Budget + Tax

Illinois Is the New California

Illinois Is the New California

by Kristina Rasmussen The Manhattan Institute’s Josh Barro has an excellent column on RealClearMarkets today in which he explains how Illinois overtook California as America’s least creditworthy state and why our Pension Funding & Fairness Act is a good way back to fiscal sanity: If you go to Sacramento this week, don’t be surprised to hear champagne corks popping and...

Cartoon Blogging

Cartoon Blogging

by Kristina Rasmussen Another great cartoon from the Tribune’s Scott Stantis:

Hey, Big Spender!

Hey, Big Spender!

BillTally provides a window into the cumulative costs or savings present in bills sponsored by Members of Congress.

Letter to the Editor: Pension Borrowing Is a Terrible Choice

Letter to the Editor: Pension Borrowing Is a Terrible Choice

The lack of leadership from elected officials in our state reared its ugly head again this week. Illinois will likely be stuck with another unbalanced budget, thanks in large part to two retiring Republican legislators.

Cartoon Blogging

Cartoon Blogging

About that budget proposal from Gov. Quinn...

AEI: Government Workers Are Not Underpaid

AEI: Government Workers Are Not Underpaid

Andrew G. Biggs, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, disputes a recent study that claims state and local government workers are underpaid compared to similar private sector workers.

The Disparity Between Public Sector and Statewide Salaries

The Disparity Between Public Sector and Statewide Salaries

Historically, public employees have faced a trade-off: lower wages than the private sector in exchange for job security and generous benefits. That trade-off, however, has been disappearing.