Here are some suggestions of letters for the PENSION REFORM INICIATIVE
suggested letters to lawmakers and to editors just cut and paste away
Dear ,
I am a concerned voter and member of Americans for Prosperity. I am very concerned about the states future. Therefore, I am respectfully requesting that you work to enact substantive reforms of the state employee pension system that directly affect current state employees and save our state billions in long term revenues.
At a minimum I ask that you have the courage vote in favor of:
1. Giving new employees the choice of either:
Defined contribution plan; or Reformed defined benefit plan that was enacted in Spring 2010.
2. Set future State contributions to pension plans at half of "Normal Cost" (cost of annual pension accrual) of reformed defined benefit plan. Employees pay any additional costs associated with the plan they choose.
Your attention and commitment to changing the direction of our once great state is appreciated and expected.
Sincerely,
here are some letters to editor or use them for the lawmakers cut and paste
Letter 1
Insert Salutation,
For years Illinois has been accumulating debt through pension liabilities for state employees. The 2011 budget alone has a $7 billion deficit in underfunded retiree costs for a single year. The current debt level for Illinois is over $140 billion and nearly 80% of that total is due to unfunded government pension benefits. We cannot continue to ignore the problem while hoping that future generations will find a magic pot of gold to pay off our debts.
Generous government pensions were originally intended to attract talented employees to traditionally low salary government service jobs. Retirement was an implied future compensation in exchange for accepting a salary below the private sector equivalent. Over time the salary gap between private sector and government jobs has disappeared, but the pension system has not changed. As a member of Americans for Prosperity, I am writing this letter to urge you to take the courageous path and support reform of our broken state pension system.
We must honor the benefits earned to date; however, we must also reform the future system. The first step was made last year with pension reform for new state employees. Now, we must take the next step by modifying the future pension plan for current employees. It is perfectly reasonable for Illinois taxpayers to ask state employees to contribute more towards their own retirement plans. State employees should be given the choice between a defined contribution plan, the reformed defined benefit plan that was enacted in the spring of 2010, or the current defined contribution plan with increased employee contribution levels. This will allow employees to pick the option that works best for their personal situation. Additionally, the retirement age must be raised to at least 65 for all state employees.
Illinois is broke, but together we can fix it if you will have the courage to vote in favor of these difficult reforms.
Sincerely,
Insert NAME
Letter 2
Insert Salutation,
Illinois taxpayers fund five different retirement programs for state employees: State Employees’ Retirement System; Judges’ Retirement System; General Assembly Retirement System; Teachers’ Retirement System; and State Universities Retirement System.
Just as many other states have been forced to reform their pension systems, Illinois must also reform our current state employee retirement plans. Our 2011 state budget has a single year deficit of $12 billion. Of that total, $7 billion is directly related to state employee retiree benefits. Eventually, we must pay that bill.
We have already waited too long for reform to be easy. I hope this letter will encourage you to support the difficult task of pension reforms. At a minimum, I ask that you have the courage to vote in favor of:
1. Giving current employees the choice of a defined contribution plan, the reformed defined benefit plan that was enacted in the spring of 2010, or the current defined contribution plan.
2. Giving new employees the choice of either a defined contribution plan or the reformed defined benefit plan that was enacted in the spring of 2010.
3. Setting future State contributions to pension plans at half of "Normal Cost" (cost of annual pension accrual) of the reformed defined benefit plan, with employees paying any additional costs associated with the plan they choose.
4. Changing the minimum retirement age from 55 to 65 years of age.
Enacting these reforms will save an estimated $2 billion per year. We need real budget reforms now, and as a voter and member of Americans for Prosperity, I know I can count on you to do the right thing and make the hard choices needed for Illinois.
Sincerely,
Insert NAME
Letter 3
Insert Salutation,
I recently read that Illinois' state retirement plans have a current deficit of over $140 billion. That is the equivalent of $30,000 per household. I don't know about you, but I can't afford $30,000 for someone else's retirement. Something has to change, and as a voter and member of Americans for Prosperity, I am asking you to help.
