Christian County Government Pensions – the Stuff Dreams are Made of!

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Taylorville—Taxpayers United of America (TUA) today released the results of a new pension study for the Christian County government teachers and employees, and Taylorville municipal employees.
“Illinois lawmakers continue their abuse of taxpayers by ignoring the number one budgetary problem in the state,” stated Jim Tobin, president of TUA. “Illinois is in horrible financial shape, and yet taxpayers are still expected to pour their hard earned money into a failed government pension system.”
“While residents across Christian County face crushing tax increases, falling home values, rising unemployment, and a painfully slow economic recovery, government employees continue to receive stunning pensions largely funded by taxpayers who will never collect more than $22,000 a year from Social Security.”
“Chicago Machine Boss, Michael Madigan, Gov. Pat Quinn, and the Democrats have been draining taxpayers in Springfield and all across the state for the last 30 years, trading gold-plated pension benefits for the votes they need to stay in power. Across the country, millions of bureaucrats are being paid billions, to do absolutely nothing!”
“The purpose of our study is to put some perspective around individual pensions, to put them in terms to which the average taxpayer can relate. Christian County taxpayers, whose average income is $58,000, unemployment is 9.3% and the median home value is $81,000, need to know how much Springfield’s government retirees are being paid not to work and the astronomical accumulation of those payments over an average lifetime.”
“For example, Richard T. Wilson, retired Christian County government teacher has an annual pension of $95,794. He has already collected $524,044 in pension payments and his estimated lifetime pension payout is stunning $3,781,030, 3.8% of which was his contribution.*”
Robert E. Kindermann, retired from Christian County government and has an annual pension of $55,826, with a staggering estimated lifetime payout of $2,810,988. His contribution of the estimated lifetime payout would be only 2.5%* ”
“Retired Taylorville municipal government employee, Erie Miller, has a very comfortable estimated lifetime pension payout of $1,286,913*, 4% of which he contributed, with an annual pension of $35,988.”
View pension amounts below:

“Illinois’ government pensions are in serious trouble with no end in sight. Government employees should be paid a fair wage for the work they do today so they can save for their own retirement. Replacing defined benefit pensions for all new government hires with social security and 401(k)s would eventually eliminate unfunded government pensions.”
“Without sweeping and immediate reform that includes raising retirement age to 67, increasing employee contributions by 10%, increasing healthcare contributions to 50%, and replacing the defined benefit system with a defined contribution system for all new hires, Illinois’ pension system will collapse. It’s mathematically impossible to tax your way out of this problem. Illinois has more than 6,700 retirees collecting more than $100,000; in about 8 years, that will be over 25,000 six figure pensioners.”
*Lifetime estimated pension payout assumes life expectancy of 85 (IRS Form 590).

Gold Found in Springfield, IL!

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Springfield—Taxpayers United of America (TUA) today released the results of a new pension study for the Illinois General Assembly, Springfield municipal government employees, Sangamon County government teachers and the University of Illinois.
“Illinois lawmakers continue their abuse of taxpayers by ignoring the number one budgetary problem in the state,” stated Jim Tobin, president of TUA. “Illinois is in horrible financial shape, and yet taxpayers are still expected to pour their hard earned money into a failed government pension system.”
“While residents across Sangamon County face crushing tax increases, falling home values, rising unemployment, and a painfully slow economic recovery, government employees continue to receive stunning pensions largely funded by taxpayers who will never collect more than $22,000 a year from Social Security.”
“Chicago Machine Boss, Michael Madigan, Gov. Pat Quinn, and the Democrats have been draining taxpayers in Springfield and all across the state for the last 30 years, trading gold-plated pension benefits for the votes they need to stay in power. Across the country, millions of bureaucrats are being paid billions, to do absolutely nothing!”
“The purpose of our study is to put some perspective around individual pensions, to put them in terms to which the average taxpayer can relate. Area taxpayers, whose average income is $50,000, need to know how much Springfield’s government retirees are being paid not to work and the astronomical accumulation of those payments over an average lifetime.”
“For example, Tapas Das Gupta, retired from the University of Illinois and collects Illinois’ highest annual pension of $426,885. He has already collected $3.2 million in pension payments and his estimated lifetime pension payout is stunning $8.3 million, 5.7% of which was his contribution.*”
Robert A. Alvey, retired from the Springfield Sanitary Dist. and has an annual pension of $131,592, with a staggering estimated lifetime payout of $4,247,263. His contribution of the estimated lifetime payout would be only 2.4%* ”
“Retired Sangamon government school district employee, Robert E. Gillum, has an incredible lifetime estimated pension payout of $7,100,157*, 2.5% of which he contributed, with an annual pension of $146,946.”
View pension amounts below:

“Illinois’ government pensions are in serious trouble with no end in sight. Government employees should be paid a fair wage for the work they do today so they can save for their own retirement. Replacing defined benefit pensions for all new government hires with social security and 401(k)s would eventually eliminate unfunded government pensions.”
“Without sweeping and immediate reform that includes raising retirement age to 67, increasing employee contributions by 10%, increasing healthcare contributions to 50%, and replacing the defined benefit system with a defined contribution system for all new hires, Illinois’ pension system will collapse. It’s mathematically impossible to tax your way out of this problem. Illinois has more than 6,700 retirees collecting more than $100,000; in about 8 years, that will be over 25,000 six figure pensioners.”
*Lifetime estimated pension payout assumes life expectancy of 85 (IRS Form 590).

AG Lisa Madigan Provides Strong Arm in Commuter Shakedown

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Chicago – Taxpayers United of America (TUA) today submitted notice to the Illinois Court of Appeals 1st District, of its intent to withdraw its complaint against the Illinois Toll Authority for the allegedly illegal continuation and increase of the Illinois toll tax.
“The law that originally permitted this toll tax in 1953 was clear in its intent: The toll was temporary and would be paid-up by 1973,” said Jim Tobin, TUA President.
“But Illinois government bureaucrats found the Toll Authority to be such a convenient place for their cronyism, and pay-off for favors owed, that Ill. Atty. General Lisa Madigan (D) is willing to pit the entire Attorney General’s team against taxpayers to protect the Toll Authority.”
“The Toll Authority provides jobs and lucrative pensions for friends of elected officials that they don’t want to lose, even if it means cheating taxpayers who depend on traveling the toll roads to get to their jobs.”
“Because Lisa Madigan has no intention of ending the 87% increase in the toll tax and has the unlimited legal resources of the State of Illinois behind her in this fight, we are withdrawing our complaint to repeal the toll tax increase. We are conserving our resources to continue our fight against corrupt politicians in other ways.”
“This kind of taxpayers’ abuse is rampant in Illinois and clearly illustrates the priorities of the Chicago/Cook County Democratic Machine, which forces taxpayers to fund its lavish salaries and pensions.”
“We have had many successes in shining the light on the excessive salaries and pensions that drive the entire political machine, and we intend to continue to research and report on the taxpayer abuse found in the toll authority and throughout the Illinois government.”