WBEZ | Economy

Illinois pension Mad Lib: Choose your own fear-inspiring adjectives

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:27:00 -0500

The pension crisis in Illinois is dire. Politicians routinely use strong language when they talk about it. Consider the following:

"We all look like idiots." - Rep. Daniel Biss, D-Skokie.

“Finances in the state of Illinois are a train wreck.” - Dick Ingram of the Teachers Retirement System

"It's a catastrophic failure of leadership." - Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, R-Lemont

“The pension squeeze is draining our ability to teach our students. Our children are being shortchanged.” - Gov. Pat Quinn

“We are in a crisis. Everyone has to step up to the plate.” - Bill Daley

And it’s nothing new. Back in 1949, the Illinois State Employees Pension Laws Commission warned about “the tremendous, ever-increasing and disproportionate liabilities being imposed upon present and future generations of taxpayers.”

Now lawmakers are back in a special legislative session for the summer to try to agree on a plan.

All this talk has us wondering: Are there any adjectives left we can use to describe how bad this pension situation is that we aren’t already desensitized to? Any fear-inspiring idioms or cliches left out?

That’s where you come in. Fill out the Mad Lib-inspired form below to tell us how you’re feeling about the Illinois pension crisis. We’ll do a dramatic reading of some of your responses on-air.

Minorities, women get $82.5 million in CTA Red Line contracts

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:32:00 -0500

The Chicago Transit Authority says the massive Red Line reconstruction on the South Side isn’t just improving ridership for African Americans who live there – it’s also giving them jobs.

Amid pressure to be inclusive with millions of contracting dollars at stake, CTA has awarded 32 percent of Red Line contracts to businesses owned by minorities and women – totaling $82.5 million.

African-American groups have long complained about being shut out of city contracts. They were particularly sensitive to the Red Line renovations because the stations under construction are in predominantly black neighborhoods.

The five-month CTA project is between Cermak-Chinatown and 95th/Dan Ryan. The contract portion of the renovations is $259.4 million with two prime, or main, companies. Kiewit Infrastructure Company, an international firm, is completing the track work to the tune of $215.6 million and F.H. Paschen, S.N. Nielsen and Associates is in charge of station work for $43.8 million.

According to the CTA, Kiewit’s minority/women contract amount is $65 million and Paschen’s is $17.5 million. CTA officials told WBEZ they don’t have final numbers regarding the racial breakdown of on-site workers, but they set a mandatory goal for prime contractors: 15 percent of all man-hours must go to the economically disadvantaged.

The federal program in which these subcontractors qualify is called the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE). It must be 51 percent owned and controlled by a socially and economically disadvantaged individual. The CTA is actually governed by the federal designation, not the city of Chicago. However, there is overlap with DBE companies and city-certified minority/women businesses. Chicago’s contract program for minority and women businesses has, in the past, been marred by fraud, abuse and mismanagement.

“We believe that things have gone very well thus far. The companies that signed on as subcontractors, in particular the DBEs, are working well with the prime (contractors). We’re encouraged as we move into the completion of the first full month of construction that things will continue to go well until the Red Line reopens in October,” said Stephen Mayberry, a CTA spokesman.

One of the African-American subcontractors that works for another subcontractor is LiveWire Electrical Systems. The Oak Forest, Ill.-based company is receiving $1 million to retrofit lighting at Red Line stations.

“It’s difficult to get the prime contracts because bonding requirements are very high,” said LiveWire’s president Shon Harris. “It makes it difficult for smaller subcontractors. Right now you just have to cut your deal with the prime and demand that you get a proper share of the work and make sure you perform,” Harris said.

In the past, Harris said one of the biggest difficulties was getting the buy-in of prime contractors. The skepticism can often be cloaked in race, Harris said, pointing to trade unions that are dominated by whites.

“To be quite honest, a lot of times they feel you don’t have the wherewithal to do the work,” Harris said. But Harris said this time around the CTA has stuck to its commitment of making sure African Americans are represented.

