Lessons from Puerto Rico: the problem with big pension debts and little solutions

By Ted Dabrowski

03/31/2013

Too bad Puerto Rico isnt a state. If it were, Puerto Rico, and not Illinois, would have the nations worst-funded pension system and the countrys worst credit rating.

TAGS: credit rating, debt, Puerto Rico

The majority that wasn’t: When 52% of the vote just isn’t good enough

03/31/2013

Check any dictionary and the definition of majority seems pretty self-explanatory: it is simply a greater quantity or share.

TAGS: macomb

US jobs report spells more bad news for Illinois

03/31/2013

The US economy created only 88,000 jobs in March, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The market was expecting approximately 200,000 new payroll jobs.

TAGS: unemployment

Michigan unions looking for ways around Right to Work

03/31/2013

Illinoisans should keep an eye on Michigan, where a new Right-to-Work law has now gone into effect.

IEA holds training sessions to increase taxes on teachers?

By Benjamin VanMetre

03/31/2013

The Illinois Education Association, or IEA, is training its members to advocate for a plan that, ironically, increases taxes on teachers.

TAGS: fair tax, flat tax, graduated income tax, IEA-NEA: Illinois Education Association, progressive income tax

Auditor’s report reveals disturbing accounting trends in Illinois public university system

By Brian Costin

03/31/2013

the overall trend indicates that The Illinois public university system is getting worse in complying with state and federal laws, leaving the system vulnerable to future cases of public corruption.

TAGS: corruption

Institute in Chicago Tribune: Amazon tax an Illinois disaster

03/31/2013

To tax-hungry politicians, the Internet is like California in 1849 a vast expanse of untapped wealth.

Charter school waiting lists: the other side of the story

03/31/2013

WBEZ in Chicago has published one of the more incomplete stories on charter schools Ive read in a long time. It asserts: Charter advocates and even the Chicago Tribune editorial board say 19,000 kids are on charter school waiting lists in the city.

The Stockton crystal ball: what a pension guarantee will do to Illinois

03/31/2013

With nearly 300,000 residents, Stockton is the largest city in the United States to declare bankruptcy. It is also one of several California cities to file for bankruptcy due to the recession and skyrocketing government worker pension costs.

TAGS: pension guarantee, pensions

MEDIA ALERT: Liberty Justice Center files lawsuit in dispute over Macomb aldermanic race

03/31/2013

MEDIA ALERT from the LIBERTY JUSTICE CENTER Media contact: Diana Rickert 312-607-4977 Case documents available online at: libertyjusticecenter.org Liberty Justice Center files lawsuit in dispute over Macomb aldermanic race Hearing scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday, April 4 MACOMB, IL (April 2, 2013) The Liberty Justice Center, a nonpartisan public interest litigation center started by...

TAGS: macomb

Illinois

Lessons from Puerto Rico: the problem with big pension debts and little solutions

The majority that wasn’t: When 52% of the vote just isn’t good enough

US jobs report spells more bad news for Illinois

Michigan unions looking for ways around Right to Work

IEA holds training sessions to increase taxes on teachers?

Auditor’s report reveals disturbing accounting trends in Illinois public university system

Institute in Chicago Tribune: Amazon tax an Illinois disaster

Charter school waiting lists: the other side of the story

The Stockton crystal ball: what a pension guarantee will do to Illinois

MEDIA ALERT: Liberty Justice Center files lawsuit in dispute over Macomb aldermanic race

FAQ: How the federal scholarship program would help Illinois students

Report Archive

Diana Graham

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

CBS Chicago: Illinois’ highest-paid superintendent receives $400K per year to oversee 1,200 students