Kids and schools are last (again) in Illinois

I beg my legislators to stand up and explain the truth about the teacher's pension. Teacher pensions are not the cause of the budget crisis in Illinois. It would be fair and comforting if some legislator would speak out in the media for children and their teachers.

Fact: Illinois politicians have spent the teacher's pension funds to cover the costs of Illinois government for years. This illegal act has created the pension burden.

Fact: Fully funding the teacher pension program would have been equal to paying social security for teachers. (The feds would have forced the Illinois Legislature to make full payments on time.)

Fact: The citizens of Illinois have benefited from teachers teaching and from teacher's pension money used to pay the state's bills. This technique has allowed Illinois taxes to remain lower at the expense of educators' pensions.

The pension contributions are law. Not funding the pension could be seen as a crime. Only at election time do politicians champion education. Politicians are quick to demand from schools. Rarely are politicians willing to find funds or create formulas for the demands.

Criticisms of teacher performance, compensation and pension are frequent. This continued climate of demonizing teachers while forcing them to work until 67, increasing their pension contribution and reducing their retirement compensation plays well for a vote.

Teachers maybe our relatives, friends and neighbors - and they are teaching our children. Quality counts.

It's time to stand up and say it in public.

Alan P. Murdoch

Arlington Heights