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* Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka discussing the pension problem…
“Our state employees, they are not at fault here. They have paid into that pension system absolutely without fail. They’ve been there. They’ve done what they are supposed to do. This goes back to the legislature, it goes back to sweeteners, it goes back to tax holidays. It goes back to Blagojevich taking $2 billion out of the system and spending elsewhere,” Topinka told WJBC.
“All of this has been going on for years because pensions were out there far away. Well they’re not out there far away anymore. They’re here and it really has us throttled as far as the state is concerned.”
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 11:58 am
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What’s she been doing all these years she’s been in office? Oh yeah, racking up a double pension. Or is it triple by now?
Comment by just sayin' Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 12:01 pm
OK, she has a good grasp of the problem. Now what does she recommend we do about solving it?
Maybe she can whisper her ideas to Cross and Radogno if she isn’t willing to tell them to WJBC.
Comment by 47th Ward Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 12:03 pm
JBT is right. And now our esteemed legislators want to push much of this pension problem, which they created, back on to the schools and the municipalities.. Good luck with that!
Comment by Mr.Big Trouble Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 12:07 pm
Judy was in the legislature, right? 14 years? Wonder how her record on “sweeteners” and the like was…
Comment by Joe Bidenopoulous Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 12:15 pm
JBT is correct….except for the the Blago comment, the State not paying their annual payment (”Pension Holidays”)goes all the way back to Gov. Thompson.
It didn’t start with Blago like her comment implies.
There is bi-partisan blame here, with both R & D governors and R & D legislators to blame for not making the Annual State portion of the pension payment.
She is correct in saying that the employees have made their payments (out of every paycheck).
If the State had made all their payments (I think they have skipped 8, with the investment income, the 7 pension systems would not be in as bad as shape as they are today.
Comment by Are Ya Kidin' Me? Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 12:16 pm
Judy is right about the two billion. My union didn’t want to give Blagojevich a dime of campaign money because of it back in 2006, before the election.
Comment by Mouthy Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 12:16 pm
Who typically elected the union leaders and endorsed and elected the legislators who allowed for all of what JBT now observes has been the problem for so long? Whomever it was I will guess it included a great number of “our state employees” who I can’t ever really recall protesting that there were pension issues all the years leading up to this “sudden” throttling.
Comment by Wondering Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 12:16 pm
In other breaking news the sky is in fact blue and the sun will rise tomorrow. Now that we’ve exchanged information we all know, maybe the honorable Comptroller can contribute some useful ideas to help fix the problem.
Comment by Small Town Liberal Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 12:28 pm
Sing it!
Also Just Sayin at 12:01: I don’t believe JBT is in a double pension plan, certainly not a triple as you claim. She should only be in the General Assembly Plan which includes members of the GA, Senate Secretary/House Clerk and Deputy, and Constitutional Officers.
Comment by Just Me Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 12:35 pm
Messenger speaks truth. Messenger gets attacked for speaking truth. Problem remains unsolved.
At least Judy Topinka has been pretty blunt about the problem. Now if we can all the other tap dancers in line . . .
{sigh!]
Comment by Louis G. Atsaves Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 12:35 pm
Yeah, she is right. After the event it is very clear what the problem was. But it has always been clear, even while the problem was willfully ignored. How many of the current GA members were there for all 8 pension defaults that Kiddin’ Me talked about? Those defaults were not every year in a row. I’ll simply estimate it needed 16 years to get all the defaults in. That’s enough for the GA to turn over several times. Even with long term members, probably less than 50% voted for more that 3 of these defaults. How many GA members actually look at the long term effect of what they were voting for. With no personal skin in the game why pay that close attention. Much like the local school districts agree to pension issues but someone else actually pays the tab. The ‘It’s not my personal money’ syndrome. This problem has come home and it has landed squarely on the organization that defaulted it’s responsibility (even though many members have changed over) by creating the problem through very short sighted vision - The GA itself. If I ran our company’s investments and and account payables the same way, I would be long gone with no partisan excuses being listened to or tolerated.
