Post by southsidesignmaker on Jul 4, 2009 14:58:47 GMT -5
www.ieanea.org/resources/13/Advocate/July2009Advocate.pdf
Some may ask who is Ken Swanson?
Mr. Swanson happens to be the president of the Illinois Education Association. Within the website listed above please read page three to get Ken's perspective regarding issues concerning our teachers. A specific area I found interesting and concerning had to do with pensions and how out of touch this individual seems to be.... especially when considering what is going on in the real world.
I will focus on paragraph 3-6 regarding Mr. Swanson's thought process.
"IEA went on the offensive immediately to stop those proposals, but we knew our chance for success was slim. After all, in a difficult economy, the public is unlikely to come out strongly in support of education employee pensions. This was a fight we would have to wage on our own.
What the governor and key legislators didn't count on was how you, the men and women who are IEA, would respond. This spring brought about an unprecedented mobilization of members, leaders and staff in a coordinated strategic campaign to achieve clearly articulated goals which were to:
Prevent additional contributions from active members
Stop a two tiered benefit plan
Ensure full funding for pensions
Pass a budget with a tax hike sufficient to fund education
and other essential state government service to prevent never ending struggle over too little revenue."
The article goes on to let union voters know that they make a difference and got the legislators attention... Bla Bla Bla.
Now Here is Joe Tax Payers take on all this.
1) I have no objection to union teachers and other educators getting a reasonable pension.
2) Personally I feel most educators are underpaid especially in the first 10 years of their career.
3) For Mr. Swanson's words to "ring true" for this taxpayer I certainly would have liked to see a attack on things like hefty raises at the end of an educator's career to artificially inflate real pension payouts. Maybe an increase in age until pensions are made available would also help.
4) Mr. Swanson needs to acknowledge that times have changed dramatically in the last 24 months and will not get back to the good old days for years and maybe decades to come. The idea of magically passing a tax hike that will solve this states problems for eternity is ludicrous. I would like to remind this gentleman that it was not in the "far too distant" past that our great state passed a 300% income tax increase and look where we are today.
NO! Mr. Swanson this is what this average Joe Taxpayer is thinking: Your Pension and your thought process are not only outdated but also unattainable.
Mr. Swanson You should be preparing your union voters for the reality that is upon us.
1) Immediately institute a two tired system and encourage the younger Union members to start saving in personal retirement plans.
2) Immediately stop all top ended high raises for outgoing members so that pensions can be increased artificially.
3) Send to a vote the idea that all members increase their contributions so that the needed cuts can be minimized.
4) Put the union's "steel toed boot up" the governors rear end to make good on the states part of the bargain.
Mr. President of the IEA association, I assure you that if you follow the above ideas in that order you will get the attention of the average Joe taxpayers in this state. Please don't ask for more tax money until then. And again Mr. Swanson please inform your voting union members that the party of the last couple of decades has ended it is now time to tighten one's belt.
Some may ask who is Ken Swanson?
Mr. Swanson happens to be the president of the Illinois Education Association. Within the website listed above please read page three to get Ken's perspective regarding issues concerning our teachers. A specific area I found interesting and concerning had to do with pensions and how out of touch this individual seems to be.... especially when considering what is going on in the real world.
I will focus on paragraph 3-6 regarding Mr. Swanson's thought process.
"IEA went on the offensive immediately to stop those proposals, but we knew our chance for success was slim. After all, in a difficult economy, the public is unlikely to come out strongly in support of education employee pensions. This was a fight we would have to wage on our own.
What the governor and key legislators didn't count on was how you, the men and women who are IEA, would respond. This spring brought about an unprecedented mobilization of members, leaders and staff in a coordinated strategic campaign to achieve clearly articulated goals which were to:
Prevent additional contributions from active members
Stop a two tiered benefit plan
Ensure full funding for pensions
Pass a budget with a tax hike sufficient to fund education
and other essential state government service to prevent never ending struggle over too little revenue."
The article goes on to let union voters know that they make a difference and got the legislators attention... Bla Bla Bla.
Now Here is Joe Tax Payers take on all this.
1) I have no objection to union teachers and other educators getting a reasonable pension.
2) Personally I feel most educators are underpaid especially in the first 10 years of their career.
3) For Mr. Swanson's words to "ring true" for this taxpayer I certainly would have liked to see a attack on things like hefty raises at the end of an educator's career to artificially inflate real pension payouts. Maybe an increase in age until pensions are made available would also help.
4) Mr. Swanson needs to acknowledge that times have changed dramatically in the last 24 months and will not get back to the good old days for years and maybe decades to come. The idea of magically passing a tax hike that will solve this states problems for eternity is ludicrous. I would like to remind this gentleman that it was not in the "far too distant" past that our great state passed a 300% income tax increase and look where we are today.
NO! Mr. Swanson this is what this average Joe Taxpayer is thinking: Your Pension and your thought process are not only outdated but also unattainable.
Mr. Swanson You should be preparing your union voters for the reality that is upon us.
1) Immediately institute a two tired system and encourage the younger Union members to start saving in personal retirement plans.
2) Immediately stop all top ended high raises for outgoing members so that pensions can be increased artificially.
3) Send to a vote the idea that all members increase their contributions so that the needed cuts can be minimized.
4) Put the union's "steel toed boot up" the governors rear end to make good on the states part of the bargain.
Mr. President of the IEA association, I assure you that if you follow the above ideas in that order you will get the attention of the average Joe taxpayers in this state. Please don't ask for more tax money until then. And again Mr. Swanson please inform your voting union members that the party of the last couple of decades has ended it is now time to tighten one's belt.
