-- Connecting the dots between our economy, government and business --
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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$2.2B “Double Doink”
Actually, “Sacked on third-n-long, down by 7, at their own 10 late in the fourth” might be a better way to describe what’s going on in Little Laurie’s football world.
Can’t punt, so all Laurie’s got left in her playbook is a flibertygibbit 90 yard Hail Mary, and then a last second successful conversion.
Then there’s the whole “even if we loose, we’ll win” nonsense about replacing the revenue from an NFL season’s games with rap concerts, soccer moms and “community events.”
Jeez, why do we keep electing people like this to public office in Illinois?
Rome gets pretty good revenue these days from the Baths of Caracalla built about 2000 years ago. If Soldiers Field can be preserved for two more Millenia, many of Chicago’s problems should be solved and admission-paying fans will return to the city. (Rome also had its ups & downs including destruction by barbarians.) Let’s hold off on the bond issues and give things a bit more time … while Lightfoot continues to play her fiddle with that tiny discordant stick
Love the barbarian horde analogy. Chicago’s like the French in first century Paris.
Giving every group of Vikings who row up the Seine to plunder Paris a bunch of gold to go away, and then wondering why every following year they have to do the same thing again when a different group of berserkers starts positioning catapults and ladders outside their gates.
To which Laurie’s response from the battlements would likely be, “I fart in your general direction” instead of telling her police force to “Pull ye olde hand grenade pin.”
… and how soon will the issue change to “what police force?”
My outlook has changed from “glass half empty” to “glass leaking badly.” As go shrinking aquifers, so go cities like Chicago as tax base migrates and pension funds get depleted by falling asset values and payouts to current pension millionaires with COLA and high health costs.
Amazing comparison. Circus, bread, and even Nero.
Gave up on the Bears and the NFL several years ago. Too woke, hope they go broke. Now spend Sunday afternoons doing something constructive like taking a nap.
Mayor Beetlejuice is the main reason for Bears dumping Chicago
BD Lori won’t be made to look foolish by anyone! If the Bears don’t take her offer, she’ll just get another franchise from the NFL. They’ll be sure to have a sweet trendy name too. Maybe the Chicago Carjackers? The Chicago Gangbangers?
The Bears are a second rate has-been organization in a sport fewer people interact with each year. Sportsball is no longer as socially relevant to most Americans and Chicago should just tell the Bears good luck and not spend a single cent on them.
The Bears are a second rate organization. I’ve spoken with a number of Bears fans in the last few days, none of whom plan on spending their beautiful sunday afternoons watching the dumpster fire that is the Bears. But the NFL is as popular as ever as the MLB, NBA, NHL all losing viewers in a slow decline. I believe a lot of it relates to wokeness as the leagues try their best to alienate fans. The NFL had a brief dip during the 2020 season when it went woke but then got rid of most, but not all, of… Read more »
Baseball fan here. It was great watching Commissioner Rob Manfred have to hand the World Series trophy to the Atlanta Braves last year!
Folks, just Google on the Pontiac Silverdome to see the future of Soldier Field. Yes, they even held a Superbowl there once in the early 80’s.
Chicagoians, don’t throw good money after bad.
The “stiff arm” in the title of this piece is the Bears telling Lori that it is going to take a whole lot more of money to keep them around. I think the Bears, like most Chiraqis, are fed up with Her Royal Nastiness act and want nothing more to do with her. Stand by for angry pointing, speaking, and blame throwing, soon.
Because obviously the Bears are racist, misogynist, homophobic, transphobic… Feels like I’m missing one but oh well. She’ll probably throw in an F-bomb for good measure.
She really is delusion.
“She believes the city could still host major national events, including a Super Bowl, without being the team’s home.”