By Collin Hitt
02/02/2011
The tax increases signed into law this month by Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn will cost most Illinois households $1,000 – equivalent to one or more weeks’ pay. How many families can afford to miss a paycheck? According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average family living in the Midwest earns just under $60,000 annually and consists...
Cost of tax hike equivalent to average Illinois paycheck gone.
$500. $720. $1,000. These may seem like small sums compared to your total salary, but the amount a Quinn/Cullerton/Madigan tax hike will carve into your discretionary income is painfully revealing.
By Chris Andriesen
11/02/2010
by Dan Proft I do not think government functionaries should set private sector salaries or that U.S. policymakers should be adorned with the appellation properly reserved for Russian autocrats. But, if I did not believe in free markets and free minds, NBA Commissioner David Stern would be my choice for “Pay Czar.” Stern is in the...
by Kate Piercy Senior Research Fellow Veronique de Rugy of the Mercatus Center uses data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to compare net job creation since 2000. Check out the chart below.
In 2008, the Illinois Dept. of State Police paid 3,520 employees a total of $266,671,219 in wages, which is fourth highest among all departments. What is more interesting is that 730 employees made over $100,000, which is 20.7% of its employees. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the mean wage for state police and sheriff...
by Kate Piercy Mercatus Center Senior Research Fellow Veronique de Rugy provides a chart showing the changes in federal and private annual wages this decade: Her research shows: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, from 2001 to 2009 average annual private pay grew by 24.9%, total government pay grew by 30.1%, and federal pay...
By Chris Andriesen
09/22/2010
The Problem Witnessing explosions from the latest Transformers movie on Michigan Avenue and catching glimpses of movie stars like Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie may provide an exciting novelty for Illinois residents. But is it worth the price? Illinois state government offers film production projects generous tax incentives to film within its borders, but the...
by Kristina Rasmussen Not one to stop good money from going after bad, President Obama announced plans for a new stimulus spending spree, this time to the tune of $50 billion for roads, rail boondoggles, and the like. I don’t think the American people will buy into it. Over the past year, chances are you’ve driven by more than...
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...