The Chicago Pension Scandal: $100,000+ Teacher Pensions Costing Taxpayers $1 Billion

April 24, 2016 in News by D

Source: www.zerohedge.com
Submitted by Tyler Durden

As we’ve known for quite some time now, Illinois is completely insolvent, and in large part due to enormous pension liabilities which as of December were underfunded to the tune of $111 billion. Not only is the state insolvent, its millionaires can’t get out fast enough to avoid the massive tax hikes that will be coming in what is sure to be a failed effort to plug budget holes, as well as the soaring criminality in cities such as Chicago which recently just passed the historic milestone of 1,000 gunshot victims in the fastest time in decades.

Citing unfunded pension plans, Moody’s downgraded Illinois to Baa1, and gave it a negative outlook back in October. The issue with the pension funds (aside for the massive shortfall in funding) is that per the Illinois Supreme Court, benefits cannot be altered. In a ruling last year, the state’s Supreme Court overturned a 2013 law that tried to ease the burden of what was then a $105 billion funding gap.

Crisis is not an excuse to abandon the rule of law. It is a summons to defend it.” the supreme court said in its ruling.

In other words, regardless of the fact that the pension funds are insolvent, the state cannot cut benefits to any of its participants. This is in stark contrast to the multi employer private pension funds, which as we pointed out, are able to cut benefits in order to keep the funds solvent.

At this point, it’s clear that without the ability to cut pension benefits, most plans will end up insolvent, at which point nobody will be receiving benefits. Until that point comes, however, there are a few who are living quite well off of the system.

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