What would happen if state officials had their paychecks suspended until the state paid all of its past due bills? State Rep. Charlie Meier, R-Okawville, thinks it would help the Illinois Legislature find a solution to the state's budget problems.
Is your wallet a little thinner these days?
We keep looking for leadership and we keep ending up with politics.
Illinois credit rating received a warning today from Fitch Ratings. What Fitch cited as the ongoing inability of the state to address its large and growing unfunded pension liability means a rating downgrade is likely unless reforms are passed within s
None of the plans Illinois lawmakers are considering will go anywhere near solving the states long-term pension crisis.
By Brian Costin
12/23/2012
Palos Hills Mayor: ‘Cities and villages will go bankrupt if this does not change’ Despite all of the media focus on the state’s troubled pension systems, a Southtown Star column byPhil Kander details the problems many suburbs face with the mounting debt of public employee pensions. Intense lobbying by labor unions to pass costly pension sweeteners have caused...
By Ted Dabrowski
12/20/2012
THE PROBLEM In 2010, the Illinois Policy Institute reported that Illinois is a high-tax state with a tax burden in the top third of all states. The Institute cautioned that any tax increase would damage the state’s economic competitiveness. Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn and the Illinois General Assembly ignored numerous warnings and used a lame...
By Matt Paprocki
11/26/2012
In July 2012, the Illinois Policy Institute revealed research detailing the great lengths Illinoisans would have to take to find out how an elected official voted during committee. To find this information, they would either have: stream the committee online, attend the committee hearing or access committee transcripts, which are often published months after a committee was...
By Matt Paprocki
11/07/2012
After yesterday’s election, Democrats will have a supermajority in both the Illinois House and Senate after inauguration on Jan. 8, 2013. Senate Democrats picked up five seats and will have 40 seats in January – Senate Republicans will control only 19 seats. Illinois House Republicans lost seven seats yesterday, and House Speaker Michael Madigan will...
By Benjamin VanMetre
10/25/2012
Since 2002, cigarette taxes increased 105 times across the country. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle wants to make it 106. To help fill Cook County’s $267.5 million budget shortfall, Preckwinkle has proposed increasing the per-pack tax on cigarettes by $1. The tax hike is only expected to bring in about $25 million in new revenue. Preckwinkle’s new money...