After researching this issue I believe that the following reforms must be enacted to bring Illinois back from the edge of the financial cliff. First, we must change the existing retirement system by offering current state employees a choice between a defined contribution plan, the reformed defined benefit plan that was enacted in the spring of 2010, or the current defined contribution plan with increased employee contribution levels. Second, we must set a limit on future state contributions to the pension plan that is in line with private sector standards. Finally, we must raise the minimum retirement age to 65.
Your support of these and other reforms is imperative. Therefore, I am respectfully requesting that you work to enact substantive reforms of the state employee pension system.
Sincerely,
Insert NAME
Letter 4
Insert Salutation,
I am a member of Americans for Prosperity and would like to see prosperity return to Illinois. That won't happen until we get our budget deficit under control. We have a $12 billion deficit in 2011 and an accumulated debt of over $170 billion. The majority of that debt ($140 billion) is directly due to underfunded pension liabilities for state employees. Why do we continue to demand that 95% of Illinois citizens pay billions of dollars for the retirement benefits of 5% of our state's population? I want to encourage you to support efforts to reform the Illinois pension system.
We are obligated to fulfill benefits that have already been earned, but we are also obligated to reform the current system to get us off the path of fiscal insolvency. You can do the right thing by supporting reforms to set future state contributions to pension plans at half of "Normal Cost" (cost of annual pension accrual) of reformed defined benefit plan. Current state employees could choose between retirement plans as long as the employees pay any additional costs above the state's contribution associated with their selected plan. This reform would put state pensions in line with private sector standards and, in conjunction with other reforms, save Illinois $2 billion per year.
We cannot ignore our financial crisis any longer. I hope I can count on you to support this very important step toward a prosperous Illinois.
Sincerely,
Insert Name
Letter 5
Insert Salutation,
Unfunded state employee pension expenses are destroying our state. Illinois is at a crossroads and a difficult choice is ahead of us. We can continue the policies that have accumulated $140 billion in retirement plan deficits, or we can choose to fix a broken system. The first step in the right direction was taken last year when the General Assembly supported reforms to the pension system for new state employees. I am asking you to make another difficult choice and take the next step by supporting reforms to the pension system for existing state employees.
By most estimates, in the next ten years, pension obligations will account for about one-third of all the tax revenues from sales taxes and personal/corporate income taxes. If we don't do something now, that percentage will grow to over 50% of tax revenues by 2045. The uncontrolled growth of retirement pension obligations will take money away from critical government services like education, law enforcement, and assistance to the poor and handicapped. Your support for pension reform is key to ensuring we do not have to choose between public safety and a luxury retirement for state employees.
We cannot afford to make the wrong choice. As a member of Americans for Prosperity, I ask that you support legislation that gives current state employees a choice between a defined contribution plan, the reformed defined benefit plan that was enacted in the spring of 2010, or the current defined contribution plan with employee contribution levels similar to what exists in private sector retirement plans. Additionally, reforms must set future state contributions to pension plans at half of "Normal Cost" (cost of annual pension accrual) of reformed defined benefit plan and raise the minimum retirement age to 65 years.
With your support we can save Illinois' taxpayers over $2 billion per year and start to make our state a good place to do business.
Hi Jackie, Bruce, Roberta, and Carol, glad to have you on board! We need to get 4 Letters to the Editor composed (from templates) and sent off by Monday. Hope a few people will be able to take an hour or so off from Mother's Day entertaining.
I will post more info later this evening......anyone should feel free to call my cell at 312-671-0909. John
INFO ON SENDING LTE'S TO SUN-TIMES
Dear Members,
Here are the steps I found to be necessary for sending LTE's to Sun-Times......
1) Click on above Sun-Times link in "Links To Press For Letters To Editor".
This will take you to a Sun-Times page that displays the message, "The
link you requested cannot be found". Do not be dismayed.
2) Near the top of the page, click on "Opinion".
3) On the "Opinion" page, click on "Submit Letter to Editor".
