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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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The arguments for RCV are a bit scattered. First they claim campaigns become more issue-focused than attacking opponents. Then it goes on to say minorities are more likely to vote primarily on race and not the issues. ‘How do I get to be a second choice?’ It is not by attacking the voters’ first choice, it is by focusing on the issues that matter.”Proponents of the new system also contend it’s more welcoming to women and candidates of color. Otis said her analysis of 448 ranked choice voting elections found that candidates of color tend to earn more votes whenever an eliminated… Read more »
The purpose of RCV is increase Democrat wins in Republican districts when there is low voter turnout. IL just watched Alaska elect a Democrat for goodness sakes, defeating Sarah Palin, because the second choice just-so-happens to be a Democrat, and then what-do-you-know, the Democrat wins.
As I’ve said before, Democrats take their rare losses in low turnout elections, like 2010 (mark kirk) and 2014 (rauner) and then in 2024 where normie Dem Burke narrowly defeated the progressive for state’s attorney. By adding ranked choice voting, with multiple Democrats, they increase their chances of winning in these off-years.