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.
Moodies is in on the whole scam if they raise Illinois rating. The rating agencies are now the taxpayers worst enemy. Who would have guessed that blatent Ponzi scams can be ignored by rating agencies.
The way this should be done is:
Step 1, the general assembly passes legislation that allows for municipal bankruptcy
Step 2. The state petitions the federal Government to allow State’s to declare bankruptcy (this does not have to go anywhere, it is a gesture of intent, unlike municipal bankruptcy which needs to become a thing)
Step 3, now offer a pension buyout that is abut a 60% haircut. I bet you will have many takers once the stage is set properly.