Last year, the Democrats who run the Illinois House and Senate passed a phony budget. And this year, having learned their lesson, the Democrats who run the Illinois House and Senate are … wait. What? They’re going to do it all over again?

“This has led to a culture of arrogance and a sense of entitlement reflected in many of these executive compensation plans, with an apparent disregard for middle-class families whose taxes and tuition dollars are funding these exorbitant salaries and excessive fringe benefits.”

Laborers Local 477 in Springfield vows a lawsuit if the foundation tries to restore the mansion outside established protocols that include the use of labor paid at prevailing wages. Comment: Such a perfect metaphor for the entire state. First they trash it, then fight against repair.

Comment: Appears to be a very solid primer on Illinois pensions, told from a politically neutral perspective.

Comment: More properly called “buck-passing” unless accompanied by real reform.

Text of full letter also linked here. Memo to pols: If you want your op-eds to be read, don’t put them on site behind a pay wall that allows a viewer to read a limited number of stories, as Rauner did with the Journal-Register.  

“A low hum of anxiety has surrounded the issue of public pensions in the US municipal bond market for years. Now, that hum is getting louder.”  

The following reasons for high in-state tuition rates were given by multiple public university officials: Higher worker’s compensation costs and liability insurance costs due to the legal environment in Illinois. Prevailing wage laws that increase the cost of construction and repairs to campus properties. Inflexible union contracts that increase labor costs. The state’s cumbersome procurement process which adds $100 million in costs per-year. Unfunded mandates and even the higher minimum wage were cited.