by Kristina Rasmussen The Manhattan Institute’s Josh Barro has an excellent column on RealClearMarkets today in which he explains how Illinois overtook California as America’s least creditworthy state and why our Pension Funding & Fairness Act is a good way back to fiscal sanity: If you go to Sacramento this week, don’t be surprised to hear champagne corks popping and...
by Collin Hitt Using a school voucher in D.C. significantly boosted students’ chances of graduating high school, according to an official evaluation released today by the federal Department of Education. Students who used vouchers, versus those who were eligible but did not receive or use vouchers, had a 21 percent greater chance of graduating high...
by Kristina Rasmussen Another great cartoon from the Tribune’s Scott Stantis:
by Mark Cavers In 2008, the Illinois Department of Corrections employed 30 vocational instructors who made $1,837,058.27 in combined total wages. The highest paid instructor made $86,477.96 and the average wage for the instructors was $61,000. These individuals provide “occupational instruction in a specific vocation in a correctional facility.” On the other hand, the Illinois Department of Human Services employed 16...
by Kristina Rasmussen Governor Pat Quinn fancies himself the “jobs governor.” Let’s see if the numbers hold up. From the Bureau of Labor Statistics: Quinn’s first month in office: February 2009 February 2009 employment: 6,035,873 Illinoisans February 2009 unemployment rate: 8.7 percent Quinn “jobs governor” claim: June 2010 April 2010 employment (latest available): 5,943,140 Illinoisans April 2010...
by Will Compernolle The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) gave a $750,000 grant in fiscal year 2009 to the City of Pinckneyville to “construct a High School Basketball Hall of Fame and a Illinois Rural Heritage Museum.” The DCEO’s grant tracker says the grant (#09-240001) is part of The Community Development Assistance Program (CDAP). To find...
Commentary: if there was no teacher tenure, then there'd be no argument for teacher tenure.
The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) gave an $83,400 grant to
The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) gave a $45,000 grant to buy a tour boat.
During a time when the Gulf oil disaster and the ever-increasing and mind-numbing federal debt are (rightly) dominating the news, it is easy to forget about the overwhelming fiscal challenges facing our own state government.
Yet another innovative use for online learning in Illinois.
Illinois Department of Transportation paid employees over $2 million in wages to work a free ferry service in 2008.
The Problem Wish someone would pay for your continuing education so you could get a higher paying job? If you are a unionized Illinois state government employee, you’re in luck. The State of Illinois runs the Upward Mobility Program, which is “a career mobility program designed to give state employees an opportunity to advance to...
BillTally provides a window into the cumulative costs or savings present in bills sponsored by Members of Congress.