4) Now you can type in your LTE. Don't forget to make a copy for our records,
BEFORE submitting it! To do this, rest the cursor on "share", then select
"print". Select page "3". It will only print the first couple of paragraphs of
your LTE, but that will be good enough for record-keeping purposes.
5) Also under the "share" icon, you have the choice of emailing a copy of the
LTE. I didn't have any luck with this......it kept emailing blank pages. If
anyone can figure out how to do it, please let the rest of us know how it's
done!
NOTE: Before starting the above process, you'll want to modify your template
a little bit......these templates are worded to be sent to legislators, rather
editors.
INFO ON SENDING LTE'S TO HERALD
Dear Members,
The steps for the Herald are similar to those for the Sun-Times, (see below).....
so, I'll just give an abbreviated list of steps.......
1) Click on "Discuss"
2) Scroll about half-way down the page.....find a box called "Submit a Letter"..
at the bottom of the box, click on "Send your comments now".
Dear Members,
Please don't forget to make copies of your LTE's so we can keep a record of the "Day of Deliverance" campaign! This can be done either by emailing a copy to me or Carol, or by printing out a paper copy.
Some newspapers have systems that make this process a little difficult, and you end up with a crude or incomplete copy, but even a crummy copy may still be okay for record-keeping purposes.
Thanks,
John
A SIMPLE WAY TO SEND AN LTE TO THE SUN-TIMES..........
Dear Members,
In the third message below this one, you'll find some rather complex instructions for sending LTE's to the Sun-Times........here is a simplified version!
1) Your emailed LTE should be sent to letters@suntimes.com
The subject of the email should be called "op ed submission".
2) At the end of the letter, put your day and evening phone numbers, and your
address.
NOTE: A typical salutation is "Dear Editor". You'll want to modify your selected
"template" letter a little bit, because the templates are written to be sent to
a legislator, rather than an editor.
NOTE 2: They like it if you attach a picture of yourself to the email, but it's not
a necessity.
John thanks for all that info but it came to late for me I sent out 3 letters to the Tribune, Sun Times and The Heald but I did not make a copy of my letters I only printed out a conf. for my self as a record Sorry Keep up the good work
John, nice to see you again at the PTRO this morning! I have been asleep at the wheel lately and just found out about the LTE group today. ( I know, IF I would click on the TGA page I might learn something Ha Ha). This is a GREAT way for us to do what many of us have wanted to do for years and just didn't know how to get started the right way. Thank you very much for your qualified leadership in this valuable effort. You can call on me anytime for help.
It's important to print copies of your LTE's as the copies will be used as part of the "Day Of Deliverance" packages that will be delivered to targeted legislators. These packages will include LTE's, letters to individual legislators, and petitions. This type of campaign has been proven to be extremely effective in swaying congresspersons.
In order to get copies we can use, here are necessary steps:
STEPS FOR 'PRINTING' (modify these steps as necessary)
1) After your email is composed, and BEFORE "sending" it, click "print". Of
course, you'll need to be connected to a printer.
In addition to the first couple paragraphs of your text, the printout should
include some graphics from your computer screen, such as the "To" bar,
the "Cc" bar, etc. This shows that you actually sent an email.
2) Probably, your LTE will be too long to be visible in it's entirety in the
email copy that you make. If so, you'll want to type it again in Word or
other format, so we can have a complete copy of the text. We'll staple
the two together and present them as one document to the targeted
legislator.
Your work is GREATLY appreciated, troops! Not just by me.......I mean by everyone! Frank and I were precinct-walking last Saturday, and we got thanked for our work by several of the people we spoke with. You other walkers know what I'm talking about; I'm sure you've all gotten your share of thank-you's!
Custom reprints are a powerful and strategic way to share your article with customers, employees and prospects.
The YGS Group provides digital and printed reprint services for Daily Herald. Complete the form to the right and a reprint consultant will contact you to discuss how you can reuse this article.
Need more information about reprints? Visit our Reprints Section for more details.
