Union Boss Gets Free State Money for Kid's College Tuition

by: warner todd huston | published: 11 29, 2011

You might recall in October when it was discovered that a few union bosses had paid off Illinois lawmakers to write a law that allowed union bosses to serve as a substitute teacher for one day in order to qualify them for state pensions for life. Well, apparently one of those union bosses also got freebies from the state for his kids and extended family.

Steven Preckwinkle, the Director of the Illinois Federation of Teachers, not only got a free pension for life paid for by the taxpayers of Illinois after being a "teacher" for only one day, but the Chicago Tribune has discovered that Preckwinkle also got free college tuition for his kids and a nephew, also courtesy of the taxpayers.

Through a spokesman, Preckwinkle said that his undeserved pension and the freebie education for his kids was perfectly legitimate and that "political connections played no role" in his amazing good fortune. If you believe that I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.

The whole situation with Preckwinkle and fellow unionista David Piccioli is an affront to the people of Illinois and is just more proof that the political climate in Illinois is set up to benefit insiders not the people of Illinois.

The union thug's kids got their free tuition through what is called a "legislative scholarship," a program that allows Springfield pols to give away college tuition waivers to anyone they please. Governor Quinn has proposed eliminating the program but is meeting resistance in Springfield.

The Tribune also highlighted the crooked quid pro quo that occurs every single day in Illinois.

The pol that gave Preckwinkle his free tuition packages was Springfield Representative Mike Curran. Curran left the legislature in 1995 and guess where he works now? Yep, the very union that Preckwinkle works for.

After he left the state legislature Mike Curran got hired as a "consultant" by the Illinois Federation of Teachers.

Yeah. Imagine that, eh?

In the meantime, Preckwinkle gave hundreds if not thousands of dollars to Mike Curran's various political campaigns. Quid pro quo.

This is the sort of corrupt bargain you get when you allow state employees to unionize. The best solution to eliminate such insider dealing, fraud, waste of tax dollars, and corruption is to eliminate all public employee unions.

Meanwhile and unsurprisingly, the children of Red Chinese Communist Party members are living lives of luxury in China while the rest of the nation struggles in poverty. Is it a parallel to the corrupt situation in Illinois? What do you think?

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