Illinois

Budget Solutions 2014: Pension reform and responsible spending for state and local governments

By Benjamin VanMetre, Jonathan Ingram
02/27/2013
Illinois is in crisis. According to official government numbers, Illinois has an unfunded pension liability of $96 billion – the worst in the nation. This heavy debt burden, combined with the state’s culture of out-of-control, wasteful spending, has driven the state into an economic death spiral. Illinois cannot be economically prosperous until real pension reform...

TAGS: Medicaid, pensions

School choice must yield results: CPS to close two underperforming charters

02/27/2013
School choice should be the foundation of any successful school system. This includes learning options of all kinds, including online learning, private schools, charter schools, homeschooling and more. While alternative learning options provide much-needed options for students, these programs should not be exempt from performance reviews. In a surprise move, the Chicago Public Schools, or...

Budget Solutions 2014: Pension reform

By Ted Dabrowski, Benjamin VanMetre
02/27/2013
The only way to end Illinois’ pension crisis is to empower government workers by transitioning benefits for all future work to a defined contribution system.

No such thing as a temporary tax hike in Illinois

By Chris Andriesen
02/25/2013
Illinois state Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie, has proposed legislation to try to address the state’s pension crisis by permanently locking in the “temporary” 2011 67% income tax increase, raising employee contributions and stretching out state pension payments. “We have close to a $100 billion unfunded liability in our pension system,” Lang said. “This unfunded liability...

The truth comes out: new pension proposal includes making 2011 tax hike permanent

By Benjamin VanMetre
02/22/2013
Illinois House Deputy Majority Leader Lou Lang, D-Skokie, wants to hike taxes to avoid meaningful pension reform. Lang’s solution is to keep income taxes up statewide as a “reform” for Illinois’ pension systems, which are underfunded by $209 billion. He introduced legislation Wednesday, Feb. 20, that would make the record 67 percent income tax hike...

AFSCME memo releases new details on potential strike

By Paul Kersey
02/20/2013
The Herald and Review has managed to get ahold of a new bulletin from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, or AFSCME, to its members. This new message indicates that the union is getting closer to calling for a strike, and gives the union’s rationale for a walkout, revealing some very useful facts on the state...

Money grab: Progressive income tax

By Benjamin VanMetre
02/20/2013
Progressive Income Tax: Money grab disguised as tax reform The same forces that helped Quinn land the governorship in 2010 and raise income taxes in 2011 are laying the groundwork for a progressive tax initiative. They want to make the temporary 2011 tax hike permanent and tax certain individuals at ever-higher marginal rates. Proponents of...
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FAQ: How the federal scholarship program would help Illinois students

Illinois students could soon benefit from scholarship money to help them find a tutor, attend ACT or SAT prep sessions, pay tuition, get special education services or assist with other academic needs. That will happen in Illinois only if Gov. J.B. Pritzker lets the state’s schoolchildren benefit from the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit program, established...

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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