![A chasm.](https://will.illinois.edu/images/uploads/43833/chasm-2400x1350__medium.jpg)
Illinois Issues: The Great Pension Chasm
Now Illinois is $130 billion away from having its pension systems fully funded. The debt is the standing legacy of the 100-plus years of missed opportunity. Those contributions that Illinois never made could’ve sat in investments and banks, accruing interest and returns — namely the world’s postwar boom that has only lately started to subside. Public employees are in the political crosshairs through no fault of their own.