by Collin Hitt The Illinois State Board of Education has announced that it will release school report cards today, showing whether schools are doing better or worse at meeting state and federal academic standards. The decision to release information on a Friday afternoon heading into a weekend when everyone is going to be focused on...
by Kristina Rasmussen Americans for Tax Reform just released its 2010 Illinois list of Tax Pledge signers: WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) released an updated list of incumbents and challengers in Illinois who have signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge. These candidates have made a written commitment to their constituents to never raise their...
by Amanda Griffin-Johnson The state budget crisis has created mounting problems for the state government, from state credit ratings plummeting to vendors refusing state orders because of late payments. But this hasn’t stopped the spending. Earlier this month, Governor Quinn granted $50 million of new spending for job training projects, even though hospitals, schools, and non-profits are still waiting for...
by Wesley Fox Chicago mayoral candidate Gery Chico announced today he would take a 20% cut in pay and would force thousands of other city employees to do the same if elected mayor. He would also ask the city’s 50 Aldermen to take a pay cut as well and work to reduce the number of standing City Council...
by Amanda Griffin-Johnson Earlier this year, SB 3012 was signed into law and created a pilot project mandating that election authorities provide early voting sites on public university campuses in their jurisdiction. The project is only for the 2010 general election, but some county clerks have voiced their opposition to the mandate citing the high costs for small...
by Lee Williams Download a formatted version of this report, complete with a table of the Pittman-Robertson Act contracts awarded by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, here. SPRINGFIELD, IL.—The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is misappropriating millions of dollars that should have been earmarked for the state’s sportsmen. The Pittman-Robertson Act, an 11-percent federal tax on...
by Ashley Muchow Check out Chris Britt’s cartoon in the State-Journal Register. We bloggedyesterday on the absurdity of the union blacklash against volunteers participating in zoo “clean up” day.
by Kate Piercy Illinois’s late payments are catching up with it, and businesses are responding. Yet another vendor is saying farewell to Illinois because of our state’s dismal budget situation. The Department of Corrections scrambled this week when the Industrial Soap Co. refused to deliver foam food trays to Menard Correctional Center because it hadn’t been paid,...
by Collin Hitt Teacherportal.com, an online resource for teachers and would-be teachers, has created a Salary Comfort Score Index that ranks each state. Illinois public school teachers always rank among the country’s highest-paid, but what standard of living does that provide once other factors are accounted for. A word from Teacherportal on its methods: The...
by Collin Hitt A new brief by the red-hot Civic Federation looks at the state budget in FY2011: “Total spending and transfers out increased by $543 million, or 1.6%, from $33.0 billion in FY2009 to $33.5 billion in FY2011.” Yes, programmatic spending is down. But pension payments are way up, 67 percent. Government in Illinois isn’t getting smaller yet...
by Ashley Muchow When polled by Gallup this past week, Americans showed their concern for the economy, healthcare, and the size of government. Voters are first and foremost concerned about the economy–43% believe this issue to be the most important. But consider this: Nearly 1 in 5 American voters believe the size and power of government is the most...
by Collin Hitt Federal education law compels states to create performance standards for their schools. Some state choose high standards – creating a common expectation that students are learning at or above grade level. Other states have low standards – benchmarks that are so easy for schools to meet that no meaningful information is provided...
by Wesley Fox In 2009, the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity awarded a $79,000 to the Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition (search “Looking for Lincoln” – Grant #09337008). The Grant was awarded to “cover costs associated with hosting a Living History Program” that would include “costumed interpreters” to lead daily tours of historical locations around Springfield. According...
In a recent survey of 750 Likely Voters in Illinois, Rasmussen Reports measured citizens’ views on the Illinois budget crisis. 73% of voters in Illinois blame the budget crisis in the state on politicians’ unwillingness to reduce government spending. 16% blame the taxpayer’s unwillingness to pay more in taxes. 10% are not sure who is more to...