Latest News and Comment from Education

Monday, December 9, 2013

12-9-13 Fred Klonsky | Running for our pensions. | VOTE 4 Fred Klonsky

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.:




George Schmidt: “No teacher will vote for Quinn.” But I can’t agree.
- George Schmidt publishes Substance News. Fred, I’d phrase it this way: Pat Quinn has a unions problem. From the time he picked Paul Vallas as his running mate, he had signed his political suicide note. His signing the Pension Theft legislation was just the inking of the note. But let’s not forget that the birth of corporate “school reform” — long before Arne Duncan and Race to the Top — was brou

The unions have a Quinn problem.
From the Ward Room: So toxic is the fallout from the pension reform bill, Quinn’s problems with unions may well extend to state legislators who sided with the governor: Yet nearly all of the public employee unions have grown unalterably opposed to endorsing or donating to Quinn—and possibly all Democrats who voted for the pension bill. … “I can’t imagine any of those legislators who voted for the

Senator Iris Martinez voted for #pension theft but says she was against it. Representative Berrios voted against #pension theft but was for it. Bizarro World!
  The other day my State Senator Iris Martinez wrote me a letter explaining her vote for #pension theft. Martinez believes the bill is unconstitutional and unfair to pension system members. But she decided to voted for it so that it could be ruled unconstitutional. Get it? Me neither. This was topped by the letter I received from my State Representative Toni Berrios. Berrios has been in office a

Funny? How am I funny?
Senator Bertino-Tarrant and Representative Manley, It is interesting to see the Governor and legislative leaders smiling and laughing as the Governor signs the bill stealing millions of hard earned (and paid for) pension dollars from retirees. What a happy time for them and a sad time for Illinois! How will they look when the Illinois Supreme Court strikes down the law? They will have wasted ma

Heavenly reward v Secure retirement.
Hi Fred,   The following essay is the evolution of several emails between my sister, Betty Dietz, and myself over the weekend. It began with just random thoughts while typing then turned into this final product. We began by reflecting on how the Catholic school students viewed those students attending public schools when we were growing up. Then we moved on to Mike Madigan’s pension decisions and
Pension thieves.
  Ira Silverstein is a Democratic State Senator from the 8th District representing parts of north side Chicago and Skokie. He targets older people, retired police, fire fighters, public service workers, public school teachers and state university employees. Approach with care. He should be considered a Republican and dangerous.
Bev Johns. What should be done about the governor’ race?
What to do about the race for Governor of Illinois will be the subject of much discussion over the months leading up to the March primary and November general election. All options for governor on the table seem bad to me. I have been active in Will Guzzardi’s challenge to incumbent House member Toni Berrios. I will pull a Democratic ballot and will leave the top of the ballot blank. Nor will my
12-8-13 Fred Klonsky | Running for our pensions. | VOTE 4 Fred Klonsky
Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Sunday reads.  In a private office in the Thompson Center with no press allowed, Squeezy signs the #pension theft. Why are they smiling? Another battle by parents with CPS to keep a public school open. Now that he’s dead, and can cause no more trouble, Nelson Mandela is being mourned across the ideolo