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In preparation for the recording of an IFI Spotlight podcast, executive director Dave Smith asked me to do some research about the Illinois government’s employee pension problem. For me, it is not a fun…
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It’s not just ex-judges’ pensions that more taxpayers need to learn about — and if Republicans and conservatives were in the information war and reaching more people with the facts (like those found in…
Read MoreAnyone who knows the basic outline of the teacher pension problem understands that the public schools aren’t good at math. The arithmetic of the pension funds proves the adults within the system don’t know…
Read MoreThe silly people who make up the Chicago Tribune editorial board are shocked, shocked! at the fact that retiring state rep Roger Eddy is cashing in big time when it comes to his public…
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St. Libory Public School District 30 shows us how to do it. The most costly government function in Illinois, by far, is K-12 education funding. Few realize how much we spend because that is…
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Legislators will get $55,000 – no wonder they are against pension reform. By Bill Zettler The title of this article tells you everything you need to know about Illinois pensions: they cannot be paid,…
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Legislators will get $55,000 – no wonder they are against pension reform. By Bill Zettler The title of this article tells you everything you need to know about Illinois pensions: they cannot be paid,…
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Phys Ed teacher pulls down $191,124, Superintendent $350,154. By Bill Zettler As Illinois citizens struggle with the severe economic downturn plaguing the state, Illinois public school employees enjoy another record year of salaries, fringe…
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Bell, California has nothing on the Village of Mundelein, Illinois By Bill Zettler You have probably heard about Bell CA and the millions of dollars it’s employees and managers received unbeknownst to the taxpayers….
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By Bill Zettler What we can see from this discussion is the inherent unfairness of a system that rewards public employees far beyond what their employers, the taxpayers, have available to them. In Illinois…
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Editor's note: To read the entire series of excerpted recommendations by Bill Zettler for the next Illinois Governor, click here. To read all of Bill's work, click here. Teacher's 41%…
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Unions Think Top 25 TRS Pensions Should Be $82 Million Higher. By Bill Zettler One of the top legislative priorities of the Illinois Education Association is a plan they call “80, 30 and out.”…
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Would you pay $15,000 over four years to get $1.3 million over the next 29? In my last article “Pension Insanity” I documented how some teachers can get pensions more than twice their salaries….
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By John Biver Before continuing with our review of pension expert Bill Zettler's “what the next governor should do” segments, a note about a press story from yesterday. Crain's Chicago Business website reporter Greg…
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By John Biver It's the case with just about every domestic policy issue: we must first accurately diagnose the problem. This is accomplished by using facts – and if it involves budgets and spending – honest…
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