Chicago

As usual, politicians win, taxpayers lose in legislator pay lawsuit

09/28/2013
In July, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn used his line-item veto power to suspend legislators’ salaries, pledging to withhold legislators’ paychecks until they solved the state’s pension problem. But just Thursday, Cook County Circuit Court Judge Neil H. Cohen ruled that Quinn’s move was unconstitutional. Article IV, Section 11, of the Illinois Constitution prohibits any “changes” to...

TAGS: John Cullerton, lawmaker pay, Mike Madigan, Pat Quinn

ObamaCare: How much is it going to cost Illinosians?

By Naomi Lopez Bauman
09/26/2013
Illinoisans have heard the pitches about how affordable health insurance will be under the Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as ObamaCare. On Sept. 24, Gov. Pat Quinn was trumpeting the ObamaCare health insurance exchange in Illinois. Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is at it. Both have been cheering the least-expensive health insurance...

Labor law fails to protect whistleblowers

By Paul Kersey
09/26/2013
The ethics of big labor tend to be completely backward, protecting the corrupt while punishing the diligent. One reason why is a federal labor law that fails to protect union officials when they try to protect their members from crime, as James Sherk writes in National Review’s “Corner” blog. In a recent article that appeared...

State pension contributions: Taxpayers bear the brunt of increasing pension costs

By John Klingner
09/25/2013
The problem A common refrain sounded by public sector unions is that government workers have consistently “paid their share” into Illinois’ pension systems and the state has not. However, the facts tell a different story. While government worker contributions to Illinois’ five pension systems have increased by 75 percent since 1998, taxpayer contributions have increased...

TAGS: GARS: General Assembly Retirement System, JRS: Judges’ Retirement System, SERS: State Employee Retirement System, SURS: State Universities Retirement System, TRS: Teachers’ Retirement System

Chicago gives Whole Foods $10M tax incentive

By Brian Costin
09/18/2013
In a free enterprise system, businesses grow organically by providing customers with products of value, and in return customers reward those businesses with their hard-earned money. Unfortunately, in Illinois the free enterprise system has been corrupted by bad government policies. Because of Illinois’ high taxes, regulations and anti-free-market policies, many businesses now resort to playing...

Illinois and Chicago riddled with bad economic policy

By Justin Hegy
09/18/2013
Illinois and Chicago are riddled with many regulations, laws and licensing requirements that are unnecessary and anti-growth in nature. Politicians often claim to pass these laws in pursuit of a favorable business climate; but the result is often the opposite. Illinois’ economy is struggling. The state has the second-highest unemployment rate in the nation at 9.2...

Philadelphia and Chicago public schools’ experiencing similar fates

09/18/2013
The Philadelphia and Chicago school systems are both in trouble. Decades of mismanagement have left both districts in financial free-fall. Philadelphia has a $304 million deficit. It has already taken some steps to address it – closing 24 schools this summer and laying off more than 4,000 employees, including almost 700 teachers. District leaders tried...

The hidden bill: Chicago taxpayers and the looming crisis

By Benjamin VanMetre
09/17/2013
The city of Chicago has long been regarded as an economic engine of the Midwest. It is home to some of the country’s largest industries and more than 30 of the nation’s Fortune 500 companies. Chicago is accessible by road, rail and water, and is located in a state that boasts an abundance of natural...

Chicago only major U.S. city without term limits; Illinois one of 11 states without term limits

By Brian Costin
09/17/2013
Term limits are a foreign concept to most Illinoisans. There are no term limit provisions governing our state legislature or constitutional officers. At least 39 other states have some form of term limits that apply to either state legislators or constitutional officers. Only a few municipalities in Illinois, such as Downers Grove, have any formal term-limits policy. But...

TAGS: Chicago, Committee for Legislative Reform and Term Limits, Mike Madigan, term limits