Comment by zatoichi Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 1:12 pm
She is right. But the voters picked Blago instead of her. What were we thinking?
Comment by Publius Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 1:12 pm
Republicans making a bid for the state employee union support? Lot of downstate workers have Republican tendancies, may JBT is on to something here.
Comment by Will20319 Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 1:16 pm
Just Me, I’m not so sure about that. And what about the Metra or RTA board she was on?
Comment by just sayin' Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 1:25 pm
=maybe the honorable Comptroller can contribute some useful ideas to help fix the problem=
This ain’t rocket science. Useful solutions have been proposed here and elsewhere. It ain’t about the need for solutions, it is ALL about the political will to enact the change.
Comment by dupage dan Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 1:33 pm
A lot of folks don’t like Topinka because she won’t stay on the Party leash, and others don’t like her because she is a Republican.
But she is right. If she was elected in 2006 we wouldn’t be where we are now. She would have cut a deal that would have made everyone angry, and she’d probably still be governor today.
Instead Madigan co-chaired Governor Blagojevich’s reelection campaign, Democrats lined up to blindly follow him right past the nomination and into the Governor’s Office, and ran away from their governor the moment the mouse trap was sprung, catching Blagojevich red handed, and Jackson flat footed and trying to hide from everyone.
Who looks stupid now?
Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 1:49 pm
I realize Judy has an ax to grind with Blago, since he bet her in the election. But this pension borrowing has been going on for 30 years or more. I have press clipping when Jim Edgar borrowed money from the pension fund. But I like her point of view . At least someone is on our side. I just wonder would she be saying this if she had bet Blago and were the Governor right now??
Comment by Strobby Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 1:52 pm
The state employee’s pension system is the system she is targeting here - our 1.67% per year of work - and this one has been skipped by multiple gov.s. I agree that the school teachers should go back to their local districts - Cairo should not pay Wilmettes retiree’s.
Comment by STP Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 2:06 pm
Ok. JBT tells the clear truth once again.
Many of the leaders and legislators from both parties have been saying virtually the same thing for over a year. Now what?
DDan is right. Useful solutions, painful to multiple parties, have already been proposed and hammered out over many months. The best one IMHO is the Nekritz bill. Time to agree and take the inevitable political heat.
Comment by walkinfool Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 2:07 pm
File under “restating the obvious”
Comment by Shemp Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 2:11 pm
A nice tone, but factually incorrect. It pains AA to ever defend #40892-424, but he did not “take $2 billion out of the system. ” He cut contributions, bonded them, but he never even attempted to remove funds or assets in the already in the systems’ custody. That would be my definition of “take.”
Comment by Arthur Andersen Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 2:13 pm
For all of the fretting about the funding of teacher pensions, who did their unions endorse twice? Rod Blagojevich.
Comment by Esquire Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 2:15 pm
I’m with edger, your gonna just have to pay it.
Comment by foster brooks Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 2:27 pm
Good point, AA.
It would be great if only Blago had shorted the systems over the years. We’re getting sticker shock now for actually paying up.
Heck, in the late 90s, the state was kicking in less than a billion a year some years.
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 2:27 pm
I’m sure JBT would have *stopped* the practice of the state not putting that money away for pensions had she been elected.
Something that did not start with Blago as she stated.
Comment by Cheryl44 Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 2:31 pm
@ Wondering - the emplyees’ representatives sued the state a ways back over some skipped payments…and lost. The court said the GA could skip pension input (but indicated that it would have to find a way to fully pay pension outputs when needed).
Comment by titan Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 2:48 pm
Just sayin’: she was not on the Metra Board. She was on the RTA Board but not long enough to become vested and according to the SERS website the RTA pension plan is not listed as reciprocal with the GA plan. And according to wikipedia her first government job was her State Senate position, so hence, she is only in one pension plan.
