Illinois’ comeback story starts here.

Basic Math – Teacher Pensions

by Kristina Rasmussen Illinois is still broke. Teachers, listen up. It is time for the truth.

Putting Up New Curtains When Your House Is On Fire

by Kristina Rasmussen The state is spending hundreds of millions of dollars on renovating the capitol building in Springfield. That money is being spent even as Illinois state government faces billions in past-due bills. As one of my colleagues noted, it’s like putting up new curtains when your house is on fire. Here’s a run down...

Desperation at the Post Office

by Kristina Rasmussen While standing in a very long line at the Post Office yesterday, I noticed this placard advertising their PhotoStops Kit. Basically, you get to put a photo of your choice on a legit stamp. We all know that USPS is facing major fiscal issues. Things are bad. So bad, apparently, that they’re asking customers...

Charter High Schools Deliver: When Given the Chance, Chicago Students Can Compete

The Problem Chicago high schools have long held a tragic reputation. For years, district-wide dropout rates have hovered near 50 percent. High school test scores remain low. Only a relative few students have been able to attend selective schools, where seats are reserved for students with exceptional records in elementary school. Now, a new group...

By Collin Hitt

America’s Hero: The Entrepreneur

by Emily Dietrich In page after page of Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand depicts her real life hero – the entrepreneur. After a Library of Congress survey revealed that readers of Atlas Shrugged rate the novel only second to the Bible as the most influential book in their lives, it’s no surprise that this way of thinking has taken root. Entrepreneurs...

If Illinois Members of Congress had their way, how much would government spending increase or decrease?

by Kristina Rasmussen If Illinois Members of Congress had their way, how much would government spending increase or decrease? The National Taxpayers Union Foundation keeps a running tally of each Congressman’s net spending agendas as measured by their bill co-sponsorships. Last week I asked them to share preliminary data on the spending agendas of members of the Illinois...

School Districts Lead the Way in Bloomington

The Illinois Policy Institute recently completed aAi??local government transparency projectAi??focused on government units in McLean County, Illinois. The results range from high scores of 87.5 to a low score of 5.625. To see how the scores breakdown,Ai??click here for the full scorecard Paroxetine withdrawal treatment Ai??or see the table below. Bloomington Public School District 87Ai??andAi??McLean...

By Mark Cavers

Nation’s Highest Spike in Unemployment Seen in Illinois Metro Division

by Emily Dietrich Today the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the majority of U.S. metropolitan areas decreased their unemployment rate from last year. Unfortunately for the largest metropolitan division in Illinois – Chicago-Joliet-Naperville – this was not the case. With unemployment spiking 0.7 percentage points from a year earlier, Chicago-Joliet-Naperville experienced the largest unemployment rate increase...

Repeal the Tax Hike?

by Mark Cavers Last week, the Illinois Policy Institute partnered with the Manhattan Institute to release a poll measuring the public’s mood on a wide range of issues including: Pensions, the state’s budget, the economy, taxes, unions, and collective bargaining. According to our poll, 63% of people still oppose the tax hikes that were passed in January. Even more...

CPS Votes to Put Students First, Lengthen School Day

by Michael Wille With the CPS graduation rate hovering around 55%, you would think that teachers would be supportive of giving kids more time in the classroom. After all, according to a new website started by CPS to promote the longer school day, 14 of 15 studies have confirmed positive results between lengthening time in the classroom...

Illinois Business Climate Ranks in Bottom

by Emily Dietrich Yesterday’s headline in the Chicago Tribune, “Illinois Among Worst States to do Business,” encapsulates what’s been on the minds of countless job creators and job seekers across the state. A new study by the Development Counsellors International reports that of the 322 U.S. corporate executives surveyed, nearly one quarter viewed Illinois as having one of...

A Simple Solution for Mr. Buffett’s Tax Problem

by Kristina Rasmussen Warren Buffett recently took to the opinion pages of the New York Times to decry America’s unfair tax system. According to his calculations, his effective tax rate is around 17 percent while his the people in his office pay effective rates averaging 36 percent. His solution? Washington should hike his taxes. And yours, while they’re...

Constitution Day and the Principles America Embodies

by Emily Dietrich Saturday was Constitution Day. Signed on September 17, 1787, the U.S. Constitution remains the oldest constitution in effect today. After 224 years, the constitution has weathered the test of time by providing a firm foundation for American democracy. Reinforcing the platform of the U.S. Constitution is America’s core principles. These principles –...

IlliNOis JOBS: Ranks of Unemployed Grow Most in the Nation

For a second month in a row, Illinois holds the unenviable position of leading the nation in negative jobs data. This month, the bad news is in the number of unemployed Illinoisans. Data released Sept. 15 by the Bureau Labor of Statistics showed that more people became unemployed last month in Illinois than in any...

By Chris Andriesen

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