To Crystal Lake! And Beyond!
In a strange confluence of technology and policy advocacy..... I have this post to offer.
TRS Director Dick Ingram is giving a series of public presentations. One just concluded moments ago in Joliet. The next one is October 5 in some place called Crystal Lake, which sounds lovely. Surely such a lake is studded with treasures on its seabed.
Do lakes have seabeds? Lakebeds?
Ingram is speaking from this PowerPoint, which is nice to look at, but like all PowerPoints, it lacks a certain, shall we say joie de vivre, without his actual words. And yes, I realize that joie de vivre has nothing to do with it.
TRS Director Dick Ingram is giving a series of public presentations. One just concluded moments ago in Joliet. The next one is October 5 in some place called Crystal Lake, which sounds lovely. Surely such a lake is studded with treasures on its seabed.
Do lakes have seabeds? Lakebeds?
Ingram is speaking from this PowerPoint, which is nice to look at, but like all PowerPoints, it lacks a certain, shall we say joie de vivre, without his actual words. And yes, I realize that joie de vivre has nothing to do with it.
Dear Evanston/Skokie Educators
For my national audience (and that includes all two of you), this post is purely local.
Dear North Shore Colleagues,
Illinois State Representative Daniel Biss (D- 17th LD) is having a Town Hall on October 2.
Please go. In fact, pack the joint. Here's what he thinks will be on the agenda:
Representative Biss is the Personnel and Pensions Committee member who earlier this year single-handedly uncovered the disturbing fact that the SB 512's sponsors hadn't done any kind of analysis about how the bill would affect A) the members of the retirement systems and B) the financial health of the retirement systems. It was a line of questioning that would have earned an "average" rating in a debate class, but in state committee work it was a once-in-a-lifetime grand slam of public deductive reasoning. Tom Cross's financial guys were stumped, although to be honest, one had the feeling that "stumped" was more of a baseline condition in those particular cases.
Incidentally, I've heard that TRS's subsequent actuarial review of SB512 has uncovered even more absurdities in how the bill plays out on the ground. I'll look for some links because I'm hearing that it borders on farce, and we all need a little farce these days.
In any event, Representative Biss chose to vote "present" instead of "no," a decision that he should be politely called on. In my view, the purpose of committee service is to send bills to the floor that are ready to go the floor and to reject ones that are being ramrodded by special interests. In this case, the special interest was Speaker Madigan, who has presided over so many pension-shorted budgets that he probably feels the need to kill the pensions off entirely, now that he's on Jonah Edelman's payroll.
Mr. Biss surely has his own explanation for the vote. I'd like to hear it.
Representative Biss needs to know that the people who voted for him will have his back when he stands up for the pension systems and does what is right during the veto session and beyond. That's what the message should be at the town tall.
Dear North Shore Colleagues,
Illinois State Representative Daniel Biss (D- 17th LD) is having a Town Hall on October 2.
Please go. In fact, pack the joint. Here's what he thinks will be on the agenda:
Some issues that we're likely to address have been in the news a great deal, particularly the ComEd "smart grid" bill (I opposed it, but it passed, and the Governor has since vetoed it so there may be a vote to override his veto) and the casino gaming bill (I also opposed this one, and the Governor has not yet acted on it, but has indicated he is not enthusiastic). Others include the potential closing of a number of state facilities, and other still unresolved matters in the budget.I have highlighted the little detail that is important to your future. You should go and make yourself heard. I believe red is the color du jour in these matters.
Representative Biss is the Personnel and Pensions Committee member who earlier this year single-handedly uncovered the disturbing fact that the SB 512's sponsors hadn't done any kind of analysis about how the bill would affect A) the members of the retirement systems and B) the financial health of the retirement systems. It was a line of questioning that would have earned an "average" rating in a debate class, but in state committee work it was a once-in-a-lifetime grand slam of public deductive reasoning. Tom Cross's financial guys were stumped, although to be honest, one had the feeling that "stumped" was more of a baseline condition in those particular cases.
Incidentally, I've heard that TRS's subsequent actuarial review of SB512 has uncovered even more absurdities in how the bill plays out on the ground. I'll look for some links because I'm hearing that it borders on farce, and we all need a little farce these days.
In any event, Representative Biss chose to vote "present" instead of "no," a decision that he should be politely called on. In my view, the purpose of committee service is to send bills to the floor that are ready to go the floor and to reject ones that are being ramrodded by special interests. In this case, the special interest was Speaker Madigan, who has presided over so many pension-shorted budgets that he probably feels the need to kill the pensions off entirely, now that he's on Jonah Edelman's payroll.
Mr. Biss surely has his own explanation for the vote. I'd like to hear it.
Representative Biss needs to know that the people who voted for him will have his back when he stands up for the pension systems and does what is right during the veto session and beyond. That's what the message should be at the town tall.
