by Kristina Rasmussen Dennis Byrne’s column poses some interesting questions about the Illinois state pension system — namely, if it goes belly up, will taxpayers be on the hook for paying those benefits? A new analysis prepared for the Civic Committee by the Chicago law firm Sidley Austin says “no”: The opinion acknowledges that the constitution creates a...
by Kristina Rasmussen The House just voted on the ill-crafted state government/union boss bailout bill. The bill passed, and it looks headed to President Obama’s desk for his likely signature. Unions representing public employees and teachers may be cheering, but many taxpayers are jeering, and for good reason. They understand this measure will only increase the pressure...
by Amanda Griffin-Johnson A state audit of a Cook County jobs training program is raising concerns about some of the program’s expenditures. The Chicago Tribune reports: Among an audit’s 68 findings were questions about whether youths who were paid more than $1 million were even qualified to be in the program, why $31,000 in pension payments...
by Ashley Muchow What’s that? More bailouts? That’s right, I said it. More bailouts. Illinois’s own, Senator Dick Durbin, has confirmed his support of Senator Robert Casey’s (D-PA) brilliantly frivolous bill, ironically titled the Create Jobs and Save Benefits Act, to bailout approximately $165 billion of underfunded union pension funds. Believe it or not, our state government is...
The Problem In recent months, Illinois has been home to an intense debate over school reform. A school voucher bill co-authored by Sen. James Meeks has received a great deal of attention, and for good reason. It would give parents in Chicago’s worst and most overcrowded schools the option to send their children to a...
The Problem How many hospitals does the Land of Lincoln need, and who gets to decide? In Illinois, the process is far more complicated than you might think—and, unfortunately, it also restricts access to health care for citizens across the state. In 1974, a federal law gave states incentives to create Certificate of Need (CON)...
by Kristina Rasmussen Congress is on its way to passing a $26 billion bailout of state and local government overspending. States like Illinois can’t afford to fund the costly Medicaid benefits and plush public employee union contracts they’ve bestowed, so the federal government is stepping in to fill the gap. Illinois is slated to “get” over $1...
by Will Compernolle The State of Illinois hired 33 locksmiths in calendar year 2008 for $1,786,125 in combined total wages. Of the 33 locksmiths, 2 were hired by the Department of Human Services, 30 were hired by the Department of Corrections, and 1 was hired by the Department of Juvenile Justice. The highest paid locksmith...
by Joe O’Malley It is no wonder residents of Cook County are fleeing to other states. USA Today highlights a recent study that shows just how costly it is to do business in Chicago. The study focused on the local taxes that impact business travelers, such as taxes from hotels, rental cars, and meals. It found that...
by Kristina Rasmussen Illinois’s budget is required to be balanced by constitutional mandate, right? Then why has the budget been balanced only 15 of the 41 years between 1970 and 2010? The last time Illinois had a balanced budget was in 2001. We certainly didn’t have one this year. Charles Wheeler has a great article in the...
by Kristina Rasmussen Yesterday Will blogged about the “Summertime Blues” list of 100 silly stimulus projects (compiled by friend-of-the-taxpayer Senator Tom Coburn). Will didn’t mention it, but there was an Illinois project on that list, coming in at number 72: 72. Studying Whether a Soda Tax Will Stimulate Health (Chicago, IL) – $521,005 The current administration has previously...
by Will Compernolle The State of Illinois hired 33 clinical psychologists in calendar year 2008 for $2,516,451 in combined total wages. Of the 33 clinical psychologists, 32 were hired by the Department of Human Services and 1 was hired by the Department of Corrections. The highest paid clinical psychologist took home a $94,456 salary while...
by Heather Wilhelm Illinois may be a laggard in many key economic rankings, but it’s leading its Midwestern neighbors when it comes to state borrowing. CNN Money put together an interactive table showing how much each state owes on a per capita basis. If you live in Illinois, your share of the state’s borrowing bundle is...
by Ashley Muchow Long has it been the case that Washington politicians turn to the Zandi multiplier to justify stimulus spending under the conjecture that such spending triggers economic growth. Mark Zandi, of Moody’s Economy.com, is regularly consulted by politicians and the press for his “Fiscal Economic Bang for the Buck” chart postulating that spending initiatives, such...