Delivery of Petition to Illinois Legislators: “Illinois Revenue and Debt Reform, Not Pension Reform”

Senator Cullerton’s Press Secretary requested that we crop her out of this photo (Photo by John Dillon).

On March 15^th, John Dillon and I met with Senator Michael Connelly (Naperville) and asked him to deliver a 542-page petition signed by 5,342 concerned citizens across Illinois to Senate President John Cullerton. (These citizens are asking legislators not to cut their earned and constitutionally-guaranteed benefits, but to find sources of revenue to pay what the State of Illinois owes its dedicated public employees). On Tuesday, March 19th, I was apprised by Connelly’s secretary that he was unable to complete the task (“he forgot”), so I printed another copy of the petition.

On Wednesday, March 20^th, this petition was personally delivered to the office of Senate President Cullerton in Springfield by John Dillon and me.

The petition states:

Illinois has a pension debt and revenue problem. Most legislators know this, and they also understand the concept of justice and what lawfulness demands: that people must keep their covenants with one another. No justice is accomplished when diminishing public employees' earned benefits and rights because of decades of legislators' irresponsibility, corruption and incompetence. Stop Illinois pension reform. It is immoral and illegal.

Many Illinois legislators want to challenge both Illinois and U.S. Constitutions instead of addressing the causes of the state's budget deficits. Illinois public employees have earned their pension. Their pension is a constitutionally-guaranteed contract.

The on-going petition link: http://signon.org/sign/illinois-revenue-and
Contact: glen brown