Chicago Tribune

The assault on school choice in Illinois

03/13/2014

Thousands of Illinois students are trapped in failing schools. These schools fail at their most basic task: providing students with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in the future. Take a look at some statistics from a forthcoming Illinois Policy Institute special report on the state’s lowest-performing schools: 72 percent of students at...

TAGS: charter schools, school choice, vouchers

Did Chicago Bears lose bid for Seattle Seahawks defensive lineman Michael Bennett due to Illinois’ income tax?

By Michael Lucci

03/11/2014

The Chicago Bears are in the market for a pass-rusher to bolster their defensive line. But taxation in Illinois’ can make it difficult to lure talent from other states. The Bears targeted Seattle’s Michael Bennett, whose younger brother Martellus stars at tight-end for Chicago. Brad Biggs from the Chicago Tribune placed Chicago’s offer at around...

The five absurdities of Illinois’ Sunday car sales ban

By Michael Lucci

03/03/2014

Cronyism in the car industry didn’t start with Chicago’s ongoing attempt to control ride-share companies. In 1982, big car dealerships successfully lobbied to ban their competitors from making Sunday car sales. A generation of car buyers has lost out because of it. The obvious features of the law show that it was conceived of by...

Government unions protecting Chicago city worker scofflaws

By Justin Hegy

02/27/2014

Remember in 2011 when Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said he was going to get “deadbeat” city workers to pay up on unpaid parking tickets, fees and fines? Back then, he threated lengthy suspensions or termination. Emanuel scolded workers, stating “the free ride is over for everybody.” It turns out public unions are making this a lot...

TAGS: Chicago, labor, parking violations, Rahm Emanuel, unions

Chicago taxi industry sues to keep competition out

By Hilary Gowins

02/06/2014

Smartphone-based taxi services such as Uber and Lyft have been invaluable for many Chicagoans during the polar vortex and its lingering aftermath. The city’s entrenched taxi industry doesn’t like that fact. They’ve filed suit against the city of Chicago, claiming that allowing the existence of these in-demand services discriminates against people without access to smartphone...

TAGS: Chicago, cronyism, Lyft, Uber

Union membership decreases nationwide

By Paul Kersey

01/27/2014

Last week, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released its latest report on union membership in the United States, which covers 2013. The results showed that unions failed to gain members – a fact that will likely prove disappointing for union officials, who might have hoped to regain lost membership under a very pro-union president....

Chicago Tribune calls for school choice in Illinois

01/21/2014

It’s time to bring school choice to Illinois – so says the Chicago Tribune, in a convincing editorial published this weekend. Not only did the Tribune discuss the poor performance of Chicago’s persistently low-performing schools, it also talked about successful school choice programs in Wisconsin and Indiana – Illinois’ neighbors to the north and east....

Taxpayers to foot big bill for pointless legislator pay stunt

01/13/2014

In July, Gov. Pat Quinn used his line-item veto power to suspend Illinois legislators’ salaries, pledging to withhold their paychecks until they solved the state’s pension crisis. This predictably provoked a lawsuit by House Speaker Mike Madigan, Senate President John Cullerton and other legislators. A Cook County Circuit Court judge then ruled in September that...

TAGS: lawmaker pay, Pat Quinn

Illinois Policy Institute’s government affairs team makes big strides in 2013

By Jane McEnaney

12/29/2013

The Illinois Policy Institute’s overarching goal is to transform liberty principles into marketable policies that become law. Naturally, the ultimate sign of success is when free market ideas are turned into laws that change lives for the better. There’s a long way to go before our vision is fully realized, but this year, our government...

Boeing latest Fortune 100 company to offer 401(k) retirement plans

By Paul Kersey

11/14/2013

The International Association of Machinists rejected an eight-year contract offer from Boeing Co. yesterday, according to the Chicago Tribune. The contract extension would’ve ensured that production of Boeing’s 777X plane would continue in Washington state – in exchange for several cost-cutting measures, including moving employees to a 401(k)-style retirement plan by 2016. If all had...

TAGS: 401(k)

FAQ: How the federal scholarship program would help Illinois students

Illinois students could soon benefit from scholarship money to help them find a tutor, attend ACT or SAT prep sessions, pay tuition, get special education services or assist with other academic needs. That will happen in Illinois only if Gov. J.B. Pritzker lets the state’s schoolchildren benefit from the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit program, established...

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