Democratic Party

What Happens When a City Goes Bankrupt?

08/03/2011
by Kolin Karchon  On August 1st, the city of Central Falls in Rhode Island filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection citing that  “the city’s financial condition has deteriorated to the point where it is insolvent.” The city’s pension plan is expected to run out of assets by October, but city negotiations regarding benefit cuts with current workers...

Spring 2011 Legislative Session Summary

06/01/2011
by Collin Hitt The General Assembly has adjourned for the summer. A budget was passed that contained real cuts, but it was still too big. Significant school reform sits on the governor’s desk. Illinois government will be more transparent. And yet so much more remains to be done. Here are the highlights of the spring...

Failing to Pass Pension Reform Will Hurt State Recruitment, Retention

05/27/2011
by Kristina Rasmussen Echoing the sentiments of former Gov. Jim Edgar, state rep Daniel Biss made the argument that pension reform will hurt state government employee recruitment in a committee hearing yesterday. From the Tribune’s editorial: Then there’s Daniel Biss, a freshman Democrat from Evanston. In blather-rich questions and a pre-vote soliloquy, he illogically twisted his proclaimed...

Of Coffers and Kiosks: Where Are Your Tax Dollars Being Spent?

05/25/2011
by Alex Miller Today, businesses and jobs are leaving Illinois, thousands of students are trapped in underperforming schools, and the state unemployment rate is 8.7 percent.  In such conditions, Democrats and Republicans alike should be calling on their state government to be responsible in determining where to allocate scarce state resources. Yet, during this present malaise of economic...

72% Say Taxpayers Not Getting Value on Public Education

04/30/2011
by Brian Costin On Tuesday, May 24 we will host pollster Scott Rasmussen to discuss the intersection of public opinion and free market principles. The renowned founder of Rasmussen Reports will share what “big ideas” are trending nationally and provide takeaways for Illinois residents, officials, and business leaders. This week, Rasmussen Reports released the results of a new poll showing heavy dissatisfaction...

Because You’re Not Paying Enough In Taxes Already

04/27/2011
by Kristina Rasmussen As Illinois’s service sector grows (accounting for 32 percent of Illinois’s economy in 1977 and 48 percent in 2009), so has the desire to tax it. In 2009, the Illinois Senate tried to expand the state sales tax to a number of services (chimney sweeps, animal shelters, interior design services, and so on),...
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4 ways to break out of Illinois’ pension trap

Causes, costs, how to set the state free

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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