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* It’s more than just possible that Gov. Pat Quinn’s veto of legislative salaries actually slowed down the pension reform process. Legislators don’t like to be pushed around by a governor, and they appear to be in no rush to finish up talks…
“I think we’re well into mid-August before we’d be in a position to present something to the General Assembly,” said Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington. “It’s not going as fast as we’d like. I imagine most of the members of the committee would say it’s not going as fast as they’d like.”
“I think we’re still making steady progress, but we’re not ready to unveil a plan,” said Sen. Daniel Biss, D-Evanston. “To be perfectly honest with you, that week of the [State Fair] isn’t totally (out of the question). I don’t think this process is going to be driven by any deadline the governor chooses to make up off the top of his head. The concept of shooting for mid-August isn’t the craziest thing in the world.”
After holding a series of public hearings, committee members have been meeting privately in working groups to go over details of a reform plan. Those groups met last Friday and again on Monday. In addition, members have been speaking with each other outside the confines of meetings either of the committee as a whole or as working groups. […]
Nekritz said “it feels like weeks left” before the committee will agree on a plan. […]
“I’m not doing pension reform on that basis [of no pay for lawmakers],” Nekritz said. “We want to do this on a schedule that works for getting pension reform done, not somebody else’s schedule.”
No way do they want the finished product to look like a win for Pat Quinn. Subscribers know more about what’s going on with the legal process.
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 10:09 am
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Rich, I think you are spot on. There is no way they are going to allow Quinn’s stunt to be perceived as having worked. They will all get paid eventually.
I think the greater problem will be when Quinn vetoes the solution when it reaches his desk because he will say its not adequate.
Comment by Cassiopeia Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 10:18 am
Nekritz and Biss weren’t the ones who needed motivation. They were already serious. Bill Brady is posturing a bit in his comments daring someone (anyone who cares) to knock the battery off his shoulder. lol. The pay delay may not in itself cause more or quicker action, but the awareness it created among the taxpayers might. The last thing I’d want to get quoted saying now is “we’re slowing down the process”. There’s pressure on all sides to get this done. Squeezy or not, Maximus has the crowd with him on this. They’re not decreasing in numbers or anxiety either. Wrong time to beat your chest as a legislator who doesn’t want to get pushed around. Blow this and pushing around will come in your districts. Less machismo when the folks get to eat home cooking.
Comment by A guy... Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 10:26 am
The fact that they met directly behind closed doors, two workdays in a row, gives one hope it’s moving along. Hearings and floor debates are for show. Real work is accomplished elsewhere.
Comment by walkinfool Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 10:28 am
===Nekritz and Biss weren’t the ones who needed motivation===
Ty? Is that you?
Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 10:30 am
Poor policy. Political stunt. Probably Illegal. Telling is the fact that his stunt polls well. We get the government that we deserve in many cases. Yes, they will for sure take enough time so that an agreement is not seen tied to the Aug. pay issue. I don’t think Quinn will veto a pension bill that makes it to his desk, but if he did would he still not pay the legislators. I will not pay you untill you send me a bill that I decide to sign….wow!
Comment by facts are stubborn things Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 10:31 am
Rich, please reread. I said they did not require motivation. They were already hard at work. Not Ty, but thank you…I think.
Comment by A guy... Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 10:33 am
We weren’t close to an end before the veto. The GA needs to get over looking like they are giving Quinn the win. He has already won with the public.
Comment by I don't want to live in Teabagistan Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 10:46 am
Quinn’s stunt is of greater threat to our system of democracy than the pension debt is to our finances.
Comment by Michelle Flaherty Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 10:47 am
Um, no.
Comment by A guy... Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 10:51 am
==Quinn’s stunt is of greater threat to our system of democracy than the pension debt is to our finances. ==
Unfortunately, this is the most under-reported aspect of this whole mess. Probably only readers of Cap-Fax really know the damage this stunt is liable to create.
Comment by RetiredStateEmployee Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 10:54 am
When does the Governor’s next paycheck hit?
Comment by Just wondering Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 10:54 am
It doesn’t help when the Tribune encourages Quinn’s behavior with their “it’s the end of the world” editorials the longer it takes for pension reform.
The GA can’t risk looking as if they’re stalling; it’s a no-win situation for them.