Government pensions were originally intended to attract talented employees to traditionally low salary government service jobs. Retirement was an implied future compensation in exchange for accepting a salary below the private sector equivalent. Over time the salary gap between private sector and government jobs has disappeared, but the pension system has not changed.
As a member of Americans for Prosperity, I am writing to urge you to take the courageous path and support reform of our broken state pension system. We now have unfunded liabilities that we can simply no longer maintain. The system needs to be reformed so it can function within the scope of reality, pure and simple. The only other alternative is bankruptcy. We must face facts and take the necessary steps to avoid this preventable disaster.
Advertisement
The first step was made last year with pension reform for new state employees. Now we must take the next step by modifying the future pension plan for current employees. It is perfectly reasonable for Illinois taxpayers to ask state employees to contribute more toward their own retirement plans. State employees should be given the choice between a defined contribution plan, the reformed defined benefit plan that was enacted in the spring of 2010, or the current defined contribution plan with increased employee contribution levels. This will allow employees to pick the option that works best for their personal situation. Additionally, the retirement age must be raised to at least 65 for all state employees.
Illinois is broke, but together we can fix it if our lawmakers will have the courage to vote in favor of these difficult reforms.
Hello everyone! Looks like it's time for some more Letters to the Editor, given the recent (fairey) tales in the papers about our Representative. Would like everyone to try and lay out the bare bones of an LTE this weekend, and hopefully polish it enough to send by Monday.
I will review the issues and post another message this afternoon. My understanding at present is that the main issue is a child support issue. More later. John
carol ann parisi
Here are some suggestions of letters for the PENSION REFORM INICIATIVE
suggested letters to lawmakers and to editors just cut and paste away
Dear ,
I am a concerned voter and member of Americans for Prosperity. I am very concerned about the states future. Therefore, I am respectfully requesting that you work to enact substantive reforms of the state employee pension system that directly affect current state employees and save our state billions in long term revenues.
At a minimum I ask that you have the courage vote in favor of:
1. Giving new employees the choice of either:
Defined contribution plan; or Reformed defined benefit plan that was enacted in Spring 2010.
2. Set future State contributions to pension plans at half of "Normal Cost" (cost of annual pension accrual) of reformed defined benefit plan. Employees pay any additional costs associated with the plan they choose.
Your attention and commitment to changing the direction of our once great state is appreciated and expected.
Sincerely,
here are some letters to editor or use them for the lawmakers cut and paste
Letter 1
Insert Salutation,
For years Illinois has been accumulating debt through pension liabilities for state employees. The 2011 budget alone has a $7 billion deficit in underfunded retiree costs for a single year. The current debt level for Illinois is over $140 billion and nearly 80% of that total is due to unfunded government pension benefits. We cannot continue to ignore the problem while hoping that future generations will find a magic pot of gold to pay off our debts.
Generous government pensions were originally intended to attract talented employees to traditionally low salary government service jobs. Retirement was an implied future compensation in exchange for accepting a salary below the private sector equivalent. Over time the salary gap between private sector and government jobs has disappeared, but the pension system has not changed. As a member of Americans for Prosperity, I am writing this letter to urge you to take the courageous path and support reform of our broken state pension system.
We must honor the benefits earned to date; however, we must also reform the future system. The first step was made last year with pension reform for new state employees. Now, we must take the next step by modifying the future pension plan for current employees. It is perfectly reasonable for Illinois taxpayers to ask state employees to contribute more towards their own retirement plans. State employees should be given the choice between a defined contribution plan, the reformed defined benefit plan that was enacted in the spring of 2010, or the current defined contribution plan with increased employee contribution levels. This will allow employees to pick the option that works best for their personal situation. Additionally, the retirement age must be raised to at least 65 for all state employees.
Illinois is broke, but together we can fix it if you will have the courage to vote in favor of these difficult reforms.
Sincerely,
Insert NAME
Letter 2
Insert Salutation,
Illinois taxpayers fund five different retirement programs for state employees: State Employees’ Retirement System; Judges’ Retirement System; General Assembly Retirement System; Teachers’ Retirement System; and State Universities Retirement System.