Months before the Red Line tracks were ripped up, the Chicago Urban League organized meet-and-greets for minority contractors to sit down with major construction firms. The League also compiled a database of 2,000 skilled black construction workers. City contracts and construction jobs can be a boon, especially in areas starved for employment opportunities. Last year a report found that African-American unemployment in Chicago was 19 percent, the third highest in the country.

“We created real, meaningful opportunities for a range of African American businesses. We created opportunities and access for jobs for skilled workers to get onto the project. It’s not just token representation,” said Andrea Zopp, CEO of the Chicago Urban League.

Critics of city contracts have long said the process is a playground for the politically connected. Zopp said many small subcontractors don’t have access like the bigger players in town. The League also offers a 10-week contractor development program. Six of the businesses that graduated are currently CTA subcontractors – including LiveWire.

“We wanted to be involved because so far on many major building projects or construction projects run by the government, African Americans aren’t represented,” Zopp said.

One example that many often cite is the recent Metra Englewood Flyover rail project. Last year U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush loudly protested the paltry number of minority contractors involved.

“We are sick and tired of construction contracts in our communities that bring us all the dust, all the dirt, all the delay but none of the dough,” Rush told the Chicago Sun-Times.

The affirmative action program for city contracts started under Mayor Harold Washington’s administration in 1985. In 2010, the city inspector released a report critical of the program. The inspector’s investigation uncovered the use of front companies – businesses pretending to be minority firms to secure city contracts.

Bob Israel, president of Save Our Community Coalition, is on alert for front companies cashing in on the Red Line renovation.

“It ain’t the CTA – it’s the contractors I have my eyes on. Just because they’re certified doesn’t mean they’re legit,” Israel said.

His coalition is an advocate for African-American contractors and tradesmen and so far, he said, one Red Line subcontractor has caught his eye – Sandi Llano, a white female, received $250,000 to be a community liaison and outreach consultant.

“A Caucasian female?” Israel asked incredulously, referring to the fact that mostly black riders are affected by the shutdown along the southern portion of the Red Line. The CTA said it cannot dictate which firms the prime contractors hire.

Last fall, Israel marched with Ed Gardner and 1,000 others at 92nd and Western in the suburb of Evergreen Park to protest a lack of black construction jobs where a shopping center was being built. Gardner, a millionaire and founder of the iconic Soft Sheen hair care company, said he has met with CTA officials and wants proof of black workers.

“At least let us see what they’re doing and when they’re doing it,” Gardner said. “We should have a chance to see a result of their works. I don’t know when they [blacks] are supposed to earn these dollars.”

Zopp said the Chicago Urban League efforts show that minority hiring and contracting is feasible – even when it’s not a government project like the Red Line. And though they’re not always tied to city rules, she wants private developers to take note.

“If the private developers are truly committed to diversity, this shows that it’s doable. Many of those private developers have public support and tax incentives,” Zopp said. “What we’ve proven here is there’s no excuse. If private developers won’t support the community, we shouldn’t support their businesses.”

Natalie Moore is WBEZ’s South Side reporter. Follow her @natalieymoore.

Kiewit Construction Dan Ryan South Team

F.H. Paschen Construction Dan Ryan South Construction Team

Source: Chicago Transit Authority

Key:

AA - African American
H - Hispanic
AI - American Indian
C - Caucasian
AP - Asian/Pacific Islander

CUB: Illinois residents waste $1.4B on data plans

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:34:00 -0500

A consumer advocacy group says Illinois residents are wasting as much as $1.4 billion a year by signing up for the wrong cellphone data plan.

The Citizens Utility Board says Tuesday that the average Illinois resident is overpaying for their smartphone's data plan by about $194 a year, buying access to more data than they actually need.

CUB's executive director says people often don't realize how much data they use and overpay.

The figures, which CUB released along with wireless industry research firm Validas, show only a small percentage of smartphone users ever incur "overages" for using more data than their plan allows.

Research released this month by the Pew Internet & American Life project shows 91 percent of Americans own a cellphone, and 56 percent have a smartphone.

