Daily Must Reads for the week of Feb. 27.
Must Reads for the week of Feb. 27
Must Reads for March 2
Chicago Tribune: Illinois House says Quinn revenue projections too optimistic
The House made the first move against Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn’s budget proposal Thursday, lowering the estimate of how much money the state should expect to take in next year by more than $200 million.
Peoria Journal Star: Illinois right to tackle fraud in Medicaid
Medicaid is Illinois’ largest and fastest growing service obligation, at $14 billion more than half of the state’s agency appropriations. Illinois taxpayers should not be required to cover Medicaid recipients who live in Indiana, or Wisconsin, or Iowa.
The American: The unemployment gap: bigger than you think
It’s not enough to look at unemployment in a vacuum; we must consider the unemployment gap as the best measure of economic distress. Also, it’s clear that the practice of using statistics to confuse and mislead people is far from dead.
Featured Letter to the Editor: So much for the American dream
The purpose of government is to protect our liberties so we can take care of ourselves and live the American Dream as we envision it. Instead, government is growing bigger by the day and limiting our liberties.
Must Reads for March 1
Wall Street Journal: The dependency crisis
More Americans live off government, and the Obama administration is encouraging the trend.
With little fanfare, the Wisconsin Republican congressman has persuaded presidential candidates and even some Democrats.
Huffington Post: Illinois state lawmakers getting pay raises despite budget troubles
Quinn will see his salary increased $1,600 to $179,100, while Secretary of State Jesse White and State Treasurer Dan Rutherford are also slated for raises of $1,400 and $1,200 respectively, the paper reports. Further, each of the members of the state House of Representatives and state Senate will net salary increases of $620 and $630 respectively.
Chicago Business: Tough talk from Gov. Quinn but still no action on pensions
Despite the governor’s tougher talk, we know nothing will happen before mid-April, when the legislative committee is supposed to come up with recommendations that Mr. Quinn and the General Assembly’s leaders could turn into law. Even then, we have our doubts.
Featured Letter to the Editor: Quinn is letting down Illinois
Pat Quinn may not have broken any written laws. But he has betrayed the citizens of Illinois and worst yet passed on the burdens of his convoluted mismanagement to our children, grandchildren, and into posterity.
Must Reads for Feb. 29:
National Review: Sickening regulation
The Obama administration believes that decisions about health care are simply too important and too complex for the average American and his doctor to make for themselves. Only the experts in Washington can get those decisions right.
The American: Why Obama’s corporate tax plan is a total bust
Real pro-growth corporate tax policy would eliminate tax breaks, dramatically lower tax rates, and only tax profits earned at home. The Obama plan would actually make the corporate tax code and the U.S. economy less competitive and less productive.
The Economist: The Chicago way
Corruption has cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars and sapped faith in government. Both the new governor of Illinois, Pat Quinn, and the new mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, have shown a willingness to reform.
The Telegraph: Quinn’s budget: Do the numbers add up?
How can you give stuff away when you’re shutting other things down?” Forby asked after Quinn’s speech. “The governor’s math just doesn’t add up. He needs to get someone who knows how to add and subtract and make sure he knows how to balance the budget.”
Must Reads for Feb. 28
Northwest Herald: Put end to cronyism
Legislators continue to duck the key issues of pension reform and spending cuts necessary to get the budget under control. Meanwhile, Quinn seeks to reward former legislators such as Flider, whose parting gift to constituents was a big, fat tax increase he’d promised to oppose.
Forbes: The loud and clear message in Obama’s budget
What drives economic recovery and growth according to the President and his budget is federal spending, deficits and debt, the fundamental tenets of the Keynesian economics that arose in the 1930s.
Reason: The myth of the greater good
Why are political measures routinely defended on the sole basis that they will bring about some good consequence that supposedly outweighs the costs (from the perspective of those who propose them)?
National Review: Obama’s education priorities
He is supposed to favor “what works.” His budget suggests otherwise.
Must Reads for Feb. 27:
Peoria Journal Star: Illinois among top three for workers compensation costs
“As it currently rests now, even if the employer is only 1 percent responsible for causing or aggravating an injury, they are responsible for 100 percent of the cost.”
Freedom Politics: Obama’s crony capitalist trap door
The President is trying to convince America he is lowering taxes to make America stronger by, well, raising taxes to make America weaker.
Forbes: Pat Quinn’s Illinois budget: Spending up, program spending down
The state desperately needs a pension reform that will reduce the benefits that current employees earn. With such a reform, the state can limit the expansion of required pension contributions and find some money to spend on actual government services, or even roll back a part of the massive income tax increase that the state enacted in 2011.
Chicago Tribune: Relatives of lobbyists, campaign donors got lawmakers’ help to enter U of I
First broad analysis of who benefited from the school’s clout lists shows some of those who got preferential treatment.