Bill Zettler

I have been doing this too long. Writing about Pension Scams I mean. Nothing surprises me anymore as political corruption envelopes everything that happens in Illinois. Jesse Jackson’s fate is just the latest example….

Every Illinois state politician needs to take a look at pension costs relative to other state especially those adjoining Illinois. That is because the adjoining states are where many businesses and wealthy people are…

By Jack Roeser and Bill Zettler As we listen to the endless cries of “We need pension reform” emanating from Springfield it is easy to assume that the proposals being bandied about will actually…

Family Taxpayers Foundation Director of Research Bill Zettler was interviewed on Fox news Wednesday June 19th about pensions by investigative reporter Dane Placko and later on appeared during the Fox Good Day Chicago  newscast….

Well it was bound to happen sooner or later. We now have a public employee hauling in $512,964 per year from two IL pension funds, SURS (State University Retirement System) and Cook County Pension…

One item adding to the huge pension unfunded liability is automatic 6% salary increases for teachers four straight years prior to retirement. This 26% (compounded) increase goes to any teacher retiring with 30 years-service…

Endorsed by Jack Roeser, Family Taxpayers Foundation Illinois is all-abuzz about the most recent “so-called” Pension reform coming from the King of Springfield, Michael Madigan. Basically Madigan is addressing an issue that probably doesn’t…

I am continuously amazed at how Illinois politicians of both parties studiously avoid talking about public salaries especially teachers and university employees. By avoiding the subject of salaries they avoid one of the largest…

Beverly Harvison retired in 2000 on a pension of $62,000/yr. after teaching at Du Page HSD 88 for 26 years. Somewhere along the way she married District 88’s Superintendent Robert Lopatka and he retired…

Championnews publisher Jack Roeser recently asked me to begin a series of brief articles called “Z-Grams” that would be short and highlight one “factoid” on public pensions and salaries. These will be bite-sized items…