Illinois can do it the old way and raise taxes to deliver pork projects. Or Illinois can be smart and make each tax dollar work hard to deliver projects that help residents and the economy.

Including cash from an imagined Thompson Center sale in state budgets was so common it became a punchline. But Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a law that finally puts the massive state office complex on the market.

One year after a record-setting tax hike the state still can’t balance a budget, has done nothing to solve long-term fiscal problems and has further damaged its economic growth.

Lawmakers voted to approve the 1,245-page budget less than 24 hours after it was revealed to the public.

State senators voted to approve the 1,245-page budget just hours after it was made public.

The Civic Federation’s criticism of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s proposed budget is a mixed bag, with its own proposals for Illinois’ financial crisis – including nearly $3 billion in tax hikes – missing the mark.