Illinois

Arizona firefighters fight for retirement security

08/20/2014
Given they depend on the nation’s worst-funded pension systems for their retirement security, Illinois’ government workers may want to take a look at how a group of Arizona firefighters are responding to pension-fund problems of their own. Arizona’s firefighters fear that out-of-control pension costs could bankrupt cities in Arizona, resulting in cuts to pensions like...

TAGS: Bryan Jeffries, Chicago, pensions

Audit of Illinois’ Medicaid program reveals gross mismanagement

By Naomi Lopez Bauman
08/19/2014
According to a federal audit released Aug. 18, Illinois’ Medicaid program routinely over-estimated the amount of funds it needed from federal coffers to the tune of nearly $1 billion from 2010 through 2012. Over that three-year period, the state would spend the Medicaid money elsewhere and was slow in repaying the federal government, costing federal...

Illinois businesses burdened by much more than taxes

By Naomi Lopez Bauman
08/19/2014
A recent study of the business tax burden in the 50 states and District of Columbia ranks Illinois as 27th in the nation. Portrayed as being “not so bad” in the media sheds a lot of light on Illinois’ current economic position. But while Illinois ranks in the middle of the pack for business tax...

TAGS: taxes

Government pro-growth programs no substitute for friendly business climate across the board

By Danny Colston
08/19/2014
New York lawmakers have acknowledged that low costs are beneficial to businesses, and that lower taxes mean more money, which leads to growth, innovation and hiring. The proof is the state’s START-UP NY program, which provides 10-year exemptions on property, sales and state income taxes to qualified new and expanding businesses. But while START-UP NY...

Contract with top union yields big payouts for state workers

By Justin Hegy
08/19/2014
Introduction It pays to work for state government. Compensation costs for state workers make up roughly one third of Illinois’ state budget. How much state workers are paid is largely decided by contracts with government employee unions, specifically Council 31 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Since 2003, two consecutive Illinois governors – now disgraced former...

State worker tardiness costs Illinois taxpayers big money

By Justin Hegy
08/19/2014
State government employees working for Illinois’ Department of Children and Family Services, or DCFS, racked up 5,002 hours of “tardy time” – instances of unexcused late arrival – in fiscal years 2012 and 2013, but were still paid for the time.1 Estimated cost to taxpayers: $180,346.44. During this same two-year span, DCFS paid out more than $11.8 million2  in...

Illinois dead last in job creation in 2014

By Michael Lucci
08/18/2014
Illinois’ labor force shrank by 17,100 people in July, according to a release from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. BLS also reported that the state’s unemployment rate fell to 6.8 percent from 7.1 percent. However, the entire decline in the July unemployment rate came as a result of workers quitting the workforce. This grim news...

Repeal death, franchise taxes by ending cronyism

By Michael Lucci
08/18/2014
Illinois government does some strange things. A case in point is how the state treats people and businesses that create jobs. Illinoisans are subject to both a death tax and a franchise tax. The death tax is a special tax on wealthy people just for the privilege of dying in the state of Illinois. This...

TAGS: Chicago, cronyism, death tax, jobs

Teachers can opt out of paying for union politics

By Paul Kersey
08/15/2014
As the start of a new school year approaches, Illinois teachers deserve to know their rights. That includes the right to join or not join a union, and the right to support or not support union politics as the political season in Illinois heats up. Teachers unions are one of the most powerful lobbying groups...

TAGS: Chicago, teacher salaries, unions

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Taxed out: 10 reforms to stop Illinois from losing people and jobs

Illinois’ tax code stands in the way of the state’s economic competitiveness. The combination of high tax burdens and a poor tax structure contributes to the loss of jobs and investment to other states. From a place of former economic dominance, Illinois now ranks 45th in gross state product (GSP) growth over the past decade...

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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