by Kate Piercy As we argue in our Spotlight on Spending series, which aims to highlight wasteful or ineffective government spending in Illinois, looking at every type of spending, from smaller to bigger amounts, and asking “Is this the best use of taxpayers’ money,” does matter. David Vaught, state budget director for Illinois, also recognizes the importance...

by Will Compernolle The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) gave a $400,000 grant (#05-02206) in fiscal year 2005 to Solargenix Energy LLC to “provide solar thermal collectors to be installed on a meat packing factory roof.” According to the DCEO’s grant tracker, the grant is part of the Renewable Energy Resources Program, meant “to encourage utilization...

During a time when the Gulf oil disaster and the ever-increasing and mind-numbing federal debt are (rightly) dominating the news, it is easy to forget about the overwhelming fiscal challenges facing our own state government.

The Problem Wish someone would pay for your continuing education so you could get a higher paying job? If you are a unionized Illinois state government employee, you’re in luck. The State of Illinois runs the Upward Mobility Program, which is “a career mobility program designed to give state employees an opportunity to advance to...