Audio: Wirepoints’ Mark Glennon says Chicago pension buyout plan mostly shifts debt rather than eliminating it, property tax surge doubles inflation over three decades – Chicago’s Morning Answer
April 3, 2026
9 Comments
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.
Illinois lost another 54,000 tax filers and dependents, net, according to the IRS. Since 2000, fleeing taxpayers have taken $94 billion of annual adjusted gross income with them.
Suzy, the life you had in that neighborhood is gone forever and it’s not coming back. Time to move to a low crime area.
As Mom used to say, “God helps those who help themselves”.
Or, if you prefer, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going”.
Funny thing happens when you never hold anyone accountable and lock up the bad guys.
I thought the Chicagoland folks wanted less police. They voted for Kim Foxx and Brandon Johnson because they ran on a platform of lower criminal enforcement and prosecutions. Perhaps Chicago residents should think before they leap and meanwhile be happy in the ********* they voted for
These yuppies believed the gentrification would continue for ever. It does not.
One change that will make a big difference is to change the law regarding auto theft. These thugs steal cars to be used in their criminal enterprise. If they get caught in a stolen car the penalty is like a parking ticket unless it can be proven they stole the car . It may cause them to take the L to commit their crimes but they won’t have a speedy getaway.
Suzy, here’s a thought. Next time you cast a vote select a Republican.
For starts Suzy baby, acknowledge and rethink all the things you’ve said (with a chardonnay in your hand) about Conservatives.
My favorite comment today.