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The Illinois Senate voted Monday to raise retirement benefits for 2,200 Chicago firefighters in a way that would saddle beleaguered city taxpayers with $850 million in added costs by 2055.
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Audio and summary Why the Holdup Using Artificial Intelligence to Cut Illinois Government Costs? – Wirepoints
May 19, 2026
10 Comments
A largely unasked question is becoming glaring: Is Illinois doing all it should to use artificial intelligence to make government cost less and work better? So far, the evidence says no.
Note to readers from Mark Glennon re: Ukraine
May 6, 2026
4 Comments
Everybody needs a side hustle these days, and mine is Ukraine, where I am now.
Wirepoints’ Mark Glennon on AM560’s Morning Answer – Chicago’s struggling commercial real estate and more
April 22, 2026
5 Comments
Summary and audio linked here.
Sad that the racist misogynists would ignore the advice of a Black woman
Well, hey – Pritzker pushed through ‘free’ healthcare for illegal aliens over age 65 (never mind they usually have fake documents) so why not party? Charge it all to the sucker ‘Joe Taxpayer’ . Democrats do love to spend other peoples money.
Chicago……. Keep voting for city and state democrats and this is what you get.
I do not feel sorry for the citizens of Chicago- Vote smarter.
The bill needs to list a funding mechanism so it’s clearly shown how that additional money would be reserved to pay for the extra benefits. Without that, it’s just business as usual and nobody considering the financial repercussions to what they vote on.
I thought previously passed law called for automatic property tax increases….wasn’t that put in there when they delayed the full funding of safety pensions in Chicago to 2020 over Rauner’s objections.
If lightfoot really objected she would show the increase in property taxes to fund the new mandate. She should be out right now letting each tax payer in Chicago know the actual cost of this change. Then if passed implement the tax increase. Either point out the cost now and who is responsible or own the tax increase later.
Lightfoot is objecting only because she’d rather give the $ to her CTU benefactors.
It will be interesting to see what happens as Chicago continues to depopulate and many high rises go unoccupied. The risk of fire will increase substantially in the coming years. It is kind of funny though, because as you pay and hire more firemen taxes go up which causes people to leave which causes more dereliction in buildings which increases the fire risk which causes for the need to hire more firemen. It is an endless cycle…
They’ll be projects.
Another unfunded mandate will it ever end.