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Chicago Sun-Times|Counterpoint: Opioid addiction rarely cured by government

By temp-admin on September 2, 2015 / Illinois, Items of Interest, Latest

Executive director of Taxpayers United of America, Rae Ann Mcneilly, had an opinion piece on opioid addiction printed in the Chicago Sun-Times

Chicago Sun-Times Counterpoint I often cite the fact that prescription opiates, the most tightly government controlled drugs, contribute to more overdose deaths than any illegal drug, when debating for the legalization of marijuana.

But that is where my agreement ends with the recently vetoed HB 1, which would extend Medicaid coverage to the costs of medications and therapy for opioid addiction.

Regardless of the dire state of the State of Illinois’ finances, this would be a foolhardy measure.

Drug addiction is a very complex disease, but a disease nonetheless. Like all diseases, it should be treated and funded in the private sector, voluntarily, and without taxpayer dollars.

Unlike other diseases though, addiction is largely voluntary. Those who “recover” from opioid addiction have a 90 percent rate of relapse. How many times should taxpayers foot the bill for opioid recovery? Forced recovery has the least effectiveness, as the key to recovery is a desire to recover.

In any case, using taxpayer money for such treatment will have the same effect on treatment costs as it has had on tuition, mortgages, etc. Blindly throwing taxpayer dollars at a problem always drives up the costs.

There is no question that opioid addiction is a problem; but rarely, if ever, is such a problem solved by government. We throw billions of dollars at education and our nation trails other developed countries ranking 35^th in math and 37^th in science out of 64 countries tested. The vast majority of government program cost is the lavish, gold-plated pensions.

The more we make government responsible for our choices, the less responsibility we will take for our own actions.

At a time when Illinois is in dire financial straits, we should be looking at more ways to cut spending and programs, particularly those that belong in the private sector. Expanding programs at this time in Illinois’ history is reckless and irresponsible. If we continue on this path of increased spending, Illinois will no longer be able to provide even the most basic services. There just isn’t enough taxpayer money!

Rae Ann McNeilly is executive director of Taxpayers United of America, headquartered in Chicago.

Pension Problems Hit Madison and St. Claire Counties

By temp-admin on August 26, 2015 / Illinois, Latest, Pension Reform

View as PDF East St. Louis, IL – Taxpayers United of America (TUA) has released its most recent government pension study exposing individual pensions for Madison and St. Claire County government schools and county governments; Belleville, Collinsville, Alton, and Edwardsville municipal governments; and Southwestern Illinois College and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
“These government pensions explain why bureaucrats seek to increase taxes,” said TUA’s director of operations, Jared Labell.
“There are about 300 area government retirees collecting pensions of at least $100,000 annually, while 17.6% of St. Claire County residents live below the poverty level, along with 14% of Madison County residents.”
“Across 6 state pension funds, there are 12,154 government pensioners collecting six-figure pensions and 85,893 pensioners collecting more than $50,000 annually, where the state debt per capita is $24,959.”
“On average, these government pensioners contribute only about 5.5% to their own retirement payout. Taxpayers are forced to contribute $4 for every $1 that the government employees pay toward their own retirement. In the private sector, employees pay 15% of every dollar they earn into Social Security for an average pension of only $15,000!”
“Illinois’ state pension systems total nearly $200 billion in unfunded liabilities and the whole racket is inevitably unsustainable. The politicians have shown for years that they cannot be trusted to manage other peoples’ money, let alone their savings for retirement, nor should this be the role of government,” said Labell. “Each day that passes without transitioning new government employees from the current defined benefit plans to 401(k)-styled defined contribution plans is another lost opportunity to manage this ever-growing economic catastrophe. Not only would this change shield taxpayers from great financial risk, but it enables government employees to better manage their finances for their retirement needs and allows portability as they save for their own retirement.”
“Alton Police and Firefighters have some of the largest unfunded pension liabilities according to a 2013 report of the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability. The police funding ratio is only 29.3% and the firefighters fund is only 30.23%.”
“Taxpayers are on the hook for every penny of the shortfall in pension funding. Forcing taxpayers to pay such a heavy portion of someone else’s retirement is criminal,” said Labell.
“It is time to protect the future of taxpayers who have been scammed by politicians and union thugs into going along with a system that creates and constitutionally protects a special class of government elite.”
“It’s also time for union leadership to have a frank discussion with the rank and file, educating them on the inevitable collapse of an unsustainable crony system designed to siphon money from taxpayers for the benefit of the few. The unions should use those dues forced from members to bail out the pension system rather than use those funds to elect political cronies who keep them in power.”
“Take a look at the pension of Michael D. Gray who retired from East Alton SD 13. He gets $148,809 in annual pension payments. Retiring at only 54, his taxpayer funded pension payout will accumulate to more than $5.7 million! And his personal investment in that payout? A mere 3.7%.”
“Then there is Russell L. Clover’s pension. Retired from O’Fallon THSD 203, he gets $180,063 in annual pension payments. Those payments with compounded annual cost of living adjustments will accumulate to $4.5 million! His personal investment was only about 4.7%.”
Click to view pensions for

