Thursday, April 17, 2014

Joravsky Adds it Up

From what we read, Rahm has over $1.7 Billion-with-a-B sitting in TIF funds that he uses to "reward" those who donate to him politically. That's enough for TWO pension balloon payments - and the FOP better make every effort to make sure that's EXACTLY where the money goes:
  • As we all prepare for Mayor Rahm Emanuel's proposed property tax hike to pay off billions of dollars in pension obligations, I thought I'd take a trip down memory lane to a not-so-distant era when our leaders acted like we didn't have a care in the world.

    The year was 2004—and what a glorious time it was!
"Glorious" if you were in with Shortshanks.
  • ...the city spent more than $250 million to build a[n underground train station at Block 37 at Randolph and State] ...it will probably never use. 
  • ...Millennium Park ... cost about $280 million in tax increment financing money
  • ...hotel-motel [tax] money ... in 2001 Mayor Daley had earmarked $360 million ... to rebuild Soldier Field
  • ... $57.8 million in an arbitration award for violating the LLC Parking Garage agreement
  • The Daley administration then spent about $22 million to buy space in a Streeterville skyscraper for the Park District's central office
  • TIF subsidies Mayor Daley doled out during those glory years to the likes of MillerCoors, Grossinger Auto, and United Airlines, to name but a few.  
  • Then, in 2008, the final year the Central Loop TIF district was operating, Daley went on one last binge, spending about $365 million.
Joravsky notes, "Man, it would be nice to have that money right about now for those pension obligations." but also notes that Rahm's recent expenditures for a Marriott Hotel and DePaul stadiummay rival the Block 37 debacle in short order.

Joravsky also takes apart Rahm's TIF "reform" efforts in a separate article. Rahm isn't broke. Chicago isn't broke. The system of checks-and-balances might be broken along with the oversight of taxpayer money. Keep this in mind if some half-assed agreement comes down the pike.

    Labels:

    60 Comments:

    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    AND the TIF money gets REPLENISHED every year. The number isn't finite.

    4/17/2014 12:13:00 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    The links are long reads. They will turn your stomach, like the feeling I imagine one gets when they come home after a long day at work, only to discover that someone broke into their house, found their safe, all their bank cards, their jewelry boxes, photos from childhood and their parents' childhoods, and it is all GONE.

    This is a history we should all remember, especially come election time.

    4/17/2014 12:15:00 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Don't forget all the money chicago received for sell of parking meters and skyway, where are those hundreds of million of dollars

    4/17/2014 01:05:00 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Pay the current bills and when that's done, spend some on new stuff. Not the other way around.

    4/17/2014 01:26:00 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Heh!

    "Joravsky Adds it Up" is the understatement of the year SCC!

    Let's throw this out there for the Joyful Haters who would love nothing more than seeing The Police shit on and never made whole for the theft from and mismanagement of their pension at the hands of little crazy fuckers sitting in the Mayors chair for the last quarter century...

    You have, THIS: "Rahm Has Over $7 Million in Campaign Fund!"

    The smartest shit-ass ever and the current architect of all ongoing financial fuckery in Chicago is DEATHLY AFRAID OF LOSING THIS CAMPAIGN!

    Too many promises made to the Wall Street bunch who crashed this nation's economy and destroyed hard working people's post retirement dreams?

    "Come to Chicago and help me steal what Dum-Dum Daley couldn't and I'll bust the Cops & Firemen out of their defined pension plans and stick them in 401K plans so you guys can make a killing in fees... Just be sure to give me and my family a cut in perpetuity."

    Or some other such fucked up shit like that...

    Actually this dumb shit is nation-wide where a whole lot of energy is being expended on media spin casting muni employees who have made their contributions in accordance to law while municipalities have failed in their fiduciary duties to make the matching contributions in full.

    "Pardon us while we throw our hands up and walk away with the money we owe you so we can spend it on other stuff."

    Hmmm... Sounds like theft doesn't it?

    Contracts and laws mean the equivalent of a soiled bowel rag when people like Rahm are required to ante up.

