Illinois has lacked proper leadership starting with Gov. Rod Blagojevich followed his predecessor,
former Gov. George Ryan, out of office and into federal prison on
corruption charges. Illinois labor leaders, lobbyists, legislators,
aldermen even longtime Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley have been more
likely to pad pensions than to properly manage them, starting with their
own comfy retirement cushions.
Lawmakers promised more and more benefits to retired teachers, police officers, firefighters, and other government workers over the past decade; meanwhile, the pool of money to abilities to fund these pledges was neglected. The estimated shortfall of nearly $100 billion between now and 2045 assumes robust investment returns. What it doesn't include is local pension disasters, such as, the estimated $20 billion hole in the City of Chicago system.
All sorts of fixes were promised: raising the retirement age for public employees, increasing employee contributions, freezing cost-of-living increases, shifting younger workers into 401-(k) style savings. The politicians even proposed that responsibility for teacher retirement plans should be shifted to local school boards.
The problem is public employee unions are a powerful force in heavily Democratic Illinois, and they have not only clout but the law on their side. The contracts that grant retirement benefits to public employees are guaranteed by the state constitution, the unions argue. Promises struck in stone must be kept. Stymied by so many unpleasant options, the legislature stalled during its regular session, dodging a call for a special session, and punted during a lame-duck session that ended early this month.
The Pew Center on the States, which tracks the pension funding problem nationwide, says Illinois now faces the worst mess in the country, with less than half of its pension obligations currently covered.The clock is ticking and the only sure thing is that it will be the citizens of the United States who will pay and pay and pay for the follies of the politicians and special interest groups.
Lawmakers promised more and more benefits to retired teachers, police officers, firefighters, and other government workers over the past decade; meanwhile, the pool of money to abilities to fund these pledges was neglected. The estimated shortfall of nearly $100 billion between now and 2045 assumes robust investment returns. What it doesn't include is local pension disasters, such as, the estimated $20 billion hole in the City of Chicago system.
All sorts of fixes were promised: raising the retirement age for public employees, increasing employee contributions, freezing cost-of-living increases, shifting younger workers into 401-(k) style savings. The politicians even proposed that responsibility for teacher retirement plans should be shifted to local school boards.
The problem is public employee unions are a powerful force in heavily Democratic Illinois, and they have not only clout but the law on their side. The contracts that grant retirement benefits to public employees are guaranteed by the state constitution, the unions argue. Promises struck in stone must be kept. Stymied by so many unpleasant options, the legislature stalled during its regular session, dodging a call for a special session, and punted during a lame-duck session that ended early this month.
The Pew Center on the States, which tracks the pension funding problem nationwide, says Illinois now faces the worst mess in the country, with less than half of its pension obligations currently covered.The clock is ticking and the only sure thing is that it will be the citizens of the United States who will pay and pay and pay for the follies of the politicians and special interest groups.
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