Madigan responds to pension fraud charge: “No victims.”
Want more evidence that we in Illinois live in Bizarro World.
Read page four of today’s Chicago Sun-Times.
Earlier this week the Securities and Exchange Commission accused the state of Illinois of committing fraud. They found that the state had both failed to adequately fund the states public pension systems and then hid the fact from investors who purchased state bonds.
Even the Chicago Tribune editorialized that every politician involved who was in office at the time should resign.
Read page four of today’s Chicago Sun-Times.
Earlier this week the Securities and Exchange Commission accused the state of Illinois of committing fraud. They found that the state had both failed to adequately fund the states public pension systems and then hid the fact from investors who purchased state bonds.
Even the Chicago Tribune editorialized that every politician involved who was in office at the time should resign.
The in box. No for-profit virtual charter in the western ‘burbs.
Northern Illinois Jobs with Justice:
Wall Street-traded company by the name of K12 Inc. is attempting to establish a “virtual charter school” in the Fox Valley (Chicago suburbs).
Northern Illinois Jobs With Justice is holding a public information meeting on March 17th in advance of public hearings scheduled at 18 suburban school districts. You can follow this link to find out which 18 school districts have been targeted by K12 Inc., when the meetings are, and how you can contact the school boards.
While researching K12 Inc., I found a story from Tennessee about K12 Inc. telling teachers to
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Arggh! So many numbers.
Last night the emails and tweets were humming.
The Illinois Senate Executive Committee had voted out Senate Bill 1 and 35.
Let’s go over it again.
Senate Bill 1 is President Cullerton’s see-what-sticks bill. He doesn’t believe the massive attack on pensions by Biss, Nekritz and Cross is constitutional, so he mashed it up with his own COLA or health care forced choice bill and is willing to let the courts decide.
Senate Bill 35 would, among other things, cut COLAs and raise the retirement age to 67.
Both bills could come to the floor today.
Or not.
The senators on the Executive Committee aren’t there because they are independent thinkers. So the 11 to 4 and 11 to 3 votes to send the two bills out of committee aren’t exactly a surprise.
However, now is a good time to call your Senator and tell them to vote no. 888 412 6570
I must say that the email from the IEA last night was a bit mysterious.
Their urgent request was to call our senators to urge support for HB2404 and HB3162.
These are the We Are One coalition supported bills that address funding the pension systems but include an increase in member contributions.
I tried reaching IEA’s chief lobbyist Jim Reed this morning to ask what their strategic thinking was. Jim wasn’t available.
I’m critically supportive of the two WAO bills. I don’t like the offer that active employees should pay more into the systems and make Illinois the most expensive pension state in the country.
I really don’t understand why the IEA is focused on those two bills today when SB1 and SB35 may come to the Senate floor today.
Maybe they think it sounds more positive. Okay.
Frankly, all these numbers must confuse the hell out of people.
And isn’t that part Michael Madigan’s weekly strategy?
The Springfield Journal Register reports:
House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, said Wednesday that the House will continue to hold a series of weekly preliminary votes on pension issues as a way of educating House members on how critical the issue is.
After several weeks of Madigan’s version of water boarding, all but one of his bills has failed to get more than a handful of votes. One bill that caps pension creditable earnings passed.
Look. If your emailing this post around, don’t try to figure out all the numbers. Tell your state rep to vote no - 888 412 6570 - on any bill that cuts pension benefits to state employees. Any bill.
They’ll get the message.
Another entry.
Another entry.
To celebrate one million site visits I am sponsoring a contest.
As of today, you have less than 24,000 site visits to go.
Submit a tweet, haiku or limerick on a topic covered by this blog.
The deadline is March 31 or the millionth visit.
The winner gets the orange t-shirt.
The decision of the judges (that’s me) is final.
From Matthew:
I’ve been following your blog since last fall. Thanks for keeping us all updated and notified on all things education! I think the Dr. Seuss poem you posted inspired this little poem to pop out of my head this morning as I was writing my son’s principal and asst. principal:
ISAT and sat and sat for days
ISAT and sat some more
I marked more B’s and C’s than A’s
To get a better score!
Thanks again for your bloggings, Mr. Klonsky.
As of today, you have less than 24,000 site visits to go.
Submit a tweet, haiku or limerick on a topic covered by this blog.
The deadline is March 31 or the millionth visit.
The winner gets the orange t-shirt.
The decision of the judges (that’s me) is final.
From Matthew:
I’ve been following your blog since last fall. Thanks for keeping us all updated and notified on all things education! I think the Dr. Seuss poem you posted inspired this little poem to pop out of my head this morning as I was writing my son’s principal and asst. principal:
ISAT and sat and sat for days
ISAT and sat some more
I marked more B’s and C’s than A’s
To get a better score!
Thanks again for your bloggings, Mr. Klonsky.