His intentions may be good but don't believe what he said. He is virtually powerless to do what needs to be done. Our pension crisis is very much tied to what is happening in Europe and Asia. Besides, Cunningham is also the same guy that voted to let the gays get a share of our pensions. He is a man long on good intentions but short in the reality department.
Whatever pensions we get will be worth 20 cents on the dollar after inflation hits us.
I give Cunningham and Rep. Burke at least some credit for coming out. My state rep from Mt. Greenwood was conspiculously absent.
ReplyDeleteThere wont be enough rope to hang all these a holes
ReplyDeleteIt seems like you are . . . faulting the guy for his "good intentions" and attempting to find solutions to a crisis created by abuse, waste, unrealistic promises, and corrupt politicians. Worse, your blame is again misplaced when you talk about the "gays."
ReplyDeleteMurph, you are better than this, or perhaps I have overestimated you somehow. We should have a serious, and honest, discussion about the pension crisis. When you're ready, so am I.
I emailed Cunningham a while back with a simple, straightforward suggestion: If you want to show that you are sincere about pension reform, get all the politicians to reform THEIR system first, before you start on ours. Not too surprisingly, I did NOT get a response.
DeleteI just read Cunningham and Dart want NO juveniles charged as adults cause the two libs think they should not be held responsible for their actions.
ReplyDeleteHey, he voted for hhe Senate bill and Burke the House bill. Hopefully they can meld the two somehow and we can fix this mess. I favor the cola/health deal in the Senate bill because there is no good reason why John Q should pay for a health package for retirees. Obama's exchanges will sign you up in a heartbeat 19 the warders so go for it because you supported him. As for the gay vote I guess as a rookie he does what he's told in spite of his faith. Guys like Cullerton,Loyola and Madigan
ReplyDeleteND should be ashamed. Ask a plumber what male and female means.
Cunningham seemed to say that our choice would be between cost of living increases or hospitalization. The cost of living never goes down. It always goes up. Many of us are not covered by Medicare, so this "choice" is a huge issue.
ReplyDeleteFew people realize that many of us have no Social Security Retirement benefits. We paid into our pension plan in lieu of Social Security. Those of us that do have Social Security (from other jobs) can never draw full Social Security retirement benefits (thanks to Democratic Congressmen Rostenkowski).
I left the meeting feeling like a homeowner paying off a 30 year mortgage in Palos Heights and getting a deed to a house in Englewood.
Politicians look after themselves first and foremost. The more power the government gets over our lives, property and livlihoods, the more the people lose.
ReplyDeleteImagine how much better off we'd be if there was no SS tax and families were free to keep this money and spend it on their own needs.
I completely agree with Paragraph 1; I completely disagree with Paragraph 2.
DeleteThose perks of government employment were provided to create a machine; that machine was broken then and now. You are expected to vote Democrat in exchange of these future (benefits) promises. Widespread pension abuse resulted upon specious promises, and now everyone is "surprised." You can retire from the CPD and then become a garbage-truck driver and retire with two (2) pensions.
ReplyDeleteMy solution is perhaps worse than M. Madigan---a man notorious for screwing everyone except his own family---Chapter 9.
The city has the ability to solve its problems by raising taxes. Chapter 9 is out.
DeleteCunningham voted yes on the senate bill to reduce public employee retirement benefits.
ReplyDeleteThe 19th ward has evolved into a figurehead type of group of people. Sort of like the Queen of England. Doesn't do anything just there to look good if and when the media comes around.
ReplyDelete311 does just about everything the old 19th ward did except get jobs for people. And the ward cant do that anymore.
Plus 19 and the Rahminator aren't on the best of terms, why do you think it takes so long to open a business here.. Ask Nello, ask Jansons, ask Home Run Inn
Well, you raise a lot of issues, and I am not privy to any of it. I think some sort of response is necessary before we presume what you wrote is fact.
Delete1) Figurehead group of people---like the Queen of England?---does not make sense to me.
2) No one can get anyone jobs anymore; it is called a Depression. Let's hope we survive it and thrive to a new day.
3) Business Affairs and Consumer Protection handle licensing. When it comes to licensing, the Alderman and Police Commander have a (major) say, but ultimately the decisions rests with BACP.
4) I think we agree on the major points. We want more new small businesses and want to ensure that the existing small to mid-sized businesses thrive. Ideally, they hire local, and our kids and work their during the school year and summer and acquire some money and discipline. The City of Chicago should facilitate and encourage new small businesses from tech to sandwich shop.
5) "The city has the ability to solve its problems by raising taxes."
a) This is a false premise. The City cannot solve its problems by raising taxes; it will only generate new problems and exacerbate old ones.
b) How can we encourage people to start small businesses when the City is going to loot them? How can we encourage economic activity when 40 (forty) dollars is already spent on parking?
c) Raising any taxes in Chicago will just encourage people neither to live here nor do business here.
d) The City should L-O-W-E-R taxes, licensing fees (new and renewal) and make it even easier to operate here. The City Council should be thinking every day, "how can we make the City safer for our communities; how can we encourage economic growth; how can we make the City attractive to new businesses; and how can we make it easier for families to live here and businesses to operate here?"
e) We need a vision of pro-small business and entrepreneur in this City.
Chicago was known as the Paris on the prairie. Daniel Burnham once said, "make no little plans." We need that fire and spirit in this City - again.
Unrelated or maybe not. I just learned from the CATHOLIC EDUCATION DAILEY Note Dame has posted this past week a job opening for a Lesbian,Gay,Transgender (LBGTQ) Director.
ReplyDelete"Unrelated or maybe not"? I'd say a private, religious, higher-education institution's hiring decisions in Indiana is in fact unrelated to an Illinois state senator's actions on pensions in this state. What are you getting at?
DeleteThanks for the alarm. Government should keep balance between peoples' welfare and tax money. I have all the right to disagree with some of its clauses.
ReplyDelete