    Let your sad ass owe THEM and see how fast and deep they get all up in your life to make you pay and then some.

    Rahm be making that financial freaky-love! Uh-huh!

    Rahm and his Wall Street buddies get a nut... You churls get a cosmic cock-block and the taste of a back-hand 4.5 finger slap across your teeth.

    If the crazy S.O.B could unscrew the top of his head and scratch his mind, he would!

    Rahm "Itchy-Mind" Emanuel...

    THIS... Is the mayor of Chicago and damn it he has a plan and that plan centers heavily on blaming muni employee pensions for the city's financial "crisis."

    Once he gets concessions and the law changes he wants, he's going to drop a casino on everybody and then laugh because not a penny of that casino revenue will be realized by Police, Fire or their families because the law and the casino charter will be worded so airtight against any of that revenue stream going to those "greedy cops and firemen."

    "We can't talk about a casino until we have pension 'reform'."

    Bullshit Rahm... You're the miraculous micromanaging multi-tasker who makes everything work all the time... Why the fuck not talk about a casino now?

    Or did you promise the remains of Daley Inc. and the rest of Rahm & Co. that they wouldn't have to share the revenue stream with the churls?

    Same thing with the TIF funds...

    Chicago is FLUSH! Don't believe the media propaganda of "we're broke."

    Greedy m/fers don't want to share and they act like it's THEIR OWN PERSONAL MONEY!

    4/17/2014 01:29:00 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Ladies and gentlemem it is time for a (No Confidence Vote)
    ASAP.....We as a dept need to get rid of this Mayor...He is out of control and we need to show him that he does not have are support and the support of the citizens. He is killing us slowly. FOP lets move NOW,enough is enough....The supt is just following orders and likes the fact he can f&$k this department over..he does not care and ether does the mayor..how many more people have to die be raped and robbed....this city is so corrupt that we are the laughing stock of the country.

    4/17/2014 01:55:00 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Why is Rahm screwing city employees and retirees??? He needs them to vote for him if he runs for mayor again cause he's not a very popular mayor. Actually, he's not a very popular person.

    4/17/2014 02:27:00 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    It always ain't that bad.... My company is building a new blue line station so when all you cops ride for free it will be real nice. It's a multi billion dollar rehab job. Cha.....Ching! Suckers!!!!!!!

    4/17/2014 03:17:00 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Princeton and Northwestern universities has concluded.

    Major Study Finds The US Is An Oligarchy

    The U.S. government does not represent the interests of the majority of the country's citizens, but is instead ruled by those of the rich and powerful, a new study from Princeton and Northwestern universities has concluded.

    The report, "Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens" (PDF), used extensive policy data collected between 1981 and 2002 to empirically determine the state of the U.S. political system.

    After sifting through nearly 1,800 U.S. policies enacted in that period and comparing them to the expressed preferences of average Americans (50th percentile of income), affluent Americans (90th percentile), and large special interests groups, researchers concluded that the U.S. is dominated by its economic elite.

    The peer-reviewed study, which will be taught at these universities in September, says: "The central point that emerges from our research is that economic elites and organized groups representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on US government policy, while mass-based interest groups and average citizens have little or no independent influence."

    Researchers concluded that U.S. government policies rarely align with the preferences of the majority of Americans, but do favour special interests and lobbying organizations: "When a majority of citizens disagrees with economic elites and/or with organized interests, they generally lose. Moreover, because of the strong status quo bias built into the US political system, even when fairly large majorities of Americans favour policy change, they generally do not get it."

    The positions of powerful interest groups are "not substantially correlated with the preferences of average citizens," but the politics of average Americans and affluent Americans sometimes does overlap. This is merely a coincidence, the report says, with the interests of the average American being served almost exclusively when it also serves those of the richest 10%.

    The theory of "biased pluralism" that the Princeton and Northwestern researchers believe the U.S. system fits holds that policy outcomes "tend to tilt towards the wishes of corporations and business and professional associations."

    The study comes after McCutcheon v. Feder

    Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/major-study-finds-that-the-us-is-an-oligarchy-2014-4#ixzz2z881qMgL

    4/17/2014 03:27:00 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...


