by Amanda Griffin-Johnson A clout hiring scandal in Chicago’s Department of Transportation (CDOT) has led to a five-day, unpaid suspension for an engineering technician and the resignation of a Deputy Commissioner. The Chicago Sun-Times reports: Jim Bolster was slapped with the five-day suspension “for assisting” his boss, former Deputy Commissioner Gilberto Quinones, in Quinones’ quest to...
by Kristin Nisbet* The Pacific Research Institute and director Nick Tucker created a film adaption of a book titled “Not as Good as You Think” by Lance Izumi, Vicki Murray and Rachel Chaney. This film of the same name questions the assumption that having a well manicured lawn and owning a house in the suburbs is key to gaining access to...
by Collin Hitt Congress approved another bailout yesterday. This one for state governments and local school districts. The feds will print $26 billion, ostensibly to forestall 161,000 teacher layoffs. Without getting into the details about the nationwide teacher hiring glut of the past ten years, the threat to fiscal federalism from this new ‘stimulus,’ or...
by Ashley Muchow Another great cartoon from Scott Stantis of the Chicago Tribune. Illinois’s State Sales Tax Holiday commenced August 6th and is set to last until August 15th. See our blog on the tax holiday and a bit more from the Tax Foundation on the political gimmick.
by Kristina Rasmussen Regular readers know that we’re no fans of the political propaganda signs that dot America’s debt-funded “stimulus” projects. With that in mind, a photo I came across on Facebook today tells the real story.
by Kristina Rasmussen Dennis Byrne’s column poses some interesting questions about the Illinois state pension system — namely, if it goes belly up, will taxpayers be on the hook for paying those benefits? A new analysis prepared for the Civic Committee by the Chicago law firm Sidley Austin says “no”: The opinion acknowledges that the constitution creates a...
by Kristina Rasmussen The House just voted on the ill-crafted state government/union boss bailout bill. The bill passed, and it looks headed to President Obama’s desk for his likely signature. Unions representing public employees and teachers may be cheering, but many taxpayers are jeering, and for good reason. They understand this measure will only increase the pressure...
by Amanda Griffin-Johnson A state audit of a Cook County jobs training program is raising concerns about some of the program’s expenditures. The Chicago Tribune reports: Among an audit’s 68 findings were questions about whether youths who were paid more than $1 million were even qualified to be in the program, why $31,000 in pension payments...
by Ashley Muchow What’s that? More bailouts? That’s right, I said it. More bailouts. Illinois’s own, Senator Dick Durbin, has confirmed his support of Senator Robert Casey’s (D-PA) brilliantly frivolous bill, ironically titled the Create Jobs and Save Benefits Act, to bailout approximately $165 billion of underfunded union pension funds. Believe it or not, our state government is...
The Problem In recent months, Illinois has been home to an intense debate over school reform. A school voucher bill co-authored by Sen. James Meeks has received a great deal of attention, and for good reason. It would give parents in Chicago’s worst and most overcrowded schools the option to send their children to a...
The Problem How many hospitals does the Land of Lincoln need, and who gets to decide? In Illinois, the process is far more complicated than you might think—and, unfortunately, it also restricts access to health care for citizens across the state. In 1974, a federal law gave states incentives to create Certificate of Need (CON)...
by Kristina Rasmussen Congress is on its way to passing a $26 billion bailout of state and local government overspending. States like Illinois can’t afford to fund the costly Medicaid benefits and plush public employee union contracts they’ve bestowed, so the federal government is stepping in to fill the gap. Illinois is slated to “get” over $1...
by Will Compernolle The State of Illinois hired 33 locksmiths in calendar year 2008 for $1,786,125 in combined total wages. Of the 33 locksmiths, 2 were hired by the Department of Human Services, 30 were hired by the Department of Corrections, and 1 was hired by the Department of Juvenile Justice. The highest paid locksmith...
by Joe O’Malley It is no wonder residents of Cook County are fleeing to other states. USA Today highlights a recent study that shows just how costly it is to do business in Chicago. The study focused on the local taxes that impact business travelers, such as taxes from hotels, rental cars, and meals. It found that...