In this photo taken May 2012 an American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees union member wears their protest message on his shirt while rallying against the proposed pension legislation at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, Ill. The Pew Center on the States releases a 50-state report that finds the gap between the promises states have made for public employees retirement benefits and the money they have set aside has grown. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)
When I wrote about the coming “Public Pension Wars” a few years ago, the responses ranged from astounded to angry. The very idea that a state or municipality could change pension contribution requirements — in the middle of an employee’s career — was shocking. Now …
