Fire them all: Illinois General Assembly adjourns without passing pension reform

Millstone, Morrison, IL

For years Illinois' underfunded public pension system has been a millstone dragging down the Land of Lincoln. Once again the General Assembly failed to pass a pension reform bill. Yeah, the House passed one bill and the Senate another, but the two chambers could pass any pension bill.

The Democrats control both chambers with overwhelming majorities.

Our governor, Pat Quinn, a Chicago Democrat, is as useful as a wet glob of toilet paper. As I've noted many times on this blog, the self-described populist over 400 days ago emitted this fatuous declaration about the Illinois' pension shortfall: "But I'm here to solve it. I know that I was put on earth to get this done."

Quinn is a failure. And so is the General Assembly. Next year there is an election. Democrat or Republican I offer this endorsement in regards to these so-called public servants. Fire them all.

Oh, Moody's is considering lowering Illinois' credit rating. Again. The Prairie State's credit rating is already the lowest in the nation.

Illinois' pension debt stands at $100 billion. It grows by $17 million each day.

Related post:

It's been 407 days since Quinn said he was "put on earth" to fix Illinois pension mess

Technorati tags: pensions Politics economy news Patrick Quinn pat quinn government taxesillinois politics

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(Video) New poll show scandals hurting Obama's popularity

A new Quinnipiac poll shows that the multiple scandals are taking a toll on President Obama's popularity. Just 45 percent of Americans approve of Obama's performance, while 49 percent disaaprove.



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It's been 407 days since Quinn said he was "put on earth" to fix Illinois pension mess

Yesterday the Illinois Senate soundly defeated the House version of public-worker pension reform. The House has yet to vote on the Senate version. What are these mental midgets waiting for? The spring session ends in less then 24 hours.

If the General ASS-embly is waiting for guidance, good luck with that. It's been 407 days since Governor Pat Quinn made this asinine statement about the Prairie State's $100 billion in pension debt, which grows by $17 million per day.

But I'm here to solve it. I know that I was put on earth to get this done.

But Quinn isn't Kal-El, who was sent by his father, Jor-El, from Krypton to save us from ourselves.

And Quinn is part of the problem.

"They can be a great people, Kal-El, they wish to be." Jor-El said to his son in Superman: The Movie.

But Superman's dad knew nothing about Illinois.

UPDATE June 2: Not only has the General Assembly ended its spring session without passing pension reform, the legislature will now need a three-fifths majority to pass any bill.

Technorati tags: pensions Politics economy news Patrick Quinn pat quinn government taxesillinois politics

Shutterdud: Chicago Sun-Times lays off entire staff of photographers

Chicago Sun-Times building

Chicago's mainstream media continues to make news for all of the wrong reasons. Today the Chicago Sun-Times announced that it was laying off its entire staff of photographers--about 30 people are now jobless. Freelancers--who the Sun-Times won't have to offer benefits such as health insurance to and will be non-union, will pick up some of the slack, as will reporters. As for the latter, I can assure you, taking good pictures is a lot harder than it appears.

I had to wait ten minutes to capture the picture on right of the Chicago Sun-Times building so I could get the el train in the photograph.

..and not move the camera...and get the pic at a straight angle....

Now imagine a sports reporter trying to take pictures at a Chicago Blackhawks game.

Add photojournalist to those "stay-away-from" professions.

Technorati tags: news government chicago illinois

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(Video) Michelle Malkin mentions Illinois Review blog and IRS scandal figure on Fox and Friends

This morning Michelle Malkin discussed the growing IRS scandal on Fox and Friends. And Malkin mentionded "my friends there" at the Illinois Review blog for reporting on federal government bullying of conservatives that goes back to 1996. Al Salvi was the Republican nominee against Dick Durbin.

From IR:

Soon after the IRS story broke, Al Salvi told Illinois Review that it was IRS official Lois Lerner who represented the FEC in the 1996 Democrat complaint against him. According to Salvi, Lerner was, without question, politically motivated, and went so far as to make him an offer: "Promise me you will never run for office again, and we'll drop this case."

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Marathon Pundit meets Michelle Malkin

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NRSC video: Yes

As this National Republican Senatorial Committee video explains, the GOP is not the "Party of No."

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ILL-inois: Judicial hellhole judges and drug abuse

Illinois' St. Clair County has drawn the notice of the American Tort Reform Foundation as a judicial hellhole.

If attorneys ever mused if the downstate county's judges were on drugs--they'd be right, tragically so in one case.

From the Chicago Tribune:

An Illinois judge resigned on Wednesday, days after he was charged in federal court with possession of heroin and weeks after a fellow judge died of a cocaine overdose while the two were on a hunting trip.

Michael Cook submitted his resignation as a St. Clair County Circuit Court judge and is now undergoing treatment for drug abuse, said his attorney, Thomas Keefe.

Cook has been involved with two drug-related incidents in recent months.

Cook was arrested on May 22 at the home of an alleged heroin dealer and faces heroin possession and gun charges, according to attorneys and court records.

The second incident occurred on March 10, when Cook called 911 from his hunting cabin after he found St. Clair County Judge Joe Christ, 49, dead in a bathroom, according to Paul Petty, the coroner and sheriff in Pike County, Illinois.

Petty said Judge Christ died from cocaine abuse. Guns, which are severely restricted in many Prairie State jurisdictions, were found in the cabin.

St. Clair County is south Illinois' infamous Madison County, America's poster child for judicial hellholes.

Technorati tags: politics Illinois Politicsnews government law legaltort reform Metro East government

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