Illinois has nearly 7,000 units of local governments
Illinois has nearly 7,000 units of local governments
Illinois has more units of local government than any other state in the nation.
Illinois has fourth-largest portion of tax revenues coming from corporate income taxes in the nation
Illinois has fourth-largest portion of tax revenues coming from corporate income taxes in the nation
Illinois’ corporate income tax rate is already the fourth-highest in the industrialized world. Yet some lawmakers want to push rates even higher. State Rep. Naomi Jakobsson, D-Champaign, wants swap out Illinois’ constitutionally protected flat rate income tax on corporations with a progressive income tax hike. And that would be on top of the fact that...
Fitch Ratings: Chicago approaching “inflection point”
Fitch Ratings: Chicago approaching “inflection point”
Triple-notch credit downgrades for government entities are supposed to be rare. They normally happen only in response to major financial events, such as a sudden fiscal emergency. But Chicago just received its second triple-notch downgrade in just six months. And that spells trouble for Chicago taxpayers. Citing skyrocketing pension costs and a lack of meaningful...
Who counts as an ObamaCare enrollee?
Who counts as an ObamaCare enrollee?
The federal government is expected to announce this week how many Illinoisans and Americans across the country have enrolled in the federal health care program known as ObamaCare. But instead of reporting on actual enrollments, media sources are predicting that the Obama administration will, instead, be reporting on the number of people who have put a health plan in their online shopping cart, but...
Illinois General Assembly passes bill to help Teamsters who picketed funerals
Illinois General Assembly passes bill to help Teamsters who picketed funerals
Since July, Illinois Teamsters have been on strike against funeral home operator Service Corporation International, or SCI, because SCI didn’t offer a contract that the union found satisfactory. At first, the Teamsters fought their battle by aggressively picketing funeral homes SCI owns in Illinois. Among other things, strikers at Illinois funeral homes reportedly blocked mourners...
59% of Americans disapprove of Obama’s handling of health care policy
59% of Americans disapprove of Obama’s handling of health care policy
According to a recent poll by Pew Research, President Barack Obama’s overall job approval rating is tanking. While the president is seeing better marks for his handling of the economy, he is facing growing disapproval in a number of areas, including health care. According to the report: Obama also gets negative ratings on health care...
Will County AFSCME workers file strike notice against county
Will County AFSCME workers file strike notice against county
The Herald-News is reporting that American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 1028 have filed a strike notice against Will County. About 1,000 county employees could go on strike as early as Wednesday, Nov. 13. The union wants a larger cost-of-living pay raise than the county is offering, and the union is also...
Lowest labor-force participation rate since 1978
Lowest labor-force participation rate since 1978
The Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the national unemployment rate rose in October to 7.3 percent from 7.2 percent one month earlier. There are 11.3 million Americans currently unemployed. The U-6 unemployment rate, which includes all workers who are unemployed or underemployed, rose to 13.8 percent, up from last month’s 13.6 percent. In total,...
Half of Illinois Medicaid enrollees reviewed found ineligible
Half of Illinois Medicaid enrollees reviewed found ineligible
In January, the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, or HFS, began a new project verifying eligibility for Illinois’ 2.7 million Medicaid enrollees. For years, state workers had failed to take adequate steps to ensure the people receiving Medicaid benefits were actually eligible for the program. As an Auditor General report noted, state workers failed to...
Chicago Tribune calls for honesty in college-readiness standards
Chicago Tribune calls for honesty in college-readiness standards
The Chicago Tribune is calling on the state to be honest about how well its students are performing academically: “Illinois has a track record of massaging its school performance numbers to mask reality and make everybody feel good. Last year, 849 schools could boast that 90 percent or more of their students passed statewide reading...
Parks and wreck
Parks and wreck
The Illinois General Assembly today approved a pension bill that requires taxpayers to pay an additional $75 million into the Chicago Park District pension fund in addition to tripling the taxpayer contribution to the troubled pension fund. Unfortunately, this bill is mistakenly being heralded by some as a potential model for pension reform. Make no mistake:...
Chicago Park District total debt exceeds $1.4 billion
Chicago Park District total debt exceeds $1.4 billion
Chicago Park District total debt: $1.4 billion The Chicago Park District is responsible for overseeing museums, beaches, parks, pools and other attractions. Chicago Park District has an annual operating budget of $410.9 million and employs approximately 3,000 workers. Chicago Park District’s debt burden totals more than $1.6 billion, including debt, health insurance and pension liabilities....
Obama administration throws unions a bone in form of ObamaCare tax break
Obama administration throws unions a bone in form of ObamaCare tax break
The Obama administration is throwing unions a bone on ObamaCare in the form of “tax break.” But if union officials are smart, they’ll throw it back. NPR is reporting that the administration is offering unions some relief from one of the many problematic features of the health care law. The proposal is to terminate a...
It’s time to stop misleading parents about the quality of Illinois schools
It’s time to stop misleading parents about the quality of Illinois schools
State government officials, district administrators and union bosses have been actively misleading parents about the quality of Illinois’ elementary schools for years. New Illinois Standard Achievement Test, or ISAT, scores released last week by the Illinois State Board of Education, or ISBE, prove as much. In fact, most schools across the state experienced significant drops...