John Klingner

A mover carries a heavy load for a client who is leaving Illinois for New York, in the 1900 block of West Laflin Street in Chicago on July 26, 2021.

Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner: Illinois needs a multiyear restructuring plan to stop residents from fleeing

April 13, 2022 at 6:54 p.m.

Forget these pretend one-year "balanced" budgets. Illinois needs a multiyear restructuring plan to keep residents from fleeing. We've said it for a long time. Illinois' one-year budgets mean nothing in...

Op-ed: Illinois gets its first credit upgrade in 20 years, thanks to $138 billion in federal relief

July 2, 2021 at 6:57 p.m.

Illinois received a credit rating upgrade from Moody's Investors Service to Baa2, a level two notches above junk. It's the state's first upgrade in some 20 years and a major...

"Illinois is the nation's extreme outlier when it comes to pension debts, in both size and scope."

Op-ed: Amending the Illinois Constitution: 50 words that can save the state

March 17, 2021 at 8:26 p.m.

Fifty words, added to the Illinois Constitution as an amendment, could be what helps save the state from an inevitable financial collapse in years to come. "Nothing in this Constitution...

Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks at a news conference at the Thompson Center in Chicago on Tuesday, Oct., 20, 2020.

Commentary: A 60% tax hike on Illinois’ richest won’t be a free lunch for the rest of us

October 21, 2020 at 7:56 p.m.

Love 'em or hate 'em, there are some facts you should know about Illinois' wealthy residents before you vote on the state's constitutional amendment that would allow a graduated-rate income...

The Illinois state seal at the Illinois Capitol on Feb. 17, 2016, in Springfield.

Commentary: A solution for Illinois’ state retirement crisis

September 23, 2020 at 4:57 p.m.

Serious pension reform seems like a pipe dream today. Illinois' political class is still clinging desperately to tax hikes, pension debt re-amortizations and the hope of a federal bailout to...

The Illinois State Capitol building on May 20, 2020, in Springfield.

Commentary: Illinois pensions have been overpromised, not underfunded

September 9, 2020 at 6:58 p.m.

Listen to opponents of pension reform and they consistently blame Illinois' pension crisis on underfunding. After decades of not putting enough money into pensions, their argument goes, it's time for...

The Illinois state Capitol in May 2018 in Springfield. Overly generous pensions have helped turn part-time state lawmakers into self-interested career politicians — making much-needed pension reform difficult.

Yes, Illinois can eliminate legislative pensions

May 31, 2019 at 9:28 p.m.

It’s naive to think Illinois will ever see real pension reform. At least not as long as state politicians continue to get big pensions from the same retirement plans they’re...

All Stories