CAT Tracks for July 23, 2014

CAT Tracks for July 23, 2014

Lawyers for retiree groups plan to use the recent Illinois Supreme Court decision protecting health care benefits to:

"...declare the (pension reform) statute unconstitutional, put a ribbon on it, and send it down the street."

From the Southern Illinoisan
Lawyers: Factor court decision into pensions case

CAT Tracks Editor's Note:
The sham of the whole "deal" was clearly indicated by two things:

Taking the pensions of judges out of the mix in (an apparently failed) attempt to buy their support, and

"...that while benefits would be cut, employees also would see reduced contributions to the retirement plans..." (I mean, if the system is bleeding money, why in the hell would you reduce the flow of revenue from the employees, other than as a "lipstick on a pig" effort to make it look like a "negotiated settlement".)

Bears repeating:

"...the law violates the state constitution, which says public employee benefits cannot be 'diminished or impaired.'"