Latest News and Comment from Education

Friday, April 19, 2013

UPDATE: Breaking: They won’t call the pension bomb to a vote this time. Next try is the week of April 29th. | Fred Klonsky

Data driven. | Fred Klonsky:



Breaking: They won’t call the pension bomb to a vote this time. Next try is the week of April 29th.

They still don’t have the votes in the Illinois House to ignore the state’s constitution.
The House adjourned today.
HB3411 wasn’t called.
HB34511 cuts the cost of living adjustment and raises the age when retirees can receive it, limits pensionable earnings and creates a 3rd tier of TRS employees that would have their defined benefit turned into a defined contribution.
The House sponsors of HB3411 are  Tom Cross - Elaine Nekritz - David Harris - Sara Feigenholtz - Darlene J. SengerMichael J. ZalewskiCarol A. SenteRobyn GabelWilliam DavisGreg HarrisLuis ArroyoElizabeth Hernandez,Kelly BurkeDeborah MellDavid McSweeneyTimothy L. SchmitzEd Sullivan, Jr.Ron Sandack,Sandra M. PihosKay HatcherJoe SosnowskiThomas MorrisonBarbara WheelerJoAnn D. OsmondPatricia R. BellockJim DurkinRenΓ©e KoselJil TracyPam RothDavid R. LeitchJim Sacia and Kenneth Dunkin.
If they had the votes to pass it, the bill would have been called.
No further bills will be considered by the IL House until the April 29th.



Who doesn’t like Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky?

jan
Jan Schakowsky is the Congresswoman from Chicago’s 9th Congressional District. The 9th District all of Evanston, Skokie, Lincolnwood, Golf, Park Ridge, and Wilmette; portions of Morton Grove, Des Plaines, and Glenview; and much of the north and far northwest side of the City of Chicago. The district now also includes all Winnetka, Kenilworth, and Northfield, and portions of Arlington Heights, Mount Prospect, Prospect Heights, and Northbrook.
It is solidly Democratic. She is well-liked and will be re-elected for as long as she wants to run.
She is a leader of the progressive Congressional caucus. She has a reputation as a defender of those who are the most needy, of Social Security and Medicare.
So here is the Bizarro World thing about the 9th Congressional District.
In includes the state senatorial districts and state house districts of Democrats Dan Biss, Elaine Nekritz, Kelly Cassidy and Robyn Gabel.
If you are regular readers of this blog then you know that these are the pension bombers – the group who 


Data driven.

Popout.
I woke to crazy news this morning.
I had MSNBC on as I showered, dressed and did my stretching exercises. I heard Mika Brzezinski on Morning Joe say something about how we have a whole new situation now where the terrorists may be living among us.
Like she was talking about The Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
Jeez, Mika. What? Was Timothy McVeigh from Venezuela?
I just turned the crap off.
Instead I had coffee and Bob’s Red Mill hot cereal with Paul Krugman’s