Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.:
Keeping retirement weird.
Democratic Party strategist David Ormsby: Pension fight is “a grubby little fight over money for its members.”
Fred Klonsky | Running for our pensions. | VOTE 4 Fred Klonsky.
David Ormsby: Klonsky, you self-righteous crank.
David Ormsby: Listen Fred, bother to get your facts straight before you launch your insults. I’ve have not drawn a pay check, contract, etc. from any Madigan state or political account since 1999. My pr work is 99% non-profit human service providers, associations – the groups without PACS. Being a self-righteous crank does not give license to fabricate crap. Self-righteous crank: Okay David.
- Bev Johns NO ONE, not retired teachers, not current teachers, is better off if the Illinois House and Senate vote YES on Tuesday. A retired teacher now receiving $50,000 in pension benefits (who taught for 30 years) will go from a COLA of $1,500 to $900 (a cut of 40 percent). PLUS no State pension funds could be used to pay for part of healthcare. A current teacher, while contributing one percen
mark as read
h On the road home. I80 through Penssylvania Gearing up for our pension fight on Monday.
Democratic Party political strategist David Ormsby. David Ormsby is a hired gun. He is sometimes called a political strategist. He has done public relations and press work for Richard Daley, Michael Madigan and other Democrats. He has sent me nice notes over the years. But not today. Responding to my Black Tuesday post this morning, Ormsby commented on Facebook: Fred, lawmakers are not eager to cut pension benefits of retirees. In fact, they have avoided cutting a single dime of benefits for current employees while they have cut, bled, dismantled every other part of state government over th
YESTERDAY
Black Tuesday.
On the Tuesday after yesterday’s Thanksgiving gatherings of families across the state, Illinois House members will vote on whether to take away what has been constitutionally and contractually promised to the states public servants. Among those who will lose what was promised to them will be retired teachers, half of whom make less than $50,000 a year with no Social Security, thousands with no Me
NOV 28
“Meanwhile, the excluded are still waiting.”
“Some people continue to defend trickle-down theories which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world. This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the facts, expresses a crude and naïve trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevail
Mega Godzilla.
. Anne, Leigh, Candy and I had dinner at a sushi place in Prospect Heights last night. In fact it was the second night in a row we had dinner at a sushi place. I ordered the Mega Godzilla – a roll with soft shell crab, eel and avocado. A regular Godzilla roll leaves out the soft-shell crab. But news of the pension deal back home caused me to go Mega. The night before it was with my brother-in-law
Teacher and union activist Todd Mertz: “This is it.” With emails of every Illinois legislator.
From Todd Mertz: This morning a pension deal was struck between all four legislative leaders–Madigan, Cullerton, Radogno, and Durkin. This agreement would steal an estimated $160 billion from teachers and state employees over the next 30 years. The vote will take place in both the House and the Senate on Tuesday. What a great way to wish teachers and state employees a happy Thanksgiving. The We Ar
NOV 27
What a load of crap. If you needed reasons to rally at a legislative district office, you got ‘em now.
If you needed a reason to attend one of the pension rallies Monday, the state’s political leadership just gave you a shopping basket full. Crain’s Greg Hinz provides the gory details. The big savings — projected to total about $160 billion over 30 years — would come from reduced annual cost-of-living adjustments (or COLAs, as they’re generally known). Right now, everyone in the state funds gets
Ben Velderman. My stalker and dark money.
My stalker Ben Velderman in 2010 and more recently. Some of my older readers may recall Ben Velderman. Back when I was president of the union local, the Park Ridge Education Association, Ben filed a Freedom of Information Act request for all of my work emails and my personnel file. As a public employee, he was entitled to receive them after they had been redacted of information that made refe
December 2nd pension action locations.
List of events, categorized by “Lead Union” AFSCME • Rockford – Stadelman/Syverson, Jefferson o Start Time: 10 a.m. o Transportation: Self. (Parking is plentiful.) o Meeting Location: All three offices are located in third-floor suites at 200 S. Wyman, Rockford, IL. o Note: The lead local has set a meeting time in a conference room with Sens. Stadelman and Syverson and plans to fill it to overflow
NOV 26
Bob Lyons: This bill can be stopped.
