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Just the facts:

Karen May is the Democratic State Representative from Highland Park, IL
Highland Park is a suburb north of Chicago. It is among the “Best places to live” in the U.S.

The median family income in Highland Park – $148,131

Median home price in Highland Park – $600,000

Rep. May’s legislative salary is $67,836

Rep. May will, someday, be able to retire and receive a pension of up to 80 percent of her final salary

The average retired state employee receives an annual pension of $22,000 ($1,833 per month)

Now this:

A group of Democratic legislators spoke up Monday in favor of further cost-cutting as lawmakers resumed their efforts to piece together a new spending plan from the wreckage of Illinois’ budget.

The group called for about $1.3 billion in cuts, including $300 million from education and $300 million from administrative costs.

Among the leaders of the group was Rep. May, who said retired government employees need to pay more for their health care.

“As much as we love our retirees, this is a tough-love exercise,” said Rep. Karen May. “They have to feel the pain.”

Feel free to discuss.