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Illinois

* A Reuters lede…

Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan lit a fire under the state’s tepid public pension reform efforts on Wednesday, introducing measures that would mean harsh changes for public sector workers.

One of Madigan’s amendments, which would’ve raised the retirement age to 67, received just a single vote today. Another amendment which would’ve increased employee contributions by five percentage points, received three votes. A proposal to eliminate COLAs until the pension funds are 80 percent funded got five votes.

* The Question: Tomorrow’s lede?

And, to be clear, I’m not trying to pick on Reuters here. They do good work. We’re just having a little fun, OK? Thanks.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 2:16 pm

Comments

Tentative contract with AFSCME “Months Away”

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 2:20 pm
Madigan unanimous in his support of pension changes

Comment by The unknown poster Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 2:23 pm
ENTIRE ILLINOIS GENERAL ASSEMBLY SENT TO BED WITHOUT SUPPER.

Comment by bONGO FURRY Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 2:26 pm
Illinois ain’t ready for pension reform.

Seriously, I think Madigan’s plan here was as much about sending the Commercial Club and the Civic Committee a message as it was sending the unions a message.

Paging Ty Fahner: Please pick up the white courtesy phone.

Comment by 47th Ward Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 2:26 pm
Nekritz argues eloquently for changes to Illinois Pensions

Comment by Arthur Andersen Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 2:27 pm
Waiting for Godot.

Comment by Anonymour Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 2:27 pm
Shades of Blago’s Value Added Tax!

Comment by WhoKnew Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 2:28 pm
Madigan- 9 Quinn - 0

Comment by WazUp Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 2:30 pm
Steve Brown: I’ve seen worse!

Comment by Arthur Andersen Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 2:30 pm
GENERALISSIMO FRANCISCO FRANCO IS STILL DEAD

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 2:32 pm
“Following assertions of gross ineptitude, Rueters has fired its lede writer…”

Comment by Hyperbolic Chamber Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 2:37 pm
Reform Minded Lawmakers Can’t Locate Green Buttons

Comment by Give Me A Break Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 2:40 pm
The fire fizzles and dies out.

Comment by Wensicia Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 2:50 pm
I hate it when journalists use the spelling lede…..

Comment by Liberty_First Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 2:56 pm
Illinois House Republicans refuse to vote on Madigan’s four pension reform bills.

Comment by Ruby Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 3:04 pm
Dependent upon whether MJM was playing a game, trying to prove a point, or really asking for an up or down vote the lede could be different.

On one hand “Mushrooms think on their own.”

Or “Mushrooms follow Speaker’s lead.”

Comment by Irish Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 3:16 pm
Mushrooms do not like direct sunlight.

Comment by Anonymour Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 3:18 pm
Can Madigan vote 5 times?

Comment by Meaningless Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 3:19 pm
Madigan’s pension proposals not as draconian as first thought. House members realize that they don’t go far enough…need stronger measures to solve the problem.

Comment by RMD Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 3:19 pm
Illinois Governor Patrick Quinn (D) set the fashion world ablaze with his purple striped tie collection now available at K-Mart and Super 8 hotel locations.

Comment by Jake From Elwood Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 3:23 pm
Madigan Lights Fire Under Lawmakers to Reform Pensions, Republicans Flee the Building

Comment by Just the Facts Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 3:30 pm
@LibertyAs an old news guy (I hate the word “journalist” — never kept a journal), I can give you the origination: Back in the days when presses used metal plates, if you marked a story “lead,” it meant to put more lead (the metal) in between lines to make the story a bit longer to fill a hole. Thus, “lede” was used for the beginning of the story to distinguish it from the process used to lead a story.

Comment by Dana Heupel Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 3:32 pm
==And, to be clear, I’m not trying to pick on Reuters here. They do good work==

Can’t go with you there. Reuters is pretty weak in Chicago and Illinois.

Definitely not the A-Team here.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 3:41 pm
“Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan lit a fire under the state’s tepid public pension reform efforts on Wednesday, introducing measures that would mean harsh changes for public sector workers.”

This much of a flame…

Comment by Cincinnatus Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 3:42 pm
Is there any way to get Quinn, Madigan, and Cross to listen to Ralph Martire? He has some good ideas that would work…. with out cutting the throats of retirees.

