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Chicago – Jim Tobin, president of Taxpayers United of America (TUA) will be a guest on Truth Talk Radio with Bailey and Binsner on WEFT 90.1 on Wednesday, March 6, 2013 at 8:30 p.m.
Jim will discuss the financial crisis that the State of Illinois is experiencing and the leading cause: the lavish, gold-plated pension system that Illinois’ government employees have enjoyed for too long.
Jim will also be speaking on this topic at the monthly meeting of the Illinois Forum in Rantoul, IL on Sunday, March 10, 2013. This month’s meeting is at 1:30 p.m. at the Red Wheel Restaurant located on highway 136 in Rantoul, IL (exit 250 off I-57).
Jim has been sounding the alarm on the unsustainability of the government pension system and leading the charge for reform here in Illinois and across the country.
Tune in or stream live at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Space is limited so tune in early!
For more information on Illinois Forum call 618-842-7246 and for more information on the Red Wheel Restaurant, call 217-893-0471.
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Homeowners in Golf School District 67 overwhelmingly defeated a property-tax increase referendum on Tuesday, February 26, 2013. Taxpayers United of America (TUA) worked with local taxpayers, providing informational flyers and detailed information to assist in defeating this increase.
“We have helped homeowners defeat 194 property-tax increase referendums since 1977,” said Jim Tobin, TUA President.
“Homeowners in District 67 have defeated such a referendum at the ballot box twice already, but these greedy District 67 government teachers and district bureaucrats came back for a third try.”
“The average value of a home in Morton Grove is $347,800, so this referendum, had it passed, would have increased such a home’s annual real estate tax bill by about $327 – every year.”
The “No” vote was 614 or 66%, and the “Yes” vote was 314 or 34%.
TUA will be working with local taxpayers across Illinois to defeat other tax increase referenda that will appear on the April 9, 2013 ballot.
“Taxpayers are frustrated and angry over governments’ grab for their hard earned money, which funds the government employees’ lavish pay and benefits for jobs that have almost no risk and no consequence for poor performance. Taxpayers in Golf SD67 and across the state are suffering with falling home values, unemployment and increasing tax burdens at every level. It’s time the greedy government bureaucrats shared some of the financial burden,” concludes Tobin.
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CHICAGO—The Chicago Police Sergeants’ Association is to be commended for its realistic appraisal of the crisis in state and local pensions, and for its sensible decision to embrace a pension-reform deal with the City of Chicago, according to the president of Taxpayers United of America (TUA).
“Other unions such as the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) are asking for ridiculous raises in this gloomy economy,” said Jim Tobin, TUA president. “For FOP President Mike Shields to ask for a 12% pay increase over two years from taxpayers in this economy is outrageous and insulting.”
“The state and local pension plans are going broke, and interim measures such as those accepted by the Sergeants union help.”
“Their pension-reform agreements are a big step in the right direction: Increasing retirement age; increasing employee pension contributions from 9% to 12%; eliminating cost-of-living (COLA) increases every other year and capping them; increasing health-care contributions for new retirees.”
“The unfunded obligations in state and local government-pension funds are so huge that you can’t tax your way to solvency. If the government unions want to receive any pensions, they will need to engage in serious negotiations with their employers, and will need to have their pensions restructured. If they don’t, they will find themselves without any pensions at all when the plans go broke.”
