Illinois

Texas surpasses Illinois in median household income

By Michael Lucci
02/10/2014
The common refrain made against Texas by those who defend the status quo in Illinois is that the jobs being created in the Lone Star State are lower-paying and less-rewarding opportunities. But not anymore. Texas is now unquestionably besting Illinois in providing for the middle class. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2012 the inflation-adjusted...

Illinois considers banning drivers from using Google Glass

02/08/2014
You can’t buy Google Glass in Illinois yet, but that’s not stopping lawmakers from trying to ban it from the state’s streets and highways. Senate Bill 2632, currently pending in the Illinois General Assembly, would prohibit drivers from wearing a “mobile computing headset,” defined as a “computing device with a head mounted display that can project visual...

TAGS: google glass, nanny state

Capitol update: Week one

By Jane McEnaney
02/08/2014
The official business of Illinois’ 98th General Assembly began this week, with both chambers in session for the first week of the 2014 spring legislative season. The beginning of session typically is a slower time of year, with legislative language being tweaked, and with final touches and chief sponsors being courted. This is especially the...

TAGS: outmigration

Aldermen want to ban horse-drawn carriages in Chicago

By Bryant Jackson-Green
02/08/2014
Following once again in New York City’s tradition of petty nanny statism, a new ordinance proposed by aldermen Edward Burke and Anthony Beale seeks to ban horse-drawn carriages in Chicago. The proposed ordinance would amend the municipal code to prohibit the renewal of carriage licenses, which would bring an end to the industry by the...

TAGS: Chicago, horse carriages, nanny state

Transparency needed in wake of Plainfield Park District corruption charges

By Brian Costin
02/07/2014
Time and time again, local taxing bodies in Illinois fail to understand the importance of transparency until after a corruption scandal hits. The latest cautionary tale of public corruption comes from Plainfield Park District, where a whole host of unethical activities has led to the resignation of the executive director, calls for a resignation from...

TAGS: corruption, good government, Plainfield, Plainfield Park District, transparency

Illinois borrowing penalty still three times higher than when Quinn took office

02/06/2014
It didn’t take long for Illinois’ spending machine to cram more debt down taxpayers’ throats. Only two months after signing a pension bill, Gov. Pat Quinn is borrowing yet another $1 billion to fund state construction projects. This will be the first large borrowing for Illinois since it passed Senate Bill 1, a pension fix...

TAGS: borrowing, capital project, debt, Pat Quinn, penalty borrowing rate, pensions

New bill requires Illinois’ eighth-graders to be taught the importance of unions

By Justin Hegy
02/06/2014
In late January new legislation, Senate Bill 2682, was introduced to the Illinois Senate mandating that all eighth-graders be taught “the history of organized labor in America” and “the collective bargaining process.” The bill strengthens existing language so no student would be allowed to graduate eighth grade without being taught the importance of organized labor....

TAGS: education, unions

Google Glass app for government waste

By Justin Hegy
02/06/2014
While the Illinois General Assembly debates outlawing the use of Google Glass while driving, others are creating innovative apps to fight government waste and corruption using Google’s groundbreaking new technology. Have you ever walked down the street, stared at a government building and wondered how much it costs to operate? Imagine eyeing the elegant copper...

TAGS: google glass

Moving the goal posts on Illinois’ Medicaid expansion

By Naomi Lopez Bauman
02/05/2014
Some of the same Illinois lawmakers and Medicaid expansion advocates who promised better access to care, better health outcomes and lower emergency-room utilizations to justify expanding Medicaid eligibility in Illinois now want to backtrack on these promises. They are attempting to redirect attention away from their lofty promises and toward needing “more time” to achieve...

TAGS: ACA: Affordable Care Act, Medicaid