by Emily Dietrich Today the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the majority of U.S. metropolitan areas decreased their unemployment rate from last year. Unfortunately for the largest metropolitan division in Illinois – Chicago-Joliet-Naperville – this was not the case. With unemployment spiking 0.7 percentage points from a year earlier, Chicago-Joliet-Naperville experienced the largest unemployment rate increase...
by Emily Dietrich President Obama convened a joint session of Congress Thursday night to unveil his latest jobs proposal. Almost immediately, lawmakers and political pundits levied harsh criticism. Leftists expressed fear that the President’s proposal isn’t “bold” enough. The purported $450 billion price tag doesn’t come near the $1 trillion in spending some have agitated...
The Springfield School Board did not choose the lowest bidder to install a geothermal wellfield, which cost taxpayers an additional $125,000.
The Governor's budget recklessly ignores the biggest problem Illinois faces: Out of control spending.
by Kate Piercy “Where are the new jobs?” asks John Stossel in his article today. Why aren’t businesses hiring? Well, Stossel concludes businesses will not start investing in new workers until the current “regime of uncertainty” ends, explaining: After previous recessions, unemployment didn’t get stuck at close to 10 percent. If left alone, the economy can...
by Richard Lorenc, Guest Blogger We’ve been hearing lots about how giving money to unemployed folks creates jobs (or not) over the past few days. But how much, exactly, do these benefits cost? While we won’t have figures from 2010 for a while longer, the Labor Department says American taxpayers spent $76.8 billion in unemployment...
In 2008, pharmacists technicians employed by the State of Illinois made 25% more in wages than their private sector counterparts.
In 2008, the state spent nearly $115,000 to provide tour guides at the State Capitol.
In 2008, the State of Illinois paid its 43 dietitians and dietary managers over two million dollars in wages.
On February 23, Kristina Rasmussen testified before the Illinois Senate Appropriations Committee on the State Budget. Download her complete testimony here.