Just as many other states have been forced to reform their pension systems, Illinois must also reform our current state employee retirement plans. Our 2011 state budget has a single year deficit of $12 billion. Of that total, $7 billion is directly related to state employee retiree benefits. Eventually, we must pay that bill.
We have already waited too long for reform to be easy. I hope this letter will encourage you to support the difficult task of pension reforms. At a minimum, I ask that you have the courage to vote in favor of:
1. Giving current employees the choice of a defined contribution plan, the reformed defined benefit plan that was enacted in the spring of 2010, or the current defined contribution plan.
2. Giving new employees the choice of either a defined contribution plan or the reformed defined benefit plan that was enacted in the spring of 2010.
3. Setting future State contributions to pension plans at half of "Normal Cost" (cost of annual pension accrual) of the reformed defined benefit plan, with employees paying any additional costs associated with the plan they choose.
4. Changing the minimum retirement age from 55 to 65 years of age.
Enacting these reforms will save an estimated $2 billion per year. We need real budget reforms now, and as a voter and member of Americans for Prosperity, I know I can count on you to do the right thing and make the hard choices needed for Illinois.
Sincerely,
Insert NAME
Letter 3
Insert Salutation,
I recently read that Illinois' state retirement plans have a current deficit of over $140 billion. That is the equivalent of $30,000 per household. I don't know about you, but I can't afford $30,000 for someone else's retirement. Something has to change, and as a voter and member of Americans for Prosperity, I am asking you to help.
After researching this issue I believe that the following reforms must be enacted to bring Illinois back from the edge of the financial cliff. First, we must change the existing retirement system by offering current state employees a choice between a defined contribution plan, the reformed defined benefit plan that was enacted in the spring of 2010, or the current defined contribution plan with increased employee contribution levels. Second, we must set a limit on future state contributions to the pension plan that is in line with private sector standards. Finally, we must raise the minimum retirement age to 65.
Your support of these and other reforms is imperative. Therefore, I am respectfully requesting that you work to enact substantive reforms of the state employee pension system.
Sincerely,
Insert NAME
Letter 4
Insert Salutation,
I am a member of Americans for Prosperity and would like to see prosperity return to Illinois. That won't happen until we get our budget deficit under control. We have a $12 billion deficit in 2011 and an accumulated debt of over $170 billion. The majority of that debt ($140 billion) is directly due to underfunded pension liabilities for state employees. Why do we continue to demand that 95% of Illinois citizens pay billions of dollars for the retirement benefits of 5% of our state's population? I want to encourage you to support efforts to reform the Illinois pension system.
We are obligated to fulfill benefits that have already been earned, but we are also obligated to reform the current system to get us off the path of fiscal insolvency. You can do the right thing by supporting reforms to set future state contributions to pension plans at half of "Normal Cost" (cost of annual pension accrual) of reformed defined benefit plan. Current state employees could choose between retirement plans as long as the employees pay any additional costs above the state's contribution associated with their selected plan. This reform would put state pensions in line with private sector standards and, in conjunction with other reforms, save Illinois $2 billion per year.
We cannot ignore our financial crisis any longer. I hope I can count on you to support this very important step toward a prosperous Illinois.
Sincerely,
Insert Name
Letter 5
Insert Salutation,
Unfunded state employee pension expenses are destroying our state. Illinois is at a crossroads and a difficult choice is ahead of us. We can continue the policies that have accumulated $140 billion in retirement plan deficits, or we can choose to fix a broken system. The first step in the right direction was taken last year when the General Assembly supported reforms to the pension system for new state employees. I am asking you to make another difficult choice and take the next step by supporting reforms to the pension system for existing state employees.
By most estimates, in the next ten years, pension obligations will account for about one-third of all the tax revenues from sales taxes and personal/corporate income taxes. If we don't do something now, that percentage will grow to over 50% of tax revenues by 2045. The uncontrolled growth of retirement pension obligations will take money away from critical government services like education, law enforcement, and assistance to the poor and handicapped. Your support for pension reform is key to ensuring we do not have to choose between public safety and a luxury retirement for state employees.
