Madigan's Impatient

Madigan’s Impatient 

In “The Lottery,” a chilling fable by Shirley Jackson, a town politician guides his  small town citizenry to find a single townsperson to stone to death in order to assure the safety of the village for another year.  If you’re a pensioner, I don’t recommend you read this anywhere near sharp objects.

If you have not read it: Spoiler Alert!  After the village has trod the carefully managed and orchestrated procedure, targeting the poor soul Tessie Hutchinson, the village manager exhorts them to hurry up the sacrifice.  “All right, Folks,” Mr. Summers said. “Let’s finish quickly.”

( http://www.americanliterature.com/author/shirley-jackson/short-story/the-lottery )

They have Mr. Summers. 

We have Mr. Madigan. 

Speaker of the House Madigan has presided over the theft of billions of dollars owed the retirement systems of the public sector unions for over thirty years.  He’s been party to it for forty years. This morning he is calling out to the General Assembly:

“All right, folks,” Mr. Madigan said.  “Let’s finish up quickly.”

Madigan wants to guide the participants in this bizarre version of “The Lottery” as quickly as possible. 

He wants to eliminate the COLA’s, raise the ages of retirement, increase the contributions…

More than impatient, the Speaker is realizing that something is up in Illinois that he and many other legislators do not want people to hear or see.

We know Illinois has a revenue problem.  At local meetings, Madigan’s representatives have been met with remedies and possible legislation that would correct the structural deficit in Illinois and amend the problem.  There’s been movement.

We know the 1995 Ramp is not being addressed.  People are beginning to understand that not one of the pension cutting bills will do anything to rid the state of the unfunded liability (caused by Madigan, et.al.) and we will all be back right where we started.  That is, except for the disaster we will cause to the spending stimulus that is nearly a million people with pensions or pension prospects.  There’s been movement here too.

We know that legislators are calling for a fundamental change in an antiquated, outlandishly unfair, and unproductive flat tax system (HCJR0002).  A change that would promise $billions more in revenue.  There’s been movement there too.

We know that legislators are beginning to call for a funding mechanism to devote promised funds to the pension shortfalls in the future, one which would address the pension debt in a more amortized and logical method.  There’s been movement there too.

We know that this kind of rush to judgment is sure to bring court litigation, even if the Speaker could care less – about costs or outcomes?  We Are One has tried to find a constitutionally acceptable settlement. There’s been movement there too.

When you call the Representative or Senator, remember to remind them that people are looking for real answers, answers the Speaker does not want anyone to consider.  Remind the legislator that there are people in the General Assembly willing to do what is right, not what the Speaker tells them to do, or else.

Make the call.  Let’s stop this quickly.