John Dillon’s to-do list.

| Fred Klonsky

John Dillon is a friend and pension blogger. His blog can be found here.

Snow is falling outside the window; most of the leaves have fallen or been blown into the neighbor’s yard.  They rake mine, and I rake the family’s on the other side of my home.
Traditions.
Thanksgiving comes late this year, and Christmas will follow quickly after.  Legislators in Springfield are spreading speculations of a pension session in early December.  Members of the committee have been describing continued progress, and pundits describe Madigan/Cullerton as poised to coerce a vote.
More traditions.
Reminder #1:  Vote for Fred Klonsky for IEA Retired Delegate
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Retired teacher, blogger and pension activist, Fred Klonsky. 
Except for Klonsky’s perseverance in the convoluted CMS roll out, I’d be off the trail and in the ditch for sure.  Now I might even be able to figure out what I’m doing once the enrollment forms arrive tomorrow, or next week, or…
Besides there’s that promise he made:
To fight for our pensions without apology.
To oppose any and all corporate school reform.
To stand with us.
Reminder #2:  Send a year’s-end donation to IRTA, and annotate the check “For the Defense Fund.”
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IRTA past-President Gary Elmen and TRS trustee Bob Lyons. 
“We will fight for our pensions even if we have to sell our shoes!”  Now that’s someone willing to fight without apology.  Thanks, Gary Elmen.
In the last year, initial legal opinions about the constitutionality of proposed bills which include the current pension committee’s suggestions cost the IRTA $20,000 or more already.
Time for me to pony up some more. How about you?
Reminder #3:  Call my legislators.  Email my legislators.  Write a letter to my legislators.  Ask my family members to do the same. 
My own one-time favorite Representative Monique Davis (who stood alone against SB7) folded when Madigan pushed SB1 last time around.  Even her staff were stunned.  Make sure you keep the pressure on, especially as we approach this next December’s call for “pension reform” likely on the backs of public workers, the victims of the state’s earlier theft.
Got to remember, call Monique and others: 1-888-412-6570.
Make it easy and use the IEA website to email or call your Representative or Senator. http://www.ieanea.org/resources/pensions/
Reminder #4:  Remember to vote in primaries this next year.
Reminder #5: Take out the garbage. 

 

7 thoughts on “John Dillon’s to-do list.”

    1. You send these comments every couple of days. I trash them. Here is why. My blog is not a place where I hold a discussion with anonymous posters over different ways to cut constitutionally guaranteed state pensions. I would have thought that was clear. However, apparently it is not clear to you. I hope it is now.

      Reply

  5. Thanks for sharing all the vital information daily on what is happening with our pension and insurance. It is unfortunate that so many retirees are not stepping up to protect their pensions.
    Do they realize what the proposed cut in COLA will look like. You have worked 34 years as a teacher. They propose to limit the COLA to 1/2 of CPI or 3% whichever is LOWER. They are proposing not to give us that based on our retirement figure, instead it will be based on a thousand dollars for each you have taught. What you can expect is a COLA based on $34,000 at half of CPI (1.5%) 0.75%or a whopping $255. Oh, they may decide that we are not going to give you that COLA for the first five years. So one the economy starts rolling again with an inflation rate of 7% watch your pension fade into the sunset.

    Reply

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