( Tribune photo by Antonio Perez / October 23, 2008 ) Former Gov. Jim Edgar and former Comptroller Dawn Clark Netsch hold a press conference at the Thompson Center in Chicago to urge Illinoisans to vote "no" on the Nov. 4 referendum about holding a constitutional convention.

How nice that former Gov. Jim Edgar, whose annual taxpayer-funded pay and retirement benefits amount to $308,538, thinks that the 67 percent increase in the state's personal income tax and 47 percent in the corporate tax are swell things.

True, he also said that some major state spending cuts are necessary:

Hard cuts to both Medicaid and education, the latter which Edgar called a sort of "sacred cow," must be done in a bipartisan manner, he said. "If we're going to get out of this mess, we're all going to have to swallow and do some things we don't want to do."

Maybe he should start by jettisoning all or part of his government pension, which amounts to $130,908 from the State Employees Retirement System. As noted by National Taxpayers United of Illinois, that $10,909 a month he gets already has added up. Because he retired at age 55 in 2001,  he's already pulled down a million dollars in pension payments.

The rest of his taxpayer funded income comes from his employment as a "Distinguished Fellow" at the University of Illinois. I assume when he retires, that post also will yield a nice pension.

Note well: In Illinois, retirement income is not taxed.

Read the Full Story: http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/dennis-byrne-barbershop/2011/01/jim-edgar-a-tax-increase-bring-it-on.html