Good-faith negotiation and trust were foundational to all of the deals made, but some Statehouse Democrats pushed for extreme solutions while others were actively compromising.
The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals determined that Springfield’s ban on panhandling unconstitutionally discriminated against certain kinds of speech.
Responsibility for Illinois’ sorry state of affairs falls at the feet of House Speaker Mike Madigan, Senate President John Cullerton and their combined 80 years in state government.
Over the recession era, Indiana’s workforce grew by 53,000 people while Illinois’ workforce shrank by 200,000 people. If Illinois’ workforce size were benchmarked to Indiana’s over the recession era, Illinois’ unemployment rate would be 10.3 percent today.
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.