Detroit Was Not a Freak Occurrence — You'd Be Surprised How Many Other Places Are On the Verge

Amidst the crumbling buildings and despair plaguing the city of Detroit, it's easy to dismiss the bankrupt city's fate as a freak event. However, other states around the country are facing the same financial problems that devastated the "arsenal of democracy."

It's not often that a public pension crisis makes national headlines. It's hardly surprising, though, considering the fiscal weariness that has overcome the country after years of debt limit debates and sequester cuts. But when years of generous pensions came due for payment, the money was not there. As a result, the city filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy, desperate to find a way out of the seemingly insurmountable crisis.

Though public pensions are not technically the city’s largest financial problem (health care burdens are greater), the Economist argues the pension payment structure is especially worrisome. If courts rule that pensions must be treated as contracts, states have little flexibility in modifying them. This makes it very difficult to undo the irresponsible promises of past politicians.

The pension crisis wasn’t unexpected either. Economists and politicians have been warning about it for years, but the alarms went unheeded. Public pensions are simply not an exciting subject for discussion.

Rafael Rivadeneira, an Illinois local politician, has been trying to draw attention to the crisis for years. When he ran for DuPage County Board in 2012, he drew attention to the issue of overly generous public pensions for part-time positions in local government. "Voluntary public service shouldn’t be about receiving generous pay for unaccounted for work with incredibly generous benefits unheard of in the private sector," he said.

He has a long battle ahead. Illinois has the largest pension funding gap of any state. According to Moody’s, the funding gap is almost $133 billion. Moody’s calculates the median state’s funding gap at 45% of annual revenues. The funding gap in Illinois? A whopping 241%.

What does the pension funding gap mean in human terms? It translates to enormous tax increases or draconian spending cuts in the future. Both of these policies hurt middle class Americans. If pensions cannot be legally reduced or modified, the required spending will crowd out financial needs in other important areas such as education or health care. This would result in devastating consequences for the state, businesses, and families.

Though Illinois is the most distressing case, other states are not far behind. Connecticut, Kentucky, and New Jersey all face large liabilities as well. Nebraska seems to be best prepared, with a funding gap of only 6.8% of annual revenues.

Detroit is a real-life example of what can happen when politicians focus on short-term gain without considering the long-term financial consequences. In the future, states should learn from Detroit’s example and start reforming their pension systems now. 

(Note: A similar piece was published on Communities at WashingtonTimes.com.)