The U.S. jobless rate remained at 6.7 percent in March, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The national jobless measure has not improved for three months. U.S. payrolls picked up 192,000 workers in March, slightly below expectations of 200,000. Employment gains were made in professional and business services (57,000), food and drink services (30,000),...
Chicago politicians have exploited city-worker pensions for nearly two decades.
Chicago politicians have exploited city-worker pensions for nearly two decades. They’ve used the city’s pension systems as slush funds and pension benefits as bargaining chips to further their own agenda, with seemingly no regard for Chicago’s fiscal health. Now those pension systems are nearly insolvent and the city is heading toward bankruptcy. Chicago is facing...
UPDATE: The CTA is changing how rail operators are scheduled as a result of a review of the crash that injured at least 30 people at the O’Hare International Airport Blue Line station, the agency said today. READ MORE … Does the latest Chicago Transit Authority, or CTA, Blue Line crash at O’Hare feel like déjà...
Can you help us fight ObamaCare in Illinois? The Liberty Justice Center has a plan to bring a lawsuit challenging a major part of ObamaCare’s implementation in Illinois – but we need people in Illinois who are affected by ObamaCare to be our plaintiffs. Here’s what the lawsuit is about. The Affordable Care Act passed...
Gov. Pat Quinn began his recent op-ed in the Chicago Tribune with a couple of quotes. In that spirit, I’ll do the same. Cowardly Lion: “What makes the sphinx the seventh wonder? Courage! What makes the dawn come up like thunder? Courage! What makes the Hottentot so hot? What puts the ‘ape’ in apricot? What...
Opponents of pension reform in Illinois are quick to malign self-managed accounts, such as 401(k)s, as too risky for government workers. They claim that workers are better off with pensions paid for and run by the government, as if that somehow makes them more secure. But there are three key problems with that argument. The...
Free speech won at the Supreme Court today as the court struck down a federal law that limited how much money a person could give to federal candidates and political committees. Under Supreme Court precedent, the government can only limit campaign contributions if doing so is necessary to prevent quid pro quo corruption – that...
Earlier this month, 28 attorneys general, including Illinois’ Lisa Madigan, sent a letter to major convenience retailers including Rite Aid, Walmart and Walgreens, urging them to stop selling tobacco products in their stores. This came shortly after CVS voluntarily announced that it would completely phase out sales of tobacco products by October 2014. Madigan and...
We’re excited to announce the following events as part of our Liberty Speakers Series in 2014. Clark Neily, April 17, 2014 Mary Katharine Ham, May 8, 2014 S.E. Cupp, June 10, 2014 We look forward to seeing you at these events.
The ObamaCare inaugural open enrollment ended on Monday just like it began: riddled with technical difficulties. Notorious for a glitch-ridden debut on Oct. 1, 2013, the site was down for several hours on at least two occasions throughout the day on Monday. On top of that, the administration announced last week that individuals who began – but weren’t...
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has reportedly struck a pension deal with city employees who are members of the Municipal and Laborers pension funds. The deal only affects half of the city’s workers. Firefighters and policemen, as well as its teachers, park and transit workers, are not included. The deal, which calls for a five-year, $750...
Lawmakers and special-interest groups across Illinois are trying to dupe Illinoisans into paying higher income taxes. They’re trying to convince Illinoisans that a progressive income tax hike is only a tax hike on the rich. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Need proof? Look at the most recent progressive tax hike proposal. Under...
I don’t usually enjoy sitting through Chicago City Council committee meetings. The ones I’ve attended have typically involved aldermen blustering about how the city needs to ban, restrict or control one thing or another, with no regard for individual rights or economic sense. But last Thursday’s meeting of the council’s Committee on License and Consumer...