Saturday, October 2, 2010

State Employment Greed

How excited is everyone else to see Gordon Gekko back on the big screen? Nothing nails home the status of America more than when he opens his mouth and utters the words greed. Ladies and gentlemen, I do not care what Mr. Gekko says, greed is not good, it is destructive. When you look around your town, state or country and begin to complain, remember greed is what brought us here. Now it has brought that oh so precious false sense of entitlement to a new level. Although I could tell you infinite amount of stories to nail this point home, I am going to focus on just one. If you want to make a great living, become state employed. The State of Illinois pays better than other states, just look at our neighboring states. It also blows the private sector away. This is because Chicago sets the standards for all state employees on what is a decent wage. But I don’t want to focus on the wages earned. I want to focus on the pension taken. A lot of state employees have become scared because Senator Bill Brady, running for Governor, wants to change the pension system. Not for current employees, but for future ones. No longer will they become part of the broken pension system, but a 401k program instead. The reasoning is simple; the state can no longer afford to keep sliding in the hole like it is in the pension program. State employees do not realize that every time they get paid, and the money they put into the pension program disappears instantly, because the pension system lacks the funding to survive. It keeps getting stolen to pay for other things. I have asked these state employees that complain, “What is wrong with a 401k? It works fine for the private sector.” I can never get an answer. The bottom line is that state employees feel that the taxpayers should pay them for the rest of their lives for their service. It wasn’t until recently that Correctional Officers were force to pay a percentage of their wages into the pension system, meaning they were setting up a retirement for free. What makes state employees think they are above the rest of the taxpayers? In a time when the state is one of the poorest in the nation, concessions need to be made. State employees, especially unionized ones refuse to sacrifice anything to help repair the damage of over a decade of mismanagement. As much as you’re being paid, you can be like the rest of us, and use a 401k to save up for retirement. You are entitled to nothing. Your greed is out of control.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Real Change Coming

I know I have been gone for a while, but I have been busy working the campaign trail for various candidates. In my absence, a lot has happened, and we are just going to fast forward to what is happening now.

Today is another "Super Tuesday." The Tea Party Express must be recognized as a powerful political action committee. Some tea party groups are too radical, but after you take them out of the equation you have a core of people that are quite impressive in holding rallies, raising funds, and most importantly, helping people win races. As I watch the news, I see more and more candidates, supported by the teas party, winning their primary elections. In some states record turnouts are occurring.

This is important because it shows that the American people have become fed up with being pushed around by their government. Not only are they attempting to throw out the guilty ones, but they are trying to bring in Washington outsiders to change the way our country does business. No longer is business as usual acceptable. In my state, Illinois, Senator Bill Brady is running a successful campaign for governor. A position filled by Governor Quinn upon the impeachment of Rod Blagojevich. Instead of seizing the opportunity to repair a damaged state, Quinn chose to continue with the backroom deals, spend money the state does not have, and then in the middle of a recession, ask to raise taxes by over 30%. As he takes the raises away from the everyday state employee, he turns around and gives his own political appointees large raises. I could rant about Quinn for days, but the bottom line is he has failed the people, and now he must go.

Bill Brady on the other hand promises to force the state to live within our means, trim the wasteful spending out of the state budget, and most importantly, run the state like a business. He understands that in order for the people, businesses, and the state to get back on track, real changes need to be made. Tough choices will need to be made to save our state. Senator Brady is a man who can do this with the voters best interests at heart. I encourage you to visit bradyforillinois.com and learn more about him, and to vote for him in November.

Friday, April 9, 2010

Dear Attorney General Madigan

The following is a letter I have sent to the Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan in reference to the Health Care Reform bill. I hope you enjoy, and feel free to contact her as well:

Attorney General Madigan,
You have always seemed to be a person who fights for the people of the state. I think you are doing a great job, and have stepped up to the plate when we needed you most. I have sat back for the last few weeks waiting for you to once again protect us from unlawful acts. As of yet, you have made no action, and I know you will not be. You have stood before the press and stated firmly that you will not be joining the other states to block the enforcement of the bill in Illinois. Although I doubt I can change your mind, I am going to try none the less. I will not argue the fact that reform to America's health care system is needed. But the changes coming are not the right ones, and I think you know it. Just because President Obama is from this state, does not mean we have to stand behind him on every issue. To open the debate, the bill is unconstitutional. As a lawyer, I am sure you are aware of this. The 10th Amendment states, "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” The reforms in the bill violate the peoples' rights by imposing a new mandate on individuals to obtain health insurance or face a penalty and imposing on the states new costs by expanding Medicaid, which is a federal-state program. Now granted, people are forced to purchase auto insurance, but that is imposed by states, not the feds and you can opt out of the car insurance if you opt out of having a driver’s license. I am not forced to have auto insurance unless I want to drive. I want to live; does that mean I am required to have health insurance? Also let us not forget that our state, thanks to the past two Governors is in dire straits. We are facing a $13 billion deficit this fiscal year alone. The state can't pay the bills as it is. How are the people of Illinois going to afford this new mandate? The fact is, we can't. I know that no person can put a price on another life. Like I said, we do need reform, but it has to be better planned out, and not violate the rights of the people. Remember, you work for the people. We do not work for you. If it is found that a majority of the voters of our great state do not want this bill. Then you must place your personal ideology aside, and do what is right. Thank you for your time and consideration.

David Bourne,
americarebourne.blogspot.com

Friday, April 2, 2010

Opportunity Knocking

The Republican party is in trouble, and they probably are too blind too see it. The leaders of the party feel that they are doing right, and will will the country back thanks to Obamacare. As much as I hope for this to be true, I feel that it will not be. The party, just like the Democrats, are no longer in touch with the American people. This is no longer the country of our fathers, and views have changed. Conservative voters find themselves a little liberal on issues that the party denounces. And being the "Party of No" has not been good publicity for a party still scarred by the Bush/Cheney era. When the next generation of conservatives try to get involved, they are shunned by the leaders for people already in the party. Another case of politics as usual. If the party expects to regain the support of the people, reform is needed. Instead of always saying no, and sticking to the people in the party that have already damaged the conservatives, new ideas and people need to be presented. Everyone wants health care reform, just not the one Obama pushed through. With the problems arising in the local, state, and federal levels, the Republicans are in an ideal spot to regain some control. But without change, the days of King George Ryan and Dubya will just be replayed. Get new people involved, and make the right changes needed to bring the party back in touch with how people think today.