Good Government

Local Government Efforts and State Neighbors Shine While IL State Government Stalls in the Shadows

Local Government Efforts and State Neighbors Shine While IL State Government Stalls in the Shadows

The Problem Imagine you’re about to have heart surgery. Would you want your doctor operating on your heart in the dark? Or without looking at your x-ray first? Without an x-ray, he wouldn’t know where to operate, the severity of your sickness or understand exactly what he needs to do in order to save your...

By Kate Campaigne Piercy

2008 Illinois Piglet Book

2008 Illinois Piglet Book

We’ve joined with Citizens Against Government Waste to put together the book that Springfield doesn’t want you to read, highlighting over $686 million in wasteful spending. Highlights include: $4 million for a Ford Technical Training Center in Chicago Heights $1 million for the Illinois film office in Chicago $920,000 for the Chicago Aerospace Education Initiative $550,000 for the conservation of pheasants...

By Chris Andriesen

Opening the books in Illinois: Basic transparency for better government

Opening the books in Illinois: Basic transparency for better government

Do Illinois citizens deserve to know where their tax dollars go?  Less than ten years ago, a state audit found that many of our public officials didn’t think so.  More than two-thirds of requests for public documents, the study found, were turned away at local offices.  More than a quarter of them were denied altogether....