The Problem In recent months, Illinois has been home to an intense debate over school reform. A school voucher bill co-authored by Sen. James Meeks has received a great deal of attention, and for good reason. It would give parents in Chicago’s worst and most overcrowded schools the option to send their children to a...
The Problem How many hospitals does the Land of Lincoln need, and who gets to decide? In Illinois, the process is far more complicated than you might think—and, unfortunately, it also restricts access to health care for citizens across the state. In 1974, a federal law gave states incentives to create Certificate of Need (CON)...
by Kristina Rasmussen Congress is on its way to passing a $26 billion bailout of state and local government overspending. States like Illinois can’t afford to fund the costly Medicaid benefits and plush public employee union contracts they’ve bestowed, so the federal government is stepping in to fill the gap. Illinois is slated to “get” over $1...
by Will Compernolle The State of Illinois hired 33 locksmiths in calendar year 2008 for $1,786,125 in combined total wages. Of the 33 locksmiths, 2 were hired by the Department of Human Services, 30 were hired by the Department of Corrections, and 1 was hired by the Department of Juvenile Justice. The highest paid locksmith...
by Joe O’Malley It is no wonder residents of Cook County are fleeing to other states. USA Today highlights a recent study that shows just how costly it is to do business in Chicago. The study focused on the local taxes that impact business travelers, such as taxes from hotels, rental cars, and meals. It found that...
by Kristina Rasmussen Illinois’s budget is required to be balanced by constitutional mandate, right? Then why has the budget been balanced only 15 of the 41 years between 1970 and 2010? The last time Illinois had a balanced budget was in 2001. We certainly didn’t have one this year. Charles Wheeler has a great article in the...
by Kristina Rasmussen Yesterday Will blogged about the “Summertime Blues” list of 100 silly stimulus projects (compiled by friend-of-the-taxpayer Senator Tom Coburn). Will didn’t mention it, but there was an Illinois project on that list, coming in at number 72: 72. Studying Whether a Soda Tax Will Stimulate Health (Chicago, IL) – $521,005 The current administration has previously...
by Will Compernolle The State of Illinois hired 33 clinical psychologists in calendar year 2008 for $2,516,451 in combined total wages. Of the 33 clinical psychologists, 32 were hired by the Department of Human Services and 1 was hired by the Department of Corrections. The highest paid clinical psychologist took home a $94,456 salary while...
by Heather Wilhelm Illinois may be a laggard in many key economic rankings, but it’s leading its Midwestern neighbors when it comes to state borrowing. CNN Money put together an interactive table showing how much each state owes on a per capita basis. If you live in Illinois, your share of the state’s borrowing bundle is...
by Ashley Muchow Long has it been the case that Washington politicians turn to the Zandi multiplier to justify stimulus spending under the conjecture that such spending triggers economic growth. Mark Zandi, of Moody’s Economy.com, is regularly consulted by politicians and the press for his “Fiscal Economic Bang for the Buck” chart postulating that spending initiatives, such...
by Will Compernolle According to the Chicago Tribune, a new Congressional report called “Summertime Blues” shows stimulus funding has gone to buy iPods for high school students, cell phones for smokers trying to quit, and advertising for the stimulus itself. While the stimulus has been defended as an endeavor to spur job creation, no jobs were...
by Kristina Rasmussen As Illinois families dive into back-to-school shopping, smart moms and dads will account for how looming tax hikes will affect their household spending. A combination of the soon-to-expire Bush tax cuts and Illinois Governor Pat Quinn’s income tax hike plan would take a painful chunk out of the already-stretched family budget. A new report...
by Will Compernolle The State of Illinois hired 107 electricians in fiscal year 2008 for $7,370,091 in combined total wages. The average salary was $68,879 while the highest paid electrician made $110,251. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics website, the average salary for an electrician in Illinois for 2008 was $67,250. The Illinois Department of...
by Will Compernolle The Illinois Department of Human Services hired ten nutritionists in fiscal year 2008 for $543,117 in combined total wages. The average salary for a nutritionist was $54,311 while the highest paid nutritionist took home a $65,165 salary. The Bureau of Labor Statistics website shows the mean salary for a nutritionist in 2008 in Illinois was $51,070,...