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.
An ominous sign for Chicago and Illinois: Is MTI the template for the future of Illinois. In a future not too distant, the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois face a similar fate to that of Midwest Transport Inc. (MTI), the Illinois-based trucking company that abruptly ceased operations after decades of service. Just as MTI’s inability to meet demands, manage compliance, and evolve with changing conditions led to its downfall, Chicago and Illinois could find themselves paralyzed by the unchecked power of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) and an increasingly unsustainable political environment. Imagine a once-thriving city brought… Read more »
A Grim Future for Chicago and Illinois: A Cautionary Tale In a future not too distant, the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois face a similar fate to that of Midwest Transport Inc. (MTI), the Illinois-based trucking company that abruptly ceased operations after decades of service. Just as MTI’s inability to meet demands, manage compliance, and evolve with changing conditions led to its downfall, Chicago and Illinois could find themselves paralyzed by the unchecked power of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) and an increasingly one sided, single party political environment. Imagine a once-thriving city brought to its knees… Read more »