-- 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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This scenario will soon happen again to our industrial agriculture downstate. The progressives hate it. They hate the petrochemicals, they hate the GMO crops, they hate the run off, and they absolutely despite the old white men trump voting farmers who grow our food. It’s not just enough to grow the food, the food needs to be ‘equitable’. They’re going to drive all the old white farmers out of business in the name of diversity and equity. “Our farmers aren’t diverse and don’t look like the rest of america. We need more black and brown farmers” they will say. And… Read more »
I just checked on how many black owned farms there are in Illinois. 77 total farms consisting of less than 10K acres out of 26.7M acres. Only 2% of all farms in the U.S. are African American owned. That got me thinking on how many cannabis or hemp farms will be black owned? Probably close to zero!
Zero today but in the near future, quite a few I bet, as the state confiscates land and redistributes it for equitable purposes.
So, if I understand the argument Freddy and you are making is that we are maybe one or two elections away from Communism. Isn’t that what you are saying? Maybe, but that seems a great stretch to me from where we are and where we’ve been as a culture over all these years of our history as a country. I think its a bit “off the deep end,” but maybe I’m wrong. Personally, I don’t see it as any kind of ultimate next step to what’s happening already politically.
Then you aren’t paying attention. There are socialist members of city hall that want Chicago to nationalize the utility companies. And then charge ‘progressive’ rates based on income, so upper-middle class folks will pay higher rates than less fortunate people for the same electricity. Affordable housing quotas are only a few steps removed from soviet style block housing provided for free. AOC says housing is a human right and the government should be providing it. The green new deal has been discussed ad nuseum, but its a complete take over of the american economy, controlled by washington. Every candidate wants… Read more »
I can’t personally relate to much of what you’ve said here, but I can relate to one particular way that the topic in general rankles me a lot. As a retiree on Medicare I am subject to a higher monthly payment for Medicare Part B than are most people of my age, clearly because I have a higher AGI. I get the same level of coverage but pay a much higher rate in percentage terms than most people on Medicare. That’s but one example of how “the rich” are asked to pay more for the same level service than are… Read more »
James. I just put out some general info and trying to find some answers. So far there will be very few licenses for black owned cannabis shops or farms. Also how many casino licenses will go to ANY minority group. As I said in another post when laws are passed they should benefit all the people not just a select few as in “shall not impair or diminish” which applies to only state employees retirements.Depending on the results on the next election seems like Socialism may spread. I read somewhere a while back that if all the wealth in the… Read more »
” I read somewhere a while back that if all the wealth in the U.S is divided equally those who have the wealth now will have it back in less then 10 years”
I think it’s more like six months as spendthrifts flush with cash would spend it all. Like the lottery winners who take the lump sum instead of the annuity and then blow it all.