Vote No on Constitution Amendment 49

Illinois currently faces a $200 billion pension fund shortfall. Pension funding represents 25 percent of the state budget. How many businesses could operate on that basis?

This session, the Illinois Legislature didn’t come close to fixing our crippling state worker pension problem. Each party blames the other. Speaker Madigan accepted a $100,000 donation from Service Employees International Union (SEIU) before calling a special August one-day session for pension reform. Nothing was accomplished. Then, Madigan received a second check for $100,000 from SEIU. Coincidence?

Now, in a supreme act of hypocrisy, Madigan offers Constitution Amendment 49, the first item on your ballot. It will require a 3/5 vote on any pension system increases. Big deal! These increases regularly pass by a margin of 90+ percent. Vote no on CA 49. Both the Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times have urged “no” votes, and the Illinois League of Women Voters likewise. The League recommends it be made a statute (law), not an amendment to the Constitution. Its 700 words are longer than the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution!

The problems in Illinois will not be resolved with Democrats running Illinois. People who want solutions must vote for the esteemed or despised Republican of their district — conservative or RINO — it doesn’t matter. All that matters is replacing Madigan.

Jane Carrell
Roscoe

From the Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2012, issue

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