Past President's Message
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SEPTEMBER 2014 ANNUITANTS ASSOCIATION Past President’s Message by Gene Humke In addition to all the activity concerning saving our pensions by SUAA now taking place in the Illinois Court System, there is also much activity within our own Chapter. Our activity, however, is a more personal nature. We as a chapter lost a leader with the death of our former President, October 15 • 8:30 a.m. Jack Hall. He died of metastasized cancer on Tuesday, July 22, 2014, Men’s Warm Oatmeal Club in rural Danvers at Hall’s Ponderosa. (This is the name the Hall family and Marching Society called their farm home.) Jack was a leader because his commanding Busy Corner • Goodfield voice and his message required your attention. I am continuing on in the leadership position but as the Past —— • —— President of the ICCAA. At our June Annual Meeting no one volunteered October 27 • Midnight to become President of the ICCAA. Jack’s membership on the Executive Newsletter Deadline Board ended with our June Annual Meeting this year. My membership will end as Past President with the 2015 June Annual Meeting. A new volunteer to be President can take this position now but definitely must by the June 2015 Annual Meeting. Perhaps this new President will not actually live in the Peoria area. This would be possible because electronic media can make it possible via conference calls and also email. I have also suspended all regular meetings of the ICCAA due to lack of attendance except for the June Annual Meeting. This is illegal according to our Constitution, but my being “acting” President is also illegal. I will gladly quit this “Acting President’s Position” when someone available PRESIDENT will come forward and “right” this situation. However, communication to Gene Humke you will continue via this newsletter and emails will continue thanks to PAST PRESIDENT Bob Wegner, our newsletter editor and Ed Smith our email sender. Marilyn Walter Finally, there is a “hint” that SUAA and all the other member and SECRETARY retiree supported organizations might win their lawsuits to have recent Louise Heimann legislation passed by the General Assembly. Senate Bill 1 as Amended TREASURER could be declared unconstitutional by the State Supreme Court. A recent Bob Wegner lower court ruling has implied the courts will support constitutional docu- NEWSLETTER EDITOR mentation that states: “Membership in any pension or retirement system Gene Humke of the State, any unit of local government or school district, or any agency SUAA & SUAA ACTION REPRESENTATIVE or instrumentality thereof, shall be an enforceable contractual relation- ship, the benefits of which shall not be diminished or impaired.” Article XIII, Section 5 of the current 1970 Illinois Constitution Your contributions are essential for both an informative and entertaining Just how is government to operate and function when contractual newsletter. Anyone who would like to relationships are not supported and sustained? I doubt that it can. How- contribute to the ICCAA newsletter may ever, both the Legislative and Executive branches of Illinois government submit copy directly to the editor, can, along with the voters, pass legislation which could change Article Bob Wegner, at [email protected]. XIII, Section 5 of the Illinois Constitution. This would be a Constitutional Amendment. Please keep your donations to the SUAA Legal Fund flowing. ICCAA Special Meeting Minutes submitted by Jan David, Secretary Pro Tem JUNE 12, 2014 • 1:30 P.M. President Gene Humke called Gene Humke and Hugh The final item on the agenda the Annual Meeting to order Clymore will be our delegates and the required business of at 1:35 p.m. There were 13 to the SUAA Annual Meet- the Annual Meeting was the members present. Gene ing in Springfield, Illinois, on election of officers for the next welcomed those in attendance June 17 and June 18. Gene year. The offices of President, and thanked them for coming to and Hugh also attended a Vice President, and Secretary the meeting. SUAA Mini Briefing earlier this are vacant. There have been month where they received no volunteers willing to serve The minutes from the April 17, information on the impact of as candidates, and none came 2014, meeting were approved as pension reform legislation as forward at this meeting. Gene printed in the May issue of the contained in Senate Bill 1 and stated that he would be in ICCAA Newsletter. In the absence background information on the violation of the Constitution to of the Treasurer, the current proposed changes to the SUAA continue serving as President. Treasurer’s report was distributed Bylaws. The changes to the Therefore, at this time no by Gene, reviewed, and approved Bylaws will be voted on at the meetings are scheduled until on a motion by Bill Lindgren/ SUAA Annual Meeting. Gene the Annual Meeting of 2015. Chris Rodgers and placed on file. provided copies of the Power- Gene will be acting in the Gene projected that we may have Point presentations for both capacity of Past President a large enough balance on hand topics. He also discussed the to oversee continued to fund two ICC Scholarships for pros and cons of some of the communication via email 2015 ($1,500) which are sched- proposed changes to the SUAA and the Newsletter. Members uled to be paid in December. Bylaws. It is possible that not expressed their thanks to him all of the proposed changes will for his additional year of Rich Karnopp, reporting for the be approved. service, and he declared the Insurance Committee, indicated meeting adjourned at 2:50 p.m. that there have been no meet- ings recently, but he was happy to report that the cost for ICC insurance for the year beginning July 1 dropped by $84 per person per quarter. This was welcome news after the large increase that went into effect last year. September 2014 2 And Speaking of And What Constitutions ... Happened to submitted by Gene Humke At the recent SUAA Annual Meeting held in the Proposal to Springfield at the Abraham Lincoln Hotel on June 17 and 18, 2014, a proposal to amend the SUAA Constitution in terms of positions Change How and operation was defeated due to lack of a two-thirds majority voting in favor of the Legitlative Districts Amendment. SUAA is still operating under the Constitution which is found in your Handbook. Both Hugh Clymore and I attended this meeting are Drawn? as voting delegates. Please feel free to contact submitted by Gene Humke them if you would like more information on how these changes were part of the agenda items You may have signed this petition to have legislative and how the meeting was conducted according districts drawn by an independent commission rather to Robert’s Rules of Order. than being selected by the political party who wins the most votes in the decennial election. I signed this petition and other members of the ICCCAA did also. The result was to be that this question would be placed before the voters. It was thought that 500,000 signtures would get this before the voters of Illinois as a Constitutional Amendment. However, The State Election Commission ruled that there were not enough valid signatures out of the 500,000 to warrant this question to be placed before the voters. Next time maybe 1,000,000 signatures will have to be obtained? What is going on here? Treasurer’s Report submitted by Louis Heimann As of 09/17/2014: Beginning Balance – 06/11/2014 ........ $1,363.09 Income: Deposits (Dues/Dues Deduction/Renewals) ..... $ 792.75 TOTAL ................................ $2,155.84 Expenses: Travel ................................ $ 145.28 Memorials (Hall, McNett) ................ $ 174.72 TOTAL ................................ $ 320.00 Balance as of 06/11/2014 ................ $1,835.84 Membership (2014-15 as of 07/31/2014): SUAA Regular Members = 224 3 September 2014 Now, to be sure, there is no substitute for consulting your Well, that’s a stretch! physician for a chronic problem. submitted by Ed Smith There are other conditions that could be in play. And plantar fasciitus therapy treatment can “Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!” That’s the sound not truly inflammation anti-inflam- require physical therapy, night of me getting up in the morning. matory drugs won’t be effective in splints, orthodontic appliances, Or getting up after sitting in a chair treating the problem. What to do or even surgery. But if Ibuprofen or for about 20 minutes. Or after instead if anti-inflammatory drugs other anti-inflammatories don’t help standing for a while. Hellooooo don’t help you? (And some, such and the condition is not unbearably plantar fasciitus! Toddling off into as cortisone, may since it reduces painful or limiting, one might try the “geezerhood” is not for sissies. pain as well as inflammation.) simple stretching regimen suggest- As you probably already know, An inexpensive, simple, and ed. I have talked to folks who said the symptom of plantar fasciitus is a effective cure is to do less offend- stretching was a big help and an sharp, stabbing pain on the bottom ing activity and add stretching to eventual cure. However, it’s not an of your foot at/near the heel. The the exercise routine. Dr. Terrence immediate cure. It can take a while condition is usually at its worst upon Philbin is an orthopedic surgeon so you’ll need a little patience. But waking and getting out of bed in the at the Orthopedic Foot and Ankle it certainly can be worth a try. morning; those first few steps are Center in Westerville, Ohio. He killers. But, as noted above, other recommends backing off training times following inactivity can be a bit to let the tissue tears heal.