by Amanda Griffin-Johnson According to a recent New York Times article, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago has been racking up some interesting credit card expenses in the past few years– all on the taxpayers’ dime. Expenses include travel to professional conferences, luxury hotel stays, a chartered evening cruise on the Chicago River, and...
by Kate Piercy The Illinois Policy Institute sent a Freedom of Information Request into the state asking for state employee salary information, and it came back with some puzzling data: Illinois taxpayers gave former governor Rod Blagojevich $28,880.07 in 2009. His “monthly salary” was $14,784.33, so it appears he received two months of pay in...
by Ashley Muchow One week of cost cutting suggestions down, another to go. Daley has provided further information on how, and what, he plans to do to narrow the city’s $655 million budget deficit. Daley proposed today the city of Chicago cut costs by consolidating a handful of city departments. The Department of Cultural Affairs and the Mayor’s Office...
by Lee Williams Carl Lambrecht knew he might be arrested when walked into what he believes was a public meeting Tuesday night. Instead, he never got in the door. He believes he was excluded from the meeting by district officials, in order to keep details of a costly referendum from the public. Lambrecht, a 77-year-old...
by Collin Hitt An intriguing new study comes from a team of researchers led by Jonah Rockoff. It looks at middle schools in New York City, and compares them to elementary schools with a K through 8 grade span. Students in the middle schools do worse than their peers who stay in the same school...
by Kristina Rasmussen You’d think that keeping drunks out of their cars would be a good thing, right? The story of one Quincy resident’s struggle with authorities to provide free rides to the intoxicated is featured in Reason.tv’s latest “Nanny of the Month” episode. Our September 2009 interview with Jonathan Schoenakase provides the back story.
by Kristina Rasmussen The group Americans for Tax Reform takes Governor Pat Quinn to task for his constantly-shifting tax hike plans: Today Grover Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform, called on Gov. Pat Quinn to be up front and honest about the true size of the income tax hike he has planned for Illinois families and job...
by Kate Piercy The Mercatus Center’s Research Fellow Matt Mitchell used data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis to analyze the evolution of state, local, and private spending since 1950. Mitchell created a chart showing the spending level for each year from 1950 to 2009 and compares spending by state and local governments to spending in...
by Kristina Rasmussen State government is trying to save money by taking a closer look at the building leases that house agency offices. From the State-Journal Register: The cash-strapped state government has been terminating leases all across Illinois and renegotiating others with the goal of saving money. The Department of Central Management Services says it has cut...
by Heather Wilhelm It sure is getting expensive to be broke these days, and Illinois is learning the hard way, according to the Civic Federation’s latest study. The Chicago Sun-Times reports: The state’s miserable bond rating has driven up borrowing costs for state government by more than $500 million since last year, a government watchdog...
by Brian Costin A recent Chicago Reader article highlights confusion among Chicago’s restaurants in regards to the recent Cook County sales tax reduction, and a myriad of different taxing districts within the city. Every retail establishment in Chicago must collect and turn over to the Illinois Department of Revenue a 9.75 percent “retailers’ occupation tax”—or sales tax. This...
by Ashley Muchow Chicago mayor, Richard Daley has announced the Windy City will consider privatizing its recycling program and lakefront festivals to assist in closing the city’s budget deficit. Though a nominal amount compared to the state’s $13 billion budget deficit, Daley is determined to close the city’s $655 million budget hole without raising taxes. Following well known moves...
by Kristina Rasmussen Following in Missouri’s footsteps, a new citizens amendment has qualified for the Colorado ballot this fall. Colorado’s “Right to Health Care Choice” amendment — also known as Amendment 63 — would: Write into the Colorado Constitution that the State of Colorado cannot force its citizens to purchase a public or private health insurance product, either...