Comment: This is important. It has long been a racket that costs consumers a fortune.

With the change increasing unfunded obligations by $2.3 trillion — more than double the previous total — “the Fed dropped a bomb,” according to Stephanie Pomboy of researcher MacroMavens LLC.

Comment: For over two years we’ve been the only ones writing about why the Illinois Treasurer sits permanently on $11 to $14 billion, unused and invested short term. To the sponsors of the bill, who we are quite sure read this, you’re welcome.

The Kentucky Supreme Court has been asked to decide if Centerstone — the regional mental-health nonprofit in Louisville formerly known as Seven Counties Services — should get to use a bankruptcy reorganization to walk away from its estimated $130 million in liabilities to the Kentucky Retirement Systems, which manages the pension fund. Judges in other courts so far have approved it.

Pritzker declined at least a half a dozen times when asked to define who is “wealthy,” saying only that the vast majority of Illinoisans would get a tax cut.

He ruled out state bankruptcy as an option, and asked about amending the state Constitution to cut the tab replied, “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Pritzker is interested in cutting the long-term pension tab by putting in more money now, but seemed to reject a proposed pension obligation bond issue as a solution.