Illinois

Illinois: Turning around or running in place?

By Naomi Lopez Bauman
08/10/2014
Gov. Pat Quinn is claiming that Illinois is making a comeback. But the evidence, supported by public opinion, belies that fact. Illinois remains an economic basket case: The state has the fastest-shrinking workforce in the nation Illinois has the second-highest property taxes in the country, as well as a high tax burden on individual and business incomes Illinois is the third-most corrupt state in the country Illinois loses one resident...

Illinois corruption watch, July 2014

By Brian Costin
08/09/2014
The bad news keeps piling up for Illinoisans. Illinois Policy’s “corruption watch” blog series hit a new high in the month of July with nearly 100 corruption-related stories. Chicago and Springfield are the two cities most synonymous with the state’s corruption woes. Unsurprisingly, both cities dominated headlines with the top two corruption stories of the...

Appellate court rules Cook County can’t tax goods bought outside the county

By Bryant Jackson-Green
08/08/2014
Can Cook County make its residents pay taxes on things they buy elsewhere? This week an Illinois appellate court said no, upholding a lower-court decision striking down the county’s “Non-Titled Personal Property Use Tax,” which charged an extra tax on Cook County residents who bought goods worth more than $3,500 outside of the county. In...

Private and public sectors trade pension plans for real retirement security

08/06/2014
Over the last three decades, private-sector companies have transitioned away from traditional pension plans and toward 401(k)-style plans for their employees. While the traditional pension plans were unpredictable and unmanageable, these 401(k)-style plans offered companies a greater level of certainty in their budget and gave employees greater control over their retirement accounts. Today, 85 percent...

ObamaCare open enrollment round 2: IL numbers still below expectations

By Naomi Lopez Bauman
08/05/2014
Illinois is now gearing up for the second round of ObamaCare open enrollment period that begins on Nov. 15. ObamaCare was passed with the promise that it would drastically reduce the number of uninsured Americans. Illinois’ state officials originally aimed to reduce the eligible uninsured adult population by half by the end of the first...

TAGS: health care, open enrollment

ObamaCare is falling short in Illinois

By Naomi Lopez Bauman
08/05/2014
The Affordable Care Act, or ACA, commonly referred to as ObamaCare, was supposed to cut Illinois’ eligible, uninsured adult population by half by the end of March 2014. The state achieved only half of its goal. About one-quarter of Illinois’ eligible uninsured adults have obtained health insurance coverage under the ACA. The state’s original goal was to move half of...

TAGS: ACA: Affordable Care Act, health care, health insurance

The sad but true history of Illinois’ credit rating

By Benjamin VanMetre
08/04/2014
Illinois has the lowest credit rating in the nation. The sad truth is Illinois hasn’t been a AAA-rated state since February 1979 – when a gallon of gas cost less than a dollar and the Dow Jones Industrial Average hovered in the low 800s. The state’s credit rating has been in a downward spiral ever...

U.S. workforce grows, Illinois’ shrinks

By Michael Lucci
08/04/2014
U.S. nonfarm payrolls added 208,000 workers in the month of July, against consensus expectations of 230,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The national unemployment rate ticked up to 6.2 percent. However, one of the reasons for the increase is that the number of people in the workforce increased. It is healthy for workforce...

Shaming corrupt politicians with plaques

By Donovan Griffith
08/01/2014
The state of Pennsylvania isn’t afraid to shame their convicted politicians, and Illinois shouldn’t be either. Recently, Pennsylvania started shaming the lawmakers who have been convicted of a crime by adding a detailed plaque under their portraits hanging in the state Capitol building in Harrisburg. The plaques highlight offenses committed by convicted lawmakers, including the...

TAGS: Chicago, corruption, Pennsylvania

Wisconsin Supreme Court upholds union reforms

By Paul Kersey
07/31/2014
The Statehouse was packed. Protestors crammed the building, chanting, pounding drums and marching around with signs. The historic Wisconsin state Capitol had become overrun with sleeping bags and activists. In some cases, lawmakers were harassed. Doctors diagnosed fake illnesses so protestors could be excused from work. The Senate Democratic caucus fled the state. Within days,...

TAGS: U.S. Supreme Court, unions