Struggling businesses, individuals and families need relief while the economy is shut down. Despite Illinois’ financial woes, leaders can help the recovery by lifting government-imposed financial burdens.
“Before the health crisis, we were growing at such a rapid pace and scale that we were looking to expand either our space or to a second location this year. Now with the coronavirus, everything has come to a screeching halt."
State lawmakers putting together ethics reforms have not met since the first week of March, when the coronavirus ended gatherings.
"Isn’t it odd that people like us have to live within our means but government doesn’t? It makes no sense."
The last thing Illinois needs is more bad news for the sake of it. But ignoring this reality threatens to make this crisis worse.
Illinois’ grocery stores have told shoppers to leave their reusable bags at home to stop COVID-19’s spread. Chicago’s 7-cent bag tax will continue unless the law is changed.
"In a lot of sales, you have a winner and a loser sometimes. And with coffee for me, there was two winners: a coffee and a smile for a smile and two dollars."
The order was originally scheduled to lift on April 7, but cases of coronavirus in the state continue to rise. Schools will remain closed.
New data show Illinois lost private sector jobs amid a national economic expansion for the first year on record in 2019, a sign of the state’s deep structural problems in the run-up to the current market downturn.
“I started this business and it’s grown so much, even though I don’t have a college education. You have to work to get where you want to go."
Health care institutions need flexibility to prepare for infection rates that could overwhelm current hospital bed capacity.
COVID-19 has forced classes to close, but children’s educations can continue with some creativity and a wealth of free resources for online learning at home.