Louisiana

Supply without demand: public school hires increase while enrollment drops

10/30/2012
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...

Illinois has highest cost of government in Midwest

By Lawrence McQuillan
07/26/2012
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,...

Good Ideas from Other States: #1 Reduce Spending

By Chris Andriesen
11/30/2010
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...

Illinois Pays $100k to Host a Football Game Between Two Out-of-State Universities

By Chris Andriesen
11/01/2010
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...

Spotlight on Spending #13: ‪Illinois Film Tax Credit Program‬

By Chris Andriesen
09/22/2010
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...

Constitutional Challenge to Illinois’s Campaign Finance Laws

07/15/2010
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...

Democratic Legislature in LA Passes Health Care Choice Legislation

06/23/2010
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...