Rhode Island

Illinois’ pension math

By Ted Dabrowski
08/14/2012
When Rhode Island saw the writing on the wall late last year, its legislature did something no one thought it could do. It passed the boldest pension reforms in the nation. A democrat-controlled state, with the second-worst funded pension system in the nation, passed a series of reforms that cut the state’s unfunded liabilities by...

Rebuttal to Gov. Quinn’s 2012 State of the State Address

02/01/2012
by John Tillman Below, you will see a link to my brief response to Gov. Quinn’s 2012 State-of-the-State speech presented at noon today in Springfield. The overarching theme with the Governor’s speech is that Illinois is moving forward and is “back on course.” How does that square with the people of Illinois? Actually, 74% say the...

Medicaid FAIL: Why cutting appropriations doesn’t control costs

By Jonathan Ingram
11/08/2011
The problem Earlier this year, Illinois lawmakers purportedly passed a budget that reduced overall state spending. As part of this supposed budget reform, the state’s runaway Medicaid budget was to be brought under control. A review of the fiscal year 2012 budget will show that the money appropriated to the Medicaid program for fiscal year...

Illinois Republicans ask Super Committee for Medicaid flexibility

11/01/2011
by Jonathan Ingram Earlier today, Republican members of the Illinois House of Representatives filed a resolution in the General Assembly urging the federal Super Committee to recommend granting the state greater flexibility in administering its Medicaid program. In particular, they ask that the Super Committee and Congress repeal the “maintenance of effort” requirements in ObamaCare. As you...

What Happens When a City Goes Bankrupt?

08/03/2011
by Kolin Karchon  On August 1st, the city of Central Falls in Rhode Island filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection citing that  “the city’s financial condition has deteriorated to the point where it is insolvent.” The city’s pension plan is expected to run out of assets by October, but city negotiations regarding benefit cuts with current workers...

Budget Solutions 2012: A Sustainable Path for Illinois

03/08/2011
In February, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn proposed an unbalanced budget that relied on hefty tax increases and $8.75 billion in borrowing – not to mention, increased overall state spending by $1.7 billion. If followed, Gov. Quinn’s budget will prompt Illinois to run recurring, annual deficits of nearly $3 billion by the year 2016. By the...
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FAQ: How the federal scholarship program would help Illinois students

Illinois students could soon benefit from scholarship money to help them find a tutor, attend ACT or SAT prep sessions, pay tuition, get special education services or assist with other academic needs. That will happen in Illinois only if Gov. J.B. Pritzker lets the state’s schoolchildren benefit from the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit program, established...

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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