Democratic Party

Illinois lawmakers who have signed anti-progressive tax resolution

By Jane McEnaney
10/18/2013
As the Illinois General Assembly heads back to Springfield for veto session next week, here is a quick look at what elected officials have signed on to the Illinois Policy Institute’s legislative efforts to prevent lawmakers from amending the state’s constitution to permit a progressive income tax hike, which would increase taxes on 85 percent...

TAGS: fair tax, flat tax, graduated income tax, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, progressive income tax

Government unions and wasteful spending

By Paul Kersey
10/18/2013
A look at self-reported government union spending reveals budgets fraught with waste. Unions exist to represent workers, so that’s where the bulk of their money should go. Yet among the state offices of the four largest government worker unions, the portion of spending that goes to representation ranges wildly, from nearly $0.60 out of $1...

TAGS: labor, SEIU: Service Employees International Union, unions

Democrats receive overwhelming majority of Illinois government union donations

By Paul Kersey
10/16/2013
In recent months, unions that had been sharply critical about many aspects of ObamaCare have been extremely quiet since Republicans in Congress have made a concerted – and very controversial – attempt to slow down implementation of the law. The federal government shutdown could have presented a creative union lobbyist with a great opening to...

TAGS: AFL-CIO, AFSCME: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, IFT: Illinois Federation of Teachers, SEIU: Service Employees International Union

Union bosses silence ObamaCare critiques to pander to Democrat allies

By Paul Kersey
10/09/2013
Just a couple of weeks ago the AFL-CIO passed a sharp criticism of the Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as ObamaCare, in a written document at its national convention in Los Angeles. This document was the last of a string of union complaints about the national health insurance law and the way that the...

TAGS: ACA: Affordable Care Act, AFL-CIO, James Hoffa, LIUNA: Laborers' International Union of North America, Teamsters

Advisory committee on education funding needs to embrace bold reforms

07/07/2013
Nearly every week, I receive a call from an Illinois parent asking about whether the state has a school voucher program. Last week it was a single mother from the South Side of Chicago. Her daughter just graduated from elementary school and will attend one of the city’s worst high schools if her family can’t...

The fight for school choice lives on

06/22/2013
In May of 2010, the Illinois House of Representatives voted down the 2010 voucher bill. My hopes had been high for this bill, because I knew what school choice would mean for Illinois families. Vouchers mean freedom from failing schools; the possibility of students and families choosing their own path instead of being stuck with...

OfficeMax seeks Illinois tax break

By Hilary Gowins
06/19/2013
Tucked in during the Illinois General Assembly’s special session to discuss the state’s pension crisis was a proposal to give a corporate giant a special tax break. According to the State Journal-Register, OfficeMax Inc. is asking the state of Illinois for tax breaks to keep the company’s headquarters in-state after the office supply chain’s merger with...
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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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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