“I have a problem with one aspect of this decision. A past law and legislature can impose it’s will on the future with a simple majority. But a simple majority can’t override that decision. Something isn’t right about that!”
The problem here, is that right, wrong, or just plain stupid, a pension offered by an employer (the state in this case) was a “contract”. The traditional (and legal) way to abrogate a contract is to declare bankruptcy, which Illinois will certainly do in in the future. And in a federal court, that will supersede any state laws or even state constitutions.
There was a time when state employment paid considerably less than the private sector, but was steady work and you got a good pension. That was a long time ago. The salaries caught up (or even exceeded) private sector employment, but kept the goodies.
What contract? Show me the document. Employment for rank-and-file with government is at will.