“…As for pensions for workers? Rauner is nothing if not constantly
vacillating. Yet, if pensions fall under
the aegis of security for those who worked their lives in hope of a somewhat
comfortable and independent end, knowing the Rauner in 2012 provided another
nearly $1/2 million to the Cato Institute, the Club for Growth, and Americans
for Prosperity should clarify his position on pensions and Social Security and
Medicare. Each of these Koch-supported
groups have strongly worked behind the scenes on the federal and local level to
eradicate Social Security and Medicare as overly costly entitlements given to
working class people…
“In education, ironically, Rauner and
at least one of the Democrats on the gubernatorial ticket can agree: on their
perception of what’s best for education.
Vallas and Rauner are clearly on the same page when it comes to
supporting/promoting the privatization of public education, one of the last
cash cows abruptly under the long, narrow eye of Wall Street investors
interested in managing all that public money.
In this arena, Rauner’s beneficence is mammoth indeed: Noble Network of Charter Schools received $2
million on 2012; Stand for Children, $600,000; Teach for American Chicago,
$1,100,000 (and Payton Prep, $200,000)…
“Just as hedge fund manager Bruce Rauner considers these chosen targets of his wealth and fiscal favoritism good business sense – they will if successful return money to him as and if they can change the nature of the business environment – so too do they consider Rauner and other politicians investments to get this done. Quid pro quo.
“Now, Illinois’ public unions and
educational groups inflict self-injury and bitterness by urging members of one
organization to support Quinn, unlike the other group and ludicrously laud
Quinn for positions inconceivable to anyone remotely aware of what the current
Governor has done in his ‘earthly’ tenure.
“Endorsements like ‘Gov. Quinn supports
a continuation of our defined benefits pension plan that guarantees benefits
for life’ is so off-the-mark that its use to dissuade a reluctance to vote this
year is dissembling and manipulative
(IEA-R letter urging vote for Quinn).
“Honesty would have forced a poignant
and perhaps more uncomfortable rationale:
‘While current Gov. Quinn has not been an ally nor an advocate for
public workers’ defined pension benefits, our union name here encourages our members to vote for Quinn rather
than Bruce Rauner, and then become active in the efforts to make significant
changes in the leaderships in Springfield to assure the respect given to those
who toiled for the State and seek some sense of security –as promised – in
their later years.’
“A winning Rauner promises a spate of
Koch’s money and right wing influence in my state of Illinois that I cannot
accept: I will vote to defeat him. On
the other hand, Quinn represents the worst kind of politician, a populist who
plays to the people but who has no regard for the Illinois Constitution he
swore to uphold and the promises to the workers in Article XIII, Section
5. After November 4th, I will
work to find an alternative to him and those who would knowingly accept or
compromise with his duplicity.”
from Bruce Rauner: An Argument "A Fortiori" by John Dillon
Thank you, Glen, for highlighting the concluding position on my preference to vote against Rauner by voting for another evil, but one which may bering less Koch influence to my state's citizens. Quinn is not palatable either, but he's worth fighting against if he succeeds in "earthly" office once again.
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