Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is continuing the mayoral tradition of giving the City Council and public too little time and too little information before a deficit city budget is passed. There’s little chance that will change soon, but it could be fixed.
This edition of The Policy Shop is by Director of Fiscal and Economic Research Bryce Hill. America has lost the War on Poverty. After nearly 60 years, the poverty rate remains stuck between 11% and 15%. It focused on making poverty less painful rather than helping people escape a trap that lasts for generations. The free...
"I had a good future in that field, but God had another plan and he changed my life. The addiction caused me to draw close to God, and God drew close to me and put me in his service.”
Despite budget experts predicting a $538 million shortfall next year between Chicago’s spending and revenues, only two city leaders opted to forgo automatic pay raises provided to top public servants in September. The mayor and 48 aldermen took theirs.
America’s War on Poverty has been an abject failure. Nearly $12 trillion and 60 years later, official poverty rates remain basically unchanged. While the nation waged a well-intentioned assault on poverty, it inadvertently launched a far more sinister war: on dignity. While attempting to eradicate poverty, America created countless government welfare programs. In doing so,...
“I want people to look past the numbers, look at the advocacy of parents and the benefits of a child being in Catholic schooling."
The Chicago Teachers Union has registered opposition to just one bill in the Illinois General Assembly’s current legislative session: one that would have created opportunities for low-income parents to send their children to private schools.
“Mom says the cost is normally $700 a month and we’re paying about $100. If the scholarship goes away, I’m afraid that my future could be in jeopardy. My friends and my support system could disappear overnight.”
Data from the Mercatus Center shows Illinois faces a high regulatory burden at both the federal and state level. Research shows these regulations place a disproportionately high burden on the poor, helping to keep them in poverty.
Illinois Families for Public Schools released a pamphlet with misleading information about the Invest in Kids Tax-Credit Scholarship program and its effects on the public school system in Illinois. Here are corrections to seven things they got wrong.
“Think about your kid struggling throughout high school or struggling in middle school, trying to find a place to fit in and finding purpose. Think about all the kids who could be able to find their purpose and be able to move into something positive because of this scholarship.”
Stacy Davis Gates’ hypocrisy isn’t just about denying families the private school choices she enjoys. It’s also a blatant attack on public school options, particularly public charter schools.
Some Illinois lawmakers and the Chicago Teachers Union want to cut off 9,600 students across the state from attending a school of their choice. Here’s how you can save their scholarships before they expire at the end of 2023.