Good News! Judge Belz's Injunction and the New ('All-Ears') Rahm

GOOD NEWS...Circuit Judge John Belz has issued a temporary restraining order blocking the implementation of the new state pension-robbing law, SB-1.

“I do think it has led to great confusion … almost across-the-board confusion,” Belz said in a Sangamon County courtroom as he issued a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction blocking implementation of the law until further action of the court or resolution of the case. “There’s just too much uncertainty.”

Sen. Cullerton (left) knew SB-1 was unconstitutional, calling his bill, SB2404,"less unconstitutional."

No surprise here. Everyone who cynically pushed the bill, including Madigan & Cullerton, not to mention Gov. Quinn who signed it into law,  knew it was unconstitutional from the get-go. Judge Belz's injunction just means that the final court decision won't be as costly and destructive as it might have been.

The decision takes the pension issue off the table, at least until after the elections. But it also allows pols to dodge the revenue issues -- like taxing the state's free-loading mega-corporations, Mercantile Exchange transactions, and/or implementing a fair and reasonable state income tax to support public works and pay the state's pension bills.

LOOK, IT'S THE NEW RAHM...Blaine Principal Troy LaRaviere and all the Rahm-dissing principals who've signed their names to comments on LaRaviere’s blog have it all wrong. The Mayor's not trying to "gag" or "intimidate" them. In fact, he's all ears, he tells the Sun-Times.
He now says he welcomes ideas and even criticism from principals...Sorry, but I'm laughing so hard, I fell off my chair. There...ahem. Now where was I? Oh yes, Rahm and his puppet Byrd-Bennett have a democratic style of work and welcome criticism from his staff and especially from CPS principals.

Meanwhile, Rahm has his mad-dog  flack, John Kupper, out running in high gear, lashing out at the media for giving critics too much play. Referring to LaRaviere, Kupper wrote, “First, this guy got a full page in the Sun-Times on Saturday. Now, a story as well? When does he get a column?”

Wow, what a great question. Yes, S-T. When does he get a column?

Clarice Berry, president of the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association, says, LaRaviere is “one of the few principals willing to stand up” to City Hall and the central office, and “may have opened the floodgates” among those who feel the same way about intimidation, budget cuts and unfunded mandates.

Kupper responds by calling Berry a "CTU shill.” There, see how Rahm welcomes principals' ideas and criticism? He's all ears.