Gas, hotels, video rentals hidden taxes you might not realize youre paying
Gas, hotels, video rentals hidden taxes you might not realize youre paying
When it comes to taxes, politicians like to be sneaky.
Northern Illinois University VP with $196K salary steals scrap metal, gets slap on the wrist
Northern Illinois University VP with $196K salary steals scrap metal, gets slap on the wrist
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.
The problem with fake or partial pension reforms: the crisis never goes away
The problem with fake or partial pension reforms: the crisis never goes away
Late last year California passed a bill that implemented what some would like to call sweeping government worker pension reforms.
Institute on Fox Business: Chicago to close 54 schools
Institute on Fox Business: Chicago to close 54 schools
Illinois Policy Institute CEO John Tillman joined Melissa Francis to talk school closings in Chicago.
As ObamaCare comes to Illinois, the fight for health care freedom continues
As ObamaCare comes to Illinois, the fight for health care freedom continues
Three years after the enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or PPACA, we are beginning to suffer its painful consequences.
When it comes to the AFSCME contract, taxpayers still in the dark
When it comes to the AFSCME contract, taxpayers still in the dark
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?
Poor policy decisions continue to sap Illinois’ economic activity
Poor policy decisions continue to sap Illinois’ economic activity
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.
Laying blame: union bosses also culpable for pension crisis
Laying blame: union bosses also culpable for pension crisis
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.
Illinois’ unemployment rate jumped to 9.5% in February
Illinois’ unemployment rate jumped to 9.5% in February
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.
Legislative & Policy Breakfast on the State of Illinois in Decatur
Legislative & Policy Breakfast on the State of Illinois in Decatur
Decatur breakfast featuring Institute staff
Budget Solutions 2014: Pension reform and responsible spending for state and local governments
Budget Solutions 2014: Pension reform and responsible spending for state and local governments
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 Cross/Nekritz pension bill and real reform
Key differences between Cross/Nekritz pension bill and real 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 must yield results: CPS to close two underperforming charters
School choice must yield results: CPS to close two underperforming charters
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...
Budget Solutions 2014: Pension reform
Budget Solutions 2014: Pension reform
The only way to end Illinois’ pension crisis is to empower government workers by transitioning benefits for all future work to a defined contribution system.