by Ashley Muchow Robert Barro, in his most recent WSJ article, takes note of various logical shortcomings in the Obama administration’s economic agenda. Rather than focus on the supply-side rationale of creating incentives that stimulate both supply and demand—thus yielding sustained economic growth—the Obama administration has ignored the breadth of supply-side manifestations in the policy measures it...
by Ashley Muchow Two trends have taken off in recent years—a rising number of entitlement recipients and a drop in the number of Americans paying taxes. Both highlight the unfortunate drift towards mounting wealth redistribution and big government. Sara Murray fleshed out these two trends in today’s WSJ. Government data [doesn’t] show how many of the households...
by Kristina Rasmussen A round up of local Illinois measures on the ballot this November 2 by Ballotpedia.org shows that local governments across the state are trying to hike taxes and borrow more money. Some examples, with individual summaries from Ballotpedia.org: Sangamon County sales tax hike. The tax would add one percent to the current sales tax rate in...
by Kristina Rasmussen A new report on jobs and unemployment from the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability points out that Illinois’s employment levels are similar to that after the 2001 recession: Though the State gained jobs between the ‘90s tech boom peak and the 2006 expansion peak, the employment situation in Illinois currently stands approximately where the...
by Amanda Griffin-Johnson Desmond Lachman of the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) had an interesting article recently in AEI’s journal, The American. The article, titled “The Emerging Markets’ Century,” details how emerging economies may have a growing impact in the global market because of their comparatively strong public finances when compared to industrialized counties. He explains, “Whereas public debt levels in...
by Kate Piercy According to a report from the Chicago Tribune, “the attorney at the center of a long-running lawsuit,” Michael Shakman, told a federal judge Thursday that since the start of 2008, Cook County Board President Todd Stroger violated a ban on political hiring more than 150 times: Stroger’s administration altered the list of jobs not covered...
by Collin Hitt The search for a new Cubs manager in many ways will be more exciting than watching that guy manage, when the time comes. The sportswriters guarantee that. And it’ll probably be more fun to receive the job than to have it, at least in the short run. The sportswriters make sure of...
by Kate Piercy Do you know how much you’re paying for lobbyists? Sunshine Review has released a paper about taxpayer-funded lobbying in Illinois, reporting information about lobbying contracts and membership in taxpayer-funded lobbying associations. Taxpayer-funded lobbying associations are groups funded at least in part by public dollars that lobby for the collective interests of government bodies. ...
by Kate Piercy Section 1604 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (AARA) specifically prohibits funds from flowing to certain entertainment and recreation projects. Does a casino, aquarium, zoo, golf course, or swimming pool sound like recreation or entertainment to you? Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), Ranking Member on the Committee on Government Oversight and...
Problem In a previous “Spotlight on Spending” analysis, the Illinois Policy Institute focused on the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s questionable grants, which range anywhere from giving money to help celebrate a Canadian 4th of July, increasing the awareness of Chicago and Illinois in Ireland, providing a fraternity with money to use solar power,...
by Kate Piercy DuPage County Board Chairman Bob Schillerstrom has unveiled a $70 million capital plan with bond projects ranging from improvements to roads and campus grounds, creating bike trails and planting trees. The 30-year plan will cost taxpayers nearly $125 million. Although the projects may sound nice, is this fiscally responsible or fair to...
by Kristina Rasmussen Not one to stop good money from going after bad, President Obama announced plans for a new stimulus spending spree, this time to the tune of $50 billion for roads, rail boondoggles, and the like. I don’t think the American people will buy into it. Over the past year, chances are you’ve driven by more than...
by Kristina Rasmussen Feeling blue about state government? You’re not alone: CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois voters don’t have a lot of confidence in state government, and their outlook about the federal government isn’t much better. That’s according to a new Chicago Tribune/WGN-TV poll. The poll found that more than 6 in 10 of those surveyed lack confidence in...
by Kristina Rasmussen With the state billions of dollars in the hole, Illinois’s network of state parks is facing budget cuts: The Wildlife Prairie Park subsidy is being wiped out as part of a $2.4 million reduction in lump sums at the Department of Natural Resources. DNR will also reduce vacant positions and defer “non-critical” maintenance at...