U.S. law enforcement took in more than $5 billion from the American public in 2014 through asset forfeiture, compared to the $3.5 billion lost nationally to burglary.
Under civil asset forfeiture laws in Illinois and across the country, law enforcement can seize property without proving it was involved in a crime. Illinois should follow Michigan’s lead and reform these unjust laws.
Illinois has the highest income taxes on the poor of almost any state in the country, but the solution is not simply to raise taxes on the wealthy, as some constantly push for in Illinois.
On Sept. 15, the Barack Obama Foundation announced four semifinalists in the battle to build Barack Obama’s presidential library and museum. The four potential host sites include the University of Chicago, the University of Illinois at Chicago, Columbia University in New York City and the University of Hawaii. Holding two of the four slots, the...
At least 84 corruption-related stories have been reported from across the state of Illinois in August alone. Atop August headlines is the recent revelation that a federal grand jury subpoenaed the emails of Gov. Pat Quinn’s ex-chief of staff in relation to Quinn’s anti-violence grant program. The case, which has been referred to by some...
The problem Skyrocketing retirement costs for Illinois’ state and local government workers are wreaking havoc on governments’ ability to provide core services such as public safety, education and infrastructure. States and cities across the nation continue to struggle with massive pension and health-care costs, which force residents to pay higher taxes and fees to receive...
Most people might think that the police can’t take and keep your property unless they can prove that you used it in illegal activities. Most people would be wrong. Under state and federal civil asset forfeiture laws, which are increasingly garnering national attention, police can take property they suspect has somehow been involved with criminal...
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.