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* Sen. Daniel Biss was at Crain’s today. Here’s Greg Hinz…
The senator appeared to rule out any significant changes in the state’s government pension plans—401(k)s are “a failed experiment. The jury has spoken,” he said—even though he was the chief sponsor of legislation to cut benefits while requiring both taxpayers and employees to pay more. The bill ultimately was ruled out by the courts, and Biss said he “learned my lesson . . . pensions are a promise and the payments should be made.”
Biss indicated he would not reduce pension benefits now even if he legally could. Government just needs to make regular payments rather than diverting pension money to other purposes, he said. And Biss rejected suggestions that, in sponsoring the pension bill, he was following the lead of Madigan, who had been pushing such a plan in opposition to a more limited “consideration” version proposed by Senate President John Cullerton.
“I decided this was the least bad of the bad options,” said Biss, noting he voted against another pension bill personally sponsored by Madigan. “I allowed myself to think we couldn’t do better.”
* Pritzker campaign…
Dan Biss Flails When Asked About Unconstitutional Pension Bill
Biss Asked “Can People Trust You Not to Change Your Opinion On Other Things?” at Crain’s Ed Board
Chicago, IL – While meeting with the Crain’s editorial board today, Dan Biss gave a flailing response to questions on his 2013 bill to cut pension benefits for 467,000 Illinoisans.
In a heated back and forth, Biss was pressed to answer an important question: “If you can so completely change your opinion on something you spent so much time and energy on, what can people trust you not to change your opinion on, on other things?”
“Dan Biss is flailing as he continues to be pressed on his unconstitutional efforts to cut pension benefits for 467,000 downstate teachers, university workers, and state employees,” said Pritzker communications director Galia Slayen. “Biss can try and ramble and deflect now, but this is someone who needed the Supreme Court to step in before he ‘learned his lesson’ that working families deserve the pensions that were promised to them.”
* Video…
* Transcript…
Greg Hinz: If the Supreme Court hadn’t objected, if there was not a legal reason, a constitutional reason to do this, would you come back to something like that? Is it appropriate, or do you also have a moral objection now?
Sen. Daniel Biss: No, I think the Supreme Court was right. I think the Supreme Court was right. Um, I think that these pensions were promised to people, and they were told they were promised, and they were told that it’s a guarantee. And, I don’t think it’s appropriate then to go back and change it, and I…um…like I said, that was a long learning process for me, and I wish I’d learned that lesson differently. But I think that it’s a really, really important lesson.
Greg Hinz: Why this total mindset transition?
Sen. Daniel Biss: Well I think you have to ask the question: was the Supreme Court right or wrong?
Greg Hinz: What I guess I’m asking is a character question: if you could so completely change your opinion of something you spent so much time and energy on, what can people trust you not to change your opinion on, on other things?
If you click here for the full exchange, you’ll see Biss’ response, which is the last graf of that Greg Hinz excerpt I posted above.
posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 1:50 pm
Sorry, comments are closed at this time.
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“What I guess I’m asking is a character question: if you could so completely change your opinion of something you spent so much time and energy on, what can people trust you not to change your opinion on, on other things?”
I don’t see it as strength of an elected official - or anybody - to never change their opinion. We all evolve in our thinking, or should, as we take in new information and process it. Did Biss have a true change of heart or was this switch just a politically convenient move? I don’t know, but I don’t like the narrative that we should give marks against an elected that shifts his position.
Comment by Montrose Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 1:55 pm
That video, even edited, is not nearly as damning as JB’s team thinks it is.
Comment by SweetLou86 Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 1:59 pm
= “learned my lesson . . . pensions are a promise and the payments should be made.”=
Harvard, MIT, U of Chicago and he didn’t know any better? Sorry, I know Biss is a smart guy. I don’t think anyone can really question that. But he is full of malarkey on this one.
Pants on Fire.
Comment by JS Mill Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 2:00 pm
“I think that these pensions were promised to people, and they were told they were promised, and they were told that it’s a guarantee. ”
Not keeping your promises is a character issue. Apparently he did not realize it was a promise before.
