Monday, January 09, 2006
Part II - IFT Questionniare - Pensions & Charter Schools
Sixth is another pension question:
Would you support a on-time pension increase (necessitated by a significant loss in buying power) in all state retirement systems for annuitants and survivors who retired before 1980?
When I first ran for state rep in 1972, I got questions like this, but obviously dealing with some earlier perceived pension inadequacy.
The seventh question?
Would you support legislation to establish funding parity between the downstate and Chicago teachers’ pension systems and give proportionately the same financial support to these two funds?
Not explained and almost inexplicable in and of itself it that the Chicago teachers’ pension system is so much better funded than the Downstate Teachers’ Pension System. This has led to no state subsidy for the Chicago teacher pension in many years.
And, the Charter School Question:
Would you support maintaining the current limits on the number of Charter schools in Illinois? (The currents limits are 60 in Chicago, 15 in suburban Cook and 15 Downstate.)
“We don’t want no stinkin’ experimentation without union control.”
Page 3 flips back to the topic of pensions. Because pensions are such a heavy burden on taxpayers, threatening to crowd out virtually every other “demand” on public spending, the IFT wants to know whether legislators will oppose raising the retirement age in all of the five pension systems.
In addition, there’s a question about creating a two-tiered system in which newly hired employees would have lower pension benefits. Guess what answer is desired here.
To return to McHenry County Blog, click here.
Would you support a on-time pension increase (necessitated by a significant loss in buying power) in all state retirement systems for annuitants and survivors who retired before 1980?
When I first ran for state rep in 1972, I got questions like this, but obviously dealing with some earlier perceived pension inadequacy.
The seventh question?
Would you support legislation to establish funding parity between the downstate and Chicago teachers’ pension systems and give proportionately the same financial support to these two funds?
Not explained and almost inexplicable in and of itself it that the Chicago teachers’ pension system is so much better funded than the Downstate Teachers’ Pension System. This has led to no state subsidy for the Chicago teacher pension in many years.
And, the Charter School Question:
Would you support maintaining the current limits on the number of Charter schools in Illinois? (The currents limits are 60 in Chicago, 15 in suburban Cook and 15 Downstate.)
“We don’t want no stinkin’ experimentation without union control.”
Page 3 flips back to the topic of pensions. Because pensions are such a heavy burden on taxpayers, threatening to crowd out virtually every other “demand” on public spending, the IFT wants to know whether legislators will oppose raising the retirement age in all of the five pension systems.
In addition, there’s a question about creating a two-tiered system in which newly hired employees would have lower pension benefits. Guess what answer is desired here.
To return to McHenry County Blog, click here.
# posted by Cal Skinner : 5:58 PM
