Faced with the impossible task of balancing Chicago’s budget without pension reform, Mayor Lori Lightfoot is forced to partially rely on phantom cuts and revenues.

Illinois can do it the old way and raise taxes to deliver pork projects. Or Illinois can be smart and make each tax dollar work hard to deliver projects that help residents and the economy.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is reportedly gunning for a transportation bill that could come with an increase in the gas tax.

The Chicago Transit Authority’s latest budget proposal includes 25-cent fare hikes.

Blaming Illinois state budget cuts, Metra considers raising fares in 2018, despite previous fare schedule.

After a tax hike spree from Chicago-area politicians, residents are stuck paying more only to carry an ever-larger load of debt.

House Bill 3004 would have put banks and bondholders ahead of taxpayers and those who rely on government services. But Gov. Bruce Rauner’s amendatory veto strips the bill of those bailout provisions.

Bailout bills moving in the Illinois General Assembly would attempt to turn Illinois’ massive debt problems into guaranteed profits for banks and bondholders and a lower standard of living for other Illinoisans.