    They are going to sell you all that they have to cut the pensions in order to save the pensions.

    In the end everyone is gonna act like they won something when they actually lost.

    I mean really.

    "Not to be infringed"

    You backed up their interpretation of those words when it cam to right to bear arms and now the same logic and m/o is used against the pensions, What a surprise eh?

    Your turn in the barrel kids.

    4/17/2014 03:54:00 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Even though the Reader is a pretty liberal publication, I really like this Ben Jorovsky. Too bad the other media types in this city don't expose this little midget for what he is.

    4/17/2014 05:02:00 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    And they're about to spend 800 million on a gigantic building to house all of the rent-a-car companies at O'Hare.

    800 million.

    4/17/2014 05:41:00 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    The cost of living keeps going up.

    Here is another example from Crain's illustrating why everyone needs a COLA.

    Fresh from a a $340 million delivery rate hike for 2014, Commonwealth Edison Co. is asking regulators for one almost as big for next year.

    http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20140416/NEWS11/140419801/comeds-back-with-another-rate-increase-request?r=2571F7057245B2V#

    Meanwhile those born after 1955 lack the 3% non-compounding COLA and one of the proposed solutions to the pension crisis is to cut COLAs.

    4/17/2014 06:03:00 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    And what will FOP do about it? NOTHING.

    And what will we as city workers do? NOTHING.

    We dont stick together. So dont complain.

    4/17/2014 07:06:00 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Not a cop, I work in the computer industry, independent contractor. The waste, fraud and abuse in Chicago forced my hand to work like this. While at United Airlines, it was a joke there to satisfy the number of employees downtown by just shifting nametags, no one wanted to come downtown but United was not going to hire anyone from the city. CPS is worse, Sentinel Technologies overchsrges for tech work, hundreds per hour per school. Next time someone wants to raise taxes and fees, fuck them.

    4/17/2014 07:20:00 AM  
    Blogger The Keesing Bandit said...

    I love you Ben.

    4/17/2014 08:45:00 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Did anyone see "Durbin the Turbin" tax returns for 2013 beside his 160,000 a year for being a U.S. Senator he and his wife ,who also runs a Lobbying business, collected around 51,000 in Social Security payments. Why is Congress exempt from O'Bama care but they have a lucrative pension plan and they get full Social Security while police , firemen, teachers And other public employees only get 40 % of their Social Security that is due to them? The Democrates took care of this one for us too led by the Felony Stamp thief Dan Rostenkowski who kept his federal pension despite of being a convicted felon.

    4/17/2014 08:46:00 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Rham can do this to the all the city employees because we all lack votes. We as a group do not go out and vote and There are more lemmings and rich people than there are of us. If you divide the people who work in the private sectors up against public employees and make the propaganda claim that taxes will go up because of the pensions, well then you can see why we are in the boat we are in. Everyone who is the police knows how uninformed the general public is. And let's face it if your not the police, fire or a teacher, why would you take the time to find out what the real problem is? The answer is simple you wouldn't, people will just be threatened with outrageous taxes and then vote the way of Rham. Every politician will say we have to do this, it's for the good of the public they'll gut our pensions while thier golden parachutes will not be touched. And because they've exempt the judicial pension system from the same ax that's about to fall on the police, fire and teachers pensions, good luck trying to challenge it in court. We are fucked if we don't bring to light what is really going on before it happens.

    4/17/2014 08:58:00 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    An open letter to Fran Spielman of the Chicago Suntimes.

    I really wish you would quit referring to Rahm's proposal to fund labor and municipal worker's pension deficit as having a $250 Million price. This is simply not true.

    Rahm's proposal calls for a $50 Million PER YEAR increase.

    Mathematically, it looks like this:

    $50 MIL increase in Year 1
    $100 Mil increase in Year 2
    $150 MIL increase in Year 3
    $200 MIL increase in Year 4
    $250 MIL increase in Year 5

    Add them all up, what do you get?

    $750 MIL total increases over 5 years.

    So it is clearly a $750 Million increase, not a $250 Million increase.

