http://www.illinoispolicy.org The Illinois Policy Institute is a nonpartisan research organization dedicated to supporting free market principles and liberty-based public policy initiatives for a better Illinois. en-us http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5890 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5893 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5889 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5891 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5892 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5885 In governments all across the country, there’s a need to open up collective bargaining to more public scrutiny. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5886 Chicagoans pay almost $0.80 more per gallon. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5887 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5888 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5875 Just call it an Internet get-rich scheme that didn’t work out. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5877 Illinois lawmakers set to decide whether or not to adopt ObamaCare's voluntary expansion of Medicaid may want to read a new study published in the Journal of New England Medicine. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5880 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5881 The big news from the Chicago Public Schools school board meeting is that Ericson, Garvey, Jackson and Manierre schools will remain open. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/news/article.asp?ArticleSource=5882 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5883 Illinois Supreme Court justices appeared skeptical Wednesday when an attorney representing the state argued the constitutionality of a two-year-old state law designed to force certain Internet retailers to collect sales taxes. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/news/article.asp?ArticleSource=5884 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5870 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5871 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5872 Another group that may have had a hand in using federal tax law to persecute conservative and free market groups – the National Treasury Employees Union http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5874 Ralph Martire of the union-backed Center for Tax and Budget Accountability proposed what he called a “solution” for Illinois' pension crisis. This plan has been getting more attention lately. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/news/article.asp?ArticleSource=5876 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/news/article.asp?ArticleSource=5878 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5879 The maximum speed limit would increase to 70 mph on interstate highways in most of Illinois under a measure passed Wednesday by the General Assembly http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5867 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5868 According to a 2009 study conducted by Stanford University’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes, 42 percent of Michigan’s charter schools outperformed traditional public schools in math and 35 percent outperformed them in reading. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5869 Medicaid patients are more likely than the uninsured to use emergency rooms, especially for preventable conditions. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5873 Illinois lawmakers are poised to vote on whether to expand the state’s Medicaid program before legislative session ends later this month. But the Medicaid expansion proposed by Senate Bill 26 is not right for Illinois. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5859 Illinois continues to have the nation’s second-worst unemployment rate, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ April labor report. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5861 Residents of Oak Lawn may soon get a much-needed dose of government transparency. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5866 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5858 The union and the district both deserve credit for releasing their contract to the media just two days after reaching a tentative agreement – giving teachers and the public plenty of time to look the thing over before it is ratified and signed. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5860 Durbin singled out Crossroads GPS and other 501(c)(4)s for extra IRS scrutiny just a few weeks before the 2010 election for President Barack Obama’s former Senate seat. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5865 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5857 Americans for Prosperity compiled a list of tax increases associated with Obamacare, and union workers in particular are staring at a whopper in a few years – a hefty tax on premium health insurance plans that could easily cost them $1,000 per year. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5862 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5863 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5852 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5853 Starting next year, the mayor will begin a three-year phase out of the coverage, at which time affected retired workers will have to pay for their own health insurance or seek ObamaCare subsidies from the ObamaCare exchange. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5854 According to a report in the Chicago Sun-Times, a new DePaul basketball arena would be largely funded by taxpayers. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/news/article.asp?ArticleSource=5855 Requiring school districts to pay the employer share of their employees’ 401(k)-style retirement savings plans creates an incentive to be more prudent with the compensation packages they award. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/news/article.asp?ArticleSource=5856 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5864 The union said Lewis received an "overwhelming 80 percent of the votes" cast, according to a preliminary tally of the votes. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5846 This initiative, Senate Bill 1670, has its roots a 2011 study from the Illinois Policy Institute, which focused on pay disparities between government and private sector workers. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5847 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5851 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5850 The Chicago Teachers Union has announced plans to file a lawsuit to prevent the closure of about 50 Chicago Public Schools buildings. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5841 In Cleveland, school district and teachers union officials just agreed to what might be a groundbreaking contract that promotes performance in the classroom. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5842 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5843 When Chicago Public Schools first announced that it was closing schools, the primary justification it gave was to save money – upward of $500,000 to $800,000 per school. It needed the money to address the looming pension cliff the city is facing next year http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5844 Every once in a while, government in Illinois actually gets smaller. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5845 Illinois has the nation’s second-worst unemployment rate. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5836 With more Illinoisans still looking for work or dropping out of the labor force altogether, the number of people dependent on food stamps keeps rising. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5837 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5838 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5839 — and potentially be illegal http://www.illinoispolicy.org/news/article.asp?ArticleSource=5840 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/news/article.asp?ArticleSource=5835 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5828 What revenue problem? Illinois’ revenue at all time high http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5833 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5834 IRS agents singled out dozens of organizations for additional reviews because they included the words "tea party" or "patriot" in their exemption applications. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5832 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5830 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5831 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5825 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5826 Emanuel, on the other hand, remains at loggerheads with the AFT-affiliated Chicago Teachers Union. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5827 Illinois has the nation’s second-worst unemployment rate. At 9.5 percent, it’s two percentage points higher than the national average of 7.5 percent. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5829 Illinois Retired Teachers Association says it will sue even if the most wimpy pension reform bill – backed by the government worker unions – becomes law. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5822 In Illinois and many other states, government workers are often forced to pay union dues in order to hold on to their jobs. But a lawsuit filed on behalf of teachers in California may bring this practice to an end. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5823 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5824 Illinois’ income tax revenue for 2013 will exceed previous forecasts by $1.3B. But revenue isn’t higher because Illinois’ economy is booming; the revenue is higher than expected as a result of businesses and individuals avoiding higher federal taxes http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5819 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/news/article.asp?ArticleSource=5820 Illinois state troopers accumulate days, get paid for them at retirement http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5821 ChiefExecutive.net’s 2013 Best and Worst States for Business, which surveys CEOs across the nation, found Illinois in the basement, at 48th. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/news/article.asp?ArticleSource=5818 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5815 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/news/article.asp?ArticleSource=5816 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5817 The city of Chicago is currently considering bids to select a private management company for the operation of Midway Airport for the next 40 years. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5811 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5812 Illinois is notorious for not paying its bills on time. The state’s total backlog of unpaid bills exceeds $9 billion. And the state comptroller is sitting on more than 89,000 unpaid bills. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5813 We should care because Perry may succeed in rustling up some jobs and driving them south to the land of tumbleweeds, armadillos and rattlesnakes. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5814 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5810 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5809 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5801 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/news/article.asp?ArticleSource=5803 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5804 There are plenty of reasons to oppose trapping more Illinoisans in a broken Medicaid program, but Moody's has given the state one more: expanding Medicaid will lead to credit downgrades. Illinois already has the worst credit rating in the nation. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5805 The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced today that the national unemployment rate declined to 7.5 percent in April from 7.6 percent in March. Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 165,000 in April, up from a revised 138,000 payroll jobs in March. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5806 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/news/article.asp?ArticleSource=5807 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5808 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5797 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5798 Illinois Speaker Michael Madigan’s pension proposal (House Amendment #1 to Senate Bill 1) perpetuates Illinois’ crisis. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5799 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/news/article.asp?ArticleSource=5800 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/news/article.asp?ArticleSource=5802 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5794 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5795 Gov. Pat Quinn just hiked my property taxes. And, if you're younger than 65 years old, he just hiked your property taxes too. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/news/article.asp?ArticleSource=5796 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5792 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5791 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5793 The blame for Illinois’ pension crisis is often laid at the feet of state politicians who supposedly “skipped” payments and caused the state’s five pension systems to be underfunded. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5787 States that don’t have an income tax manage to stay out of the red, and many are even operating with budget surpluses. Texas, for example, currently foresees and $8.8 billion surplus over its current two-year budget cycle. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5788 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5789 A study from professors at the University of Chicago and Lake Forest College showed that Illinois communities with TIF districts “grew substantially slower than non-adopters.” http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5790 The new owners of Hostess Brands are preparing to restart the production of Twinkies, Ho Hos and all those other sugary treats. Among the plants they plan to reopen is the one in the Chicago suburb of Schiller Park. