In the game of state competitiveness, Illinois lags the nation. Poor policy decisions continue to sap economic activity and ruin opportunities for businesses operating in Illinois.
There are too many people working in America’s schools. From 1950 to 2009, the amount of full-time equivalent (FTE) employees grew 386 percent while the amount of public school students only grew by 96 percent, according to a recently released report from the Friedman Foundation for Educational Excellence. Looking even closer at the data reveals...
The average Illinoisan works 208 days to pay the cost of government July 26 is Illinois’ Cost of Government Day, the date of the calendar year on which the average Illinois worker has earned enough gross income to pay off his or her share of the spending and regulatory burden imposed by government at the federal,...
With an influx of new state officers this month, four states may soon be joining the multi-state lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of ObamaCare.
by Wesley Fox Over the last two years, many states have faced large budget shortfalls due to declines in revenue and continued spending at unaffordable rates. Some have dramatically cutback spending to balance their budgets, while others have raised taxes. The CATO Institute’s Fiscal Policy Report Card provides an excellent assessment of the responses of U.S. governors...
by Wesley Fox The Chicago Football Classic Inc. received a $100,000 grant to assist in hosting the Chicago Football Classic. According to the DCEO website the game “will feature Mississippi Valley State versus Southern University.” Southern University is located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Mississippi Valley State is located in Itta Bena, Mississippi. The grant was part of...
The Problem Witnessing explosions from the latest Transformers movie on Michigan Avenue and catching glimpses of movie stars like Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie may provide an exciting novelty for Illinois residents. But is it worth the price? Illinois state government offers film production projects generous tax incentives to film within its borders, but the...
by Kristina Rasmussen The Center for Individual Freedom (CFIF) is challenging Illinois’s new campaign finance laws. From CFIF’s press release: Center for Individual Freedom Files Federal Lawsuit Challenging Constitutionality of Illinois’ Campaign Finance Law Vagueness of Illinois law and its discriminatory exemption for labor unions violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments ALEXANDRIA, VA — The Center for...
by Chad Giganti The Pelican Institute’s Fergus Hodgson reports on the importance of health care choice legislation that passed earlier this week in Louisiana. The bill focuses on challenging an unconstitutional individual mandate that forces people to buy health care insurance (whether they want to or not). The legislation was modeled on American Legislative Exchange Council’s (ALEC) Freedom of Choice...