Illinois representative leads way on Medicare fraud legislation

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:09:00 -0500

U.S. Representative Peter Roskam (R-IL6) stood in Northwestern Memorial hospital, flanked a group of seniors from AARP.

He asked, ‘with all the current fiscal problems, what would happen if we found out there were billions of dollars suddenly available?’

“Well the fact is there is,” he said. “Medicare and Medicaid today, through fraud, error and abuse are overpaying 60 billion dollars.”

Roskam is leading the way on a bill that would try to stop some of that loss by using technology called predictive modeling.

It’s something credit card companies have used for years. For example, if you have ever gotten a call from your credit card company saying there were suspicious charges on card, maybe thousands of dollars were spent on a boat in Alaska, but you’d don’t ever make big charges or travel to Alaska, then you’ve benefited from this technology.

Similar bills have failed in the past. “The way Washington works is there are a lot of exit ramps for progress,” said Roskam.

“What we are trying to do is bring this out of the political drama, lower the wattage all the way around, and say ‘Look, there is identifiable problem, there is a identifiable solution, we can create a win, win here.’”

Roskam is sponsoring the bill alongside a democrat, Rep. John Carney of Delaware. Identical legislation in the Senate, is also being presented with bipartisan support.

Shannon Heffernan is a reporter for WBEZ. Follow her @shannon_h.

Bill Daley pitches pension ideas as part of bid for governor

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 14:03:00 -0500

Bill Daley is attacking his Democratic rivals ahead of next year’s race for Illinois governor. His main beef with them: how they’ve handled proposed reforms to the state’s retirement systems.

Daley said incumbent Gov. Pat Quinn hasn’t been a good leader on what many call the top issue facing Illinois: cutting the state’s $100 billion pension debt.

The former White House chief of staff and Commerce Secretary said Quinn should take a page out of the political playbook of Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama and threaten to veto one of two rival pension reform bills.

“It works if they’ll stand behind it and if the legislators believe the governor will stand behind that,” Daley said.

Of the two main pension reform proposals, Daley said he favored the bill that passed the House of Representatives, but failed in the Senate. That bill calls for a combination of raising the retirement age, cutting the cost of living increases and increasing employee contributions, along with a variety of other proposals. Labor groups and Senate President John Cullerton have said they don’t think the plan is constitutional. Cullerton called it for a vote last month in the Senate, where it gained just 16 votes of approval.

For his part, Quinn has put the onus of pension reform on state legislators, saying he can’t sign a bill if they don’t agree. Quinn called lawmakers back to Springfield on Wednesday for a special, one-day session on pensions. Quinn said last week he is putting a “Herculean effort” into getting senators on board with the plan they rejected last month. It’s not yet clear how successful he has been at getting 20 senators to flip their votes.

Daley also had some choice words for Attorney General Lisa Madigan, saying she should issue a legal opinion on the constitutionality of the two rival pension proposals.

“Let’s get some clarity,” Daley said. “Everyone, we are in a crisis. Everyone has to step up to the plate.”

Daley said if the attorney general doesn’t feel comfortable writing a legal opinion, she should appoint a special attorney general just for this issue.

Daley also rejected the idea that the long-standing disagreement over pensions is a plot to help her become governor.

“I don’t think sending the state into a deeper crisis helps anybody,” Daley said.

Lisa Madigan hasn’t definitely declared she is running for governor. She’s only gone so far in saying that she’s considering a bid.

In response to Daley’s comments, Madigan spokeswoman Natalie Bauer said in a written statement, “The Attorney General is already aggressively defending the state in multiple cases that will significantly impact what the legislature can do to solve this crisis, and for over a year, she has been providing the legislature with legal advice and analysis on the constitutional issues. As everyone is aware, the constitutional questions involved will ultimately be resolved by a court opinion, not the Attorney General’s opinion.”

Tony Arnold covers Illinois politics for WBEZ. Follow him @tonyjarnold.

