Illinois corporate tax breaks serve as blank checks for big business
Illinois corporate tax breaks serve as blank checks for big business
Illinois taxpayers are the ones who must ultimately pay the price for crony deals.
401(k)-style pension reform in Alaska
401(k)-style pension reform in Alaska
In 2005, Alaska froze the state’s traditional defined-benefit pension plan and created a self-managed 401(k)-style retirement plan for new public employees and teachers.
Is ObamaCare heading back to the Supreme Court?
Is ObamaCare heading back to the Supreme Court?
A Supreme Court ruling striking down the IRS subsidies in all 50 states would provide an important opportunity for reform.
Ignore the signs
Ignore the signs
Road less traveled
Road less traveled
State payment to teacher pensions grows by $300M
State payment to teacher pensions grows by $300M
More than 70 cents out of every new education dollar already goes to teacher retirement costs.
Illinois voters should look before they leap on ‘victims’ rights’ amendment
Illinois voters should look before they leap on ‘victims’ rights’ amendment
Voters may also want to consider whether these rights need to be part of the Illinois Constitution, even if they do seem desirable.
What you’re voting on
What you’re voting on
Voters will weigh in on non-binding referendums including a minimum-wage increase and a millionaires tax, as well as constitutional amendments on existing crime victims’ rights and voting rights.
First Lady fumbles Illinois’ job situation
First Lady fumbles Illinois’ job situation
Illinois is last in the U.S. for putting people back to work.
7 of 10 Illinois metro areas are not recovering at all
7 of 10 Illinois metro areas are not recovering at all
Unemployment rates fell for most of Illinois’ metropolitan statistical areas in September, according to a press release from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, seven out of 10 Illinois metro areas are not showing any signs of an economic recovery when it comes to putting people back to work. Champaign, Chicago and Springfield are showing...
Three small changes for a better food-truck policy
Three small changes for a better food-truck policy
It’s been two years since Chicago last updated its food-truck regulations to allow vendors to prepare food onboard. This was a significant improvement, but there are still some important changes the city can and should make to better respect food-truck owners’ rights and improve food options for residents across the city. Here are three modest...
Illinois’ real unemployment rate
Illinois’ real unemployment rate
Illinois Corruption Watch, October 2014
Illinois Corruption Watch, October 2014
In October, we found 52 different stories of potential public corruption in Illinois, including a trio of stories related to the election. An Illinois Policy investigation into emails from a group of Kankakee County superintendents revealed potentially illegal activities to pass a countywide sales-tax hike for school facilities. Documents obtained suggest illegal actions by superintendents...
Illinois’ ‘temporary’ 2011 tax hike breaks household budgets
Illinois’ ‘temporary’ 2011 tax hike breaks household budgets
Illinois’ “temporary” 2011 tax hike made the state’s slow recovery even worse. The tax hikes hit at the worst possible time – right after household incomes had collapsed during the recession. Since the tax hikes, the monthly growth in the number of people working in Illinois has slowed down by 60 percent, while the monthly...