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.
That’s a good decision. IL taxes and user fees are already out of control, which should be a good enough reason for many people not to live in IL. Also, when IL decides to tax retirement, that should seal the deal for many who would’ve otherwise considering moving into or staying in IL.