After leading several popular ‘80s cult bands in and around his hometown of Lawrence, Kansas, Chuck Mead landed on Nashville’s Lower Broadway where he co-founded the famed ‘90s Alternative Country quintet BR549. The band’s seven albums, three Grammy nominations and the Country Music Association Award for Best Overseas Touring Act would build an indelible bridge between authentic American Roots music and millions of fans worldwide. With BR on hiatus, Chuck formed The Hillbilly All-Stars featuring members of The Mavericks, co-produced popular tribute albums to Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings, guest-lectured at Vanderbilt University, and became a staff writer at one of Nashville’s top song publishers. In 2009, he released his acclaimed solo debut album, Journeyman’s Wager, and toured clubs, concert halls and international Rock, Country and Rockabilly festivals with his band The Grassy Knoll Boys.
Government employees unions have vowed to sue if legislators and Quinn reduce their pension benefits. The Illinois Judges Association, which represents 1,250 active and retired judges, indicates it may file a lawsuit too.
Association President Carol Pope, a 4th District Appellate Court judge based in Springfield, wrote in a recent newsletter that her organization would explore “what contractual and constitutional challenges are viable along with the estimated cost of litigation.” She cited Senate Bill 1313, now on Quinn’s desk, which ends the virtually free health care enjoyed by state and university retirees, General Assembly members and … judges.
The judges aren’t happy. They face the possibility of actually having to pay for all or part of their health care premiums. So they’re considering their legal options.
Take a moment to digest that: If the judges sue the state, they get to rule on their own suit.
Wonder which way they’ll rule? Wonder whether their sympathies lie with taxpayers or with themselves? We’ll see, won’t we.
Jorgensen v. Blagojevich may provide a glimpse. The judges sued former Gov. Rod Blagojevich and the Legislature in 2003 after he stripped their automatic 3 percent cost-of-living pay increases from the budget, saying Illinois taxpayers couldn’t afford them.
So the judges went to court, and some of the judges got to rule:
A circuit court ruled in favor of the judges.
And the Illinois Supreme Court, which heard the case on an expedited schedule (of course it did!), ruled in favor of the judges.
Fast-forward to 2012: Illinois judges remain among the top-paid in the nation. They earn generous pension benefits and, thanks to the Jorgensen case, get their guaranteed 3 percent cost-of-living increases every year.
If the judges file suit to preserve free retiree health care for themselves, will they again rule in their own favor?
Only on constitutional grounds, of course.
* In other pension-related news, Gov. Pat Quinn has launched a new website. From a press release…
Governor Pat Quinn today announced SaveOurState.Illinois.gov, a new resource to empower the people of Illinois to help restore fiscal stability to our state. This new online tool provides helpful background on the state’s Medicaid and pension challenges, details about the governor’s proposed solutions, and the latest media reports on these issues. In addition, SaveOurState.Illinois.gov helps citizens take action by directing them to contact information for their local legislators.
Governor Quinn has laid out a bold plan to rescue our public pension and Medicaid systems. The Governor’s plan will stabilize these two programs, restore fiscal stability to Illinois and strengthen our economic growth. We must be able to provide funding for core government services – things like educating our children, ensuring public safety and access to basic human services. Every dollar we spend on pensions and Medicaid is a dollar we don’t spend on grants, community programs and initiatives that many of us depend upon.
We need you to tell your State Representatives and Senators that we must take immediate action to stabilize and restructure these two systems.
Yeah, that’ll work.
* And speaking of Medicaid, the Senate Democrats have a nifty little online tool to help you see how difficult it is to make cuts in the program. Go check it out and report back.
* Meanwhile, the We Are One union coalition has a new TV ad. I moved it from another post to here because it fit better. Rate it…
* TV ad coverage and more info…
* Press Release: Union coalition launches campaign for fair solution on pensions
* Mautino: State working on pension, budget, sustainability of DNR: Mautino late Monday said he was not ready to discuss exact details of the plan but indicated, if approved, proposed measures should help to keep the state park system “limping along” through 2013 and to avoid annual park-closure discussions. He said after fiscal year 2013, funding mechanisms proposed in committee should kick in and help stabilize the DNR. One proposal he did reveal was a way to support state parks through license plate fees instead of the state incurring the expense of constructing toll booths and hiring park sticker sellers. Though he did not reveal all details, a goal, he said, would be to allow people withIllinoisplates into the parks without restriction and to request that people with out-of-state plates report to park offices for permission or registration. It would be impossible to station fee-takers at parks with dozens of entry points, such asHennepin Canal State Parkway.
* Roll-your-own smokes may face tax hikes: Politicians in at least 12 other states have taken up the roll-your-own tax issue, and a handful have put new laws on the books reflecting Illinois’ concerns.
* Press Release: AFP-IL converges on Springfield to demand pension reform: On Wednesday, the Illinois chapter of Americans for Prosperity, America’s largest organization advocating for economic freedom, will join Illinois taxpayers in delivering “leftovers” to Illinois’ legislative leaders to make the point they are tired of receiving the funding leftovers from the General Assembly and to demand pension reform.
* More potholes in Illinois’ future?: Money meant for maintaining state highways could be paying for some of the Illinois Department of Transportation’s day-to-day expenses. Gov. Pat Quinn’s budget diverts almost $250 million from the state’s road fund, fueled by the state’s motor fuel tax and vehicle license fees, to pay IDOT’s health-care, workers’ compensation, and building rent and maintenance costs, according to Transportation for Illinois Coalition, which pushes for an up-to-date transportation infrastructure in Illinois.