    So quit carrying Rahm's water and start telling the truth.


    Son: "Daddy, what is math?"

    Dad: "I don't know son, we're Democrats".

    Not a cop, just a lawyer.

    4/17/2014 09:00:00 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    We are getting sT.I.F.fed!

    4/17/2014 09:27:00 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Use the TIF $$ for first responders pension fund .
    Cut the gold braid pension right now , fire dept cut gold braid years ago . Every union fop,pbpa should demand an end to gold braid . Chicago has the money .
    Look at utility bills city charges tax on everything .
    If water department clerk could steal $750,000 in 4 years undetected by her supervisors , just think what else is going on . Remember years ago when Tom Thumb investigated missing ashphalt and salt , later became commissioner of SS .

    4/17/2014 09:43:00 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    that thievin mick shortshanks was shoveling the money up and putting it into barrels--- they have more money than they know what to do with--- now we have this sad sack rahmbo crying poor mouth and walking around telling everyone that we all have to sacrifice--- I only want what was promised to me upon my acceptance of employment from the city of chicago--- I pushed a beat car for 20 plus years and my bones are getting tired--- I didn't come on this job to get rich or change the world but I did serve the citizens of this city to the best of my ability--- I expect the city to hold up their end of the agreement and pay me what they promised when I took the oath and pinned that star on my chest and put that gun on my hip....

    4/17/2014 09:51:00 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    How is it that not one comment on the fact that the new FOP president launches both attorneys and Dimaria is out so now u lost all the people handling grievances and contract issues and these guys couldn't even answer several questions at the union meeting Tuesday regarding 55 health insurance and NATO, way to go 14 retires on Board out of 26 spots

    4/17/2014 09:51:00 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    "Anonymous said...
    Why is Rahm screwing city employees and retirees??? He needs them to vote for him if he runs for mayor again cause he's not a very popular mayor. Actually, he's not a very popular person.

    4/17/2014 02:27:00 AM"

    Because no matter what he does to you, come primary or general election time you vote for him and his cronies. Because no matter what your unions give him and his cronies millions of your dues dollars. What is his downside?

    4/17/2014 09:54:00 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    The one percenters found out that they couldn't export goods to russia after the ussr fell. They couldn't export after nafta, to china, india, far east. After the real estate market crashed and the middle class was underwater and began to shrink, the one percenters found the only remaining lucrative market left was the government. They decided to sell to the government. But first they had to free up money. To get to the money they had to get municipal pension obligations out of the way. Hence, rauner, rham attacking pension rights. Not contributing. Not hiring. If a recruit gets a 401k, he will not be making contributions to your defined benefit plan. Disaster for you. Once the pension "problem" is solved, money will be spent, paying one percenters to rebuild Detroit, Chicago, with parks, casinos, basketball arenas, etc. John kenny will benefit, you, not so much.

    4/17/2014 09:56:00 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    I, like most of the world, didn't know anything about obama other than where he was trained in politics--chicago.

    And my severe distrust of him has been proven to be valid time and time and time again. Replace 'daley/immanual' in this linked article with 'obama' and you have his presidency.

    4/17/2014 10:05:00 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Anonymous said...
    It always ain't that bad.... My company is building a new blue line station so when all you cops ride for free it will be real nice. It's a multi billion dollar rehab job. Cha.....Ching! Suckers!!!!!!!

    4/17/2014 03:17:00 AM

    Hey dummy.....first, we ride free because we can and it is written in city code and Department Directives.

    Secondly....it is to protect you and your shit attitude and try to prevent your dumb ass from getting robbed.

    Ya know you will go crying when boo boo jacks you. Then you can say, "where were the police?"

    4/17/2014 10:09:00 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    The U.S. government does not represent the interests of the majority of the country's citizens, but is instead ruled by those of the rich and powerful, a new study from Princeton and Northwestern universities has concluded.

    Uh, yeah- the average working middle class (what is left of it) American could have told you that already. They didn't need a special study from an Ivy League university to figure that one out.

    4/17/2014 10:16:00 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Joravsky should get a Pulitzer.

