, contributed to their retirement only to have a bunch of crooked bastard politicians piss the money away on pet projects which lined their pockets and re-election campaign funds.
Yes, we know the Feds have stepped in and mandated that these pension funds be funded at 80% by 2047, but there are three (1) problems with this scenario:
1. Those who stole the money from them in the first place will go free - without reprecussion.
2. This will place an enormous burdon on the PROPERTY OWNERS of the State of Illinois. In Chicago, and Cook County, we will see our PROPERTY TAXES DOUBLE! Yes, I said DOUBLE, beginning in 2017 to fund the Federally mandated re-payment of the funds stolen from these retirement investments.
3. Most who paid into them will not live to see the benefit of having the funds fully vested.
What can we, each and every one of us do?
1. GET THE WORD OUT. Spread the link to the original article around to as many of our online presences as we can. Facebook, Linked In, TWEET: wherever we hang online.
2. VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!
Between this pension debachle and the newly uncovered information in the Chicago Magazine article about the fact that so many of Chicago's Politicians are associated with, and, in some cases, PRESENT GANG MEMBERS, we need to vote every one of these bastards out of office and replace them with a CLEAN SLATE.
VOTE - and you take control.
Don't vote, and you give up all rights to complain!
Read the article looks like molaro really dug in! The same Bob Molaro who a few years ago Chicago magazine did a story about his wife that he was ghost payrolling and let his wife take the fall,the mother of his 6 children cowardly like the rest! Pt Fitzgerald when barry is gone you will have a field day and if you need help loading up the buses we would be happy to put these criminals away1
Madigan is the link in all of this.
Don't Be Alarmed nor Concerned. The Pensions of Daley,Madigan,Quinn, and the other hard working public servants of this city and state, will not be effected by this.
So you can all rest easy tonight, knowing your pension contributions, will go to help, the clueless, the lazy, the lawless, and the greedy.
PS: Have A Nice Day..........?
The Madigans and Cullerton should be voted out of office at the earliest convenience.
It's such a same that no one is holding the politicians accountable for their actions. They spent, borrowed and stole the money and blew off their commitments, but guess what? Their golden pensions are just fine. We lowley policemen never touched the money and never get to until 29 years of service. We put into the pension every two weeks and that's the last we see of it. We have no control over it and have nothing to do with what happened to it. Politicians are the biggests crooks in the america.
Time to burn down the house. A bunch of pissed off crazy fuckers with guns getting their retirements fucked with is a scary proposition
Anyone else wonder why Madigan won't introduce a bill to take away the pension payments to the greedy individuals that found a loop hole to collect millions without working for it? A few politicians said it would be illegal to do so, really? And it was not illegal the way they are collecting. A loop hole is another term for politicians helping the clouted ones. Take these pensions away and let them fight it in court, and all will be able to see what happens in the courts and which judges are worth retaining.
It appears the Civic Committee has changed it's tactics and is using it's main mouthpiece, the Tribune, to push for pension change using the truth about what out legislators did to harm our pension system. Even though the reporting has become more honest, don't trust the Civic Committee and it's mouthpieces, the Tribune and WGN. Ultimately, they want to reduce our pensions. Madigan and Cullerton must go!
Yeah, and then there was years of Daleys' not putting in the city part of the contributions, and FOP forgiving $20++++million in debt the city owed our fund.
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