Quinn signs into law tough fracking regulations

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 13:11:00 -0500

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signed legislation giving the state the nation's strictest regulations for high-volume oil and gas drilling.

In a news release, Quinn's office says the governor signed the bill Monday.

Quinn says the law will "unlock the potential" for thousands of jobs in southern Illinois while protecting the environment.

Quinn's signature was expected after the measure sailed through the Illinois Legislature.

The process called "fracking" probably won't begin in earnest in the state until next year because the Department of Natural Resources must adopt rules to mirror the regulations and hire dozens of new engineers, inspectors and regulators.

The law was crafted with the help of industry and some environmental groups.

The unusual collaboration has been touted as a potential model for other states.

Why actors deserve our respect

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 05:00:00 -0500

Friends may outright tell you that acting is a terrible career choice, or barely conceal their judgment behind a condescending smirk.

However, what these people may not realize is that actors are skilled professionals (no matter how much or how little they get paid) and that acting is more than just strutting around a stage and looking pretty for a camera. If forced to deliver a monologue before an audience of thousands, they might have a better appreciation for what actors do every 18-hour day on a film set or eight shows a week on Broadway.

Acting is hard work. Those who pursue acting as a career often work full-time jobs during the day, then hurry off to auditions on their lunch breaks and to the theater for rehearsals and shows at night. They eat, sleep and breathe their craft, sacrificing other more lucrative job offers in favor of their first love. Actors are a passionate bunch, and many have the jaw-dropping talent to merit star status alongside professional musicians, authors and athletes—even if they never acheive it.

Yes, some actors are hired for plum roles on film and television solely because of their looks or family connections (see Sofia Coppola in The Godfather Part III and Megan Fox in everything). However, other rising A-listers who are not conventionally attractive (like Steve Buscemi on Boardwalk Empire, the great Tilda Swinton and Chicago's own Michael Shannon) succeed because they are astoundingly good at what they do.

The act of "acting" is harder than it looks. Although pretending to fall in love with Johnny Depp might not look like the hardest job in the world, imagine the real-life scenario. Under the pressure of hot lights, multiple camera angles and several dozen crew members watching with bated breath, just remembering lines (not to mention delivering them well and performing convincingly) is a rare and truly impressive skill.

Many of the best film actors working today (Meryl Streep, Edward Norton, Al Pacino, etc.) first honed their skills in the theater. Myriads more have studied under the rigorous acting tenets of Uta Hagen and Lee Strasberg, devoting themselves completely to an art that few people can master, and even fewer actually acknowledge or respect as a viable career.

Good acting deserves to be seen and celebrated. Go to the Goodman, Steppenwolf, Victory Gardens or practically any other small storefront theater in Chicago to see the sublime acting talent that our city has to offer. For a better understanding of film actors and the intense work that goes into their craft, watch Inside the Actors Studio with James Lipton (recommended episodes: Jack Lemmon, Paul Newman and Kate Winslet).

Not everyone has what it takes to be a great actor; but to study acting as a true art form is a noble pursuit, and certainly worthy of respect. In the words of legendary acting coach Stella Adler, "Life beats down and crushes the soul, and art reminds you that you have one."

Leah Pickett writes about popular culture for WBEZ. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr.

Illinois leaders hold another pension meeting, still no clear deal

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 16:30:00 -0500

Illinois’ top public officials met behind closed doors Friday to discuss the state’s $100 billion pension debt. And still, there is no clear compromise on pension reform.

The meeting, and pensions stalemate, comes as Gov. Pat Quinn called lawmakers back to Springfield for a special session next week to address pension reform.

Without a compromise from legislative leaders, lawmakers have been left wondering why the special session is necessary.

Quinn said Friday he wants state senators to re-vote on a bill they soundly rejected two weeks ago, but was approved in the House.

“I’m going to make a Herculean effort to get ‘yes’ votes on that bill,” Quinn told reporters.

But Senate President John Cullerton says getting 20 senators to flip their votes will be tough.

“So, uh, I’m not very optimistic,” Cullerton said.

