By now youve probably heard that Chicago Public Schools will be closing 54 schools and 61 buildings total.
When it comes to taxes, politicians like to be sneaky.
With the downturn in the economy, youll occasionally hear stories about thieves who steal public property such as manhole covers and sell the materials to scrap yards.
Late last year California passed a bill that implemented what some would like to call sweeping government worker pension reforms.
Illinois Policy Institute CEO John Tillman joined Melissa Francis to talk school closings in Chicago.
Three years after the enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or PPACA, we are beginning to suffer its painful consequences.
After all, there is a basic democratic principle in play: An informed citizenry can hold its government in check. But how can we hold Quinn accountable if the information we receive is only what he chooses to share?
In the game of state competitiveness, Illinois lags the nation. Poor policy decisions continue to sap economic activity and ruin opportunities for businesses operating in Illinois.
In case you missed it, a couple of days ago journalist Dave McKinney of the Chicago Sun-Times put together an interesting history lesson on how the state of Illinois wound up committing securities fraud.
Job growth is also anemic in the state. Illinois added 12,400 jobs last month. Thats a growth rate of only 0.2 percent from the previous month.
Decatur breakfast featuring Institute staff
Illinois is in crisis. According to official government numbers, Illinois has an unfunded pension liability of $96 billion – the worst in the nation. This heavy debt burden, combined with the state’s culture of out-of-control, wasteful spending, has driven the state into an economic death spiral. Illinois cannot be economically prosperous until real pension reform...
Key differences between HB3411 and HB3303 HB3411: Rep. Tom Cross, Rep. Elaine Nekritz bill HB3303: Rep. Tom Morrison bill to be introduced on Thursday (Institute supported) PENSION RAMP HB3411: Keeps pension ramp, so pension contributions increase each and every year. HB3303: Eliminates pension ramp, so pension contributions remain level. RETIREMENT CONTROL HB3411: Keeps politicians in...
School choice should be the foundation of any successful school system. This includes learning options of all kinds, including online learning, private schools, charter schools, homeschooling and more. While alternative learning options provide much-needed options for students, these programs should not be exempt from performance reviews. In a surprise move, the Chicago Public Schools, or...