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5786 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5782 Sunshine State offers Illinois businesses a brighter future http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5784 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5785 The Senate Executive Committee voted Wednesday in favor of a bill some have described as a “puppy lemon law.” http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5772 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5773 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5774 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5775 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5776 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5778 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5779 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/news/article.asp?ArticleSource=5780 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5781 McDonough County Judge Rodney Clark said it is "not logical to have a person receive more than 50 percent of the vote but yet, not be the winner. This is not how America decides who should be elected." http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5783 The average unemployment rate for states without an income tax is 6.6 percent. Illinois has the nation’s second-highest unemployment rate – ringing in at 9.5 percent, or nearly three full percentage points higher than states that don’t tax income. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5768 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5769 The Illinois House took another step in the wrong direction last week by passing an amendment to House Bill 494, which institutes a one-year moratorium on new charter schools with virtual learning components located outside of Chicago. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5770 Sally Jo Widmer, who had been the long-time president of the Auburn Teachers Association, was found to have siphoned off $800,000 from the union. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/news/article.asp?ArticleSource=5771 Hearing scheduled for 9 a.m. Friday has been canceled; written decision to be issued by 4 p.m. Friday http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5766 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5767 April 25 marks Illinois’ Tax Freedom Day. This day commemorates the point in 2013 when Illinoisans have worked enough to cover the rising cost of federal, state and local government. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5762 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/news/article.asp?ArticleSource=5763 One of the most common narratives regarding the pension crisis in Illinois is that the state’s five pension systems are underfunded because politicians “skipped” pension payments. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/news/article.asp?ArticleSource=5765 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/news/article.asp?ArticleSource=5764 This memo provides a review of the “funding guarantee” provisions found in the pension reform bills that currently are or have been under consideration by the Illinois General Assembly. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5757 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5758 A growing percentage of taxpayers owe nothing in income taxes after accounting for credits and deductions. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5759 The city of Dixon made international news last year after a public corruption scandal broke, revealing the city’s comptroller stole more than $53 million from local taxpayers. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5760 With union organizers actively pursuing the unionization of United Neighborhood Organization, or UNO, charter schools, it is extremely important that teachers understand how the process works. You have the right to support a union; and you have the right http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5761 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5756 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5755 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5750 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5751 The progressive tax, medical marijuana and multidistrict virtual charter schools http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5753 Under the agreement, union organizers would be allowed to make their pitch for unionizing to teachers on school property, and would even be given personal information for teachers. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5754 After tax credits and deductions are taken into account, the effective tax rate for top earners is more than twice the national average – further proof that the tax burden is most definitely progressive. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5743 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5745 Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn announced a proposal on Wednesday to spend $12.62 billion over the next six years on transportation projects. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5746 Federal authorities have raided Sacred Heart Hospital on Chicago’s West Side after alleged crimes of medically unnecessary sedation, intubation and tracheotomy procedures on patients in an attempt to defraud Medicare and Medicaid. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5747 Moody’s is set to require states and local governments to use more transparent and realistic accounting rules when they report their true pension obligations. And that means Illinois’ debt and underfunding numbers will skyrocket. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5748 The Illinois Department of Employment Security announced today that the Illinois unemployment rate remained at 9.5 percent in March. Three months ago it was 8.6 percent. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5749 Illinois’ current state excise taxes per gallon of beer ($0.23), wine ($1.39) and spirits ($8.55) are higher than most neighboring states. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5742 After several hours of debate, the city council voted 6-3 to raise the sales tax from 8 percent to 8.5 percent to repay an $86.6 million, 15-year bond issue to finance the three-year infrastructure program. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5740 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5744 Texas Gov. Rick Perry wrote a letter to businesses in Illinois, offering them a way to escape the state’s dire fiscal mess and punishing business climate – move to Texas. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5735 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5736 291 days and counting... http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5737 Early last week, members of the Illinois House Education Committee voted to allow an amendment to House Bill 494, which aims to establish a three-year moratorium on virtual schools in Illinois, to go to the House floor. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5738 Forty-four years ago this week, Illinois began collecting a state income tax. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5739 If you can't beat them, join them. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/news/article.asp?ArticleSource=5732 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5731 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5733 The 67 percent tax hike on individuals and the 46 percent tax hike on corporations were supposed to pay down the state’s unpaid bills, but instead 80 cents out of every tax hike dollar went to fund state worker pensions in 2012. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5734 The good news: today state Rep. David McSweeney, R-Barrington Hills, introduced a measure that opposes efforts to pass the next multibillion dollar tax hike in Illinois – a progressive income tax. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5730 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/news/article.asp?ArticleSource=5729 As we try to evaluate the deal that Gov. Pat Quinn reached with state employees, we have plenty of reasons to be skeptical about Quinn’s claim that health care changes in the contract will save the state $900 million http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5727 If there was any confusion over whether the income tax burden is progressive or regressive in the United States, a recent report by the Tax Foundation, “Putting a Face on American’s Tax Returns,” clears things up. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5728 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5725 There is precedent for fratricide between unions and their progressive allies, and the aftermath of a labor-versus-the-left donnybrook could very well create an opportunity for a free market oriented reformer. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5721 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5722 Lawmakers have not earned the right to borrow billions more. They were unable to pay down the state’s massive backlog of bills with a $7 billion tax hike – how does anyone think they’ll be able to do it with $2.5 billion in borrowing? http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5723 Institute works with Metra to improve government transparency as a way to increase accountability and to deter public corruption. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5724 Counties across Illinois reject school facility sales tax hikes. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5726 Making sure we identify poor teachers and have them exit the teaching profession should be of the utmost importance. This is because teachers, by far, have the single biggest impact on student success. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5718 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5719 Corruption charges have rocked the city of Dixon once in the last year, but now a second scandal caused by a lack of online transparency has reared its ugly head. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5720 Politicians on this side of the Atlantic, especially in Illinois, would do well to consider Margaret Thatcher’s example. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5715 The price of Illinois’ bad behavior continues to go up. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5712 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5716 The study, drawing upon data from more than 7,000 small business owners, provides new insights into state and local business environments across the nation. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5717 For governments like the ones in Stockton and Illinois, government worker pension plans need ambitious investment returns of nearly 8 percent year in and year out to fund the overly generous benefits officials have handed out http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5708 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5709 Voters in Macomb might feel a little bit of déjà vu when they look at their ballots on Tuesday and see Kay Hill and Steven Wailand vying for the second district alderman seat. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/news/article.asp?ArticleSource=5710 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5711 Late last year Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced that his 2013 budget wouldn’t rely on new tax, fines or fees. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5713 A recent amendment to House Bill 494 is aiming to establish a three-year moratorium on virtual schools in Illinois. The amendment was introduced by state Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia, D-Aurora, who represents one of the districts that would under the charter. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5714 Caterpillar Inc., one of the dozens of companies to receive special tax breaks after Illinois’ record 2011 income tax hike, recently announced plans to lay off more than 460 employees this June at its plant in Decatur. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=4596 I want to speak to you today about the rebirth of a nation: our nation. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5706 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5705 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5701 Too bad Puerto Rico isn’t a state. If it were, Puerto Rico, and not Illinois, would have the nation’s worst-funded pension system and the country’s worst credit rating. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5704 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5703 Back in February, Illinois Senate Democrats pushed through Senate Bill 26, which would impose ObamaCare’s massive expansion of Medicaid on Illinois. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5696 The Illinois Education Association, or IEA, is training its members to advocate for a plan that, ironically, increases taxes on teachers. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5697 Illinoisans should keep an eye on Michigan, where a new Right-to-Work law has now gone into effect. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5698 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5699 The US economy created only 88,000 jobs in March, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The market was expecting approximately 200,000 new payroll jobs. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5700 Check any dictionary and the definition of “majority” seems pretty self-explanatory: it is simply a greater quantity or share. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5702 In January 2012, the Illinois Auditor General’s office set up a fraud hotline to provide Illinoisans a way to sound the alarm on corruption. After all, Illinois is the third-most corrupt state in America. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5693 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5694 To tax-hungry politicians, the Internet is like California in 1849 — a vast expanse of untapped wealth. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5695 the overall trend indicates that The Illinois public university system is getting worse in complying with state and federal laws, leaving the system vulnerable to future cases of public corruption. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5686 The Mercatus Center, which conducts market-oriented research at George Mason University, released a study ranking the 50 states based on whether or not government polices promote fiscal and personal freedoms. http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5687 Back-door school subsidies http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5690 http://www.illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5691 With nearly 300,000 residents, Stockton is the largest city in the United States to declare bankruptcy. It is also one of several California cities to file for bankruptcy due to the recession and skyrocketing government worker pension costs.