    4/17/2014 10:53:00 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    a ticket strike and a special employment strike would gain attention.

    Convert TIF funds to the pension funds, change the damn laws.

    Ben J is the only journalist in this town

    4/17/2014 11:24:00 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    This investigative reporter should teach his own class on that subject, but not for the "J" schools that graduated all those MSM mutts

    4/17/2014 11:42:00 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    No need to raise taxes--sell O'Hare--save the pensions! Pass it on.

    4/17/2014 11:46:00 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    I am so sick of this city and state. When the hell will we get some kind of investigation into this mess and try and fix it once and for all and throw them all in jail ?

    4/17/2014 12:02:00 PM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Off TOPIC:

    Typical....smh

    http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local/chicago_news&id=9506260

    4/17/2014 12:11:00 PM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    That’s a lot of money. How can a public entity accumulate so much public money and hide it from the citizens while always crying poor? All I hear is news of tax hikes and the like because another revenue stream is needed to pay for some shortfall, new program, the children, the schools, etc. Where are the checks and balances along with transparency on all the municipal financial accounts? If a private company hid that much money from the government, the shareholders and yes the creditors, you can bet your bottom dollar some C.E.O. and staff will face some kind of regulatory process crime and be made examples of perpetrators of some kind of Enron style cook the books accounting. If the same rules that government imposes on the private sector applied to public sector, I’m sure the cries from government bureaucrats will be that financial regulation compliance is time consuming, costly and re-directs many resources from the sated objectives of an their organization. The city has enormous unmet pension obligations on their balance sheet. Pay your pension encumbrances mr. mayor. Improve your financial health (not through obamacare) by paying that which is rightfully owed and watch your credit ratings soar along the city's financial standing. And stop the democrat mantra of tax increases and the accompanying blame game when you got the means to honor pension obligations.

    4/17/2014 12:57:00 PM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    WTF where are the Feds?

    4/17/2014 01:25:00 PM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Talk about pensions all you want but some facts remain : the pensions of Chicago police and fire are the worst in the state, far behind state employees, police from other jurisdictions; the funds are underfunded and only massive influx of new money will save them. Right now, the public has no interest in doing so and neither do the political class.; the mayor will take the position that the funds stand alone and he has no obligation to put additional money into the funds and if they dry up, they dry up; and, finally, no one cares. The public feels that we have had it too good and generous and it is just too bad for us. I have never seen an increase that is compounded. The small increase that I do receive shrinks each year, not like the alderman.

    4/17/2014 02:35:00 PM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    How about we return the TIF funds to the taxpayers?

    4/17/2014 02:44:00 PM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Give us our money you motherfuckers!!!

    4/17/2014 04:01:00 PM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    How about 100 million from the state going to a library for bam. What crap. That's your money, taxpayers. We could get a couple of thousand coppers together for Saint Jude but 0 for protests against this travisty on our future. Why? Are we so busy? Screw FOP. This could have been done years ago. CPD FIGHT BACK OR YOU WILL SCREW YOURSELF.

    4/17/2014 04:05:00 PM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    FOP needs to come up with a pension fix instead of just letting the politicians decide how to fund the pension. the age old excuse of the "city paying their share" is not enough, that won't do anything for the viability of the pension. that balloon payment is not enough to fix the pension.

    4/17/2014 06:26:00 PM  
    Blogger Jimmy Joe Meeker said...

    This is the nature of government. This is how it works. To expect otherwise is nonsense. Even if you find just the right people they won't be there for long. The very nature of institution means people like Rahm and Daley and such rise to the top. Thinking it can work differently is like expecting a wolf to act like a pet dog.

    To those who say city government isn't broke, remember that a budget is a planning document of inflow and outflow, the real financials are in the comprehensive annual financial report. There is good reason why governments concentrate our attention on budgets.

    4/17/2014 06:35:00 PM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Dissolve TIF funds! Use the money to pay the bills, not fund pet projects. Dump 45 aldermen and slash the slush fund of the remaining 5! Dump rahm and get a mayor who isn't a self centered asshole or criminal.

