re: Let me complain about Illinois for a bit... NEW ADDITION, PG 9

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I honestly don't understand why they are so broke? I guess its just because such a huge portion of the population in the South side pays leaches off everyone else? The burbs to the west and north are prospering, the down town area is prospering.

So where is the leach that is so bad?

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The state pensions. A while back they baked guaranteed yearly pension benefit increases independent the economy into the constitution of the state. And our public workers get paid VERY WELL...and they game the system to get undeserved benefit levels locked in. It's the way the machine came to power is by promising those benefits. And because they added it to the state constitution it's nearly impossible to fight. Never mind no politician (other than Rauner who's now gone and Rahm, who kinda tried) would go there because it would be political suicide. Not to mention the judges are state employees...so good luck.

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According to the report, Illinois’ unfunded pension liabilities grew 25 percent in fiscal year 2017 to $250 billion.

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