Average Joes will pay for pensions

Average Joes will pay for pensions

Is anyone surprised by the decision of the Supreme Court of Illinois? Among the people who benefit from the decision are the justices themselves; those belonging to a public sector bargaining units; and the people who argued on behalf of the State. They all benefit because they get plush, lush pensions as a result of this decision.

Conflicts of interest were ignored. Also benefiting were the politicians beholden to the unions who fund their election or re-election campaigns Those who don't benefit are the ordinary Joes.

There are approximately 42,401 employees of the state represented by a public sector bargaining unit. Multiply that number by 10 and it may be the number of public sector employees represented in this state. Divide that number by the population of the state and about 3.29 percent are controlling the solvency of the state, 424,010/12,880,000. That is an awfully small number for the trouble they are causing and the clout they possess. They got their clout legally and within the bounds of permissible ethics.

However, this does not mean that the other 96.7 percent of the citizens of the state don't have some rights or the right to take some actions to protect their solvency because the ordinary Joes are going to end up paying this bill and be remarkably poorer for it. Frankly I am in favor of the state filing for protection under the bankruptcy laws in a court sitting in another state because no judge sitting in Illinois is going to rule against his or her own pocket book.

John Kloempken

Algonquin