Illinois

Reasons for taxing the rich: Revenue or punishment?

By Justin Hegy
02/12/2014
Why do some people support taxing higher incomes at higher percentage rates? Some politicians throughout Illinois would like you to believe it’s to generate revenue – but a recent poll suggests something different. According to a new poll conducted in the U.K., members of their center-left Labour Party were overwhelmingly supportive of taxing higher incomes...

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

Illinois job losses: 546 layoffs announced in coming months

By Hilary Gowins
02/11/2014
Illinois continues to shed jobs. The state lost 3,200 nonfarm payroll jobs in December. Now, Illinois is poised to lose an additional 546 jobs from five companies in the next few months, according to the state’s January Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN report. Chicago-based Specialty Foods Group Inc., a meat wholesaler that makes...

TAGS: jobs, unemployment, WARN

ObamaCare employer mandate delayed for some businesses

By Naomi Lopez Bauman
02/11/2014
The Obama administration announced today another implementation delay of the calamitous law. Today, the administration announced an additional one-year delay of the employer mandate on some firms. Under the law’s employer mandate, employers with 50 or more full-time employees or full-time equivalents are required to offer “qualified and affordable” health insurance coverage to their employees....

TAGS: ACA: Affordable Care Act

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