Comments on Advance Indiana™: Illinois Proposal Would Allow Chicago Schools To Declare Bankruptcy And Put Under State Control

No, not really. I just see 12.4% of my income goi...

2016-01-21T13:49:29.853-05:00

No, not really. I just see 12.4% of my income going down a rathole instead of into my pocket.

Yes, Lam, your contributions are defined. Governm...

2016-01-21T10:06:54.393-05:00

Yes, Lam, your contributions are defined.

Government workers' benefits are defined.

Understand the distinction?

Actually, as a self-employed Gen-Xer, I must "...

2016-01-21T08:07:17.776-05:00

Actually, as a self-employed Gen-Xer, I must "contribute" 12.4% of net earnings to Social Security knowing full well that there is no way in HELL that the net present value of my "investment" is positive.

I know of no Social Security benefit package that ...

2016-01-20T21:34:10.070-05:00

I know of no Social Security benefit package that affords one the lap of luxury like a government pension.

Intellectually, public / government schools are ba...

2016-01-20T20:17:49.597-05:00

Intellectually, public / government schools are bankrupt.

3:56 PM - substitute "social security" f...

2016-01-20T19:26:41.079-05:00

3:56 PM - substitute "social security" for "government pensions" in your statement above and see how you like it.

We, the Citizens, need to be out from the slavery ...

2016-01-20T15:56:06.826-05:00

We, the Citizens, need to be out from the slavery of government pensions. We can't find jobs, while government workers live like kings and will receive payments from us until we die.

Perhaps it would be better to tear down the country and erect a new one that will not subjugate its citizens to being beasts of burden for government employees. If they don't want to tear down the country, default on government pensions.

It's the fair thing to do.

"Where ignorant armies clash by night". ...

2016-01-20T12:53:55.295-05:00

"Where ignorant armies clash by night". If I were the Bankruptcy Trustee in charge of CPS it might take several weeks to restore fiscal sanity but it would require that striking teachers be jailed, and fined, and fired.

Look, "fairness" is irrelevant. CPS is ...

2016-01-20T11:25:02.292-05:00

Look, "fairness" is irrelevant. CPS is broke. The City is broke. The State of Illinois is broke. Either they all eventually enter an orderly bankruptcy proceeding or a disorderly default will come one day.

CPS could raise a hell of a lot more from the loca...

2016-01-20T10:46:41.986-05:00

CPS could raise a hell of a lot more from the local property tax in Chicago if the TIF districts that encompass the lion's share of the most valuable property in the Loop weren't consuming so much of city's property tax base. Also, CPS has the same problem IPS has in that students and accompanying state dollars are being siphoned off by the growing number of charter schools.

Let's provide some balance to this article. ...

2016-01-20T10:37:59.939-05:00

Let's provide some balance to this article.

As quoted in today's Chicago Sun Times:

"“The governor is defending a school funding system that is separate but unequal,” CPS CEO Forrest Claypool said in a written statement. “Our children are facing systematic discrimination. CPS represents 20 percent of state enrollment but gets just 15 percent of state funding, even though 86 percent of our children live in poverty.

“The missing 5 percent represents nearly $500 million, the exact amount of our budget gap. Our children’s futures are just as important as those in the suburbs and downstate. But the state does not value them equally.”

Quinn also decried the proposed new legislation as Rauner’s handiwork.

“If the governor was serious about helping Chicago students, he should start by proposing — and passing — a budget that fully funds education and treats CPS students like every other child in the state,” Quinn said in an emailed statement."

Rauner, who purchased the Illinois governorship with his wealth, failing to resolve the budget crisis has cost himself any future political office.

This post has nothing to do with Sen. Mark Kirk, b...

2016-01-20T10:33:34.442-05:00

This post has nothing to do with Sen. Mark Kirk, but he doesn't have a prayer of being re-elected now that you brought him up.

Credit where credit is due. Sometimes republicans...

2016-01-20T09:48:47.318-05:00

Credit where credit is due. Sometimes republicans get it right.

Illinois Republican “Senator Kirk has once again proven his leadership, by becoming the first Republican Senator to co-sponsor of the Equality Act,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “His support for the Equality Act sends a strong message that fairness and equality are bipartisan values. It also reflects the view of the overwhelming majority of all Americans who believe that everyone, including LGBT people, should be able to have a fair chance to earn a living, provide for their families, and live free from fear of discrimination.”

Polling conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner (GQR) has found that 63 percent of LGBT Americans report having experienced discrimination, most frequently in the workplace.

GQR’s polling has also shown strong support among Republican voters for the Equality Act’s non-discrimination protections. Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of all likely Republican voters support protecting LGBT people from discrimination, as do 90 percent of Democrats. Nearly eight out of 10 Americans — an overwhelming majority — support non-discrimination protections for LGBT Americans.