    4/17/2014 07:00:00 PM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Anonymous said...
    Off TOPIC:

    Typical....smh

    http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local/chicago_news&id=9506260

    4/17/2014 12:11:00 PM

    $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

    Perhaps he and his atty should have read the rules of liquor license transfer.

    https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=13350456&postID=5531339450479082148

    4/17/2014 07:03:00 PM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Add $300 million to shave 10 minutes off a ride to downtown, $500 million to improve a CTA line that is rarely used (red line south of cermak) and the newest $329 million (proposed belmont project) to shave 10 minutes off a brown line commute...gee, I guess CTA commuter's time is worth more ...WAAAYYYYY MORE than pension obligations...this city is a fucking joke

    4/17/2014 08:54:00 PM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Pension problem solved , use tif $$$$$
    Privatize forestry. Pot hole patch crews , water department . Only city crews have chauffeur s to take them to job sites , then sit or sleep in vehicle for 8 hours.

    4/17/2014 09:02:00 PM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    City announced spending $329 million to improve belmont station...the project will shave 5-10 minutes off brown, red and purple line commutes...gee, thought the city was "broke"...+ $250 million for block 37 Randolph station that will never be used + +$280 million of TIF money for millennium park, +$55 million for DePaul basketball arena, +$300 million to improve south side red line that rarely gets used, +$500 million to shave 10 minutes off Blue line ride from ohare +$60 million for pedestrian flyover +$55 million for Maggie Daley park....

    Seems pretty broke to me. Why doesn't anyone point this out? And that isn't even counting worthless social programs that could/should be slashed! (Not saying all should, but some!) These politicians should be sent to prison for even threatening to welch on the pensions.

    Maybe the unions should file for injunctions to stop these projects until pension obligations are met!



    But the City is broke

    4/17/2014 09:06:00 PM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Scum Rahm doesn't want to talk about a casino being part of the funding for pensions. Rahm says he won't talk about casino income until "pension reform" is settled. Meaning, he wants to steal the pensions first , last and always. Funding pensions is not part of Rahm's plans.

    4/17/2014 10:20:00 PM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Anonymous said...
    Did anyone see "Durbin the Turbin" tax returns for 2013 beside his 160,000 a year for being a U.S. Senator he and his wife ,who also runs a Lobbying business, collected around 51,000 in Social Security payments. Why is Congress exempt from O'Bama care but they have a lucrative pension plan and they get full Social Security while police , firemen, teachers And other public employees only get 40 % of their Social Security that is due to them? The Democrates took care of this one for us too led by the Felony Stamp thief Dan Rostenkowski who kept his federal pension despite of being a convicted felon.

    4/17/2014 08:46:00 AM


    Rostenkowski received a complete pardon from Slick Willie Clinton. His conviction never happened. And congress wrote the rules, you think they are in the congress fucking business?

    4/17/2014 10:25:00 PM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    I would rather this city be forced into bankruptcy, than give up one cent of the pension I worked 32 years for. At least then, the city would have to open the books, and the whole world would know what that dick head Daley did to us. And yes, Rahm is every bit as bad...maybe worse. A bankruptcy would embarrass the shit out of him, and kill and national political aspirations.

    4/17/2014 10:57:00 PM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Anonymous said...

    Add $300 million to shave 10 minutes off a ride to downtown, $500 million to improve a CTA line that is rarely used (red line south of cermak) and the newest $329 million (proposed belmont project) to shave 10 minutes off a brown line commute...gee, I guess CTA commuter's time is worth more ...WAAAYYYYY MORE than pension obligations...this city is a fucking joke


    If you don't fix, and extend the red line on the south side, how will the thugs get to lakeview to rob and rape the unsuspecting?

    4/17/2014 11:22:00 PM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Read this also

    http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2014/04/09/pension-accountability-chicago-style#.U0jUzQY3sU0

    4/17/2014 11:49:00 PM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    pam z , chuck goudie
    someone investigate where the $2.50 tax from every telephone bill in Chicago is spent
    huge cash cow at 911 center
    if a lowly clerk can steal 3/4 of a million from collecting permit money , what are the big time crooks taking ?




