By Mark Glennon, includes “… The General Assembly earlier prioritized pension contributions over services by providing that, if Chicago ever fails to remit the annually required contributions to its pensions set by state law, the shortage could be subtracted out of funds that flow from the state to the city. … Chicago Dems have prioritized pensions in two ways — forced property tax increases and the interception of state money. And what is the pension contribution schedule that’s protected? It’s this huge ramp up, which Chicago finally published last year …”