by Brian Costin One of the best protections against corruption is transparency, and in today’s digital age one of the easiest ways for government to be open and accountable is through posting public documents on the Internet. Unfortunately, most Illinois counties need to dramatically improve when it comes to online transparency. Last week the Illinois...
Judges’ contributions to the Judges’ Retirement System, or JRS, have gone up by 52 percent since 1998. During the same time period, taxpayer contributions to judges’ retirements increased by 306 percent. In 2012 alone, Illinois taxpayers contributed $47 million more to JRS than judges did. And the disparity between taxpayers and employee contributions is projected...
Nearly every week, I receive a call from an Illinois parent asking about whether the state has a school voucher program. Last week it was a single mother from the South Side of Chicago. Her daughter just graduated from elementary school and will attend one of the city’s worst high schools if her family can’t...
by Ted Dabrowski Legislators’ contributions to the General Assembly Retirement System, or GARS, have gone up by 33 percent since 1998. During the same time period, taxpayer contributions to legislators’ retirements increased by 237 percent. In 2012 alone, Illinois taxpayers contributed nearly $9 million more to GARS than legislators did. And the disparity between taxpayers...
In the wake of Lebron James’ second-straight NBA title and the end of the professional season, free agents across the league are considering their next moves. Some of the biggest names to enter the free-agent fray include the Los Angeles Lakers’ Dwight Howard and New York Knicks sixth-man, J.R. Smith. As these athletes consider their decision, they’ll...
Earlier this week I wrote about Pam Harris, the Western Springs, Ill., mother who is at risk of having a union siphon off state aid money meant to help her care for her disabled son. So how is it that Harris, and so many like her, found themselves treated as employees by the state? Why don’t...
Since last month, gas prices in Illinois have fallen below the $4 mark, dropping by $0.32. But Illinois’ average price per gallon is still almost $0.25 above the national average of $3.48. Chicago’s average price at the pump is even higher – $4.12. Though this is a significant drop from less than a month ago when Chicago had...
Dimitri Syrkin-Nikolau doesn’t just make pizza. Through his Chicagobased business, Dimo’s Pizza, he also cultivates talented employees. He opens his doors to local schools. He helps foster enthusiasm and excitement within his community. That’s because, to Syrkin-Nikolau, business isn’t just about making money. He believes it’s about what he calls “purposeful profit.” “Ultimately, profit is...
Allstate Corp. tops the list of Illinois companies planning layoffs, according to a June report from theIllinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, or IDCEO. The Northbrook-based insurance company is planning to lay off 348 workers from its Woodridge, Ill., location as part of a restructuring effort to reduce expenses. Under IDCEO’s Illinois Worker Adjustment and...
by Naomi Lopez-Bauman If ObamaCare weren’t already enough of a train wreck, the irony of the U.S. Treasury Department blog post announcing the delay of the ObamaCare employer mandate – titled Continuing to Implement the ACA in a Careful, Thoughtful Manner – would be hysterical. The employer mandate is a provision of ObamaCare that requires employers with 50...
After several months of saying that pension reform inaction by the Illinois General Assembly costs taxpayers $17 million a day, Gov. Pat Quinn lowered that number to $5 million per day for fiscal year 2014. That’s surprising, since no pension reform bill was passed in the recent legislative session and the unfunded liability is still almost...
Employee contributions to the State University Retirement System, or SURS, have gone up by 16 percent since 1998. During the same time period, taxpayer contributions to university worker retirements increased by 333 percent. In 2012 alone, Illinois taxpayers contributed $730 million more to SURS than university employees did. And the disparity between taxpayer and employee...
Illinois resident Pam Harris has a son, Josh, who is 24 years old and suffers from Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome, a rare genetic malady that leaves him moderately handicapped mentally and at the same time affects his joints so that he is prone to dislocations. Josh can move around the house and do simple chores. He’s also...
by Jonathan Ingram The Quinn administration recently released a new projection of how quickly the state’s massive pension debt is growing. As a result, some are celebrating the fact that the governor is predicting that Illinois’ pension debt will only grow by $5 million per day during fiscal year 2014, as opposed to his projection of $17...