Now that the General Assembly members have committed the #pension theft of state employees and teachers, Chicago teachers are next.
Rahm Emanuel is the current head of the Chicago crime family. Just as the state has failed to meet its pension payment obligations, so it is with the city.
Captiolfax’s Rich Miller posted the following on Friday:
Rich,
I hope you’re doing well, and have enjoyed the holidays, so far.
I wanted to provide some clarification- from your post on Friday: “The proposal says that ‘Mayor Emanuel has privately expressed the need for 401(k)-style changes to truly achieve reform.’”
This is accurate. He has expressed it privately, of which we became aware (and no, we did not become aware of this from any candidate for office).
The main contents of our grant proposal have been the core of much of our work for many years, of which you are well aware.
Members of our team did have a meeting with the Mayor’s staff on Sept. 30 to discuss this topic, which was long after we submitted that grant proposal.
The mayor faces very difficult challenges on how to solve the city’s financial crisis. The only way out, other than massive tax increases, is 401(k). In fact, the only way for current workers to collect what is vested and ensure existing retiree checks don’t start bouncing is to convert to a 401(k)-style system for current workers. That remains true with the state and it is true for the city – as it is with most state and local governments around the country.
Finally, here are links to Rahm’s public statements on the matter of 401(k) choices:
· A speech he delivered in Springfield in 2012:
· Also in an op-ed that he wrote in the Tribune.
· More in the Tribune.
· More in the Sun-Times.
Please feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions.
Matt Paprocki
Senior Director of Government Affairs
Illinois Policy Institute
Two things are revealed in Matt Paprocki’s note to Rich Miller: The not-so-secret plan of the Mayor to destroy the Chicago Teachers Pension Fund. And the Mayor’s working relationship with the Republican stink tank, the Illinois Policy Institute.
But that’s not all.
It is common knowledge that the Mayor supports pension profiteer and public pension buster Rauner for governor. It is also no secret the Rauner is a huge funder of IPI.
Also involved the #pensiontheft is Ken Griffin.
Griffin is Illinois’ richest man, a hedge funder and head of Citadel LLC.
For those of you who are worried about paying your mortgage if the courts allow SB1 to steal your COLA – you might also be interested in knowing that Griffin owns Chicago’s most expensive condo. Along with several others.
Griffin is neither a Republican nor a Democrat. Or at times is a member of both parties. He backed Barack Obama. Griffin’s wife, Anne Dias-Griffin is a former executive with Soros Fund Management.
And his money went into Rahm Emanuel campaign bank account.
Among those he has made political donations to are: Rod Blagojevich (D-IL) for Governor of Illinois, Richard M. Daley (D-IL) for Mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) for Mayor of Chicago. Eric Cantor (R-VA) for Congress, Bill Brady (R-IL) for Governor and Scott Brown (R-MA) for U.S. Senate.
He is the very picture of bi-partisan #pension theft.
In an interview with the Trib in March of 2012:
Q. What about the amounts? Is it based on what the candidate asks you for? They vary a lot. You and Anne gave $200,000 to (Mayor) Rahm (Emanuel), for instance.
A. I was really proud to support Rahm. He is really one of the brightest men I’ve ever spent time with. And I’ve known Rahm for maybe 15 years. I believe our city and our state has some real challenges ahead of it, whether it’s educating our children, whether it’s dealing with the fiscal irresponsibility of past leaders
. And I don’t want to cast aspersions on anyone in particular. It’s just where we are today. We’re going to need to make some very important decisions about how to put our fiscal house back in order. And I think Rahm has the intellectual capacity to understand the issues and to make trade-offs and decisions that are going to have to be made. He and I are not on the same side of the aisle per se. We’re not on the same side of a couple of different things. But the insights that he has and the determination he has are really important to solving the problems we face as a city.
Q. Where are you on the same page? Where are you not on the same page?
A. I actually spent some time with Rahm in the last couple weeks. He showed me around his new office. There were two photographs that he had on his wall. One was of him with Bill Clinton when he signed NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement). That was a really bold thing for a Democratic president to do. And, if you think about the North American trade bloc, the United States, Canada and Mexico could not be more close, more cooperative, more unified. You don’t even think about. You take it for granted every day. It’s really one of the great accomplishments of post-World War II North American relationships.
The other photograph he had on the wall was when he was in the room when Bill Clinton signed a balanced budget for the U.S. government. Unemployment was 4 percent at the time. It was a great day in American history. I think Rahm and I share a lot of common interests in those accomplishments. I much prefer to sort of think about those moments than to find things to differ over.
Ken Griffin is one of the robber barons that CTU President Karen Lewis referred to in her Friday Sun-Time op-ed piece.
This retirement security cut reveals deeply troubling political and moral values held by our elites and the politicians who do their bidding. We live in an era of robber barons and ruling class hubris.
Hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin cheers as Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel closes 50 public schools to save money. Former Motorola executive Tim Cawley controls the Chicago Public Schools’ budget and justifies laying off 3,000 school staff by blaming their pensions. Gov. Pat Quinn cuts home heating assistance, domestic violence prevention, and child care services by blaming retired public servants.
Griffin has financial and personal ties to Rauner, Rahm and the Republican stink tank, the Illinois Policy Institute.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Friday appointed a Chicago hedge fund executive as the city’s new comptroller to replace a former aide who faces federal corruption charges in Ohio.
Emanuel selected Daniel Widawsky, a managing director at Citadel LLC, to succeed Amer Ahmad in the cabinet-level position that oversees the city’s collection and disbursement of funds and the Department of Finance. If approved by the City Council, Widawsky would start at City Hall on Jan. 31.
