Republican Party

Philadelphia and Chicago public schools’ experiencing similar fates

09/18/2013
The Philadelphia and Chicago school systems are both in trouble. Decades of mismanagement have left both districts in financial free-fall. Philadelphia has a $304 million deficit. It has already taken some steps to address it – closing 24 schools this summer and laying off more than 4,000 employees, including almost 700 teachers. District leaders tried...

Copper-plated doors tip of iceberg in wasteful spending

By Brian Costin
09/14/2013
With unpaid bills exceeding $8 billion, long-term debt surpassing $200 billion and the worst credit rating in the nation, revelations that the “broke” state of Illinois spent $670,000 on copper-plated doors and another$500,000 for chandeliers and sculptures for the Capitol in Springfield is an embarrassment for the entire state. Earning bad press and the scorn of angry taxpayers still reeling from the 2011 income...

North Carolina tax reformers just getting started

By Chris Andriesen
09/07/2013
North Carolina is gearing up for another reform effort to enhance the state’s competitiveness. This year, political leaders overhauled North Carolina’s tax environment. Beginning in 2014, the state’s progressive income tax will be replaced with a lower, more competitive flat rate income tax. And the new flat rates are scheduled to decrease even more over the...

Advisory committee on education funding needs to embrace bold reforms

07/07/2013
Nearly every week, I receive a call from an Illinois parent asking about whether the state has a school voucher program. Last week it was a single mother from the South Side of Chicago. Her daughter just graduated from elementary school and will attend one of the city’s worst high schools if her family can’t...

The fight for school choice lives on

06/22/2013
In May of 2010, the Illinois House of Representatives voted down the 2010 voucher bill. My hopes had been high for this bill, because I knew what school choice would mean for Illinois families. Vouchers mean freedom from failing schools; the possibility of students and families choosing their own path instead of being stuck with...

Capitol Updates: lawmakers push off pension reform in favor of ‘pension conference committee’ during special session

By Jane McEnaney
06/20/2013
State lawmakers were in Springfield yesterday for a special session ordered by Gov. Pat Quinn. As expected, the General Assembly did not take formal votes on any pension reform legislation. Instead, Quinn called for the formation of a conference committee, with the intention of resolving the differences between the House and Senate on pension reform. As a means of breaking up...

Illinois’ congressional delegation proposes radical changes to government spending

06/10/2013
by Brian Costin When it comes to proposing radical changes to government spending, Illinois Democrats vastly outdo Illinois Republicans. In fact, a group of five liberal Democrats from Illinois propose spending increases that dwarf the spending cut proposals of any Republican in the country by a wide margin. This information comes from a new National Taxpayers...

Clock is ticking in Springfield

By Matt Paprocki
05/28/2013
There are four days of legislative session remaining, during which time state lawmakers will debate many important issues that affect taxpayers in the state of Illinois. Here is what you need to know going into the last week of session. No budget … yet At this point in session, a state budget proposal is usually...

ObamaCare’s Medicaid expansion bill wrong for Illinois

05/21/2013
by Jonathan Ingram Senate Bill 26 passed out of the House Human Services Committee and will head to House for consideration. But the Medicaid expansion this bill proposes is not right for Illinois. First, Illinois is under no obligation to expand Medicaid eligibility. Federal law permits, but does not require, states to expand eligibility levels for...

Capitol Updates: May 20 week in review

By Jane McEnaney
05/20/2013
This was an eventful week in Springfield. Though pension negotiations between House Speaker Mike Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton remain at an impasse, the General Assembly passedSenate Bill 2356, which raises the speed limit on Illinois’ tollways and interstates to 70 mph, up from 65 mph. Gov. Pat Quinn remains noncommittal on this issue. Here’s a look at some of the legislative...
Load More

4 ways to break out of Illinois’ pension trap

Causes, costs, how to set the state free

View Report

Report Archive

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