Defusing the Illinois Pension Bomb, One Letter at a Time‏

How to reform the public employee pension system is the most crucial question facing Illinois today. The state has an $86 billion unfunded pension liability, and a recent study by the Pew Center ranked Illinois’s pensions as the worst funded in the nation. Bold action is needed to balance the state’s pension funds while keeping Illinois from falling deeper into an economic death spiral.

The public employee pension system is unsustainable. It must be fixed. We need your help now.

As you read this, a pension reform bill is being debated Springfield: HB149. This bill would begin to create equity government workers and the taxpayers who fund their salaries. Legislators on both sides of the aisle are coming together, and with your help, we believe we have a chance at passing one of the most important reforms in Illinois history. That’s why I’m asking you to write to your local newspaper in support of reforming the pension system.

Writing a letter to the editor is an easy way to reach thousands of your neighbors on this important issue.

To help get you started, here are some tips for an effective letter to the editor:

  • Keep it personal. Tell your story how high taxes affect you and your community.
  • Keep it short. Most newspapers limit to 250-300 words.
  • Convince the average reader why pension reform is so important.
  • Include a call to action. Urge readers to contact their legislators.

Consider sending alternate versions to other local papers, and be sure to follow the submission rules of each publication. Once it is published, please send it to me at bcostin@illinoispolicy.org and we will post it on the Institute’s website.

You can see all of the research we have compiled on the pension issue here: www.illinoispolicy.org/pensionreform.

Here are some ideas for what to focus on in your letter:

  1. Illinois’s $86 billion pension debt is equal to $20,000 in debt per Illinois household.
  2. If pensions are not reformed, the state either will have to dramatically raise taxes or cut essential government services.
  3. Businesses leaving are leaving Illinois; we have to shake our state out of the economic death spiral.
  4. Gas prices are high, home values are low…we’re already feeling the pinch…something’s got to give.
  5. We’re not anti-teacher or anti-police. But we, and a majority of people in Illinois, want to fix the pension system so we can get our state back on the path to prosperity.

HB149 is a first real step toward pension reform, and no, it doesn’t strip retirees from the benefits they’ve already earned, unlike the misinformation out there. Illinois needs your help to get back on track. Please consider writing a letter to the editor and contacting your state legislator today.

Thank you,

Brian Costin, Director of Outreach
Illinois Policy Institute

This five-minute video addresses the key facts and misinformation about HB149, including the question on many peoples’ minds: Will it take away benefits that have been previously earned? The answer is no.


Copyright Publius Forum 2001