Sample of Illinois non-teaching pension recipients
— Former Gov. Jim Edgar: $134,853 annually; $1.252 million total to date. His total contributions: $164,657.
— Former Gov. James Thompson: $131,031 annually; $2.023 million total to date. His total contributions: $84,966.
— Former Attorney General Roland Burris: $129,162 annually; $1.743 million total to date. His total contributions: $134,680.
— Former state Sen. Dennis Jacobs: $94,146 annually; $561,526 total to date. His total contributions: $152,087.
— Former state Sen. Todd Sieben: $88,403 annually; $303,931 total to date. His total contributions: $144,717.
— Former state Rep. and Judge David Hultgren: $78,402 annually; $408,285 total to date. His total contributions: $70,831.
— Former state Sen. and Judge Clarence Darrow: $76,017 annually; $974,695 total to date. His total contributions: $32,200.
— Former state Sen. Cal Schuneman: $64,474 annually; $951,226 total to date. His total contributions: $60,013.
— Former state Rep. Mike Boland: $50,806 annually; $50,806 total to date. His total contributions: $116,065.
— Former state Rep. Ben Polk: $30,013 annually; $571,375 total to date. His total contributions: $53,108.
— Former state Sen. Don Wooten: $12,137 annually; $189,257 total to date. His total contributions: $15,000.
Fred Klonsky 
Hi Fred – congrats on your retirement. I’m only 5 years in, and my father is also retiring this year. I blog at http://supervidoqo.blogspot.com/, and am interested in your thoughts on education. Would you be willing to let me interview you? Email me at – eeeeeeeli@yahoo.com
Thank you Fred for all your postings. I have started my own blog inspired by you. I am a school counselor down state and vice president of my local union. I am new at blogging and often quote you and one of my followers responded “If Fred Klonsky said it, I am sure it is good”. I was energized after attending my first IEA RA conference in Chicago. I actually think I saw you up at the mic but I was so overwhelmed my the entire process, being my first time, I wasn’t sure what was happening.
Thank you again for inspiring others and being such a wonderful role model. By the way I used to live in Rogers park and taught 8th grade science at Phillip Rogers School on Touhy and Washtenaw. I loved the Red Line tap as well!
~Roxanne
Looking at your retirement pension, you will be on easy street, not so the teachers that taught your daughter and now teach your grandchildren. Promises were made and we kept our part of the bargain. Teaching is a difficult job and if you equate the number of students in a class(27) times 179 school days in a year times and relate it to the cost to hire a good babysitter (about $10,00 per hour) much less a person who will teach and nurture the children — the price would be astronomical. Do NOT PLAY WITH OUR PENSION UNTIL YOU DOWN GRADE YOURS ALSO.