Everybody's Talkin'

Have you ever been in a situation in which you are the topic of discussion for two people who are so caught up in their conversation that they forget you are there?

That’s sort of what it feels like is going on in the editorial pages of the Chicago Tribune.

In their August 28th editorial, “Keep Your Pressure Up ,” the TRIB reports on their recent editorial board session with Senate President John Cullerton.

On Monday, Senate President John Cullerton acknowledged that lawmakers need to reform how state government spends money before they raise taxes.

Meeting with the Tribune editorial board, Cullerton spoke about legislators taking such sensible steps as creating a less generous pension system for new state employees, asking retirees to shoulder more of their health costs, and moving Medicaid recipients to a more efficient system of managed care. All good ideas.

Without those and other permanent reforms on the spending side of the ledger, Illinois lawmakers will keep lurching from one financial crisis to the next.

Today, the TRIB publishes a letter from the Democratic Senate leader in which he expresses annoyance with the editorial. Unfortunately, his complaint isn’t that the paper mischaracterizes his positions. In fact, he says the good news is in the areas where he and the editorial board, which has never been fond of public employee unions, agree.

We agree we need a less generous pension system for new hires, even if the Tribune left out the part about Republican lawmakers conspiring to block a floor vote on the actual legislation.

We agree we need to look at a Medicaid-managed care system, even if the editorial doesn’t mention it isn’t the budget cure-all that many Republicans claim.

And we agree we need to better balance expenditures to revenues, even though the $3.2 billion in cuts that we did make this year didn’t make the editorial.

Yes we have our disagreements. But when the Chicago Tribune says things like “good ideas” and “positive signs” after we sit down together, I am hopeful.

We may not always agree on matters of public policy, but we do share a common desire to see meaningful reform in Illinois.

So, here it comes again.  It will be interesting to see how this plays out. In a few weeks the recommendations from Pension Modernization Task Force report are due. Then, before you know it, the primary election will be here.

What positions will the candidates for state office, including governor, take on proposals to change benefits for future employees, raise insurance costs for retirees and other items of interest to IEA members?
It should make for some interesting discussion at local IPACE meetings, where the people being talked about can’t be ignored.

Are you a “facebook fan” of IEA?   It’s free, and not only will it help you get all the benefits of your IEA membership, it will qualify you for a drawing for a gift card you can use to buy an iPhone or anything else sold at Best Buy.

Become a IEA facebook fan now!