Comment by Wensicia Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 10:56 am
Interesting that lost in the shuffle of all of this is that one legislator, Mike Madigan, is the only person that stopped pension reform from happening by refusing to call SB2404. Will he refuse to call the compromise if he doesn’t like that either? Madigan can effectively veto any bill he wants by refusing to call it, without fear of override. Talk about a lack of democracy!
Comment by Bobbysox Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 10:58 am
The real question is has any rep or senator moved a millimeter toward voting “yes” for a pension package since the PQ extortion stunt was revealed?
The answer appears to be “no”
Comment by CircularFiringSquad Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 11:00 am
I fear that few voters will notice or care. They lapped up Quinn’s stunt and when the campaign begins (ok, it already has) he will remind them of his courage in the face of the enemy at every opportunity. How do you counter that?
Comment by dupage dan Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 11:04 am
It has been ‘end of the world’ rhetoric for a couple years now. The world has not ended. The ILGA knows it can issue debt forever. Until such time as that is somehow brought to an end, there will be no real fixes to pensions and overspending.
Comment by DanL60 Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 11:05 am
The whining never stops. I’m sure that after 2 years of failing to pass something, and decades of creating the problem, this action is really what’s slowing things down.
As to the slippery slope of Democracy argument, I’ll give it the same respect I give all other slippery slopes, none.
Comment by Small Town Liberal Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 11:07 am
I disagree with you Michelle. Let’s not give the legislature any more license to kick the can down the road.
The legislature has made a mockery of democracy for a long time by not properly fumding the systems and abdicating responsibility for a solution.
Comment by Loop Lady Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 11:45 am
You can’t reward the stunt.
Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 11:58 am
Well said Michelle.
Comment by Norseman Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 11:59 am
JBT reportedly said today she won’t be paying the salaries.
Comment by Raymond Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 12:39 pm
17 million a day and they malinger. To hell with their feelings we should fire the whole bunch and start all over.
These guys don’t a clue how mad the people are.
I agree with LOOP LADY they just want to kick the can.
Comment by Mokenavince Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 1:12 pm
So do we have to pay interest on the withheld salaries?
Comment by lost in the weeds Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 1:18 pm
Loop and Mokenavince,
The GA doesnt’ work for the Gov anymore than the Gov works for the GA. He’s not their boss. We have three branches of gov’t for a reason. Is Quinn going to threaten to block pay for the supreme court if they don’t rule like he wants.
What’s next?
Standing in the statehouse doors denying entry to those who don’t agree?
Some things are just wrong no matter how right you want them to be.
Comment by Michelle Flaherty Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 1:39 pm
How can holding paychecks get a group of politicians who believe in honoring contracts made with workers to agree with a group of politicians who want to welch on those contracts?
You must either stand behind commitments that were made, or renege on constitutionally protected pension contracts. If either side compromises, they are failing to stand for their opposing principles. Therein lies the problem.
I say bravo to those who refuse to go along with the ugly principles espoused by Nekrtiz and Biss. Call off the impasse. Forget the idea of reneging. The true solution is fixing the State’s longstanding deficits by fixing the revenue problem.
Comment by Cod Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 2:12 pm
==No way do they want the finished product to look like a win for Pat Quinn==
Excellent point - I wonder if the more he demands fast action, the more he effectively delays the process. Perhaps Gov. Quinn should embrace George Kostanza’s theory to do the opposite of what he’d do normally.
Comment by Robert the Bruce Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 2:27 pm
- The GA doesnt’ work for the Gov anymore than the Gov works for the GA. He’s not their boss. We have three branches of gov’t for a reason. Is Quinn going to threaten to block pay for the supreme court if they don’t rule like he wants. -
Those 3 branches are working just fine. The GA can override if they want to, and just because something isn’t politically popular doesn’t mean they’re being forced not to. Likewise, the Supremes could declare that a Governor blocking their pay is unconstitutional, so no worries there.
The rush to sympathize with the GA is leading a lot of people to ignore the facts, the tools are there for them to get their pay, the only thing stopping them is political fear. Too bad, either override now or get pension reform done and override, whining to the inside baseball types in Springfield isn’t an accomplishment.
Comment by Small Town Liberal Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 2:56 pm
“No way do they want the finished product to look like a win for Pat Quinn”
Which is why they don’t deserve to get paid.
