Lax rules, poor oversight let millions of taxpayer dollars be used for foreign travel – including safaris and camel rides – for Chicago Public Schools staff.
Pensions and debt dominate Chicago’s spending increases, crowding out core services. Without reform, rising obligations will drag the city into deeper financial trouble.
Two decades of fiscal mismanagement have left state finances ill-prepared for the COVID-19 pandemic. Congress should condition any additional aid for troubled states on taxpayer protections that ensure pensions are solvent, accounting is realistic and budgets are balanced.
The financial meltdown and Great Recession is teaching an expensive lesson: When big institutions face financial crises, governments are all too eager to bail them out.