Illinois Governor Patrick Quinn wants to raise your state income taxes up to 67%. He claims this is necessary to fill an $11.5 billion state budget gap. What he doesn’t say is that the state will receive $11.5 billion in federal stimulus funds, which would completely fill the gap.
Download our Stop the Income Tax Hike flyer to learn: what you won’t hear from the governor about the gold-plated pensions for local and state employees and ways you can stop government pensions from bankrupting our state.
Included on page 2 of the flyer is a list of the Illinois Top 100 Government Pension Payouts. Look for yourself to see just how lavish these government pensions are.
Download a printable copy of the flyer and share it with your friends, family, and neighbors.
Stop Quinn's 67% State Income Tax Hike
ADDRESS
Chicago, IL 60606
205 W. Randolph Street, Suite 1305
Phone: (312) 427-5128
Fax: (312) 427-5139
Phone: (312) 427-5128
Fax: (312) 427-5139
Website: https://www.taxpayersunitedofamerica.org
Email: info@taxpayersunited.org
Email: info@taxpayersunited.org
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I vote term limits, is there any way to get Superintendents, principals, and government, board of Ed Term limits to put these entitled and non tenured folks back into the real workplace every 2 to 4 years.
That is all.
POB
Dr. Dave,
Why don’t you “working people” use savings as your pension….you know, like us “self-employed” low lifes?
Pensions are the most il-conceived idea since bridges in deserts. And as far as qualifications, you wouldn’t have a clue how to run a business so you decided to work for one instead.
Say NO to state tax increases. It is time to take back our country. WAKE UP PEOPLE!!! The time is NOW!
Oh, and as for the Dr. salutation….you’re no better than anyone else posting here….of course, that will be contrary to your ideas.
A very interesting list. Why are certain entries without names – all of them under the teachers retirement system.
Interesting also: what did they make before retirement, where did they work and for how long. Are they also receiving social security or other pensions – private or public.
As a business owner I am not even allowed to contribute to a plan that would provide such a comfortable annuity. AND THEY GET IT FOR FREE!!!!!!!!!!
I’m a teacher, and I’ve paid 9.4% of my salary into the Teachers’ Retirement System for 20 years, significantly more than social security and other pensions. One thing many people don’t realize is that teachers will never receive the social security we paid into the system working in the private sector. In Illinois teachers need to work 34 years to receive a full pension, and it’s a very good pension. Teachers who work from 8:00-3:00 are few and far between because investing time at home and over breaks make it possible for us to be more effective and efficient in the classroom. As a language arts teacher I bring home student writing every weekend. I read and respond to each piece and read as much young adult literature as I can. If it was such an easy, well-paying job, everyone would be a teacher. I had to pay for both of my masters degrees myself. Though there was no reimbursement, I did move up on the salary schedule. I have been and still am very pleased with my career choice and salary, but I have been and still am working for it. When a distrcit’s salary expenses are published, teacher and adminsitratror salaries are usually grouped together presenting a warped impression to the public of what teachers actually make. There is waste in education, but maybe we ought to take a closer look at the large number of administrators and unnecessary spending rather than attack the teachers working on the front line.
It’s not that I’m opposed to pensions, but please note that pensions are free of Illinois income tax. No wonder the pols want to raise the income tax rather than the sales tax. It doesn’t affect retired pols. Certainly pensions above $50k per year could/should be taxed in Illinois.
Now here’s a serious idea worth considering. Why not start a Taxpayers Union? One where we could all go on strike and withhold property taxes and state income tax payments? No really… think about it for just a moment. What are they going to do? Throw 13 Million people in Jail? I am so sick and tired of voting for politicians who promise to lower my taxes only to give in to there own greed and that of the Teachers unions and police/Fire unions. Like they are the only voting block that matters? Are we not still 95%? We need to revolt now. I am paying 62% of my gross salary in taxes already. Take the time to add up all the tax you pay now. Property, income, state, local, sales tax, liquor, cigarettes, cable gas, fuel, electric… and on and on. Its time the people took back the power out of the hands of the current regime. They have proven to be incompetent and greedy without limits. I cannot afford to forego my retirement (at 75-80) because I had to pay for their golden, lavish retirements at 55. I ask every American where their personal retirements would be standing right now if we had back the 10,000.00 we pay YEARLY into THEIR retirements now? Maybe then and only then could I retire at say 70. Its time to fight. Who will lead us???
Dr. Dave, it’s not the distant past that troubles me…nor does a near or slightly greater than social security payment bother me. It’s the part time work that teachers provide, for generous pay and a retirement that starts at 52-55. Thats the problem here. In my school district when there is a teaching position open, they get 650 applicants. Now thats an imbalance in the laws of supply and demand. Clearly indicating that pay and benefits far outpace the market.