Comment by Phineas J. Whoopee Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 3:07 pm
What seems to be missing in the teacher pension situation is the absence, in the media, of how much money is currently in the pension fund, what is the state’s monthly teacher pension payment, what is the monthly revenue into the teacher’s pension fund from the various required contributions, and much revenue is derived from invested funds. Why should anyone believe what is being said about this alleged crisis when the actual numbers are not being communicated to the public?
Comment by Buzzie Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 4:01 pm
STL == there are no slippery slopes ==
That’s what proponents of the lottery said. Then there’s civil unions…
Comment by reformer Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 5:06 pm
There are some really great Posts above, and I am going to borrow from some…
You can not reward bad behavior … The General Assembly is “a Co-Equal” to the Executive and to bow to the timetable that Quinn is trying to set should not be something the Conference Committee should consider.
In this point, the GA and this Conference Committee should ignore Governor Pat Quinn, and that should be very easy, since Quinn only needs the Legislature as a scape goat and rarely for anything else. To even appear to follow Quinn’s timetable, by word or deed, would be giving Quinn a win, and that can’t happen and have a workable government.
Illinois government is based on checks and balances, equal in Constitutional standing, and workable in true democracy. Yes, this stunt is that Dopey that it puts into question “who… works for who in a Co-Equal government?”.
To further that point, the Legislaure does not work for any Governor is Spot On, period. Stating all I have above, to make a point that any other of the 2 Co-Equal branches are beholden to the Executive puts the very idea of working together for solutions quite impossible, and against what we should expect from Illinois Government.
That move is against what our own Constitution demands from each of the 3 branches and what they themselves are required to do, and not overextend the reach of one branch over one or both the other two. This is not a “5-Alarm” fire of Constitutional questions, but then again, a governor chooing to scold legislators and holding monies to them as that punishment. How is that “Co-Equal” legally, and how is that good faith to your working partner?
Finally, being and running as a Populists is something Pat Quinn is very good at, and has served his politcal ambitions well. However, in this instance, pandering, (and that it what you do when pursuing stunts that allow poll numbers to rise but solve nothing), has put the Courts in the crosshairs, as ONE of the options to straighten out Powers of the Branches, and the Constitutionality of a move, not for the betterment of Illinois, but for the betterment of Poll Numbers and blame shifting.
Pat Quinn is damaging the speed of the reform, and damaging the strong executive powers Illinois gives a truly leading Governor to enjoy.
We are looking for a Constitutional answer to the Pension Crisis, and Pat Quinn has given us Squeezy … and another question of Constitutional powers.
Leaders … do not raise more questions of how to get things done, or raise questions as to their motives when walking the razor-thin line of a Constitutional “motivation” to 1/3 of Government.
Leaders … look for the best solution, closest to what they completely want, while giving back enough so compromise can be achieved, and a solution found to the problem.
When Pat Quinn does that, then Pat Quinn will understand the levers of Government. Until then, as the Populist Quinn derails the Governor named Pat Quinn, we in Illinois will watch the Blago playbook be dragged out … again and again … with plays even Blago wouldn’t call, and that is saying something.
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 8:15 pm
I’ve been watching the pension circus pretty closely for quite a while, and it sure seemed to me that what hung things up in the Spring Session was a basic conflict over constitutional interpretation, and the fear that the bill being sold as “more constitutional” produced much smaller savings–and how to square that circle. A discussion in which Quinn never participated, by the way.
That being what I saw, to me Quinn’s action contributes nothing, but it does anger and distract people from the task at hand, neither of which is helpful.
As wit concealed carry, he didn’t engage when it would have been helpful, he waited until after May 31 and then decided to play God. Just like Blago used to do.
But unless one believes Quinn to be an idiot (a possibility but let’s not go there), this positions Pat Quinn as the reforming outsider, notwithstanding that by election time he will have spent almost the last 12 years as Lt. Gov. (6 yrs) and Governor (just shy of 6 years).
Politically, maybe smart, but the absolute worst kind of “my election is what’s important, the State of Illinois isn’t important” action, and the kind of thing that in the end left Blago without a friend in the Capitol when his time came.
Comment by Harry Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 10:00 pm
buzzie, the info is readily available
Comment by Steve schnorf Thursday, Jul 25, 13 @ 10:43 pm