Bob Lyons was elected to represent retirees on the TRS board of trustees. The following comes from Bob this morning: The word out of Springfield is that Madigan will call the House into session next Tuesday, December 3, meaning he thinks that he has enough Democrat votes to put on a pension reduction bill. But the other news this morning is that Bruce Rauner, GOP candidate for Governor of Illinois
Jim Broadway: A test of the rule of law.
What are the details? What bill will be amended to become the new pension law? None of that information is available. We only know Madigan plans a one-day session of the House on December 3, and the Senate may be in December 3-4. It would seem, then, that the House will write the new law. A bill from the Senate will be amended with profound effects and very little time for the folks it affects to
Bruce Rauner and his $53 million dollar Timex.
Separated at birth. Floyd Turbo and Bruce Rauner. In his Floyd Turbo hunting outfit and his $18 dollar watch, Bruce Rauner is running for governor as if he were the working stiff down the block. Not my block. Bruce Rauner owns an 11,709 square foot mansion in Key Largo, Florida worth $6.9 million, a condo in Park City, Utah worth $1.75 million, two more properties in Clyde Park Town, Montana, t
NOV 25
The in box. Todd Mertz: Act now. Rest later.
From teacher and pension activist Todd Metz. Friends and Colleagues We have been fighting this for four years. Many are tired of it. Many are sick of contacting their legislators…over and over. But now is the time to push through. Our legislators need to hear from all of us again. It just takes a minute. At 5:00 tonight, the House confirmed that our legislators will return to Springfield a week
On the road, but keeping my eye on the home front.
Capitalfax reports: From an e-mail to House Democrats… All members should be plan on being in Springfield for Session on Tuesday, December 3 at 11 a.m. The House would expect this to be a one day session. In addition, some committees may be posted for Monday, December 2 for midafternoon. Postings will be done on Tuesday, November 26. Executive Committee will be meeting on Monday, December 2 at 3
Fighting for my pension with a pole in my head.
Pole in my head on the way to Brooklyn with Anne at the South Bend travel plaza. on I-80. Anne and I are headed for Brooklyn. We are having Thanksgiving with some of our family. We want no part of airports, so we are driving with a stop in Cleveland. A lovely Holiday Inn near the airport with a priceline.com discount. We will be back on Sunday in time for Monday’s Pension Emergency Day called by
Active and retired teachers and all state employees. We’re all in this together.
From Illinois Retired Teachers Association: Greetings from the Illinois Retired Teachers Association. [Some members of the General Assembly] want to solve the state’s budget woes with your money, and they blame you. They offered you a coerced choice to give up your COLA for access to an unguaranteed health insurance plan. We must prepare for the possibility that one of these attacks may succeed.
NOV 24
Sunday reads.
Pension-busting Ilinois State Senator Dan Biss and IEA Retired member Jack Tucker at our SORE witness in October. The Illinois coalition of state public employee unions, We Are One, will be holding actions at key legislative district offices on December 2nd. Join me in being at one of them. Tired of the flash mob thing? I like that In North Carolina they are steppin’ for a union at WalMart. The
NOV 23
Keeping retirement weird.
They say it was a perfect storm. A movement, the man and a plan. That’s how we elected Harold Washington to be the first elected Black mayor of Chicago. On Monday it will be 26 years since Harold died. It is over 30 years since we beat the Machine and elected him. The thing I take away from those days is that perfect storms come without warning. We will be spending Thanksgiving with some of the
Springfield is the new gambling mecca. Place your bets. ADM or pensions or both?
John Dillon blogs at Pension Vocabulary. So, what’ll it be in December in the General Assembly? Will the General Assembly supply ADM with the payment in order to play along, like they have with Caterpillar, Boeing, and so, so many others? Or will they say no? Or will they look at the hundreds of thousands of single dollars to be taken from those who worked under promises of pensions, planned fo