    /

    4/18/2014 12:09:00 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Might this make it to the negotiating table for our contract? Or brought up during arbitration?

    4/18/2014 01:25:00 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Anonymous said...
    Did anyone see "Durbin the Turbin" tax returns for 2013 beside his 160,000 a year for being a U.S. Senator he and his wife ,who also runs a Lobbying business, collected around 51,000 in Social Security payments. Why is Congress exempt from O'Bama care but they have a lucrative pension plan and they get full Social Security while police , firemen, teachers And other public employees only get 40 % of their Social Security that is due to them? The Democrates took care of this one for us too led by the Felony Stamp thief Dan Rostenkowski who kept his federal pension despite of being a convicted felon.

    4/17/2014 08:46:00 AM


    Rostenkowski received a complete pardon from Slick Willie Clinton. His conviction never happened. And congress wrote the rules, you think they are in the congress fucking business?

    4/17/2014 10:25:00 PM


    The Mexican Says;

    Rostenkowski may have been pardoned, but he's still a felon.

    No? You don't believe it? Google his name.

    The Internet forgets nothing. Ever. He's still a convicted, felonious PIECE OF SHIT- and still dead (which makes it even better).

    4/18/2014 03:51:00 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Rostenkowski received a complete pardon from Slick Willie Clinton. His conviction never happened. And congress wrote the rules, you think they are in the congress fucking business?

    4/17/2014 10:25:00 PM


    The Mexican Says;

    Rostenkowski may have been pardoned, but he's still a felon.

    No? You don't believe it? Google his name.

    The Internet forgets nothing. Ever. He's still a convicted, felonious PIECE OF SHIT- and still dead (which makes it even better).

    4/18/2014 03:51:00 AM


    Now that is my definitive source for the truth: the Internet.

    A better source of info on convictions might be his FBI record. But of course you can always refute Federal arrest records and a Presidential pardon with THE INTERNET.

    4/18/2014 07:48:00 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Rostenkowski received a complete pardon from Slick Willie Clinton. His conviction never happened. And congress wrote the rules, you think they are in the congress fucking business?

    4/17/2014 10:25:00 PM


    The Mexican Says;

    Rostenkowski may have been pardoned, but he's still a felon.

    No? You don't believe it? Google his name.

    The Internet forgets nothing. Ever. He's still a convicted, felonious PIECE OF SHIT- and still dead (which makes it even better).

    4/18/2014 03:51:00 AM


    The President has the unique ability to override the justice system, release anyone he chooses from paying a fine, and return a person to the state of innocence he had before he ever committed a crime. That is the power of a Presidential Pardon.

    Death, however, trumps all, even the President cannot declare a person un-dead. But un-felon, hell yes.

    "return a person to the state of innocence he had before he ever committed a crime."

    4/18/2014 12:21:00 PM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Un oh! Robots don't require a pension...

    "The New Cop on the Beat May Be a Bot"

    http://time.com/65021/robot-cop/

    4/18/2014 03:50:00 PM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    The reason they changed the law and police dont pay into or collect social security is because the Federal Gov would not let City Hall skip ten years of paying into the Social Sercurity system like the assholes running the pension did. The theft has been going on for years. There is only one way to get these peoples attention. Strike. Which is illegal. So whats the answer? Stop working all special? Dont see that happening. March around city hall? No one cares. Blue flu? No one cares.

    4/18/2014 09:04:00 PM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Anonymous Anonymous said...
    The reason they changed the law and police dont pay into or collect social security is because the Federal Gov would not let City Hall skip ten years of paying into the Social Sercurity system like the assholes running the pension did. The theft has been going on for years. There is only one way to get these peoples attention. Strike. Which is illegal. So whats the answer? Stop working all special? Dont see that happening. March around city hall? No one cares. Blue flu? No one cares.

    4/18/2014 09:04:00 PM

    Brilliant insights. While you're rewriting history, could you also please explain why railroad workers and people like little Luis Gutierrez office staff also don't participate in or get paid social security?

    4/19/2014 12:50:00 AM  

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