Please hear me out. I have experience both in teaching and the private sector. While teachers do important work (if they do it well!), so do workers in private enterprise. All work is difficult in its own way. Workers in the private sector must work for years before they even can hope for three weeks vacation…and even then that vacation may be postponed due to urgent business. Our jobs aren’t tenured and we can be “let go” anytime without warning. Our promotions and pay raises depend on our performance. They are not based on an automatic pay raise scale. After leaving teaching, I worked in international trade association management. My last position was vice president of the largest division there. I can tell you that what I had to learn to do there and the responsibilities given me far surpassed any expectations of me in the classroom and demanded far more skills. I know! I worked in both worlds! I concede that teachers today must deal with undisciplined children and unreasonable and irresponsible parents…more so than when I taught and it was a challenge even then! But those of us in the private sector must deal with difficult situations and people as well.
The public school system is a failure. Students are NOT learning even the basic skills not to mention history and civics which is so terribly important in our country today. The blame must be shared by the teachers and their unions, the students and the parents. When I taught school, the idea of a union was just emerging and I knew it would be trouble for the education system. The “cash cow” that has enabled teachers to retire with such plush pensions needs to be killed. It is way over due. Teachers constantly complain about not getting Social Security. I will readily trade my $1500/month check for a teacher’s pension check. My SS check is supplemented by my savings which declined alarmingly this past year. I may not ever recover this money, particularly given who is in power in DC. My husband and I attempt to live on less than $30,000 a year. There is no “cash cow” to save me if I lose it all.
Teachers have NOT contributed to Social Security, yet taxpayers have to pay their salaries and also contribute to their pensions. That is simply not just.
Pensions for retired teachers …and ALL GOVERNEMNT WORKERS” … must be published in the media. If so, the public will be appalled and demand it be stopped. All workers should have to pay into Social Security and then be responsible for their personal savings (e.g., 401k)
So, teachers, stop complaining. I know you like your pensions. The rest of us would like them too…and it would be difficult for me to give it up, if I were in your shoes. But it must be done. There is no magic bottomless bucket full of money in Illinois or anywhere else.
And, by the way, please don’t insult my intelligence by telling me your pension is “for the children.”
Dr. Dave wrote: “By the way, you pension agnostics should take a look at the sweetheart pensions deals that active military and police officers get.”
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I come from a military family. My father retired after 25 years as a Lt. Col. (US Army). He gets 62.5% of the current base pay for active duty O-5’s, which presently is $7,928.70/mo. For those of you that are math challenged, his pension works out to $4,955.44 per mo. Or $59,465.28 per year. In order to receive such a huge sum, he had to give up much of his freedom. He spent two 13 month periods serving in what were considered war zones. Many times he had to drop what he was doing and deploy to far off places with just a few hours notice. On top of it, there always existed the possibility that he might have to pay the ultimate price.
I, on the other hand, was an enlisted man. I spent 19½ of my life in service to this country. Of the aforementioned 19½ years, 12½ were in the active components of the US Navy and the US Coast Guard. The remaining 7 years were spent as a Naval Reservist. During my military career, I spent a total of 7½ years aboard various ships. We worked 12 hours on and 12 hours off, 7 days a week, while underway. In port, one 24 hour day out of each 4 or 6 days was a duty day. In addition, you had a regular workday that could be 8 to 14 hours long. As with my father, there always existed the possibility that I might have to give my life in the line of duty.
When I enlisted, in August 1980, my base pay was a mere $601.30 per month (before taxes). In 1999, when I was medically retired, I was paid $1,844.10 per month.
Presently, I am rated as 70% disabled. I am 46 years old, and due to my disability, not able to re-enter the workforce. My pension is only $1,488.00 per month.
Regarding our police officers, they too work long hours and risk losing their lives in the line of duty as well. I do concede that they have better pay and benefits than military personnel receive.
I do ask the question of Dr. Dave, “Do teachers face the same risks to life and limb? Or the separations from family and friends for such lengths of time? Are the comparisons the same?”
I have to add one other point. 60% of senior enlisted military personnel are on food stamps, because the military pay is so poor. How many teachers are on food stamps?
Please do your research prior to pointing your finger at ‘how great the service members have’. In reality, the one’s who really make the military run and who do most of the bleeding and dying are paid a pittance compared to what most civilians receive.
I cannot believe he wants to increase our taxes claiming it is for “education” I SAY NO!!!! I am not paying for other people’s kids to go to school, I am trying to pay off loans for my own child’s education and you want to take more of my money.
If this happens, people will leave the state!