Illinois

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

ObamaCare enrollment in Illinois update

By Naomi Lopez Bauman
02/05/2014
The Obama administration’s public relations machine has been trumpeting the success of the Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as ObamaCare, despite a mountain of evidence to the contrary. Enrollment has been anemic, the website is plagued with problems, and it is possible that there are now more people without insurance as a direct result...

TAGS: ACA: Affordable Care Act, enrollment, health insurance, Medicaid

Progressive tax hike would hurt middle-class Illinoisans

By Benjamin VanMetre
02/04/2014
Lawmakers and special-interest groups across Illinois are trying to dupe Illinoisans into paying higher income taxes. They’re trying to convince Illinoisans that a progressive income tax hike is only a tax hike on the rich. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Need proof? Look at both progressive tax proposals on the table in...

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

Illinois lost payroll jobs and employment declined between 2009 and 2012

By Michael Lucci
02/03/2014
The office of Governor Pat Quinn is claiming victory off a study released Thursday by CareerBuilder and Economic Modeling Specialists International. The study shows that Illinois ranked third-highest nationally in the creation of net new business establishments from 2009-2012. An establishment is defined as a single location that produces some form of economic activity, and...

TAGS: jobs, unemployment

Cut the laundry list of fees for LLCs

By Michael Lucci
02/03/2014
Imagine creating a new solution, devising an innovative new product, providing an effective service or simply doing something well enough that you can build a business. Your dream has come true, and you’re ready to start out on your own. As a small-business owner, you want to utilize the advantages of the Limited Liability Company,...

TAGS: fees, jobs, LLC: limited liability company

Illinois’ ‘obesity epidemic’

By Brian Costin
02/01/2014
In a recent editorial, Better Government Association, or BGA, President Andy Shaw debates examines Illinois’ “obesity epidemic.” But bulging waistlines are not the target of Shaw’s ire. Instead, he complains about Illinois’ abundance of taxing bodies. “This is about a state that’s morbidly obese when it comes to government: Illinois has nearly 7,000 separate taxing...

TAGS: local government

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Fighting poverty with employment: Chicago block clubs

Leaders of these organizations on the South and West sides connect residents to jobs and engage youth to build safer neighborhoods.

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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