The president and his political allies haven’t been shy about touting an ObamaCare enrollment number of 8 million. But it now seems curious that, for all their back-slapping and self-congratulations, the administration is weeks late in releasing its monthly ObamaCare enrollment report. But this delay should not be all that surprising, given that it merely...
With 31 of Chicago’s last 100 aldermen having been criminally convicted of corruption, it’s refreshing to hear about one that stood up against it. According to recently released court documents, Alderman Anthony Beale of Chicago’s 9th Ward turned down a bribe from a man in Northwest Indiana who was seeking to have $42,000 of business fines...
For months Gov. Pat Quinn has campaigned on the need to make permanent the temporary tax hike the Illinois General Assembly passed in 2011. Under state law, the majority of the 2011 tax increase will sunset in January 2015. Quinn wants to reverse that. He claims the state is out of money and there is...
In an effort to strong arm legislators today, Illinois’ Secretary of State Jesse White threatened that armed security at Illinois’ Capitol building would need to be completely removed if the 2011 temporary tax hikes were rolled back. Armed security was hired in the aftermath of a 2004 shooting that occurred at the Capitol. Tragically, one...
Some Illinois lawmakers and special-interest groups are pushing for a so-called fair tax, or progressive income tax in Illinois. Among the leading advocates of the progressive tax is Illinois Education Association, or IEA, which misleadingly claims the progressive tax would “increase taxes on the rich” while “cutting taxes on the middle class.” The reality is...
Illinoisans are frustrated. But the depths of that frustration may not have been evident until now. According to a recent Gallup survey: “Illinois has the unfortunate distinction of being the state with the highest percentage of residents who say it is the worst possible place to live. One in four Illinois residents (25%) say the state is...
It’s no wonder that more and more Chicago aldermen are balking at Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s property tax hike proposal. They know property tax hikes won’t play well on the campaign trail later this year. Emanuel is calling for $750 million in property tax hikes over five years to prop up just two of the four...
A Chicago City Council committee will consider a new set of restrictions on pedicabs at a hearing this week. Many specifics of the proposal, introduced by 44th Ward Alderman Tom Tunney, are unexceptional, but two provisions stand out as unnecessarily harmful to the pedicab market and consumer choice. For one, the ordinance arbitrarily caps the...
April 28 marks Illinois’ Tax Freedom Day. This day commemorates the point in 2014 when Illinoisans have worked enough to cover the rising cost of federal, state and local government. From now through the rest of 2014, Illinoisans finally will be able to keep the money they earn. Illinois’ high-tax environment pushed the state’s Tax...
Do high taxes help or hinder a state? The Fiscal Policy Center at Voices for Illinois Children thinks high taxes are a good thing. The group released a study recently claiming that states that levy high personal income taxes outperform states that don’t tax income at all. They use their study as a justification for...
In a rarely seen move, Illinois’ Crystal Lake School District 47 has decided to post its recently negotiated contract online – for the public to view – before the union and district hold a vote on it. Unfortunately in Illinois, contract negotiations are often completely hidden from the public until the whole process is completed....
Internal Revenue Service migration data for the 2010 tax year shows that Illinois continues to lose people to other states. Illinois had a net loss of 49,000 residents to other states, along with a net loss of $1.9 billion in personal income. Not only did Illinois lose more people than it gained, but the state also...
Over the four-year history of the Local Transparency Project, there have been 35 municipalities, 12 school districts, seven counties, four park districts, two townships and even one fire protection district to earn the Illinois Policy Institute’s Sunshine Award. But until recently, no library has won the award. The April 16 Niles Public Library board meeting...
1. A supermajority means the rules do not apply When it comes to running a state, there is a long list of rules and parliamentary procedures the government must abide by during its everyday operations. These rules govern everything from how votes are taken to how bills are read and are in place to protect...