Meantime, Republican Senate leader Christine Radogno says she was uncomfortable at Friday’s meeting watching Democratic leaders disagree.

Democrats hold supermajorities in the House and Senate in Springfield and the leaders in those two chambers have yet to see eye-to-eye on the best way to reduce retirement benefits of state employees.

“I kind of felt like I was witness an awkward family fight,” Radogno said. “It’s clear that there’s not agreement, even close to agreement between the Democrats.”

Quinn also requested that lawmakers form a rare, special panel of lawmakers, called a conference committee, to come up with an agreed-upon pension plan. But that, too, was rejected by House Speaker Michael Madigan.

“I’m concerned on the conference committee that it’s an effort by the governor to distance himself from the process,” Madigan said.

But Quinn defended that plan, saying conference committees are designed to break a legislative stalemate when no other solutions are present.

Tony Arnold covers Illinois politics for WBEZ. Follow him @tonyjarnold.

Democrats to try again on Madigan's pension bill

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 13:31:00 -0500

Democratic leaders in the Illinois Legislature said Friday that they would try again to pass a pension-reform plan backed by House Speaker Michael Madigan, rejecting a request from Gov. Pat Quinn to form a bipartisan conference committee to solve the state's worst-in-the-nation $97 billion crisis.

Quinn met on Friday with Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton, who are locked in a stalemate over how to address the shortfall. Quinn wants an agreement before a special legislative session scheduled for Wednesday.

The governor's request would have been a tactic that hasn't been tried in Illinois in more than a decade. His spokeswoman, Brooke Anderson, said "on a really tricky issue, this is a way for an agreement to be forged."

But leaders emerged from the meeting in Chicago to say they wouldn't form a conference committee and instead would try to give Madigan's bill another try in the Senate. The measure received 16 'yes' votes during the regular legislative session, but it would need 36 such votes next week.

Illinois' five public employee retirement systems are $97 billion short of what's needed to pay benefits that were promised to workers and retirees. The shortfall is due largely to years of the Legislature voting to skip or short the state's payments.

Republican leaders, as well as the governor, have blasted Cullerton and Madigan for failing to come to an agreement during the legislative session that ended last month.

Madigan and Cullerton each had competing pension bills during the regular legislative session. Cullerton said Friday that he's not optimistic Madigan's bill would get the needed votes during the special session.

Earlier this week, Quinn asked Cullerton and Madigan to pass a measure that combines the two approaches. Days later, Madigan filed an amendment that gutted Cullerton's bill and replaced it with his own.

Madigan's plan would unilaterally impose pension changes on state workers and raise the retirement age, by most accounts saving the state the most money of any proposal. Cullerton's plan would give state workers choices over what benefits to receive in retirement, which he contends would give it a better chance of surviving a court challenge.

Quinn proposed passing both in a single bill with room for modifications, essentially making Cullerton's proposal a backup plan in case Madigan's solution is thrown out in court. But Madigan suggested it was too complicated and called on Quinn to persuade the Senate to approve the House-supported option.

Republican leader Sen. Christine Radogno said Friday's meeting was like watching an "awkward family fight."

How Superman saved a small Illinois town

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 07:52:00 -0500

Today is the day many comic book fans have been waiting for. Man of Steel, the latest Superman movie, opens in theaters across the country. Much of the film was shot in Chicago, a stand-in for the comic book’s fictional Metropolis. But some folks in the real city of Metropolis, Illinois may take issue with that.

For more than 40 years, the town at the southern tip of Illinois has been the official home of Superman. Every summer, 30,000 super fans converge on this small city along the Ohio River for the Superman Celebration. Now in it’s 35th year, they’re all there for one reason: to celebrate the big guy in the blue tights and the red cape.

“This is my third time here,” says Steve Younis with a thick Aussie accent. “I wish I could come every year but it’s expensive to come from Australia every year.”

Younis runs SupermanHomepage.com, one of the largest Superman fan sites in the world, from his home in Sydney. But in Metropolis last week, Younis was just another fan.

