Yet another city is heading toward bankruptcy. Desert Hot Springs, Calif., a city of 26,000 in the south-central part of the state, warned it could run out of money as soon as March 2014. If that occurs, the city could be forced to file for bankruptcy. If that happens, Desert Hot Springs will be the...
The International Association of Machinists rejected an eight-year contract offer from Boeing Co. yesterday, according to the Chicago Tribune. The contract extension would’ve ensured that production of Boeing’s 777X plane would continue in Washington state – in exchange for several cost-cutting measures, including moving employees to a 401(k)-style retirement plan by 2016. If all had...
The state charter school commission is under attack. State Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia, D-Aurora, has contempt for the state charter school commission, even though she voted for its creation more than two years ago. It was on full display the last time Jeanne Nowaczewski – the commission’s executive director – appeared in front of the...
The dismal ObamaCare “enrollments” reported yesterday tell only one small part of the larger ObamaCare train wreck. For those watching closely, there is an uncomfortable realization that ObamaCare is actually increasing the number of uninsured Americans. Five millions and counting Americans across the country have received notices that their health insurance plans in the individual...
In January, the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, or HFS, began a new project verifying eligibility for Illinois’ Medicaid enrollees. For years, state workers had failed to take adequate steps to ensure the people receiving Medicaid benefits were actually eligible for the program. As an Auditor General report noted, state workers failed to verify basic...
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services just released the much-anticipated enrollment numbers for the ObamaCare health insurance exchanges. But instead of reporting on actual enrollments, the administration is, instead, reporting on the number of people who have put a health plan in their checkout cart, but haven’t actually checked out. The distinction is...
Illinois has more units of local government than any other state in the nation.
Illinois’ corporate income tax rate is already the fourth-highest in the industrialized world. Yet some lawmakers want to push rates even higher. State Rep. Naomi Jakobsson, D-Champaign, wants swap out Illinois’ constitutionally protected flat rate income tax on corporations with a progressive income tax hike. And that would be on top of the fact that...
Triple-notch credit downgrades for government entities are supposed to be rare. They normally happen only in response to major financial events, such as a sudden fiscal emergency. But Chicago just received its second triple-notch downgrade in just six months. And that spells trouble for Chicago taxpayers. Citing skyrocketing pension costs and a lack of meaningful...
The federal government is expected to announce this week how many Illinoisans and Americans across the country have enrolled in the federal health care program known as ObamaCare. But instead of reporting on actual enrollments, media sources are predicting that the Obama administration will, instead, be reporting on the number of people who have put a health plan in their online shopping cart, but...
Since July, Illinois Teamsters have been on strike against funeral home operator Service Corporation International, or SCI, because SCI didn’t offer a contract that the union found satisfactory. At first, the Teamsters fought their battle by aggressively picketing funeral homes SCI owns in Illinois. Among other things, strikers at Illinois funeral homes reportedly blocked mourners...
According to a recent poll by Pew Research, President Barack Obama’s overall job approval rating is tanking. While the president is seeing better marks for his handling of the economy, he is facing growing disapproval in a number of areas, including health care. According to the report: Obama also gets negative ratings on health care...
The Herald-News is reporting that American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 1028 have filed a strike notice against Will County. About 1,000 county employees could go on strike as early as Wednesday, Nov. 13. The union wants a larger cost-of-living pay raise than the county is offering, and the union is also...
The Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the national unemployment rate rose in October to 7.3 percent from 7.2 percent one month earlier. There are 11.3 million Americans currently unemployed. The U-6 unemployment rate, which includes all workers who are unemployed or underemployed, rose to 13.8 percent, up from last month’s 13.6 percent. In total,...