by Collin Hitt The Chicago Tribune wrote an editorial review of “Waiting for Superman.” I’m probably quoting at too great a length below, but the editors outlined a reform platform in a remarkably efficient five paragraphs. “Waiting for Superman” has drawn a lot of blowback. Critics say the film unfairly casts teachers unions as the...
The Problem Although tax increment financing (TIF) has been around for over thirty years, many people do not understand how it works, how it affects their communities or their pocketbooks. Most people have no idea a significant portion of their property taxes are flowing into the hands of real-estate developers instead of their schools, public...
by Collin Hitt Chicago mayoral hopeful Gery Chico says that he’d be interested in bringing Paul Vallas back to run the city’s public school system. Chico mentioned the possibility to Chicago Magazine columnist Carol Thelsenthal, who had floated the idea of bringing Michelle Rhee from Washington, D.C. to Chicago. I asked announced mayoral candidate Gery Chico, a...
by Wesley Fox With the release of the 2010 Capital Bill Piglet Book highlighting wasteful spending by the state, I was curious to see what kind of wasteful spending was taking place at the federal level on behalf of Illinois. This information was gathered from the Citizens Against Government Waste Pork Database and includes their sponsored earmarks for the...
by Brian Costin This is the weekly Liberty Leaders e-mail sent out for the second week of October. To sign up for the weekly (every Tuesday) Liberty Leaders email click here, select Volunteer Opportunities (Liberty Leaders Program). Help Stop TIF Abuse Tax increment financing (TIF) has been around for over thirty years, many people do not understand...
by Heather Wilhelm Ouch! Here’s the latest news from Greece: This Saturday, one of Greece’s most respected newspapers, To Vima, reported that the nation’s largest government health insurance provider would no longer pay for special footwear for diabetes patients. Amputation is cheaper, says the Benefits Division of the state insurance provider… Greece’s National Healthcare System was created in...
by Amanda Griffin-Johnson Yesterday in Michigan, U.S. District Judge George Caram Steeh ruled that the individual mandate in the new health care legislation is constitutional because it does not constitute “an improperly apportioned direct tax.” While the legal battle is far from over, portions of his ruling are quite telling. The Hill reports: Steeh also notes that, without...
by Wesley Fox Despite Illinois’s record deficit and $6 billion in unpaid bills, Governor Quinn recently announced $50 million in new spending for the Neighborhood Recovery Initiative. The Initiative would focus on job training for adults and small businesses and also provide funds for small businesses in troubled neighborhoods with the goal of addressing violent crime problems by...
by Collin Hitt The unsurprising word has leaked that Chicago schools chief Ron Huberman – a Daley appointee – will leave his post before the beginning of a new administration. Greg Hinz… With Chicago Public Schools officials confirming a Chicago Sun-Times story that schools chief Ron Huberman will leave along with Mayor Richard M. Daley, who else...
by Ashley Muchow Pew Center on the States and the Public Policy Institute of Californiareleased a comprehensive study this morning zoning in on the public’s opinion of state fiscal management. The study, Facing Facts: Public Attitudes and Fiscal Realities in Five Stressed States, polled residents from five fiscally distressed states: California, Arizona, Florida, New York, and our very...
by Amanda Griffin-Johnson Recently, the Heritage Foundation released “Obamacare in Pictures,” a presentation that details the future impact of the new health care plan using charts and other graphics. Want to know how Obamacare will impact the national debt or health care costs? Check out the slide show below to find out. Obamacare Obamacare in...
by Collin Hitt Trib columnist Clarence Page got some $@%^ with his recent book purchase: “Oh, that (expletive) movie is so full of (expletive),” the young woman [who worked at the bookstore] muttered. “Waiting for Superman,” said the book’s title. Page was purchasing the companion book to the movie of the same super title. “Waiting for Superman”...
by Kate Piercy Although Recovery.gov promised transparency on how the government spends every dollar of stimulus money, USA Today reports “there’s $162 million the website doesn’t disclose,” finding: Recipients of 352 federal stimulus contracts, grants and loans have failed to report how they spent the money, the status of their projects or how many jobs were funded, according...
by Collin Hitt Bill Ayers – state employee and university professor in Illinois for 25 years – is retiring. He’ll get the normal pension perks due to state university professors, but he won’t get the ornamental emeritus title. When the decision was considered by the board of trustees last month, University of Illinois chairman Chris...