Many states in the nation are in trouble over their unfunded pension liabilities. The problem gets bigger every year. Indeed the increase for 2017 was $433 billion more than last year, leaving the grand total of all state pensions at over $6 trillion in liability.

The latest report comes from the American Legislative Exchange Council; the report quantifies the issue this way: “Unfunded liabilities of public pension plans continue to loom over state governments nationwide. Without significant reforms, unfunded liabilities of state-administered pension plans will continue to grow and threaten the financial security of state retirees and taxpayers alike.”

Illinois leads the nation with the highest unfunded pension liability of any state, and one of their state senators says there will soon be a day of reckoning for the repeated mistakes that policymakers are making regarding the pension situation. Illinois alone has a $151 billion problem–$60 billion more than second worst state of New Jersey.

In fact, six states have long-term liability burdens that most analysts deem extremely problematic, defined as pensions owed that exceed in excess of 20 percent of personal income. Illinois precariously tops the list at 28.5 percent.

Taxpayers should take notice. Illinois lawmakers have been saying for years that one-quarter of every tax dollar the state brings in will have to go to pay for unfunded liabilities in Illinois. Other states have similar problems. Governors have made the situation worse over the years by kicking the can down the road and allowing statutory pension ramp-ups, delayed payments and even pension holidays.

Illinois applied a bandaid and raised income tax on individuals and corporations. That brought in $5 billion more a year but barely made a dent in the state’s massive pension liability. Lawmakers won’t make the one big change that could begin to turn the Titanic around—spend below projected revenues.

For example, despite the massive gaping wound that is their pension issue, this summer, Illinois approved a $36 billion budget that included spending every penny of the $5 billion they just collected in new taxes! Even worse, the budget was already in the hole by $1.7 billion and they spent the $5 billion anyway! Other. People’s. Money. The governor tried to veto—to no avail—the state legislature did an override.

Most states are experiencing the rising budget pressure to fund these pensions. Add to that the demand that other spiraling-out-of-control costs like education and Medicaid add, and budgets are just plain cooked. State Senator Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods) says stop the bleeding because it is hurting the state of Illinois–people are leaving in droves to escape the high tax burden. They are being heaped upon by income tax and property tax increases. People simply can’t afford to live there.

McConchie warns about the day of reckoning. He says it is fast approaching. “I don’t think we want to wait until the absolute last minute to try and do everything we can to really right the ship,” McConchie said.

The IRS confirms what McConchie is saying. The agency’s recent data shows that 40,000 wage earners left the state in 2015. McConchie goes on to say that it’s time for legislators to get tough and stop placating pensioners, but most of all, stop kicking the can down the road.

McConchie says it is possible to balance by having a safety net, but also by controlling unfunded mandates so that people have the ability to control their own future and their own retirement.

Many states are wanting to transition pensions from the traditional benefits to a 401k style plan that the employee controls, rather than the government. Illinois has gotten so bad that Moody’s, a firm that rates credit worthiness, says they will have to consider the state’s massive pension debt before providing the next credit rating. A bad rating could mean that Illinois will become the first state to have their bonds be rated so low that they drop into junk status at the bottom of the heap.

The pension crisis is one of those silent killer types; taxpayers are greatly impacted but the issue is rarely discussed and not very well known. Taxpayers still earning wages are the ones who are funding all these pensions. But everyone—not just wage earners—are affected. Even if you’re not working, the pensions are taking away valuable resources that could be used elsewhere toward roads, infrastructure, education and public safety.

Alaska, Connecticut, New Mexico, and Ohio join Illinois and New Jersey as the top six worst states. California, New York, Ohio and Texas aren’t far behind. Some states see the errors of their ways and are trying to reform: Utah, Arizona, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Michigan. Arizona for example did a cost-of-living adjustment expected to save its taxpayers $1.5 billion over the next 30 years.