New York

NYC Loses Its Schools Chief

By Chris Andriesen
11/11/2010
by Collin Hitt The head of New York City’s schools is leaving after eight largely successful years. Replacing Joel Klein as Chacellor – that’s what they call their superintendent in NYC – will be publishing exec Cathie Black.  During Klein’s tenure, the percentage of poor fourth graders scoring as proficient in reading on the Nation’s Report Card...

Unions’ Preferred Rating for Teachers: NR

By Chris Andriesen
11/10/2010
by Dan Proft Amid the contentious debate as to how we improve public education in America, there is one reality to which all parties subscribe: there is no substitute for a quality teacher in the classroom. The scholarship on teacher quality is clear. It is the most important school-related factor in student achievement. Some studies...

Key Facts about Illinois

By Chris Andriesen
11/01/2010
The Problem With its resources, location, expansive farmland, and first-class towns and cities, Illinois should be a leading economic powerhouse in the United States. Unfortunately, thanks to an unfriendly business and regulatory climate, Illinois has been underperforming for years. “Rich States, Poor States,” a comprehensive economic performance index authored by Steve Moore, Art Laffer, and...

WSJ Highlights Need for Health Care Transparency

10/26/2010
Today’s Wall Street Journal carried a special report on how Medicare claims data can be used to root out suspected waste, fraud and abuse (like the NYC family-medicine physician who was flagged for pocketing more than $2 million in 2008 from Medicare thanks in part to administering an odd battery of tests). Earlier this year, we testified in favor of creating...

Unfunded Chicago Pensions Total $42,000 per Household

10/21/2010
by Amanda Griffin-Johnson Like many state governments, city and county governments across the country are facing huge unfunded pension liabilities. Recently, researchers from the University of Rochester and Northwestern University found that the average unfunded municipal pension liability per household is about $15,000. Unfortunately, Chicago has the highest per household unfunded pension liability of the 50 cities...

TAGS: Chicago

Spotlight on Spending #15: Traffic Control Aides

By Chris Andriesen
10/20/2010
Problem Do you wonder how busy downtown traffic is able to go and stop in Chicago? Is it because Chicago has traffic control aides in the streets? That’s up for debate. According to the City of Chicago’s website, traffic control aides assist in facilitating the movement of traffic; keeping intersections clear; allowing police to be...

Chicago Public Schools new CEO?

10/07/2010
by Collin Hitt The unsurprising word has leaked that Chicago schools chief Ron Huberman – a Daley appointee – will leave his post before the beginning of a new administration. Greg Hinz… With Chicago Public Schools officials confirming a Chicago Sun-Times story that schools chief Ron Huberman will leave along with Mayor Richard M. Daley, who else...

Illinois Says Stop Borrowing and Start Cutting

10/06/2010
by Ashley Muchow Pew Center on the States and the Public Policy Institute of Californiareleased a comprehensive study this morning zoning in on the public’s opinion of state fiscal management. The study, Facing Facts: Public Attitudes and Fiscal Realities in Five Stressed States, polled residents from five fiscally distressed states: California, Arizona, Florida, New York, and our very...

The Cost of Income Taxes

10/05/2010
by Ashley Muchow Arthur Laffer addressed a core issue regarding the economic impact of state income taxes in the WSJ today. Laffer addressed the often ignored negative impact income taxes have on state economies. Illinois’s personal income per capita decreased from 133 percent of the U.S. prior to its 1969 income tax levy,  to just 106 percent...

Grading Governors

09/30/2010
by Kate Piercy Some Governors have adjusted to the economic realities of the last few years better than others. How has our Governor responded? According to the Cato Institute’s 10th biennial survey of the best and worst Governors on fiscal issues, not well. Who were the stars and who were the slackers? The Wall Street Journal reports: The Cato...
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4 ways to break out of Illinois’ pension trap

Causes, costs, how to set the state free

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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