Don’t make seniors pay for past mistakes

Don’t make seniors pay for past mistakes

Some of our legislators want “pension reform” based mainly on the backs of current retired seniors. Fifty-eight percent of the current Illinois state senators and 48 percent of the current Illinois House were in office during the Skipped Pension Payments and/or Kicking the Pension Problem Down the Road Era.

Look at the current leadership: Madigan, 42 years; Currie, 34 years; Lang, 26 years; Mautino, 22 years; Cross, 20 years; Schmitz, 14 years; Leitch, 27 years; J. Cullerton, 34 years; Clayborne, 18 years; Radogno, 16 years, and Murphy, 6 years. What did they do in those years to correct the pension mess?

They all want a “quick fix” and are trying to violate/circumvent the state Constitution. They want to diminish or impair the benefits of retirees who are already retired. The original political legislators who wrote the 1970 Illinois Constitution expected this and tried to protect retirees from this pillaging. They anticipated how crooked and devious their future brethren might be. After all this seems to be typical Illinois/Chicago political behavior.

The 1970s Illinois legislators’ intent was to provide current retirees protection from exactly what some of these legislators are trying to do now. They are making backroom and special deals to persecute senior retirees. Is that shared responsibility?

Do real and honest legislators look to violate the Illinois State Constitution to justify their previous wrong doings? Most other countries honor and respect their seniors. Illinois certainly doesn’t share this view. Please don’t vote for any bill that hurts currently retired seniors in any pension reform. Do what’s right.

Richard Niemaszyk

Elgin