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Audio and summary Illinois bill would override local law to allow homeless living in all public parks – Wirepoints
April 14, 2026
27 Comments
If this bill passes, say goodbye to local control over all Illinois parks and expect to see open drug and alcohol use, needles, no sanitation and fire hazards, but no ordinary park users.
Mark Glennon on AM560’s Morning Answer: Chicago Fiscal Crisis Worse Than Pre-Bankruptcy Detroit, HIV Surge and Public Health Threat From Open Borders Goes Unreported
April 10, 2026
2 Comments
Summary and audio linked here.
Mark Glennon on AM560’s Morning Answer: Chicago pension buyout plan mostly shifts debt rather than eliminating it, property tax surge doubles inflation over three decades
April 3, 2026
9 Comments
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.
WBEZ and Chicago Sun-Times falsely blame Texas Gov. Abbott for 2020 to 2024 surge in Chicago Latino HIV, AIDS infections – Wirepoints Quickpoint
March 31, 2026
11 Comments
Expect no retraction or apology. This what they do.
I do not entirely believe there would be another crash because of pensions. Most of the $6 trillion in unfunded liabilities comes from local taxpayers mostly from very high property taxes. Should the pensions go bust the taxpayers would get to keep the $6 trillion over the life of the actuarial of about 30 years. The pensioners would suffer but the taxpayers would benefit. Lower property and other taxes should increase home values nation wide. Overall this is just a redistribution of wealth from ordinary taxpayers to pensioners.
Illinois Policy Institute.
Each Illinois household on the hook for $56K in government-worker retirement debt.
by Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner.
March 23, 2017.
Total Retirement Debt Across All Illinois Governments Grows To $267B in 2016.
State Pensions $129.9B.
State Health Benefits $56.7B.
State Pension Bonds $12B.
Total State: $198.6B.
Local Pensions $56.9B.
Local Health Benefits $9.8B.
Local Pension & Benefit Bonds $1.9B.
Total Local: $68.6B.
Grand Total: $267.2B.
74% State.
26% Local.
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/each-illinois-household-on-the-hook-for-56k-in-government-worker-retirement-debt
Thanks Mike xyz for the detailed info. I believe the article stated that the $6T in liabilities are the nation wide estimate but these Illinois #’s are quite staggering. Do you know since your answers are very precise how many retired public sector workers and currently working there are in Illinois? It maybe north of 550K total which means taxpayers owe each public worker approx $486K in lifetime benefits. Thanks again.
At least in Illinois the unfunded liability for state is larger than the local, although regarding the $71B TRS unfunded liability, supposedly the state contributes on behalf of the school district which could in the event of a cost shift result in TRS being a larger local liability. Regardless, as of Fiscal Year 2016: Total Active Participants: 591,687. Total Beneficiaries: 491,657. Total: 1,083,344. Beneficiaries are retirees, non-duty disability, duty disability, occupational disability, and dependents. That’s per the Illinois Department of Insurance (IDOI) Public Pension Division 2017 Biennial Report (covering years 2015 & 2016), released October 1, 2017, pdf page 22… Read more »
Mike-Thank You very much. Your attention to details are excellent.. I have a lot to read now. This is on a side note. Considering the huge health care costs borne by taxpayers this is what I found will reduce medicaid and other healthcare providers costs. Keeping a Vitamin D3 level of 50-70 year round having optimum magnesium levels (both serum and red blood cell)- probiotics- reduces depression-pain levels and and the need for opiods which seem to cost Illinois and citizens a great deal. For about 50 cent per day per person we could save untold millions( if not billions)… Read more »