DCEO gives $25.6M to billion-dollar businesses
DCEO gives $25.6M to billion-dollar businesses
Illinoisans don’t need bureaucrats playing venture capitalist with their hard-earned money.
Kankakee County superintendents behaving badly
Kankakee County superintendents behaving badly
It’s perfectly legal for people working for local government to engage in politics on their own free time, but if they are using taxpayer resources or facilities for political campaigns it can be a criminal act. A Freedom of Information Act investigation conducted by the Illinois Policy Institute has revealed potentially illegal activities being conducted...
States on the move: 401(k)-style pension reform in Michigan
States on the move: 401(k)-style pension reform in Michigan
Michigan was a trailblazer when it comes to 401(k)-style reform plans for government workers. In 1997, Michigan froze the state employees’ defined-benefit pension plan and created a self-managed 401(k)-style retirement plan for new state workers. It was the first state in the nation to enact bold reforms like these. Michigan state employees who started working...
2015 State Business Tax Climate Index: Illinois drops to 31st
2015 State Business Tax Climate Index: Illinois drops to 31st
Illinois’ burdensome tax climate for businesses will continue to hold the state back from creating jobs and growing the economy in 2015. The Tax Foundation issued its 2015 State Business Tax Climate Index, reporting that Illinois dropped two positions in the ranking since last year, to 31st from 29th. Prior to 2011, Illinois steadily ranked...
Outside money pours into communities to pass sales-tax hikes
Outside money pours into communities to pass sales-tax hikes
The public school district in Jacksonville, Illinois, is criticizing fellow Illinoisans for educating residents about a significant sales-tax increase proposal on the ballot – a tax increase that would drive up the cost of gas, clothes, prepared food, electronics and more. School district officials called the Illinois Policy Institute a “Chicago based” group, when we’re...
The top three things McHenry County taxpayers need to know about ‘free’ ObamaCare money
The top three things McHenry County taxpayers need to know about ‘free’ ObamaCare money
The McHenry County Board recently took a brave stance by voting to reject “free” money for Affordable Care Act enrollment, but it’s unclear whether the board’s decision will stand. At issue is almost $585,000 in grant money that is being doled out by the state (but originated with the federal government) to the McHenry County...
Illinois food stamps hit 2014 high
Illinois food stamps hit 2014 high
More than one in five Illinois households are dependent on food stamps.
Chicago cellphone taxes highest in nation
Chicago cellphone taxes highest in nation
Everywhere they look, Chicagoans see ads urging them to switch their cellphone service. One major provider urges customers to purchase a four-line family plan with all the texting, talking and data one could possibly use for only $100 per month. But the ad fails to mention that a Chicago family would actually have to pay...
Illinois’ real unemployment rate
Illinois’ real unemployment rate
More than 500,000 Illinoisans are missing from the calculation of Illinois' unemployment rate.
Illinois’ true unemployment rate: 18.1 percent
Illinois’ true unemployment rate: 18.1 percent
The unemployment rate is a state’s most closely monitored indicator of economic health. The Illinois unemployment rate rose sharply through the Great Recession, and continues to fluctuate and trend downward as a result of both economic growth and a shrinking workforce. Illinois’ working-age adult population, from which the workforce is drawn, has grown by nearly...
Manufacturing a comeback
Manufacturing a comeback
Illinois’ economy needs a real comeback to get the state back to work. To address what is needed for a sustainable recovery, policymakers should look at one of Illinois’ primary pain points: the manufacturing sector. The recession caused Illinois to lose 116,800 manufacturing jobs from January 2008-January 2010. After that, Illinois began a weak manufacturing...
10 tips to be a better local government watchdog
10 tips to be a better local government watchdog
Only 28 percent of Illinois residents trust their state government, the lowest rate in the country by far. Since the days of Al Capone, the words “Illinois” and “Chicago” have been synonymous with government corruption. In order to change the narrative and restore trust in our state and local government we must fight public corruption head...
Illinois Tollway fees a good example of how Illinois politicians interpret ‘temporary’
Illinois Tollway fees a good example of how Illinois politicians interpret ‘temporary’
In the past two years, the Illinois Tollway Authority has filed lawsuits totaling $11 million against drivers who didn’t pay tolls – a fee that was originally sold to the public as “temporary.” When the Illinois Tollway was originally created in 1953, lawmakers used the revenue to pay for the original bonding needed to build...
Waukegan strike shows need for labor law reform
Waukegan strike shows need for labor law reform
Waukegan Public Schools have been closed for more than three weeks because of a teacher strike called by the Lake County Federation of Teachers. At this point, the acrimony between the union and the administration must be severe; and the children who attend the district’s schools, along with a lot of teachers, are stuck in...