2 River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 20 No. 818 • November 21 - December 5, 2012 Business • Politics • Arts • Culture • Now You Know • RiverCitiesReader.com Business • Politics • Arts • Culture • Now You Know • RiverCitiesReader.com River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 20 No. 818 • November 21 - December 5, 2012 3 WORDS FROM THE EDITOR by Kathleen McCarthy [email protected] A Government Guided by Peace and Tolerance he media cartels, currently the published articles for nearly 20 years sides of the aisle, do not have the courage domestic and military spending. That public-relations arm of politicians documenting our circumstances that to address. The full transcript and is why Congress gave us the Federal T(and their bureaucracies) and the resemble what many have referred to as a video can be found at RCReader.com/y/ Reserve and the income tax. The majority corporate elite, lend their full coopera- slowly boiling frog: It does not know it’s ronpaulfarewell. of Americans and many government tion in censoring ideas that inform po- being cooked until it’s too late. officials agreed that sacrificing some litical debate in America. Why? Because Last week, U.S. Representative Ron Excerpts from Ron Paul’s liberty was necessary to carry out what an informed populace is an anathema to Paul (R-Texas) delivered his farewell some claimed to be “progressive” ideas. the two-party system so critical to the speech on the House floor, putting November 14 House Pure democracy became acceptable. current political power base. This self- a bookend on his 23-year career as Today we face a dependency on perpetuating system enriches the global arguably the most fervent, principled, Floor Speech government largesse for almost every elite through strategic and privileged and consistent defender of the Bill of A grand, but never mentioned, partnerships that confiscate and consoli- Rights. Below are excerpts from Dr. need. Our liberties are restricted and bipartisan agreement allows for the well- Continued On Page 42 date the world’s wealth and resources. Paul’s speech well worth noting for kept secret that keeps the spending going. There can be no question that America reminding us that the original intent of One side doesn’t give up one penny on is now in an era of authoritarianism, and America’s founding documents was to military spending, the other side doesn’t Corrections · we, as a people, are on the brink of facing govern the government, not govern the give up one penny on welfare spending, In the “Art in Plain Sight” article in extreme tyranny in our lifetimes. (And people. while both sides support the bailouts and the November 8-20 issue of the River your locally elected officials and officers In the interest of protecting individual subsidies for the banking and corporate Cities’ Reader, the title of Terry Rathje’s stand idly by forsaking their oaths of freedom, the enumerated restrictions elite. artwork was incorrect. It should have office, under the pretense of violating specifically limited government’s Freedom, private property, and been No Future – No Past – No You – your rights in the name of security activities, not those of the people. enforceable voluntary contracts generate No Me. and arrogantly determining that they Allowing the inversion of this founding wealth. In our early history we were · are providing you a quality of life you principle is, according to Paul, at the very much aware of this. But in the early The live-music section of the deserve. But I digress ... .) heart of America’s decline. Beyond these part of the 20th Century, our politicians November 8-20 issue of the River From the militant police state to the insights, his speech is worth watching/ promoted the notion that the tax and Cities’ Reader included a picture of Ben invasion of your privacy to the violation reading because Paul takes on nearly monetary systems had to change if we Harper instead of Harper. 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App Delivery Follow MOBILE Rewards Download for Order at Like us for a Text HOBO to We accept: mobile ordering. www.good2goqc.com FREE sandwich. 81018 to join. 4 River Cities’ Reader • Vol. 20 No. 818 • November 21 - December 5, 2012 Business • Politics • Arts • Culture • Now You Know • RiverCitiesReader.com ILLINOIS POLITICS by Rich Miller CapitolFax.com Civic Committee Leader Pushes Himself Out of the Pension Debate or the past few years, the Civic Commit- advantage to dealing with the guy. tee of the Commercial Club of Chicago Making things worse, Fahner refused to Fhas been one of the most feared partici- disclose the actuarial data upon which his pants in the state’s pension-reform debate. public statements were based. That has led to Ty Fahner, a former Illinois attorney general more than one suggestion behind the scenes who heads the Civic Committee, managed to that Fahner may have cooked the books to convince both parties to elbow each other for arrive at his striking conclusion. The Teachers a position of favor with Retirement System him and his group. released a statement last When Fahner ended Why bend over week saying that Fahner’s up siding with the conclusions were wrong, House Democrats back backward to based on its own actuarial in May and endorsing data. That statement their pension-reform accommodate just fueled the flames of plan, including shifting suspicion. costs to school districts, someone who will So it’s little wonder the House Republicans that, as I write this, were furious and never admit that neither of the Republican disappointed. They state legislative leaders had been assiduously you did the right has yet jumped to courting Fahner, and thing? Fahner’s defense. House figured that since the Republican Leader Tom Civic Committee is Cross’ office was silent, composed of several top Chicago business and Senate Republican Leader Christine leaders, they’d be the natural ally of choice. Radogno continued to call for a balanced, Not to mention that Fahner also formed comprehensive fix. Fahner wasn’t with them a political action committee (“We Mean before, and he can’t be placated now, so he’s off Business”) to back up his word. Everybody the invite list. wanted that money, so the PAC gave his The Senate Democrats were even harsher, position additional strength. issuing a statement from their attorney that But those days appear to be behind us, at ripped Fahner’s arguments to tiny shreds. least for now. Fahner’s histrionics last week Fahner had earlier backed a “comprehensive over what he claimed was an “unfixable” reform” plan introduced by Republicans pension problem have all but cut him out of the that would cut the state’s unfunded pension Statehouse mix. “He’s made himself irrelevant,” liabilities by between $3 billion and $5 billion. said one top Democratic official who is It was also so severe that just about everybody intimately involved with pension reform. considered it unconstitutional. The Senate In a memo to his members, Fahner wrote: Democrats’ attorney, Eric Madiar, noted in “The pension crisis has grown so severe that his response to Fahner that the Democratic it is now unfixable. ... There simply won’t be proposal currently on the table cuts the enough money” to pay pensions for young same $3 billion to $5 billion from unfunded teachers just starting out. liabilities, which Fahner now calls “insufficient” But then Fahner constructed a bizarre and “token.” dichotomy by claiming the problem is Only the Chicago Tribune’s editorial board, completely unfixable while simultaneously whose often ill-informed catcalls about pension demanding specific changes to the pension reform make Fahner look downright moderate, systems. Fahner said four things had to be done attempted to come to Fahner’s defense. The “just to slow the bleeding and reduce the size editorial page claimed that Fahner didn’t really of the financial burden Illinois taxpayers must mean that the problem was “mathematically” bear.” Those four items included eliminating unfixable, but that it was unfixable due to annual cost-of-living increases for pensioners, a lack of political will. That’s a misreading. instituting a pensionable salary cap, increasing Fahner clearly stated in his memo to the Civic the retirement age to 67, and shifting pension Committee membership that his demanded costs to local employers such as school districts fixes would merely “slow the bleeding” and and universities.