Our legislators are some of the highest paid in the country, ranking fifth among all 50 states. In terms of fiscal responsibility, Illinois ranks last.
The biggest hypocrite of all is House Speaker Mike Madigan. He's been in charge of the House for about 30 years and allowed this mess to happen. Between the Chicago gangsters and the Springfield bandits, retirees don't stand much of a chance of being treated fairly.
Vested employees (20 years or more) should not have their retirement plans impacted by legislative whims or misdeeds. It's called a contract. Some employees are ineligible for Social Security because they did not pay into the system. All their eggs are in one basket: the state of Illinois retirement system.
We have a governor who wants to bundle two lousy proposals for funding our pension system into one big garbage bag for the Legislature to approve. This will take even more from retirees' who paid into the system and state employees presently contributing. They're hoping, of course - wink, wink - that the Illinois Supreme Court will approve their scam, since the judge's pensions will be excluded from this scheme. That's called bribery! Another typical business day in Illinois. Perhaps we should move to Wisconsin. Their governor understands budgeting.
It's obvious that the wrong people are running for office, and that those elected with good intensions are easily swayed. This credit card mentality must end. Solvency is not a myth.
There is a solution to this mess. Stop the spending. Don't buy it if you can't pay for it. It's called money management.
Regarding the state's budget, the Legislature should stop all capital projects and evaluate their progress. Those well along and near completion should be allowed to continue . Recently approved projects should be put on hold. All spending should be prioritized based on how critical it is to life/safety. If the projects are not, mothball them. There should be no additional funding for anything. No pork! Stop feeding this pig.
With some 50,000 state employers, there should be enough brain power in state government to produce savings and eliminate unnecessary expenditures.
Tired of reading about "deadbeat Illinois?" Use these savings to pay small businesses and other vendors who have provided services. It is outrageous to make them wait for extended periods of time for payment. And pension benefits should be sacrosanct.
Robert E. Vanni is a retired Western Illinois University professor of health sciences. He lives in Macomb.
Read more: http://www.pjstar.com/opinions/forum/x833399138/In-the-Spotlight-Tired-of-deadbeat-Illinois-move-to-Wisconsin#ixzz2X5mbOuW3
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