“This government pension system is the single cause of Illinois’ critical financial situation and it is mathematically impossible to tax our way out of this situation. 80% of local taxes go to fund government employee pay, pensions, and benefits.”
“The Illinois government has failed us; local governments have failed us. It is in everyone’s best interest to solve the pension problem before the system completely collapses. It is no longer a matter of ‘if’ it will collapse, but when.”
“Our solution is to immediately place all new hires into 401(k) style retirement savings accounts, increase member contributions to their retirement fund, increase retirement age for full benefits, and increase member contributions to 50% of health care premiums. Anything short of these reforms will do nothing to permanently solve the problem. If it takes a Constitutional Amendment, then we need to get that on the ballot in 2016.”

Perhaps it’s Time for a Taxpayer Strike

By temp-admin on August 19, 2015 / Illinois, Items of Interest, Latest

View as PDF Chicago—Taxpayers United of America (TUA) responds to the threat by the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) to strike if taxpayers are no longer forced to pick up the 7% contribution to their pensions.
“It is amazing that Karen Lewis, CTU president, finds the notion of teachers paying their own way into their own pension fund, as dictated by statute, a cause to strike,” stated executive director of TUA, Rae Ann McNeilly.
“Paying 9% into their own pensions isn’t asking too much, is not a pay cut, and certainly isn’t unfair to the teachers who will benefit.”
“Taxpayers were forced to pay 7% of the 9% employees’ pension contribution without a voice and without a choice. Now that there is financial crisis in Chicago’s governments, bureaucrats are again looking to taxpayers to pony up even more of their hard-earned money.”
“Chicago teachers are certainly not underpaid civil servants with an average salary of more than $74,839, 9 months on the job, and Cadillac benefits. The teachers’ salaries alone are far in excess of the $45,000 average income of the taxpayers who pay them.”
“There has been a lot of talk and analysis over who is to blame for the current financial crisis. One thing is for certain; it wasn’t caused by the taxpayers who are constantly burdened with bailing out the mistakes of the bureaucrats who craft the deals that are so harmful to the taxpayers,” added McNeilly.
“The Chicago teachers, under the leadership of Karen Lewis, were on strike for seven days only three short years ago. All they have to show for their efforts are additional cuts to programs, massive layoffs, and school closings. CTU is willing to strike over their own investment in their respective retirement, but at what cost to the community?”
“And what are we getting for our money? Less than 65% of CPS students graduate. Which government employee or teacher representative gets paid based on the graduation rate, the single most important outcome? Who do we hold accountable when the Chicago teachers make more than any other school system in the region and are at the top in compensation across the country?”
“We have been calling for pension reform for years and to no avail. The CPS pension fund has, as predicted by TUA, reached the point of critical mass. Taxpayers have taken a pay cut every time government pensions have been sweetened and bolstered by bureaucrats who will never be held accountable for ushering in Chicago’s financial crisis.”
“I defy teachers, or any government employee, to look into their neighbors’ eyes and say, ‘you deserve another pay cut so I can make more in retirement than you make working.’ They have to be able to say to their neighbors, ‘I don’t care if you can no longer afford your home’s property tax payment, I want more.’ That is the reality of demanding more. If you are a teacher, your neighbor is your employer,” challenged McNeilly.
“As of our 2013 study of CPS pensions, Manford Byrd tops our list of taxpayer-funded annual pensions at $174,157 per year.”
“Barbara Eason-Watkins, Herman Escobar, Denise Gamble, Valerie Brown, Maria Rodriguez O’Keefe, Noemi Esquivel, Elizabeth Gonzalez, Miguel Trujillo, and Everett Edwards will all collect over $5 million in estimated lifetime pension payouts!”*
You can see the complete list of our top 200 2013 CPS pensions here.
“Short of full reform, we should at least end pensions for legislators and judges who tend to make decisions in their own best interests. We should also remove CTU from the equation. They add a layer of insulation between the employer and the employee, or the taxpayers and the teachers.”
“It’s time to stop the political blame game and get a bill passed for a referendum changing the government employee pension system to end unfunded liabilities and excessive financial burdens to taxpayers.”
“Taxpayers are fed up. For a well-paid teacher to demand even more blood from the individual taxpayers who make less, have little job security, and struggle to save for their own retirement is incomprehensible and unacceptable. We are ready to respond with a strike of our own.”

*Lifetime estimated pension payout includes 3% compounded COLA and assumes life expectancy of 85 (IRS Form 590).

Illinois

Chicago Sun-Times|Counterpoint: Opioid addiction rarely cured by government

Pension Problems Hit Madison and St. Claire Counties

Perhaps it’s Time for a Taxpayer Strike

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