Comment by Bigtwich Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 2:03 pm
I don’t like his pension answer but he’s probably the best chance for Illinois IMO…
Comment by Mouthy Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 2:03 pm
“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” No one in the State retirement system (SURS, SERS, etc.) should be foolish enough to trust the prime mover behind SB1: Dan Biss. Shame on you Biss for trying to screw over state employees and shame on you now for your false-hearted turnabout. Too little, too late.
Comment by inslid Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 2:05 pm
I sure hope Crains asks JB if he has a character flaw for flipping on pension, and how we can trust him since he totally flipped on such an important issue.
Here Greg, I’ll write the question for you:
Greg Hinz: “What I guess I’m asking is a character question: if you could so completely change your opinion of something you spent so much time and money on - with $20,000 and the lobbying of legislators on this - what can people trust you not to change your opinion on, on other things?”
Comment by SaulGoodman Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 2:07 pm
Biss Flip Flops: pensions, fracking, charter schools are all going to be front and center over the next six weeks. Daniel’s opposition team should find similar flip flops for JB e.g. Obama endorsement.
Comment by DanDonor Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 2:12 pm
We all know Biss is selling us a load of goods. I would only warn my fellow state employees/retirees, express your anger in the primary not the general. The imperative is to rid Illinois of the disaster who currently holds the office.
Comment by Norseman Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 2:13 pm
Saul, If you’ll check my copy from yesterday, I did report — prominently — that JB and his wife donated $20k to a PAC that was pushing just these kinds of pension changes.
Comment by greg hinz Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 2:13 pm
The Pension thief now has a change of heart. What if it had made it through the courts, and they stole our pensions? How would he feel about it? Would he say we made a mistake, here is your money back. I don’t think so.
Comment by Retired Educator Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 2:15 pm
this is the same guy that wants to TAX pensions, he will try more than that if elected
Comment by foster brooks Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 2:19 pm
Saul -
Sure JB gave money to the PAC…but JB isn’t the one running around like he’s Bernie Sanders. Daniel’s past votes are more in line with Rahm’s politics than Bernie. In the grander scheme of things that’s fine. Daniel is better served by positioning himself as the most electable instead of trying to recast himself as something his record suggests he is not. Just sayin…
Comment by DanDonor Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 2:19 pm
Biss reminds me of the Fonz trying to say “I was wrong”…except I’m not laughing.
Comment by Jocko Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 2:23 pm
**Saul, If you’ll check my copy from yesterday, I did report — prominently — that JB and his wife donated $20k to a PAC that was pushing just these kinds of pension changes.**
Greg - I appreciate that. I just have yet to see JB actually answer a question on it.
Comment by SaulGoodman Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 2:27 pm
** JB isn’t the one running around like he’s Bernie Sanders. **
No… but he absolutely is a) running around saying pensions are a promise, and b) attacking Daniel for having the exact same position as JB had. Daniel has owned up to that. JB sure hasn’t.
Comment by SaulGoodman Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 2:28 pm
“Greg Hinz: What I guess I’m asking is a character question: if you could so completely change your opinion of something you spent so much time and energy on, what can people trust you not to change your opinion on, on other things?”
OUCH.
Comment by Anon0091 Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 2:33 pm
Maybe it’s just me, but it’s also a “character question” if someone heartily supports a pension theft bill in the first place.
Comment by Arthur Andersen Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 2:44 pm
==this is the same guy that wants to TAX pensions==
Just the candidates with a true progressive platform do.
Comment by City Zen Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 2:45 pm
401ks are a failed experiment? The jury has spoken? Which jury? When did they stop paying out money to retirees?? This is a big deal since the entire private sector is relying on 401k retirement plans. It could just be he is making up ideas as he goes and 401k plans are perfectly fine. Eventually everyone will have one.
Comment by Maximus Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 2:47 pm
Pivot - Do we want to elect leaders who never evolve or learn from past mistakes? As we have seen with Rauner and Trump, when we elect people with no government experience to high level executive office, the learning curve is too steep for them.
Comment by Urban Girl Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 2:48 pm
Am I the only person who wishes he would have stood his ground on this pension bill? There’s a PROBLEM here and pensions are the biggest liability of Illinois debt. I will personally vote for anyone who is willing to intro legislation for pension reform & tax retirement income (above a threshold amount of say $75K)?
