by Kristina Rasmussen Okay, so what will ObamaCare really mean for you? The Cato Institute’s Michael Tanner recently released a helpful guide: “Bad Medicine: A Guide to the Real Costs and Consequences of the New Health Care Law.” Among the findings: While the bill will increase the number of Americans with insurance coverage, it falls significantly...
by Kristina Rasmussen Talk of a soda tax is bubbling up again: CHICAGO (CBS) ― Feel like you’re taxed enough already? More could be coming. There’s an early push to explore taxing soft drinks that are sweetened with sugars – all to get you to stop buying them. CBS 2’s Kristyn Hartman reports it’s all about...
by Will Compernolle The State of Illinois hired four breath alcohol analysis technicians for a total of $241,878 in combined total wages in fiscal year 2008. The highest paid breath alcohol analysis technician made $60,985 and the average wage was $60,469.50. The Illinois Department of Central Management Services website says the technicians perform “regular maintenance, major servicing,...
The Problem Illinois’s state budget is billions of dollars in the hole, but that didn’t stop Illinois government from handing out pay increases to 46,000 state workers on July 1, 2010. Indeed, Governor Pat Quinn has handed out 43 raises (averaging 11.4 percent to his staff) since he took the oath of office. All areas of government...
Ashley Muchow Amid the financial turmoil that has inflicted most every world region in the past decade, much attention has been given to the timeless question of whether free markets work. Ultimately, are we better off in a free market economy or is this just an erroneous belief whose figureheads undeservedly became household names? Pew...
by Will Compernolle The State of Illinois hired 43 chaplains in fiscal year 2008 for $2,417,084.46 in combined total wages. The average chaplain was paid $56,211 while the highest paid chaplain took home a salary of $78,341. The Illinois Department of Central Management Services website distinguishes between two different chaplains: “Chaplain I” and “Chaplain II.”...
by Will Compernolle The Sun-Times reports that more than 10% of Metra employees last year made at least $20,000 in overtime pay. Total overtime pay in 2009 reached nearly $20 million. Metra says that, while it’s hardly ideal to spend so much on overtime pay, there’s not much it can do about a lot of it. Accidents, bad...
by Will Compernolle The State of Illinois hired two housekeepers in fiscal year 2008 for $56,309.31 in combined total wages. The average housekeeper salary was $28,154.66 with the highest being $31,488. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics website reports that the mean salary for a housekeeper in Illinois is $20,290. To find this information on our IllinoisOpenGov.org website, go...
by Amanda Griffin-Johnson A recent Rasmussen survey reveals that “most Americans report their state currently has a budget crisis, and they continue to blame politicians more than taxpayers for the problem.” How did the numbers break down? The article continues: The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Adults shows 75% say the unwillingness of politicians to reduce...
by Kate Piercy New Jersey Governor Chrisitie’s administration has put out a 57-page report identifying areas where government services could be privatized in order to save tax dollars — 210 million dollars a year, to be exact. According to a report from NorthJersey.com: State parks, psychiatric hospitals and even turnpike toll booths could also be run...
by Will Compernolle The State of Illinois hired 215 motor vehicle cashiers in fiscal year 2008 for a total of $6,722,279.25 in combined total wages and an average annual salary of $31,266.41. The highest paid motor vehicle cashier made $50,885. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics website, the mean annual salary for a cashier in...
by Ashley Muchow For Illinois, 2010 was a record breaking era. Our state managed to shatter three tremendous records for this past fiscal year. Adjusted year-end General Revenue Fund balance was a negative $4.69 billion, a record. The backlog of unpaid bills at fiscal year end was $4.7 billion, a record. It now takes the comptroller’s office 153 working...
by Will Compernolle Thousands of blue recycling carts totaling nearly $1 million in value are sitting idle in a warehouse in Chicago, the Sun-Times reports. The city acknowledged about 22,000 carts – priced at $45-per-container – are going unused because the city ran out of money one-third of the way through an effort to expand curbside...
by Richard Lorenc, Guest Blogger We’ve been hearing lots about how giving money to unemployed folks creates jobs (or not) over the past few days. But how much, exactly, do these benefits cost? While we won’t have figures from 2010 for a while longer, the Labor Department says American taxpayers spent $76.8 billion in unemployment...