The unsexy issue that will turn this election

It’s not a sexy blog issue, but among the top three issues on the Iron Range right now is pension guarantees. Mike Jennings has this story from the Hibbing Daily Tribune and yesterday’s Grand Rapids Herald-Review. Pension security was, wisely, referenced often in Tuesday night’s DFL rally featuring Sen. Hillary Clinton and other Democratic leaders. Likely voters on the Iron Range are still disproportionately retired and dependent on pensions for their quality of life. Pensions, especially in the steel industry, have been ravaged over the past ten years, causing older worker, recent retirees and even longtime retirees to scramble for health care and living expenses. As Jim Oberstar points out in this story, bailouts for Wall Street should also bolster the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation that protects the retirement benefits of thousands of Rust Belt workers who earned those benefits fairly.