by John Tillman Since the tax hike fight of 2009 (the picture on the left is from my debate on Fox 32 on the merits of a tax hike versus spending reforms – see it here) we have been saying some simple things at the Illinois Policy Institute.  First, our problems are rooted in structural overspending.  Second,...

by Kristina Rasmussen A report from the nonpartisan Tax Foundation found that the sunset of the Bush tax cuts at the end of 2010 would cost the average middle-income Illinois family earning $68,958 some $1,640 in higher taxes in 2011. Check out our handy table to see how much your family could pay in higher federal and/or state...

by Kristina Rasmussen Congress is on its way to passing a $26 billion bailout of state and local government overspending. States like Illinois can’t afford to fund the costly Medicaid benefits and plush public employee union contracts they’ve bestowed, so the federal government is stepping in to fill the gap. Illinois is slated to “get” over $1...

by Amanda Griffin-Johnson Illinois Statehouse News (ISN) reports that “Gov. Pat Quinn’s office is, for the first time, acknowledging that the state may not get $750 million from Washington” for Medicaid. The Governor’s office was hoping that the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP), the increased Medicaid reimbursements from the federal government, would be extended. Chances are...