Illinois

Partly cloudy: Municipal online transparency scores vary widely

By Brian Costin
03/19/2014
Improving government transparency is a year-round effort for the Illinois Policy Institute, but each year during Sunshine Week, we place a special focus on the issue. We celebrate Sunshine Week by releasing the latest round of Local Transparency Project audit results, this time measuring the transparency levels of some of Illinois’ largest municipalities, in relation...

TAGS: transparency

ObamaCare gimmicks won’t secure more young enrollees

By Naomi Lopez Bauman
03/19/2014
A recent flurry of ObamaCare marketing gimmicks aimed at young Americans reeks of desperation on the part of the administration and Illinois state officials. Recent examples coming from the White House include a “Funny or Die” spoof interview featuring President Barack Obama with comedian Zach Galifianakis to a series of health care-themed GIFs on the...

Trapped in Illinois’ lowest-performing schools

03/18/2014
Can you solve the following math problem? Ninety-two percent of students in Illinois’ lowest-performing high schools struggle to solve problems like this one. Low-performing schools aren’t a Chicago-only phenomenon – the city is home to only 45% of the state’s lowest-performing elementary schools and high schools. More than half of the state’s lowest-performing schools are outside of...

TAGS: education, vouchers

Rock Island committee backs progressive tax plan that would hike taxes on residents

By Benjamin VanMetre
03/18/2014
The Rock Island County Government Affairs Committee recently passed a resolution urging lawmakers in Springfield to increase taxes on middle-class families. The sales pitch for a progressive income tax in Rock Island – as well as cities and counties across the state – is that it would reduce taxes for middle-class residents. That’s simply not...

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

Illinois has the second-worst jobless rate in the nation

By Michael Lucci
03/18/2014
Illinois’ loss of 27,600 payroll jobs in January was second-worst nationally, according to today’s release from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Only California, which shed 31,500 payroll positions, fared worse. Texas and Ohio led the nation in adding payroll jobs.   Illinois is one of six states with an unemployment rate significantly above the...

TAGS: jobs, unemployment

Indiana-Illinois border war

By Michael Lucci
03/17/2014
Indiana cut taxes again last week. And it gained another Illinois business. On Thursday, Indiana cut business taxes, including a reduction in the corporate rate. That came on the heels of AM Manufacturing Co.’s announcement that it will move from Illinois to Indiana. AM Manufacturing Co. is a family-owned machine manufacturer. AM Manufacturing will move...

TAGS: Indiana, jobs, taxes, unemployment

Transparency before tax hikes

By Brian Costin
03/16/2014
No matter how you feel about government spending, most of us agree that the people have a right to know how their tax money is being spent. This means that before a local government raises taxes on their citizens, it should be transparent about how current tax dollars are being spent. Unfortunately, most of Illinois’...

TAGS: sales tax, transparency

The Lion Meat Act is back

By Jane McEnaney
03/15/2014
In addition to having the highest jobless rate in the Midwest and the third-highest in the nation, Illinois’ jobless rate has gone up more in the last five years than any other state in the nation. Furthermore, the unfunded liability for Illinois’ five state-run pension systems has officially passed the $100 billion mark. With problems like...

TAGS: Lion Meat Act

New bill would give arbitrators too much power

By Paul Kersey
03/15/2014
A new bill proposed in Illinois, House Bill 5485, would allow arbitrators to impose “minimum staffing requirements” on local fire departments. While this might seem like a minor, technical matter, it has the potential to impose major costs on taxpayers, as elected officials from communities such as Rockford and Oak Lawn are warning in a...

TAGS: labor