Quinn gave a gloomy forecast for the Illinois budget for the next three years. He projected no increases for education yet allowed for a 43% increase in pensions. The people of Illinois pay taxes for government services and we get nothing. Our tax refunds are not paid back. The list goes on and on. The solutions is simple. If government workers won't work towards a solution due to their entitlement mentality that they think some how justifies wages, benefits, vacations far in excess of the private sector and feel they can retire at age 52, then the state should stop paying them. Those of us waiting for payment from the state have to wait. So can they. Maybe then there will be progress.
You nailed it! (from my [4]
You nailed it!
(from my post on the recent story of Illinois voters having the opportunity to change the State's Constitution this fall)
Where were your protests when manufacturing plants started closing, busting the unions and their high wage and benefit packages? They were cutting costs by using cheaper non-union labor instead to produce the same widget. That's capitalism, my friend. So when the same problem of high wage and benefit packages for labor produces the same effect in the government sector, you're expecting a different result? The root of the problem is that having government union employees receive higher wage and benefit packages, year after year, while the source of that funding (the taxpayers wage and benefit packages) remains flat or declining is unsustainable. Cops, teachers, any government employees, retiring at age 50 is evidence of government employee unions over-reaching. They are their own worst enemy.
So the choice for them is keep demanding more and see their numbers decrease, because of layoffs, or bar government employee unions altogether. Since I believe we're going to need more cops and teachers, not less, I favor the latter.
Wow. I agree with you
Wow. I agree with you Buzorro that public unions are their own worst enemy.
Can anyone imagine the amount of money that would be spent on media campaigns and lobbying by the unions if law banning government unions somehow made it through? It would be billions. On a federal level it would take someone stronger tham Romney to sign it, it would absolutely require a filibuster proof Senate, and if it was passed it would then go straight to the Supreme Court just like Obamacare did.
With regard to the state retirement system and teachers, we could see a change on that very soon. Quinn wants to see a large consolidation of school districts. Quinn also has a plan to shift the burden of (not) making pension payments for teachers from the state to the local school districts. This will force many school districts to consolidate, it will send property tax rates sky high, and we will see widespread strikes because the districts just don't have the money. The state doesn't have the money. No one has the money. But at least it will force a realistic alternative to just not paying anything and pretending that it's all okay. The state has already done this in Chicago. But of course, the Chicago School Districts didn't have the money either, so the state just allowed them to NOT pay also. Awesome.
You said that all before. At
You said that all before. At least, try something original. Otherwise, your only commenting to yourself. Are you answering yourself also?
Obviously you're not...
Obviously you're not...