Democracy

Bruce Rauner: The first 30 days

By Matt Paprocki
02/13/2015
Issuing seven new executive orders and rescinding seven others, along with delivering a State of the State address, the new governor has had a busy first month in office.

TAGS: Bruce Rauner

Continuing the trend: Union PACs give big money to Democratic Quinn

By Justin Hegy
01/16/2014
In the race for Illinois governor, campaign contribution restrictions have legally been lifted. Labor union’s political action committees, or PACs, have long been primary financial backers of Democrats both in Illinois and nationally. Unsurprisingly, these PACs are now throwing extraordinary amounts of cash behind Gov. Pat Quinn’s re-election bid. Quinn’s political war chest is closing...

TAGS: campaign finance, labor, PAC: political action committee, unions

McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission and the case for capless campaign spending

By Bryant Jackson-Green
08/21/2013
Not long after the Supreme Court announced earlier this year that it would hear McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission, a case concerning election contribution limits, political commentators began to hype the alleged dangers of money in our political process. In recent weeks, with the Supreme Court scheduled to hear arguments in the case in October,...

Veto session: legislative update

By Matt Paprocki, Jane McEnaney
11/28/2012
Veto session commenced yesterday morning in Springfield. Typically, we would expect to see movement on controversial bills during this time because of the lame duck legislators who have been voted out of office but still retain voting power. However, impending Democratic supermajorities in both chambers of the Legislature means that we expect to see movement...

Money in Politics and the New Class Warfare

02/28/2011
While most other states in the union are tackling public employee pensions, cutting taxes and razing roadblocks to prosperity, Illinois remains the last bastion of fiscal foolishness.

What It Means – Elections

By John Tillman
11/03/2010
All across the country, from federal races to local races, the national mood and resulting election wave dominated and largely prevailed.  In Illinois, that same wave only flowed for the federal races, not the General Assembly or governor’s race. Mark Kirk won President Obama’s Senate seat, and there were four GOP pickups in the House...

Pension Bill to be Signed Today

04/14/2010
Governor Quinn is expected to sign a bill that would reduce pension benefits for new state employees. It's a start to scaling a big mountain.

Chicago Forward 2026: A pro-growth plan to end city budget deficits

Chicago’s $1.15 billion projected budget gap is the latest in a decades-long string of structural deficits. Making Chicago’s high taxes worse is not the solution.

View Report

Report Archive

Diana Graham

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

By Paul Kersey
06/19/2014

CBS Chicago: Illinois’ highest-paid superintendent receives $400K per year to oversee 1,200 students

By Ted Dabrowski
05/02/2016