We cannot afford to make the wrong choice. As a member of Americans for Prosperity, I ask that you support legislation that gives current state employees a choice between a defined contribution plan, the reformed defined benefit plan that was enacted in the spring of 2010, or the current defined contribution plan with employee contribution levels similar to what exists in private sector retirement plans. Additionally, reforms must set future state contributions to pension plans at half of "Normal Cost" (cost of annual pension accrual) of reformed defined benefit plan and raise the minimum retirement age to 65 years.
With your support we can save Illinois' taxpayers over $2 billion per year and start to make our state a good place to do business.
Sincerely,
Insert NAME
May 5, 2011
carol ann parisi
Also, please drive all in you know to the website on this issue at : http://fixillinoispensionsnow.com/
May 5, 2011
John Hilt
Hi Jackie, Bruce, Roberta, and Carol, glad to have you on board! We need to get 4 Letters to the Editor composed (from templates) and sent off by Monday. Hope a few people will be able to take an hour or so off from Mother's Day entertaining.
I will post more info later this evening......anyone should feel free to call my cell at 312-671-0909. John
May 5, 2011
John Hilt
Dear Members,
Here are the steps I found to be necessary for sending LTE's to Sun-Times......
1) Click on above Sun-Times link in "Links To Press For Letters To Editor".
This will take you to a Sun-Times page that displays the message, "The
link you requested cannot be found". Do not be dismayed.
2) Near the top of the page, click on "Opinion".
3) On the "Opinion" page, click on "Submit Letter to Editor".
4) Now you can type in your LTE. Don't forget to make a copy for our records,
BEFORE submitting it! To do this, rest the cursor on "share", then select
"print". Select page "3". It will only print the first couple of paragraphs of
your LTE, but that will be good enough for record-keeping purposes.
5) Also under the "share" icon, you have the choice of emailing a copy of the
LTE. I didn't have any luck with this......it kept emailing blank pages. If
anyone can figure out how to do it, please let the rest of us know how it's
done!
NOTE: Before starting the above process, you'll want to modify your template
a little bit......these templates are worded to be sent to legislators, rather
editors.
May 6, 2011
John Hilt
Dear Members,
The steps for the Herald are similar to those for the Sun-Times, (see below).....
so, I'll just give an abbreviated list of steps.......
1) Click on "Discuss"
2) Scroll about half-way down the page.....find a box called "Submit a Letter"..
at the bottom of the box, click on "Send your comments now".
May 6, 2011
John Hilt
Please don't forget to make copies of your LTE's so we can keep a record of the "Day of Deliverance" campaign! This can be done either by emailing a copy to me or Carol, or by printing out a paper copy.
Some newspapers have systems that make this process a little difficult, and you end up with a crude or incomplete copy, but even a crummy copy may still be okay for record-keeping purposes.
Thanks,
John
May 6, 2011
John Hilt
Dear Members,
In the third message below this one, you'll find some rather complex instructions for sending LTE's to the Sun-Times........here is a simplified version!
1) Your emailed LTE should be sent to letters@suntimes.com
The subject of the email should be called "op ed submission".
2) At the end of the letter, put your day and evening phone numbers, and your
address.
NOTE: A typical salutation is "Dear Editor". You'll want to modify your selected
"template" letter a little bit, because the templates are written to be sent to
a legislator, rather than an editor.
NOTE 2: They like it if you attach a picture of yourself to the email, but it's not
a necessity.
May 6, 2011
carol ann parisi
May 7, 2011
jackie menconi
May 7, 2011
Beryl Nichols
May 7, 2011
John Hilt
Hi Beryl, very glad to have you in LTE! Jackie, thanks for sending three letters.Your're a trooper!
Sorry took me so long to respond, was out precinct walking and didn't check emails for a whole day.
