Pensions get all the attention when it comes to Illinois’ collapsing finances. But there’s another government-worker benefit also wreaking fiscal havoc – free and heavily-subsidized health insurance for retired state workers, teachers and community college employees. Illinois owed more than $68 billion in retiree health benefits to state workers as of 2018.
After self-funding our efforts for years, we’re ready to expand by increasing our media reach, covering more governments and exposing more of the issues plaguing Illinois. We’re fighting to help make this state work for Illinoisans once again.
Ted appeared on Chicago Tonight this week, saying Illinois has lagged far behind the rest of the country in getting people off of food stamps and that the new federal rules provide a good opportunity to get able-bodied Illinoisans back into the workplace.
It’s been nine years since the Great Recession. Stock markets are atall time highs. The national economyis booming. Minority unemployment is atrecord lows. Even Illinois is riding the nation’s coattails with a record low unemployment rate of3.9 percent. If Illinois can't help get single, childless, able-bodied Illinoisans back into meaningful work and off of food stamps now, then when?
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