The mayor’s selection of Widawsky comes more than four months after Ahmad abruptly resigned July 23, saying he was pursuing unspecified opportunities in the private sector. A few weeks later, an Ohio grand jury indicted Ahmad on allegations he ran a $500,000 kickback scheme with friends while serving as that state’s deputy treasurer.
Widawsky, 48, has donated $9,000 to Emanuel’s campaign fund: $4,000 in February 2011 during the mayoral campaign and another $5,000 in September. For both contributions, he identified himself as a tax attorney.
Widawsky also has been an active contributor to federal campaigns, giving $7,500 to Republican Mitt Romney’s presidential effort and $4,800 to Republican U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk. Since 2003, Widawsky has given $28,200 to federal campaigns: $10,850 to Democrats, $15,050 to Republicans and $2,300 to political action committees.
Having engaged in the massive #pension theft of the state’s teachers and public employees, they now have their eyes firmly on the cross hairs aimed at the Chicago Teachers Pension Fund.
This must be stopped.
While there is not much you can personally do while SB1 is in the courts, every public employee and retiree must stand behind the Chicago teachers in this next stage of the fight.
Fred Klonsky 
Remember when there was actually a place called “Beyond the Dreams of Avarice”?
Fred, were you aware that a hedge fund manager from Citadel (who’s boss is Ken Griffin) was just appointed city comptroller? He is also a major donor to both Rahm and Romney, and is listed on the link below as board president of EFAC – a school that was founded by and operates within Lincoln Elementary. I believe he is a LE parent and member of the group that pushed for the funding, which got the $20 million windfall to build an annex to ease overcrowding, though they were at the bottom of the “needs” list. He was appointed shortly after the money was awarded.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-12-07/news/ct-emanuel-new-comptroller-met-1207-20131207_1_hedge-fund-manager-finance-post-comptroller
http://www.familiesoflincoln.com/board-members-efac
Yes. I intended to include it in the post. But forgot to cut and paste. Thanks.
Oh, man. I didn’t scroll down and missed the rest of the article. Sorry! Thanks for everything, Fred. You rock.
Illinois’ richest man pays the same state taxes as Illinois’ poorest man.
Your focus on teachers is too narrow. Rahm (and maybe Preckwinkle) will try to cut pensions for ALL City and County workers. Everyone is in this together.
Right wtf. Tell us what you’re doing about it and I’ll support it.
Emailed and called state legislators on the behalf of state employees for the most recent cuts as did many of my co-workers who were not yet directly in the cross hairs. My plan (starting up right after the holidays) is to start with emailing aldermen and Cook County Board members screaming at them not to get any ideas about stealing pensions or there will be hell to pay.
Dear Fred,
I read a comment from Ken about the IEA and what they can do if they want to continue as a viable organization. He is right. Let us see what they do. I feel bad for active members. Those poor souls seem to have even fewer voices speaking in their favor than we do. Perhaps the IRTA should start some “actives” chapters so they can hear some supportive voices instead of the deafening silence of their IEA officials.
I’ve been giving additional thought to what we can do in the face of the “Republicat” theft of public worker pensions. Karen Lewis is right. We need to resist now. I believe that it is possible to use their “system” against itself. We can take it all one step at a time, and adapt as needed.
Let our opponents wonder what might happen next. There really is such a thing as “the consent of the governed”. Many of us do not “consent” to their view of society or their leadership.
What can we do first? If we live in a district where a is a challenge to any Democrat who failed to vote NO on Senate Bill 1, we pull a Democratic Primary ballot and vote against them.
Second, we can keep Bruce Rauner from winning the Republican Primary. The rest of us take a Republican ballot and agree on one opponent of Rauner to vote for. We all vote for that opponent. We also vote against any Republican running for any office who failed to support us.
There aren’t that many Republicans in this state to begin with. Even fewer of them vote in primaries. We can manipulate their process and there is nothing they can do to stop us. Being “primaried” can gain a whole new meaning.
And our support of any Republican who wins can end right there. If they want a vote from us in the general election they can earn it through actions, not words. They have to worry about trying to keep us. We have made no promise of support in the general election. Best of all, Rauner and his elite are marginalized.
This strategy might help us in two ways. It demonstrates to our FORMER “friends” that the cost of failing to represent us may well be losing their job. It also demonstrates to others that we vote for those who help us.
Then we can start thinking about the general election.
I am sure others wiser than myself in the ways of politics can think of ways to shape the “process” in our favor. Any ideas?
Before the primary, there must be a consciences of which republican candidate (other than Bruce All mighty) for public workers to vote for, to ensure Rauner’s defeat!! In the general election, we then all write in Ralph Martire!! With the full support of public sector workers and retirees, and the GOP candidate and Governor Idiot splitting the rest of the vote, IT COULD WORK!!
When will the public wake up and see that the only thing a business man will do when they make claims to reform government and run it like a business and make better fiscal use of our tax dollars is to put those dollars into their and their friends pockets.
These tools are guilty of narrow thinking…..the narrowest. They play as though the solution to all their problems is to “charteriize” ALL schools. I think they will want to “charterize” all police and fire departments next, as a way to escape all of their salary, benefit, and pension agreements. They think that this will solve their problems, but it will be the beginning of some REAL problems. The police, fire, teachers, and health care people of the state need to come together to fight this craziness. Nice job by Klonsky in trying to hold their feet to the fire.