Four factors that created the CPS pension crisis
Four factors that created the CPS pension crisis
How Illinois politicians turned what was meant to provide government workers with retirement security into a political slush fund.
Madigan and power
Madigan and power
In the history of the United States, no one has led a state legislative body longer than Mike Madigan.
Cruel summer: Mass layoffs hit 2,100 Illinois workers in August
Cruel summer: Mass layoffs hit 2,100 Illinois workers in August
There’s no respite for laid-off Illinois workers in the “summer of pink slips.”
Quote of the day, September 8
Quote of the day, September 8
Quote of the day, September 7
Quote of the day, September 7
Claudia Perez
Claudia Perez
“The day arrived when a policeman told me, ‘Throw away all this trash. It’s worthless. It’s garbage.’ And I said, ‘How can you call food, garbage?’ I cried hard. They arrested me two times. The United States, they told me, is a different kind of place. And now look at how we’re being treated.” Claudia...
SB 1229 officially dead: Madigan’s defeat is Illinois taxpayers’ victory
SB 1229 officially dead: Madigan’s defeat is Illinois taxpayers’ victory
On Sept. 2, the Illinois House of Representatives failed to override Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto of the government-worker union arbitration bill, and on Sept. 4, the deadline for doing so officially expired – a major defeat for House Speaker Mike Madigan.
Quote of the day, September 3
Quote of the day, September 3
Master blaster
Master blaster
Madigan comes up short on SB 1229 override
Madigan comes up short on SB 1229 override
House Speaker Mike Madigan said on multiple occasions he had the votes to override the governor’s veto.
Rahm calls for the largest property tax hike in modern Chicago history
Rahm calls for the largest property tax hike in modern Chicago history
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel calls for property-tax hikes, garbage-collection fees and ridesharing surcharges as a stop-gap measure to plug the city’s $750 million budget hole.
Failure to override
Failure to override
Rahm kicks the can
Rahm kicks the can
Failure to override veto of SB 1229: Great win for taxpayers
Failure to override veto of SB 1229: Great win for taxpayers
The failure of the Illinois House of Representatives to override Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto of Senate Bill 1229 represents a great win for taxpayers on two fronts. First, taxpayers’ voice in AFSCME negotiations was protected. The governor, not an unelected and unaccountable arbitrator, will set the terms of the next contract. But the failure of...