Illinois

3 troubling facts about the CTA transit union contract

By Justin Hegy
03/28/2014
On March 23, a Chicago Transit Authority operator crashed a Blue Line train into the O’Hare National Airport terminal. The train hopped the tracks and smashed into an escalator at 2:50 a.m., injuring more than 30 passengers. Union representatives said the operator “works a lot of overtime” and was “extremely tired.” The operator admitted to...

Illinois’ recipe for exodus: 7 different tax structures proposed for 2015

By Michael Lucci
03/27/2014
You’re a small business owner planning out your budget for the next five years. You expect explosive growth and a lot of hiring. But your financial future is uncertain, so you factor business risks and uncertainties into your plan. At least you can count on your state government for stability and a clear tax structure...

TAGS: fair tax, graduated income tax, income tax, progressive income tax

The 6 worst things about Illinois’ proposed ridesharing law

03/27/2014
Taxi-industry lobbyists have been working hard to get Chicago to hobble or ban popular ridesharing services such as UberX and Lyft, but they haven’t gotten very far. The problem: these services are just too popular. Aldermen have been overwhelmed with calls and emails from Chicagoans asking them to leave ridesharing alone. So now the taxi...

TAGS: Lyft, rideshare, Uber

Madigan’s broken pension promise

03/26/2014
When House Speaker Michael Madigan pitched his Illinois pension bill late last year, he got pushback for promoting legislation that hadn’t been officially scored by an independent actuary. That pushback was fair game. Illinois has the nation’s worst-funded pensions and an unfunded liability of $101.5 billion. With the number of failed pension fixes this state...

Illinois’ comeback: The real facts

By Benjamin VanMetre
03/26/2014
JOB CREATION: Since 2010, Illinois has recovered only 215,800 jobs, which is 42,000 fewer than Gov. Pat Quinn’s claim of 257,400. More importantly, Illinois is the only state in the Midwest that had fewer payroll jobs in January 2014 than it did when Quinn took office in January 2009. UNEMPLOYMENT: Illinois has the second-highest unemployment...

Quinn’s 3 budget falsehoods

By Benjamin VanMetre
03/26/2014
In January 2011, Illinois politicians pushed through a record income tax increase that raised the income tax rate on individuals to 5 percent from 3 percent, and on corporations to 7 percent from 4.8 percent. After passing the record tax hike, Gov. Quinn went on record saying: “We have some temporary tax increases [falsehood number...

TAGS: income tax, Pat Quinn

Millions that migrate

By Michael Lucci
03/26/2014
House Speaker Mike Madigan has proposed an extra tax on million-dollar incomes. His proposed legislation, HJRCA51, would amend the Illinois Constitution to impose an additional tax of 3 percent on income over $1 million. This tax won’t touch any millionaires who don’t want to pay it. They’ll simply leave, and they are well-equipped to do so. The middle...

TAGS: millionaire tax, progressive income tax

Madigan’s Chicago bailout

03/25/2014
Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan is calling for another big tax hike – one that conveniently funnels hundreds of millions of dollars each year to his home district of Chicago. He and his legislative colleagues will have collected more than $31 billion in new tax revenues by the time the temporary tax hike sunsets in...

TAGS: income tax, Mike Madigan, millionaire tax

More education spending does not equal better results

03/24/2014
Madigan’s new tax proposal — which levies a 3 percent surcharge on income over $1 million to provide funding to schools — is packaged as an easy political sell. Who can argue with a pitch that cries: “More money for children!” But it’s not so simple. A look at the data about education spending and...

TAGS: PSAE

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FAQ: How the federal scholarship program would help Illinois students

Illinois students could soon benefit from scholarship money to help them find a tutor, attend ACT or SAT prep sessions, pay tuition, get special education services or assist with other academic needs. That will happen in Illinois only if Gov. J.B. Pritzker lets the state’s schoolchildren benefit from the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit program, established...

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Diana Graham

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