Illinois

Illinois Medicaid: $12 million paid to the dead is business as usual

By Naomi Lopez Bauman
04/21/2014
Illinoisans are all-too familiar with jokes about cemeteries full of voters. But, according to a recent audit, the dead are also receiving Medicaid benefits. National news outlets reported recently that the state made Medicaid payments to health-care providers on behalf of nearly 3,000 deceased Illinoisans under the Medicaid program. The federal-state program, which is supposed...

Illinois loses 3,200 payroll jobs, another business exits the state

By Michael Lucci
04/18/2014
Illinois lost 3,200 payroll jobs in March, and the state’s unemployment rate ticked down to 8.4 percent from 8.7 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Illinois’ month-over-month change in payroll jobs was the third-worst nationally. Only Pennsylvania and Virginia lost more jobs. This news comes fresh on the heels of the announcement by...

Illinois House Committee wants taxpayers to pay $100 million for Obama library

By Jane McEnaney
04/17/2014
An Illinois House Committee wants taxpayers to pay $100 million for a Barack Obama library. Somehow, House Speaker Michael Madigan thinks this is an appropriate use of funds despite the state’s more than $100 billion pension crisis and $6.6 billion in unpaid bills. Madigan told the Chicago Tribune he will use “skills that I’ve developed in the legislature...

TAGS: Obama presidential library

The myth of an Illinois comeback

By Michael Lucci
04/17/2014
Myth: Gov. Pat Quinn says that Illinois is a regional leader in job creation, and that the state is making a comeback. Fact: Illinois has ranked at the bottom of regional job comparisons since the Great Recession hit. Illinoisans suffer a jobless rate that is the second-worst in the nation and the highest in the...

The progressive income tax was never about tax relief

By Benjamin VanMetre
04/16/2014
State Sen. Don Harmon and advocates for his progressive tax proposal argue that the progressive income tax will provide tax relief for Illinois’ middle class. Not only is the argument not true, but the progressive income tax was never about tax relief. The proof of that is in the numbers. Under Illinois law, the individual...

Only 28% of Illinois residents trust state government, lowest in nation

By Brian Costin
04/16/2014
The constant stream of government corruption stories in Illinois takes a dramatic toll on citizens’ trust of government. A recent Gallup poll showed only 28 percent of Illinois residents trust their state government. Illinois is the only Midwestern state where trust in state government is less than 50 percent. The most recent corruption story to...

Why health insurance will likely be less affordable next year

By Naomi Lopez Bauman
04/15/2014
Many Illinois families are all too familiar with the many broken promises of the Affordable Care Act, or ACA, commonly referred to as ObamaCare. The president repeatedly promised that the average American family would save $2,500 per year. Not only did the president and administration later backtrack on that promise, but many families actually also...

Union dues are a $15 billion tax deduction

By Justin Hegy
04/15/2014
Union members are allowed to deduct their union dues on their taxes, equating to an estimated $15 billion nationwide. According to the Internal Revenue Service, workers are allowed to deduct union dues as part of their itemized deductions: “You can deduct dues and initiation fees you pay for union membership… You can also deduct assessments for...

Budget Solutions 2015: Keeping promises to taxpayers and turning around Illinois

By Benjamin VanMetre
04/15/2014
The 2015 fiscal year marks a long-awaited milestone for Illinoisans: taxpayers are less than one year away from tax relief. The record 2011 income tax increase is slated to partially sunset during the 2015 fiscal year. But politicians are already crying poor as Illinois approaches the tax-hike sunset. The solutions they’ve offered up involve making...