Ted joined Dan and Amy this morning to discuss “kick back capitalism” – how government subsidies and bailouts contribute to political corruption and perpetuate inequality. They also discuss the real reason why the state is facing a teacher shortage, why businesses & families are fleeing big cities, and when we can expect a voter uprising in Chicago.
Read more from Wirepoints:
- Good luck attracting more teachers into Illinois classrooms…especially after looking at the record of Illinois’ new State Superintendent.
- Chicagoans are shooting back – and it’s not going to stop until leaders lead
- Chicago’s pursuit of ‘criminal justice reform’ an utter failure: Windy City homicides top nation for 11th year in a row with crime still rising.
- Chicago Public Schools implicitly endorses ‘looting and burning’ as a form of equity
Audio and summary 
If this bill passes, say goodbye to local control over all Illinois parks and expect to see open drug and alcohol use, needles, no sanitation and fire hazards, but no ordinary park users.
Shut up and pay your taxes.
All this under the table stuff is a reason it takes a 6 figure income to live like an average chump in Chitown.
Yeah, contrary to the drumbeat often given here that the $100k pension many public employee retirees get in IL these days it actually isn’t all that lavish in its lifestyle purchasing power as so many vehemently claim in/around Chicagoland, is it?
It’s about three times better than the maximum social security benefit. If you move somewhere else it can give you a lavish lifestyle.
Sure, I agree. You can live like a king in some Latin countries, but your expenses for machine guns, etc., in the way of self protection will soak up far more of your budget than most areas of Chicagoland.
Maybe not lavish but there’s many cities where the cost of living is 20% less than Chicago. Charlotte, Huntsville, Savannah and Charleston, all are 20% lower.
Social security is a welfare program not based on a linear model of how much one pays in SS taxes. The less you make the greater the percentage you receive back from the government. Pensions are based on deferred income and actually have contractual rights. Unlike SS that can be stopped at any time regardless of how much money you paid in. Other than being paid out towards the end of your career, these two systems are nothing alike and it doesn’t make sense to compare them.
Social security benefits are based on your and your employers contributions. Make more money you and your employer contribute more your benefit is higher. Your benefit is based on an average of your earnings. It is somewhat welfare’ish because I’m already maxxed out, if I make more and contribute more when I retire I’ll still get the same benefit. It’s not based on your last year of earnings which can be juiced by deferring salary and sick days and other gimmicks. They can stop it but I think the resulting insurrection would be worse than January 6th.
Somewhat based on your earnings and SS taxes paid. Someone paying 5 times as much in SS taxes doesn’t get 5 times the benefit. That’s the part that makes it welfare and not a true earned benefit. I’d be willing to call it a hybrid welfare program with some earned benefits but there is no contractual rights to receive benefits. It’s at the whim of congress. Why do you think democrats are opposed to means testing SS? They know that will just expose the system as a welfare program even more than it is now. Once people see it as… Read more »
Yet you choose to remain in Illinois.
So suffer the consequences.
This is the norm for Illinois, that what makes it such a great state.