May 8, 2011
John Hilt
UPDATED LTE INFORMATION
Members,
It's important to print copies of your LTE's as the copies will be used as part of the "Day Of Deliverance" packages that will be delivered to targeted legislators. These packages will include LTE's, letters to individual legislators, and petitions. This type of campaign has been proven to be extremely effective in swaying congresspersons.
In order to get copies we can use, here are necessary steps:
STEPS FOR 'PRINTING' (modify these steps as necessary)
1) After your email is composed, and BEFORE "sending" it, click "print". Of
course, you'll need to be connected to a printer.
In addition to the first couple paragraphs of your text, the printout should
include some graphics from your computer screen, such as the "To" bar,
the "Cc" bar, etc. This shows that you actually sent an email.
2) Probably, your LTE will be too long to be visible in it's entirety in the
email copy that you make. If so, you'll want to type it again in Word or
other format, so we can have a complete copy of the text. We'll staple
the two together and present them as one document to the targeted
legislator.
Your work is GREATLY appreciated, troops! Not just by me.......I mean by everyone! Frank and I were precinct-walking last Saturday, and we got thanked for our work by several of the people we spoke with. You other walkers know what I'm talking about; I'm sure you've all gotten your share of thank-you's!
John 312-671-0909
May 9, 2011
carol ann parisi
PUBLISHED IN DAILY HERALD.....THANKS DEE
Courage needed to fix pension system
Article sent to (required)
E-mailArticle sent from (required)
E-mail NameSubject Line (article title)
Message (optional)
Interested in reusing this article?
Custom reprints are a powerful and strategic way to share your article with customers, employees and prospects.
The YGS Group provides digital and printed reprint services for Daily Herald. Complete the form to the right and a reprint consultant will contact you to discuss how you can reuse this article.
Contact information ( * required )
Name * Company Telephone * E-mail *Article Information
Title URLMessage (optional)
Government pensions were originally intended to attract talented employees to traditionally low salary government service jobs. Retirement was an implied future compensation in exchange for accepting a salary below the private sector equivalent. Over time the salary gap between private sector and government jobs has disappeared, but the pension system has not changed.
As a member of Americans for Prosperity, I am writing to urge you to take the courageous path and support reform of our broken state pension system. We now have unfunded liabilities that we can simply no longer maintain. The system needs to be reformed so it can function within the scope of reality, pure and simple. The only other alternative is bankruptcy. We must face facts and take the necessary steps to avoid this preventable disaster.
The first step was made last year with pension reform for new state employees. Now we must take the next step by modifying the future pension plan for current employees. It is perfectly reasonable for Illinois taxpayers to ask state employees to contribute more toward their own retirement plans. State employees should be given the choice between a defined contribution plan, the reformed defined benefit plan that was enacted in the spring of 2010, or the current defined contribution plan with increased employee contribution levels. This will allow employees to pick the option that works best for their personal situation. Additionally, the retirement age must be raised to at least 65 for all state employees.
Illinois is broke, but together we can fix it if our lawmakers will have the courage to vote in favor of these difficult reforms.
Diane Fatouros
Schaumburg
Read more: http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20110522/discuss/705229895/#ixzz...
May 23, 2011
jackie menconi
May 23, 2011
carol ann parisi
Please write letters for Editor for Joe Walsh event May 19, 2011
here is a review of event
Jun 1, 2011
John Hilt
Hello everyone! Looks like it's time for some more Letters to the Editor, given the recent (fairey) tales in the papers about our Representative. Would like everyone to try and lay out the bare bones of an LTE this weekend, and hopefully polish it enough to send by Monday.
I will review the issues and post another message this afternoon. My understanding at present is that the main issue is a child support issue. More later. John
Jul 29, 2011
carol ann parisi
CHECK THIS OUT SCROLL DOWN TO BOTTOM AND GET FREE TWITTER AND FACEBOOK TRAINING PDFhttp://thegreatawakening.ning.com/forum/topics/activist-central
Feb 22, 2012
John Hilt
Suzie Ejzak recently joined LTE Group.....Welcome, Suzie!
May 17, 2012