Michigan

Arizona firefighters fight for retirement security

08/20/2014
Given they depend on the nation’s worst-funded pension systems for their retirement security, Illinois’ government workers may want to take a look at how a group of Arizona firefighters are responding to pension-fund problems of their own. Arizona’s firefighters fear that out-of-control pension costs could bankrupt cities in Arizona, resulting in cuts to pensions like...

TAGS: Bryan Jeffries, Chicago, pensions

National Employee Freedom Week tells workers about their options

By Paul Kersey
08/10/2014
Aug. 11 marks the start of National Employee Freedom Week, when nonprofit organizations in 44 states reach out to workers across the country to let them know they have choices when it comes to union membership. Even in states that do not have a Right-to-Work law, such as Illinois, workers don’t have to join a...

TAGS: labor, nonprofits, unions

Taxpayers on the hook for billions in hidden government-worker health-care costs

By Benjamin VanMetre, John Klingner
07/25/2014
The problem Skyrocketing retirement costs for Illinois’ state and local government workers are wreaking havoc on governments’ ability to provide core services such as public safety, education and infrastructure. States and cities across the nation continue to struggle with massive pension and health-care costs, which force residents to pay higher taxes and fees to receive...

TAGS: health insurance

Another state credit downgrade highlights need for pension reform

07/23/2014
Pennsylvania is the latest state to receive a Moody’s Investors Service credit downgrade. The drop was largely due to the state’s growing pension crisis. Moody’s issued the following statement with its credit downgrade of Pennsylvania to Aa3 from Aa2: “The downgrade of the general obligation rating to Aa3 reflects the commonwealth’s growing structural imbalance …...

Detroit’s city pensioners vote to cut their own pensions

07/23/2014
It’s ironic that Detroit government workers and pensioners, on the one-year anniversary of the Motor City’s bankruptcy, have voted to cut their own pensions. Their vote is part of a “grand bargain” bankruptcy restructuring that seeks private, philanthropic and state funds to help avoid massive cuts in government pensions. The bargain reduces Detroit’s debt by...

TAGS: bankruptcy, Chicago, Detroit, Michigan

Flint offers grim look at the future of Illinois’ pension crisis

By Benjamin VanMetre
07/21/2014
Illinois isn’t the only place where retiree health insurance costs are destroying state and local budgets. For the latest example of where the Land of Lincoln could be heading, look no further than Flint, Michigan. Unless the city of Flint enacts reform, retiree pension and health expenses will consume $0.32 of every $1 in Flint’s...

TAGS: Chicago, Flint, pensions

Illinois should strive for better marks on hair-braiding regulations

By Bryant Jackson-Green
07/18/2014
The state of Illinois received a near-failing grade for the quality of its natural-hair-braiding licensing rules, according to a new study released by the Institute for Justice. The study overviews natural-hair-braiding (a popular beauty practice among African and African-American communities in the U.S.) regulations in every state in the country, ranking each one based on...

TAGS: licensing, occupational licensing, regulations, small business

Real, reasonable pension reform: 401(k)-style plans for new state workers

By John Klingner
07/09/2014
The recent Illinois Supreme Court ruling on state retiree health insurance benefits creates a major problem for both the state and local governments. The court ruled that retiree health insurance benefits are protected by the pension protection clause of the Illinois Constitution. The ruling will make it difficult to reform retiree health benefits and to...

Fireworks ban a boon for neighboring states, restricts Illinoisans

By Austin Berg
07/03/2014
Fireworks are a staple in America’s celebration of its Independence Day. But good luck buying any in Illinois. For yet another year, the Land of Lincoln is one of only eight states in the country that doesn’t allow the purchase of consumer fireworks. Illinois’ Pyrotechnic Use Act bans the sale, possession and use of those...
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Chicago Forward 2026: A pro-growth plan to end city budget deficits

Chicago’s $1.15 billion projected budget gap is the latest in a decades-long string of structural deficits. Making Chicago’s high taxes worse is not the solution.

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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