Wisconsin’s labor reforms reach three-year mark: Should Illinois have followed Walker’s lead?
Wisconsin’s labor reforms reach three-year mark: Should Illinois have followed Walker’s lead?
The Statehouse was packed. Protestors crammed the building, chanting, pounding drums and marching around with signs. The historic Wisconsin state Capitol had become overrun with sleeping bags and activists. In some cases, lawmakers were harassed. Doctors diagnosed fake illnesses so protestors could be excused from work. The Senate Democratic caucus fled the state. Within days,...
By Paul Kersey
Doubling down on job loss
Doubling down on job loss
The president continues to promote the recent Congressional Budget Office report that predicts that the U.S. labor force will lose the equivalent of 2.5 million more jobs as the result of the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as ObamaCare. While he extols the benefits of having more flexibility in one’s job decisions as a result...
By Naomi Lopez Bauman
ObamaCare enrollment approaches 89,000 in Illinois
ObamaCare enrollment approaches 89,000 in Illinois
The president’s public relations machine is at it again. With six weeks remaining until the March 31 deadline to obtain qualified health insurance coverage or face a penalty, the Obama administration is trumpeting the success of the Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as ObamaCare, despite a mountain of evidence to the contrary. Enrollments have...
By Naomi Lopez Bauman
Reasons for taxing the rich: Revenue or punishment?
Reasons for taxing the rich: Revenue or punishment?
Why do some people support taxing higher incomes at higher percentage rates? Some politicians throughout Illinois would like you to believe it’s to generate revenue – but a recent poll suggests something different. According to a new poll conducted in the U.K., members of their center-left Labour Party were overwhelmingly supportive of taxing higher incomes...
By Justin Hegy
Illinois job losses: 546 layoffs announced in coming months
Illinois job losses: 546 layoffs announced in coming months
Illinois continues to shed jobs. The state lost 3,200 nonfarm payroll jobs in December. Now, Illinois is poised to lose an additional 546 jobs from five companies in the next few months, according to the state’s January Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN report. Chicago-based Specialty Foods Group Inc., a meat wholesaler that makes...
By Hilary Gowins
Quinn teams up with The Onion to pitch ObamaCare
Quinn teams up with The Onion to pitch ObamaCare
In an 11th hour enrollment push, Gov. Pat Quinn is teaming up with the folks who bring you the satirical news site, The Onion. The idea is to create an action figure banner ad campaign to encourage young people to sign up for health care coverage under the Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as...
By Naomi Lopez Bauman
ObamaCare employer mandate delayed for some businesses
ObamaCare employer mandate delayed for some businesses
The Obama administration announced today another implementation delay of the calamitous law. Today, the administration announced an additional one-year delay of the employer mandate on some firms. Under the law’s employer mandate, employers with 50 or more full-time employees or full-time equivalents are required to offer “qualified and affordable” health insurance coverage to their employees....
By Naomi Lopez Bauman
The 7 worst things in Chicago’s proposed Uber ordinance
The 7 worst things in Chicago’s proposed Uber ordinance
Last week, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel proposed an ordinance that would regulate popular ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft in Chicago. Emanuel often claims that he wants Chicago to be friendly to new businesses, innovation and technology. Unfortunately, his proposal is anything but friendly to these “transportation network” services, and would force them to...
Texas surpasses Illinois in median household income
Texas surpasses Illinois in median household income
The common refrain made against Texas by those who defend the status quo in Illinois is that the jobs being created in the Lone Star State are lower-paying and less-rewarding opportunities. But not anymore. Texas is now unquestionably besting Illinois in providing for the middle class. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2012 the inflation-adjusted...
By Michael Lucci
Illinois considers banning drivers from using Google Glass
Illinois considers banning drivers from using Google Glass
You can’t buy Google Glass in Illinois yet, but that’s not stopping lawmakers from trying to ban it from the state’s streets and highways. Senate Bill 2632, currently pending in the Illinois General Assembly, would prohibit drivers from wearing a “mobile computing headset,” defined as a “computing device with a head mounted display that can project visual...
Bringing equality of educational opportunity to Illinois
Bringing equality of educational opportunity to Illinois
Thousands of students in Illinois’ rural schools lack access to the high-quality courses they need to be successful in college – that’s according to a recent report published by the National Rural Education Association. In fact, many of these students are unable to take AP classes or are routinely offered only one foreign language option,...
Capitol update: Week one
Capitol update: Week one
The official business of Illinois’ 98th General Assembly began this week, with both chambers in session for the first week of the 2014 spring legislative season. The beginning of session typically is a slower time of year, with legislative language being tweaked, and with final touches and chief sponsors being courted. This is especially the...
By Jane McEnaney
Aldermen want to ban horse-drawn carriages in Chicago
Aldermen want to ban horse-drawn carriages in Chicago
Following once again in New York City’s tradition of petty nanny statism, a new ordinance proposed by aldermen Edward Burke and Anthony Beale seeks to ban horse-drawn carriages in Chicago. The proposed ordinance would amend the municipal code to prohibit the renewal of carriage licenses, which would bring an end to the industry by the...
By Bryant Jackson-Green