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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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I might suggest that freezing spending across the board might have an effect. With the inflated dollars the State should be the benefactor of more taxes, in dollar terms, and by freezing things they would not seem as painful when implemented. It would be a tough thing but tough times come with tough issues. Pritzker shows his weakness on this as he spouts off like a “carnival barker” doing absolutely nothing regarding fixing serious issues that the State has.
Wow. Pritzkers favorite parasite oozes out from the sweat, oil, crumbs and crust of his fat folds to drool out the single most obvious statement ever uttered: “Illinois is due for some budget belt-tightening.” Illinois overall budget could be cut by 60% and no one would notice except for the takers, grifters and leeches of this state. This propaganda parroting clown is a “journalist”?
The current budget is around 50 billion. Cut it by 60 percent and you are left with a 20 billion dollar budget. Over 10 billion goes to the debt. That leaves you to run the state on less than 10 billion. Not happening. Even Rauner couldn’t find anywhere to cut as he refused to use his line item veto power. As usual just another blow hard that has no idea how the state could alter its budget. Anyone that thinks they can run this state on less than 10 billion is the real grifter.
The state could be run on $10B easily. But the GRIFTERS in the state who suck off the government teet to survive wouldn’t like it: medicaid roaches, social services grifters, so-called educators taking redistributed money, DNR, fake schools of higher education with SAT averages below 1,000. It would be a barebones state with little government interference outside of the IEPA and state police. Burn it all down. Let the grifters move to the surrounding states to find a living cheating the taxpayer in some other state, or, let them all get real jobs.
Since you are clearly one of the “takers, grifters and leeches of this state”, of course you would notice and you prove my point. Thank you for the validation.
Show your work. Where would you cut? Otherwise just another grifter with no real plan to cut spending.
FYI, I’m on board with spending cuts but when people make up ridiculous cuts with no specifics I call out their BS. You have nothing as usual. Just more complaints with no specifics as to how you would fix it. Typical.
It’s not difficult, you just start cutting. Yes, it would cause a lot of pain for the grifters who steal the tax payers money. But it’s possible.
Ask yourself, how do school districts in other state get away with property taxes 1/3rd or less than that of Illinois? How do they operate with small budgets on a per capita basis? They make it work! That’s how.
As I’ve said all along I’m good with cutting. It just gets old when people say they would cut some ridiculous amount from the budget without showing any work and just stating we will “make it work”. That’s why many candidates always say they will “cut” but never really do. It’s just done to fool the dumb voters and it has been proven effective in many elections.
I just told you how I would cut 60%: Reduce social and human services to zero; close down the state DNR; no education fund redistribution. No money for migrants, get rid of any line expenditure with ‘equity’ in the name, close all unfilled positions. It could be done, but not without extreme pain for the government class that lives off the state. But they’ll figure it out one way or another. The welfare roaches will move to MN, the state employees will get private sector jobs (or leave the state!) and family members would need to take care of their… Read more »
The state is required by our constitution to provide the majority of funding for education. You can’t just get rid of the education funding. They tried that in Kansas and the courts put a stop to it. You have provided absolutely nothing in terms of real cuts. As usual, just lots of noise with no real solution. You’re also going to cut medicaid to zero? Voters aren’t going to elect someone that cuts these items even if the courts allowed it. Your line of thinking is exactly why democrats continue to get elected. The voters may not love everything the… Read more »
You are absolutely correct. All I see in this pie is overpaid bureaucrats sucking off the government teet for $$$. 60% could be cut immediately and hardly anyone, other than government grifters, would even notice. And if my son’s school lost the her/she/him librarian, boo-hoo, too bad, so sad.
Now convince the voters of your belief that cutting 60 percent won’t matter. You clearly have no idea about the budget. Thanks for letting everyone know that you are ignorant on Illinois budgeting. Even Rauner didn’t agree with your absurd hypothesis.
Show your work. How would Illinois operate with a 10 billion dollar budget?
It would operate like a state 1/3rd of its size. You might not like it, and there is going to be a lot less social services for elderly and disabled, but hey! We got $100,000 pensions to pay disabled old person, go live under a bridge.
Of course I can’t convince voters these needs be done. But that’s moving the goal posts. This was a theoretical exercise, not a practical one.
We agree. The make believe exercise of cutting the budget by 60% is not practical.
No, it’s not practical, because the government class shows up to the ballot box every election and votes themselves to loot the treasury every election.
But don’t say it cannot be done. It certainly can be done. And should be done. The state would barely function with a $10 operating budget (other 10B to pensions). But considering how bad the state government is now, that wold be a good thing.
It would also start a conversation about pensions when half the budget is stolen by grifters stealing lavish pensions from the taxpayers.
I’m not the only one who thinks like this:
No serious person and definitely no serious candidate has ever suggested such drastic cuts. Sure the loud mouth at the end of the bar loves this type of talk but nobody is ever going to do it. Keep dreaming.
You’re moving the goal posts again. You asked “Show your work. Where would you cut?”
I gave you deep, massive cuts.
You said, “No one would do that, keep dreaming”
But you didn’t ask if any one would do it, you asked me to name the cuts. I did. Then you moved the goal posts and insulted me for suggesting the cuts.
See the opinion pieces from LaHood today in the Trib:
“Last year, citizens cast around 70,000 more votes statewide for Republican rather than for Democratic candidates for the Illinois House. The results: Democrats won 78 seats; the GOP, 40. In the state Senate, it was 40 Democrat to 19 Republican seats. Such is the state of our gerrymandered democracy in Illinois.”
Voters are TRYING to tell the IL Politicians to cut spending, slow down the migrants, and end the culture wars.
IS the legislature listening? NO
Is this really your ‘will of the voters?’