Chicago’s Blue Crack-Up

The American Interest reports:

how big a problem the pension crisis poses for blue governance: it pits the interests of providers of government services against the recipients of those services. Taxpayers are faced with either paying astronomical property taxes—Rahm Emmanuel is talking about a potential 150% hike in Chicago—or cutting the pensions of police officers who provide protection; teachers must accept a cut in their pensions or parents will see even more schools closed and will have to send their children trudging half-way across town.

Ultimately, it’s also a reminder of the bigger underlying truth: blue model programs don’t generate the wealth and growth that would be required to sustain them—the cities aren’t growing in population and revenue (often, they are shrinking) even as the costs of maintaining them skyrocket. The pesky numbers just won’t add up.

Ouch.