Elaine Nekritz or Bill Grossi?

What a choice! Elaine Nekritz or Bill Grossi.

The race of the 57th House District between Democrat Elaine Nekritz and Republican Bill Grossi says so much about Illinois politics.

Too much about Illinois politics.

I’ll always remember Nekritz at a forum  where we both spoke at East Aurora High School. A teacher got up and reprimanded the Representative for stealing money from our pension fund.

Nekritz smirked and responded, “We didn’t steal it. We never paid it in the first place.”

Honesty is her hallmark.

Well, technically. But not really. Because they did steal it.

Nekritz showed up at a recent Illinois Retired Teachers Association luncheon for candidates along with her Republican opponent Bill Grossi.

I reported on the luncheon in a blog post the next day.

Nekritz was brief. Reacting to a question about what she thought Plan B would be if the courts ruled her Senate Bill 1 unconstitutional, she shrugged and said she wasn’t a constitutional expert and so had no idea what the courts would do.

Then she made a joke about what my next cartoon of her would like and left the room.

Bill Grossi is a  pudgy little man who talks too fast and acts too smart.

I received this from Bill Grossi yesterday:

I am surprised at this article (my blog post- FK). It was clear that every Republican candidate stated that they would protect every retiree’s pension but not one Democrat would promise this. I have made this promise and I intend on keeping it. Yes, changes to current employees pensions are necessary but we must keep our promise made to those who are retired.

I also know much more than you do about pensions,  I spent a great deal of my Career keeping pensions tax qualified. My point about tax loopholes was That there is talk about broadening the tax base for individuals, the only loophole big enough to consider is the non taxation in Illinois of retirement benefits. That loophole is not corporate welfare. Be careful what you wish for. This will drive many retired people out of the state 

Actually, Grossi is wrong about the Democrats. He would have been on safer ground pointing out how the Democrats voted for an unconstitutional bill. But they mostly took the same position on a Plan B as he did when it comes to current retirees.

Which is kind of the problem.

Everybody is agreed that if the Supreme Court kills SB1, current retirees are the bill’s poison pill. The Constitution is not vague about our pension rights. It is likely that any new attack on pensions will go after current and future employees.

And once again it appears as if Democrats and Republicans are united on this approach.

It will be interesting to see if the court rules that current retirees are also covered by the pension protection clause. I believe the court will.

But Grossi is no more a constitutional expert than Nekritz.

Grossi says that a promise to current retirees is a promisee that must be kept.

But he says a promise to all current active members of the state’s pension system is a promise to be ignored?

Grossi is a selective promise keeper.

What kind of candidate stands in front of 100 current retirees with the attitude that he knows much more about our pensions than we do?

Who writes to me to argue for corporate tax loopholes while threatening a tax on senior’s retirement benefits – not just public pensions – but all retirement benefits of all of Illinois’ retirees?

Bill Grossi.

Nekritz or Grossi?

Pity those poor folks in the 57th District.