This Is Why Illinois Can’t Have Nice Things

By Kevin D. Williamson

Friday, March 20, 2015

The Golden Horde would have blushed at the rapacity of the modern American public-sector union and its Democratic enablers. Via Fox News and the Chicago Tribune:

    After working one day as a substitute teacher in Illinois, David Piccioli could be entitled to an annual pension of more than $30,000.

    And he’s suing the state to make sure he gets paid.

    Piccioli is a retired union political activist who’s already pulling down a pair of state pensions from Illinois’ beleaguered public retirement system. But he’s taking the Teachers Retirement System to court to squeeze more money out of the state.

    The Chicago Tribune reported Thursday that Piccioli is already collecting $31,000 annually from the Teacher Retirement System, but he could get an additional $36,000 annually if he wins his case. He’s also collecting a $30,000-pension from a different state retirement system for his time as a legislative aide in Springfield, according to the Tribune.

Illinois is about $100 billion short of being able to fund its public-sector pension liabilities. When it is time to talk about pension reform, we always hear about policemen, firemen, and teachers. Keep this in mind the next time the teachers’ unions insist that this is all about “the children.”