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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><table class=MsoNormalTable border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width="100%" style='width:100.0%;background:#EFEFEF;border:none;border-bottom:solid #DDDDDD 1.0pt'><tr><td style='border:none;padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#464646'>New post on <b>Fred Klonsky</b> <o:p></o:p></span></p></td><td style='border:none;padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal align=right style='text-align:right'><span style='font-size:19.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#0088CC'><img width=32 height=32 id="_x0000_i1027" src="cid:image001.jpg@01D081F9.6B212B00" alt="Description: http://1.gravatar.com/blavatar/7ec9370c18c59838d87222368ac1a170?s=32&d=http%3A%2F%2Fs0.wp.com%2Fi%2Femails%2Fblavatar.png&ts=1430234654"></span><span style='font-size:19.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#0088CC'><o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr></table><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width="100%" style='width:100.0%;background:white'><tr><td style='padding:15.0pt 15.0pt 15.0pt 15.0pt'><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width="100%" style='width:100.0%'><tr><td valign=top style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width="100%" style='width:100.0%'><tr><td nowrap valign=top style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><a href="https://preaprez.wordpress.com/author/preaprez/" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#2585B2;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=50 height=50 id="_x0000_i1026" src="cid:image002.jpg@01D081F9.6B212B00" alt="Description: http://1.gravatar.com/avatar/4f97cca7fb548c18855d1ae13aabde3c?s=50&d=http%3A%2F%2Fs0.wp.com%2Fi%2Fmu.gif&r=G"></span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p></td><td style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#555555'><a href="https://preaprez.wordpress.com/2015/04/28/illinois-public-employee-pensions-and-israel/" target="_blank"><span style='color:#2585B2;text-decoration:none'>Illinois public employee pensions and Israel?</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#888888'>by <a href="https://preaprez.wordpress.com/author/preaprez/" target="_blank"><span style='color:#888888'>Fred Klonsky</span></a></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr></table><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:16.8pt'><a href="https://preaprez.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/silverstein-052313br01371.jpg" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#2585B2;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=400 height=258 id="_x0000_i1025" src="cid:image003.jpg@01D081F9.6B212B00" alt="Description: Silverstein-052313br0137"></span></a><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#444444'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:16.8pt'><i><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#444444'>Illinois State Senator Ira Silverstein.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:16.8pt'><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#444444'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:16.8pt'><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#444444'>Illinois public employee pensions are the most underfunded pension funds in the country.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:16.8pt'><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#444444'>This is because the Illinois legislature refused to pay into them what they are required to pay.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:16.8pt'><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#444444'>Naturally they now want to use them to pursue a foreign policy agenda of support for Israel.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:16.8pt'><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#444444'>You are probably saying, <i>"What?"</i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:16.8pt'><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#444444'>Oh, yes.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:16.8pt'><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#444444'>Last year Senator Ira Silverstein was defeated in his attempt to defund Illinois public colleges and universities if even one employee supported the <i>Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel.</i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:16.8pt'><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#444444'>Now he and a bunch of others are back with an idea that Bruce Rauner loves.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:16.8pt'><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#444444'>This bill would require TRS and other public pension funds to research and investigate companies and divest any investments in those that participate in a political boycott of Israel.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:16.8pt'><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#444444'>Amazingly <a href="http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=1761&GAID=13&DocTypeID=SB&LegID=88517&SessionID=88&SpecSess=&Session=&GA=99" target="_blank"><span style='color:#2585B2'>this bill </span></a>passed in the Senate 49-0.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:16.8pt'><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#444444'>Let me remind you that Senator Silverstein voted last year to cut our pension benefits.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:16.8pt'><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#444444'>Time to make some phone calls to Illinois House members and tell them to leave our pension investments alone.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:16.8pt'><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#444444'>They've done enough harm to our pension funds already.</span><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#444444'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:160%'><b><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#999999'><a href="https://preaprez.wordpress.com/author/preaprez/" target="_blank"><span style='color:#2585B2'>Fred Klonsky</span></a></span></b><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#999999'> | April 28, 2015 at 10:23 am | Tags: <a href="https://preaprez.wordpress.com/?tag=boycott" target="_blank"><span style='color:#2585B2'>boycott</span></a>, <a href="https://preaprez.wordpress.com/?tag=ira-silverstein" target="_blank"><span style='color:#2585B2'>Ira Silverstein</span></a>, <a href="https://preaprez.wordpress.com/?tag=israel" target="_blank"><span style='color:#2585B2'>Israel</span></a> | Categories: <a href="https://preaprez.wordpress.com/?cat=37328516" target="_blank"><span style='color:#2585B2'>Pensions</span></a> | URL: <a href="http://wp.me/p4C3g-aIX" target="_blank"><span style='color:#2585B2'>http://wp.me/p4C3g-aIX</span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></p><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width=0 style='width:0in'><tr><td width=10 style='width:7.5pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><a href="https://preaprez.wordpress.com/2015/04/28/illinois-public-employee-pensions-and-israel/#respond" target="_blank"><span style='font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif";color:white;border:solid #11729E 1.0pt;padding:4.0pt;background:#2585B2;text-decoration:none'>Comment</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p></td><td style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> <a href="https://preaprez.wordpress.com/2015/04/28/illinois-public-employee-pensions-and-israel/#comments" target="_blank"><span style='color:#2585B2'>See all comments</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>