Comment by ILDemVoter Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 2:57 pm
Didn’t the officials who sponsored and supported this patently unconstitutional bill violate their oaths of office. Include Biss and the Madigan’s….
Why doesn’t Biss take the oath of office seriously?
Comment by Oafs Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 2:59 pm
Nothing wrong with changing your mind — as long as it’s done through careful consideration and the emergence of new facts (like a supreme court decision.) Problem is, Biss comes off like his change of mind is the result of political expedience.
And he comes across as almost too apologetic. He should just say he got behind a bill that nearly every Democratic leader in the state supported to solve Illinois’ biggest problem and ensure that the pension systems wouldn’t collapse — and now that the Supreme Court has spoken we have to find a different path.
Comment by Roman Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 3:00 pm
==foster brooks==
Why shouldn’t pensions be taxed? Pensioners already get guaranteed 3% growth, untaxed disbursements and Constitutionally protected benefits. It seems to me that they need to compromise on one of those things if they are asking taxpayers to absorb another tax increase (their proposed progressive income tax). A 1% tax on retirement earnings could work if the tax money was designated to go directly back into the pensions. It’s not enough, but it shows a good-faith effort to solve the problem together.
Comment by supplied_demand Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 3:07 pm
==401ks are a failed experiment?==
If it is, it’s only because Social Security is a complete drain on workers’ ability to save for retirement. It’s hard to set aside 10% of your earnings for retirement when social security takes 12.4% off the top.
Imagine 12.4% of your salary going into a 401k instead of the social security hole. Then add whatever percentage points you and your employer contribute today. You’d have a large and quite healthy nest egg.
Comment by City Zen Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 3:08 pm
Daniel tried his purity play with Carlos Rosa and got seared. Immediately after he dropped Rosa, Daniel tried to cast himself as a pragmatist. It’s so strange to see him play purity politics AGAIN and then cry foul because JB is calling out his hypocrisy on pensions, fracking, and charters. Biss is a good person and will make a great governor if he wins but so will JB and it’s important to see that Daniel isn’t at all the mouth foaming liberal he claims to be.
Comment by DanDonor Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 3:16 pm
JB should talk about character - “The rich should pay their fair share”(unless they can remove their toilets and get their property taxes lowered and short change the taxing bodies in the area.)
Comment by Stand Tall Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 3:16 pm
12.4% to social security?
Deceptive. 6.2% for those who work for an employer.
Comment by Anonymous Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 3:31 pm
==Deceptive. 6.2% for those who work for an employer.==
Nope, 12.4%. The 6.2% employer portion also comes from my paycheck.
Comment by City Zen Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 3:49 pm
SaulGoodman - Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 2:27 pm:
Biss violated his Constitutional oath. Pritzker did not violate any constitutional oath.
Besides, Biss is not off the hook. You are trying to get us to look the other way and not accepting responsibility for Biss.
Down playing Biss trying to steal pensions won’t work.
Comment by Anonymous Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 4:02 pm
SaulGoodman - Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 2:27 pm:
Biss violated his Constitutional oath. Pritzker did not violate any constitutional oath.
Down playing Biss trying to steal pensions won’t work.
Comment by Anonymous Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 4:05 pm
**Besides, Biss is not off the hook. You are trying to get us to look the other way and not accepting responsibility for Biss.**
No. Biss isn’t off the hook, you’re right about that. But he HAS accepted responsibility. He’s owned it. He’s apologized for it.
Has JB?
Comment by SaulGoodman Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 4:23 pm
I’m not sure you can equate JB’s history with this bill with Biss’. They were coming at it from two very different positions. Biss was a key author of the legislation which he now chalks up to “obsessive hysteria”. Too me he’s a bit more complicit than a guy who wrote a check.
Comment by Pundent Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 4:45 pm
12.4% is what people are charged for Social Security on the yearly limit (in 2018 that limit is $128k). The Medicare rate of 2,9% (more at higher wage level) of all wages.
So many people forget or do want to include the employer requirement.
Comment by cannon649 Friday, Feb 2, 18 @ 5:13 pm