Sneak peek at special session
Sneak peek at special session
Key issues that we expect to be brought up during Januarys special session
Quinning! Gov. Quinn is the most unpopular governor in the nation
Quinning! Gov. Quinn is the most unpopular governor in the nation
According to Public Policy Polling, Gov. Quinn is the most unpopular governor in the nation. Gov. Quinn’s approval rating stands at a dismal 25 percent. Adding insult to injury, 64 percent of Illinoisans polled disapprove of his job performance. PPP Release IL 112912
Rahm should focus on jobs first, hype later
Rahm should focus on jobs first, hype later
In his recent op-ed, “How to rebuild America,” Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel boasts that Chicago’s “investments” in public schools, community colleges and infrastructure improvements have put Chicagoans back to work. Here’s what he said: “The strength of these investments is proven in the number of people we’re putting back to work: Chicago is first...
Tax, borrow and spend in style
Tax, borrow and spend in style
During a House Executive Committee meeting this week, one round of testimony began with the argument that Illinois is in a fiscal crisis because it has $9 billion in unpaid bills. That argument couldn’t be more backward. Illinois’ crisis is due to habitual overspending, that results in unpaid bills. Unfortunately, the recent “solution” offered up...
Veto session: recap of week one
Veto session: recap of week one
The Illinois Policy Institute opposed eight bills and appeared in several committee meetings during the first week of veto session. Our policy team had crucial face time with legislators and discussed our positions on public policy that affects all Illinoisans. We also reached out to many members of the House Republican staff. Here is an...
Compass [Winter 2012]: Illinois labor law created union monster
Compass [Winter 2012]: Illinois labor law created union monster
Compass [Winter 2012] Illinois labor law created union monster
State Rep. LaShawn K. Ford has been indicted for bank fraud
State Rep. LaShawn K. Ford has been indicted for bank fraud
State Rep. LaShawn K. Ford, D-Chicago, of Illinois’ 8th District has become the most recent example of a steady stream of Illinois politicians caught with their hands in the cookie jar. According to the Chicago Sun-Times: “Ford, 40, of Chicago — who also invests in Chicago real estate — allegedly fraudulently obtained a $500,000 increase...
For entrepreneurs, the grass is greener … almost anywhere but Illinois
For entrepreneurs, the grass is greener … almost anywhere but Illinois
How do American entrepreneurs decide where to set up shop? Business creators look at indicators like corporate tax rates and the health of a state’s finances when determining the best location in which to take root. According to a survey published recently by Thumbtack.com and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Illinois isn’t quite cutting the mustard. On...
Forget reform: Illinois legislators want to borrow $4 billion
Forget reform: Illinois legislators want to borrow $4 billion
It was déjà vu in Springfield as proponents of more debt pushed Illinois to borrow another $4 billion from the bond market. Their promise? That the state’s backlog of bills would finally get paid down. This is exactly what we heard almost two years ago, when advocates of the massive $7 billion income tax increase...
Veto session: legislative update
Veto session: legislative update
Veto session commenced yesterday morning in Springfield. Typically, we would expect to see movement on controversial bills during this time because of the lame duck legislators who have been voted out of office but still retain voting power. However, impending Democratic supermajorities in both chambers of the Legislature means that we expect to see movement...
How teachers’ salary schedules make pay increases misleading
How teachers’ salary schedules make pay increases misleading
If you want to begin to understand what’s wrong with our current public school system, look no further than teachers’ salary schedules. Public school teachers unions across Illinois have clung to these outdated pay schemes, despite evidencethat shows salary schedules reward teachers for things that have little to do with improving student outcomes. Still, it is...
Education straitjacket: how teachers’ salary schedules limit meaningful reforms
Education straitjacket: how teachers’ salary schedules limit meaningful reforms
Like the school calendar, teachers’ salary schedules are a relic of the past. They were originally created in the 1920s to address the concerns of female elementary school teachers who thought that their secondary school counterparts – who were overwhelmingly male – were making more because of their gender. Now they are being used to...
Chicago bike-sharing program takes taxpayers for a ride
Chicago bike-sharing program takes taxpayers for a ride
I have fond memories of riding my mountain bike in the hills of Busse Woods as a child. My godfather, Sean Costin, is an experimental bike designer and has set world records in racing recumbent bicycles. I even continue to watch the Tour de France in the post-Lance Armstrong era. I love bikes. But my love for bikes...
Piglet: $200,000 for eco-friendly customized zip lines
Piglet: $200,000 for eco-friendly customized zip lines
Providing entertainment may seem like a far cry from an essential government service, but not in Illinois. The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) doles out hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars in grants each year. Funding entertainment is one of the many ways in which this money is used. The...