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From Sen. Bill Brady

[FEB. 12, 2005] 

Pension commission vote a political cover for governor

The governor's Pension Funding Commission has revealed its true agenda -- politics over solutions. Instead of using this panel of experts to develop long-term solutions to a very real pension funding crisis, the governor's allies are using it to give him political cover for the budget address Feb. 16.

At its Feb. 4 meeting, the commission recommended on an 8-3 vote that any savings from any pension reforms enacted by the General Assembly should be allocated proportionately from 2006 to 2045. I voted "no," as did Rep. Mark Beaubien, R-Wauconda, and a representative of the United Food and Commercial Workers union.

As a commission member, I vehemently oppose any plan to "recognize" future savings that may, or may not, occur under long-term reforms. That's just another attempt to spend more today to shore up the governor's sagging budget and push the cost to the future. No matter how you spin it, we would simply be spending money now that we don't have -- and may never have.

The responsible thing to do is to recognize savings only in the years in which those savings actually occur. To build a proposed budget -- or to enact a budget -- that underfunds our pensions today, in hopes of receiving savings sometime in the future, is the height of irresponsibility. All those hours of meetings became nothing but political cover for the governor and an absolute farce.

Brady, Mitchell urge governor to help Illiopolis

Rep. Bill Mitchell and I are asking Gov. Rod Blagojevich provide help for the village of Illiopolis in his Opportunity Returns plan for central Illinois.

"The village and people of Illiopolis have undergone tremendous hardship over the past year, beginning with the deadly explosion that claimed five lives at the Formosa Plastics plant," Mitchell said. "The people of Illiopolis are not only trying to cope with the loss of human life in their community, but the financial impact has been devastating as well."

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The plant formerly employed 133 employees. Today, that number is down to 50. And, to help the plant save money during its recovery, Formosa officials have turned over control of the water plant to the village. The water plant serves the entire community.

We are urging Gov. Blagojevich to include $150,000 in his Opportunity Returns plan to help Illiopolis redirect the water pipeline that ran to the plant. This is a very costly project for a small community, and state assistance is needed to help ease the burden on the local taxpayers.

The Opportunity Returns program is designed to help promote jobs and economic development in Illinois. The governor is expected to announce his plan for the Central region in the near future.

New Senate committee

Senate Republican Leader Frank Watson, R-Greenville, has asked me to serve on three Illinois Senate committees.

I will serve as Republican spokesman for the Senate Insurance Committee and the Senate Pensions and Investments Committee. These committees consider legislation affecting the insurance industry and pension systems.

I will also serve on the Senate Revenue Committee, which considers legislation involving the Illinois tax code and tax-related issues.

The Senate's 22 standing committees analyze legislation dealing with specific subject areas, such as education, agriculture and transportation. Committees screen legislation introduced by all members. Usually, only those bills approved by a committee may be considered by the entire Senate.

New Springfield office

I have a new Springfield office. The address is 105D State Capitol, Springfield, IL 62706. The phone number remains the same: (217) 782-6216.

[From Sen. Bill Brady, 44th District] 

Life Sentence, No Parole

If we tried to invent the cruelest punishment for dogs, we probably couldn't come up with anything worse than "solitary confinement" on a chain or in a kennel.

Dogs are pack animals who crave the companionship of others.  Scratches behind the ears, games of fetch, or even just walks around the block mean the world to them.  Curling up at your feet while you watch TV is their idea of heaven.

Many dogs left to fend for themselves at the end of a chain fall prey to attacks by other animals or cruel people, and many others are injured or hanged or choke as a result of getting entangled or caught in their tether.

If you have a backyard dog, please, bring him or her inside.  They don't want much--just you.

A public service announcement from Lincoln Daily News and helpinganimals.com

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