-- Connecting the dots between our economy, government and business --
Syndicated columnist George Will reviews Illinois’ progressive policy failures ahead of the Democratic National Convention that starts Tuesday, including Wirepoints research on school system. Read it here
Summary and audio linked here.
Chicago’s political leadership is floating a pension buyout program as evidence it is seriously addressing the city’s thirty-six-billion-dollar unfunded pension liability, but Mark Glennon, founder of the Illinois policy research organization Wirepoints, said that the proposal moves debt from one column to another rather than reducing it, and that the broader fiscal picture facing the city continues to deteriorate across every measurable dimension. Audio here.
Expect no retraction or apology. This what they do.
The state’s existing buyout program for its own pensions is the precedent for Chicago, which should be a warning: Look out for similar exaggerated claims and shoddy analysis.
Full interview and summary linked here.
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In terms of governance, Illinois is and has been the most incompetent, poorly managed and the most corrupt, particularly Chicago and Cook County. The public unions may also have more control over local officials than any other state, a dynamic that precludes change. Other than new management and a trifecta of bankruptcies, there is no solution. Those in control will fight it to the end, but when the restructuring does come, those that sucked all the milk out of the cow will no doubt play a role in the post-bankruptcy restructuring, thus starting the cycle all over again.
The ruin of the Blue State is Public Sector Unions that took control of the Democratic Party.
Most Democrats are normal hard-working people, but the Public Sector Unions belong a privileged class.
OH SNAP!
https://nypost.com/2024/08/17/us-news/roughly-100k-anti-israel-protesters-expected-to-descend-on-chicago-to-steal-spotlight-from-dnc-harris-walz-ticket/
I was once an Illinois taxpayer.
I finally realized what a RACKET the corrupt Illinois Dems and their masters da public sector unions had established in Taxistan.
Living large and enjoying the $200K I’ve saved in taxes by voting with my feet over 20 years ago!!
The progressive liberals will denounce the facts noted in the article and reply that Illinois is the best state to raise a family (no facts supporting that claim will be noted). The so called journalists of Illinois will sit silently with a blank look on their faces.
Collectively the state is a disaster, particularly Chicago and Cook County. Nevertheless, there are still local pockets that offer a high quality of life.
Love my Champaign boy George Will.
IMO Illinois needs to be renamed Taxistan to reflect its high taxes and socialist leanings.