Comment by Soon to retire Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 3:46 pm
Yesterday was basically an up day for Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 3:47 pm
What is the name for the award for those bills that get 100 votes against?

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 3:58 pm
“Republicans Reveal Novel Solution on Pensions”
-Ingenious Legislative Tactics Leave even longtime observers in awe!

Comment by not surprised Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 4:14 pm
Illinois Legislature to focus on non-Pension Source to Fund Programs

Comment by PublicServant Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 4:17 pm
Ruby- great one

Comment by Roadiepig Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 4:20 pm
Hi Dana, I’ve heard that story about not confusing it with leading space but I have a lot of doubts…. I can’t find an actual reference but if you know one, I would love to find it…

Comment by Liberty_First Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 4:38 pm
Madigan pleased with vote. Can’t count past 5 anyway.

Comment by Sunshine Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 4:47 pm
Liberty — Here’s a New York Times explanation of lede. http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/about-the-lede/ And I can testify from personal experience at my first two newspaper jobs that leading a story was an instruction the editor wrote to the newspaper press room to stretch it out. I sometimes miss the days of “hot type.” Printers were cool people.

Comment by Dana Heupel Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 4:48 pm
Ruby how about the 50 plus No Votes are they gutles or what. CAST A VOTE YES OR NO

Comment by quincy Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 5:15 pm
Author was trying to hype excitment — not in the picture. Nearly as lame as Billboard Cross endorsing Jack Franks calls for Committee of the Whole. The move barely edged Crackpot GmanJim “cut off my gun” and odd Nazi story from Dwight Kay as Sloppy GOPie Comments of the week

Comment by CircularFiringSquad Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 5:40 pm
REPORT: MARCH WILL BE SOON UPON US

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 5:52 pm
Dana - http://howardowens.com/2011/09/18/lede-vs-lead/

Comment by Liberty_First Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 6:02 pm
Madigan wins - with a union contract agreement!

Comment by Mama Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 6:21 pm
“POLITICO” Reports Speaker Madigan May Regret Pension Bills

Comment by Arthur Andersen Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 6:26 pm
Speaker’s wet book of matches fails to ignite a fire under the state’s tepid public pension reform efforts.

Comment by Gannt Chart Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 7:06 pm
The first time in history a member who could have been a 3 time Century Club member in one day… and the General Assembly fails to even do that! All is lost…

Comment by One to the Dome Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 7:56 pm
I can’t believe someone hasn’t suggested this lede yet:

“Life squeezed out of pension reform”

Comment by RNUG Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 8:23 pm
Tomorrow’s Lede:

“Hawks Beat Blues; Unbeaten After 21″

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 9:18 pm
“Dewey Wins”

Comment by steve schnorf Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 9:36 pm
LOL, for the record Schnorf, the Colonel’s headline, which he personally insisted upon, was:

“Dewey Defeats Truman”

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 9:59 pm
@RNUG Squeezy lives!

Comment by DanL60 Thursday, Feb 28, 13 @ 10:02 pm
Just as Florida had their Burmese Python Contest, Illinois to launch Squeezy Hunt Contest. Citizens are encouraged to hunt down and capture all Sqeezies, known to hide out in the wilds of Springfield, local schools, universities, and judicial chambers. The citizen with the largest Squeezie will receive an annuity guaranteed by the State Constitution for the rest of their life, or the next legislative session - whichever lasts longer.

Comment by archimedes Friday, Mar 1, 13 @ 8:47 am
Politics makes the state of ILL-inois ILL. Pension abuse, higher taxes and fees, corrupt political system, crime, murder, and failed “social” reforms and experiments. ILL-INOIS- 98 billion dollars in unfunded pension debt, 40 years of Democraptic legislative “leadership” and Repubs collusion has left the finances of the state in tatters. More people leave Illinois and move to other states than enter from other states. Between 1995 and 2009, Illinois lost 366,616 households, representing 806,054 people, to other states. From 1995 through 2009, Illinois lost $26.3 billion in AGI. 2011 Projected Loss: 27,000 more people . “Economist Nathaniel Karp says Illinois’ tax structure and loss of manufacturing jobs will be pushing people out of the state this year.”

Comment by jimbo60666 Friday, Mar 1, 13 @ 12:44 pm