Here, you can find Superman everywhere: On billboards, in drug stores, even on the badges of the Metropolis’ police force.

“I just think everybody needs a hero. People always look for that; troubled times and people need some happiness in their lives and they escape with Superman,” says actor Michael Rosenbaum. He played Lex Luthor in the TV series Smallville and was on hand for the celebration. “I think it’s great.”

In reality, Metropolis is a lot more like Smallville than the big city in the comic books.

So, living in Metropolis – with Superman as a neighbor – has to be pretty exciting, right?

“It’s boring,” says Eric Phillips, who’s lived in Metropolis for the last seven years. “Not a lot of action here. Superman almost got nothing to do. He sits around all day.”

Actually, Superman stands around all day, with a clenched jaw, 16-feet high in front of the Massac County Courthouse.

“You can walk up here at the courthouse any day, and there’s somebody taking a picture with the Superman statue,” Phillips says.

Of course, Metropolis, Illinois was around long before Superman, which was founded in 1839 to be exact. At the time, the city’s founders envisioned a large transportation hub that would develop into a major metropolis. But those illusions of grandeur never materialized. Factories closed, people moved away, and by the early 1970s, Metropolis was anything but.

That’s when somebody suggested that Metropolis take advantage of its name and push to be Superman’s official hometown. DC Comics signed off on the idea – and so did the Illinois legislature. Longtime resident Sue Barfield says the idea was kryptonite to some folks.

“We had a lot of naysayers. When we had our first Superman statue at the square, we had a lot of people make a lot of fun of it,” Barfield said.

Still, some credit Superman with saving this struggling town. Metropolis Mayor Billy McDaniel goes further than that.

“We strive to operate our city as just what it says: truth, justice and the American way” he said. “We try to raise our kids the same way: with integrity. How you treat your neighbor, how you treat other people is important in your life,” McDaniel said. “We don’t all agree on everything but I can tell you when something happens, you forget your differences and you try to help each other.”

The journalist Michele Longworth backs that statement up.

“Like in 2011, we had the worst flooding that Metropolis has seen in a long time. We had community members out sandbagging and pulling together. So, I think people really are super.”

Longworth works for the the local newspaper called, of course, the Metropolis Planet. The original name, the Metropolis News, was changed in 1972, the year the city became Superman’s hometown.

“When we get phone calls, people always ask, “Where’s Clark, Where’s Lois?” We always say, They’re on assignment,” Longworth jokes.

Like her counterpart Lois Lane, Longworth says there are days when she could use Clark Kent’s help.

“Like the time I took the wrong turn trying to go take some pictures to cover a story and ended up in the middle of a cornfield with my Mustang,” Longworth said. “Sometimes I wish there were a real life Superman to come rescue me.”

But there are those in Metropolis who say Superman could be doing more for the town than just standing around.

“I think there should be an amusement park. I think there should be a lot of developmental things,” says resident Pam Turner, who was eating lunch at the local Rube’s Diner. “I think it would have been a gold mine for Metropolis, a lot better than a riverboat.”

But according to city officials their hands are tied. They say DC Comics tightly controls anything having to do with the man with the ‘S’ on his chest. On the other hand, Turner’s mother, Loreen McGinnis, could hardly care less about Superman, the statue, or anything else.

“I’ll soon be 89-years-old and I’ve been to it twice,” McGinnis said. I went home and I ‘ain’t’ been back.”

McGinnis says with a riverboat casino in town, Superman’s high ideals aren’t doing much good anyway.

“It’s Sin City,” she said. “I feel like our young people have too much of the devil’s playground in Metropolis.”

Sounds like a job for Superman.

But for now, residents have other things to worry about, like where to see the new movie. When “Man of Steel” opens today, folks in Metropolis will have to travel across the river to Paducah, Kentucky to watch it.

That’s because the city’s only movie theater closed decades ago. The last movie shown there?

Superman starring Christopher Reeve.

Follow WBEZ reporter Michael Puente on Twitter @MikePuenteNews.