A golden rule of finance is this: Debt that can’t be paid won’t be paid.

More than half of Illinois voters want lawmakers to balance the budget by only cutting state spending.

Illinois lawmakers need a new approach to budget-making – one that takes into account the state’s financial mess, shows respect for taxpayers, and prioritizes spending to meet the needs of the poorest and most disadvantaged residents.

Illinois has by far the most units of government in the nation, at nearly 7,000.

A set of structural reforms that protect taxpayers and put Illinois on the path to prosperity.

Attempts to cut off state worker pay need not end in a tax hike.

Instead of proposing more tax hikes, the Illinois Senate should provide some much needed relief to residents and pass a taxpayer bill of rights.

The Illinois Senate’s proposed budget plan would raise the personal income tax rate to at least 4.95 percent with no real reforms to address the state’s skyrocketing debt and unsustainable spending. This proposal comes despite Illinois’ loss of $14 billion in annual income and hundreds of thousands of people in the wake of the 2011 income tax hike.