Comment by Just Me Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 2:50 pm
@VMan:
Way to throw in the irrelevant partisan slant to the conversation - as you always do. Though he was a part of the problem, the pensions were a problem before Blago was in office. Take off your partisan glasses for once in your life and be genuine instead of blindly towing the party line.
Comment by Demoralized Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 3:04 pm
@Wondering:
Your comment are disingenuous. State employees are hardly a monolithic voting bloc capable of single handedly electing people. But I guess if that doesn’t fit your little “hate the employee” campaign that so many have latched on to recently then facts don’t really matter.
Comment by Demoralized Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 3:05 pm
Let’s be honest. JBT is a former legislator and a double/triple pension dipper. She is part of the problem and offers nothing to the dialog.
Comment by Allen Skillicorn Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 3:05 pm
This is why the state shouldn’t be able to enter into such long-term expenditure obligations. I know it’s unworkable to fund capital projects without long-term bonds but it’s not fair for future generations and future lawmakers to be bound by deals struck by their predecessors.
Tongue-in-cheek question: Can state employees obtain an injunction preventing their pension contribution from being made until the state’s backlog of contributions are made?
Comment by thechampaignlife Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 3:10 pm
I mean, if we’re going to have a funding problem, might as well go down in glorious flames.
Comment by thechampaignlife Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 3:17 pm
@Titan-I’m sorry… “a ways back” was when? I don’t recall any suits, outrage, press conferences or otherwise more recently. But that is just me.
And irrespective, given the way the so-called system works with “benefits” flowing to/fro the elected, the union reps and the employees (and I didn’t list the employees last for no reason), I find them all somewhat responsible for where we are at. The way I look at this, and I don’t look at this problem in a vacuum, maybe all of the pension benefits and improvements over time got ahead of the game and now is the time for a correction. It’s happened and is happening all over in the private sector… no raises, pay cuts, cuts in benefits. It’s unfortunate but it is happening. Off topic… that’s why I find the CTU’s position so unjustifiable.
Anyway… that’s just one man’s opinion. I wouldn’t pretend to know if I am a part of a majority or minority. I just know I am tired of feeling like I am living on the edge…and my share of the state’s woe’s in dollars doesn’t make me very comfortable.
Comment by Wondering Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 3:17 pm
Gee DEMORLAIZED…. a little touchy? Who said anything about hating the employees? All I was getting at was that I don’t recall any great outcry when times were better and everyone was feeling fat and happy. I’ll be the first to admit hindsight is 20/20 but facts are facts.
Comment by Wondering Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 3:20 pm
Spoken from the one who doesn’t believe in a two tiered pension system as a method of reform.
Comment by One to the Dome Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 3:36 pm
sorry, Judy, the problem does go back to the Thompson years - perhaps even earlier.
And we can’t just blame the 2nd floor — the General Assembly went along with the underfunding, pretending that the pension funds would earn 15 - 20 % or more in the stock market most years.
Early retirements also hurt, as each change of administration brought an interest in clearing out higher position executives in state agencies. Again, the General Assembly went along with all of these actions.
So where are we? The two percent income tax increase was supposed to be for reducing the unpaid bills, but has all gone into the pension funds to keep them afloat. So we now need a broadening of the sales tax onto more services,to generate more revenues as a “user fee.” And state income taxing seniors who make more than 75,000 a year in pensions and annuities.
The Veto Session is a logical time for these tax modernizations,but we’ll probably have to wait until the legislators get at least one election under their belts in their new redistricts.
Comment by Capitol View Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 3:41 pm
AA: What about the $10 Billion Blago borrowed to shore up the pension systems? Only $3 Billion was used for that purpose, with the pension systems responsible for paying back the debt. What happened to the other $7 Billion?
Comment by The Mad Hatter Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 3:43 pm
Hatter, according to the Illinois Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, in FY 2004 the state made a $9.181 billion contribution to the pensions funds, $7.3 billion of which was from POB proceeds.
