We can't keep paying for waste

Last Sunday's Opinion page had a cartoon of the Clintons saying greed is good. No one is more greedy than these two characters.

The pension recipients in Illinois are a close second. Suburban teachers are retiring on $2,000 per week pensions, superintendents $5,000 per week, college professors $7,000 per week and state doctors $9,000 per week. How can any reasonable person in this state agree that any government worker should be awarded these exorbitant pensions?

This boondoggle was foisted on the taxpayers in 1970. I bet less than 10 percent of the current Illinois residents voted on this amendment, but we are stuck paying for something we had nothing to do with.

The state is paying the pension system $7 billion this year with no end insight for bigger contributions.

With state, property, federal, sales, Social Security and Medicare taxes taking over 50 percent of paychecks, there is no money left for a tax increase.

I see this as a Democrat-caused problem, so the solution would be to raise taxes on all registered Democrats. With the pension problem growing exponentially, the only option is for the state to declare bankruptcy.

Gerald K Thomas

Grayslake