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 3:53 pm
@Wondering: –”I wouldn’t pretend to know if I am a part of a majority or minority.”
I don’t know either, but it sounds like you’re part of the problem if you’re blaming our state employees. It’s been the short-sighted pols of both parties who created the debacle (and aren’t smart/courageous enough to raise enough revenue to solve it permanently).
Comment by Western Camel Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 4:12 pm
Was Judy just speaking her mind, or is she thinking about the next governors race or both? A moderate, pragmatic Republican would have a shot, and an AFSCME endorsement would make some peoples heads explode. In any case, it’s refreshing to hear an Illinois politician orovide a truthful analysis of the pension issue.
Comment by AC Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 4:36 pm
Western Camel I must respectfully disagree. I am not blaming our state employees only, they share some of the blame with the other parties I have mentioned. Probably considerably less blame but it would be a considerable stretch to me to sit here and agree they are blameless. They only way I’d buy that is for you to convince me that they have been mere sheep all along… led astray by their union leaders and legislators. I can’t buy that.
Comment by Wondering Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 4:51 pm
AC: It’s clear the Dems (MJM, Cullerton, rank and file) have sold out our state employees. Employee groups would be wise to “think outside the box” and consider alternative endorsements (per minimum, withholding them), especially if they can find “moderate, pragmatic Republicans” to support. But none of that variety appear to exist.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 4:51 pm
To be fair, Topinka did raise this issue in the 2006 governor’s race. She talked about it a lot. Unfortunately, a majority of people listened to Blago’s incessant TV ads instead.
Comment by OldSmoky2 Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 5:29 pm
We shouldn’t forget, either, the big hit the funds took in the financial crash, losing some 20% of value in 2009.
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 5:46 pm
Immediately following her statement, a good follow-up question for JBT would have been:”Now that we know how we got here, what are your thoughts about term-limits for Illinois state representatives and state senators, Judy?”
Comment by Melvin Gibson Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 6:41 pm
Allen
So what are the two or three pensions she is supposedly getting? Her GARS pension was suspended when she was sworn in as Comptroller. So it’s not GARS. What are the other two or three? You made the accusation, can you back it up?
Comment by reformer Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 7:22 pm
Wondering at 3:17,
The first time was the 1975 ILSC decision cited above (can skip annual fund payment but have to pay pensions when due); that was handed down in 1975. The lead union on the case was IFT but several other unions were also part of it. There have been at least two other ILSC cases since.
As far as JBT goes, she has included a statement about the pensions in her annual report for years.
Comment by RNUG Wednesday, Sep 12, 12 @ 7:51 pm
@Wondering: You attribute *far* more influence to “rank and file” state employees than they actually have. They are forced to contribute 8% or more of every single paycheck into the IL pension system. This they have always done, with the promise that the State will contribute its share. Remember too, as citizens of Illinois, state employees pay their state taxes along with everyone else (essentially, employees pay twice). Assuredly, state employees have encouraged neither pols nor union leaders to underfund and seriously endanger the pension systems. Think about it…it’s not in their self-interest.
Rank and file state employees rely on the pension systems because they’ve been given no other choice! As you may know, the Illinois pols have set up a system where most state employees are *not allowed* to participate in the Social Security System (unlike their fellow Illini and other Americans). Again, state employees don’t have a choice in the matter (and are concerned about their retirement safety net– just as people throughout the state/country are concerned about SS solvency). But blaming our state employees (who are playing the hand dealt to them by the pols), just doesn’t make any sense.
Comment by Western Camel Thursday, Sep 13, 12 @ 9:59 am
Just Sayin’ (Doug),
Judy will draw only one pension when she retires. We can thank the taxpayers who voted for her that she doesn’t currently draw.
I wouldn’t speak so quickly if, in your own words, you’re “not so sure”.
Comment by Financial Observer Thursday, Sep 13, 12 @ 4:06 pm