Opponents of real pension reform often argue that government workers receive modest pensions. The Chicago Teacher’s Union, or CTU, is one such opponent. Under its FAQ page about teacher pensions, the union’s website states: “The average Chicago Teachers’ Pension Fund (CTPF) retiree earns $42,000 per year. Of the 87,000 retired teachers in Illinois, almost 1...
Employment in Illinois’ metropolitan areas improved in May, but employment growth is still far behind what it should be, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. All 10 metropolitan areas saw month-over-month and year-over-year improvement of their unemployment rates. Unfortunately, every Illinois metro area has an unemployment rate above the national average of...
According to a recent report, the Vermont health insurance exchange was breached late last year by a Romanian hacker. The criminal gained access to the exchange’s development server at least 15 times over the course of one month. This is not the first time the Vermont exchange system has been hacked, raising serious concerns about...
The problem Chicago is suffering from one of the worst pension crises in the nation. To begin fixing its failing system, the city should move away from a politician-controlled, defined-benefit system. But another important step is reforming retirement-age requirements. The Chicago systems’ retirement ages don’t reflect today’s fiscal and demographic realities. People are living longer,...
On June 30, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signed the state budget for the next fiscal year, which starts July 1. The good news is that this budget does not make the 2011 state income tax increase permanent; all Illinois taxpayers are still on track to see income tax relief next year. The bad news is...
This morning, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn was wrong to issue and enforce his 2009 executive order that forced the unionization of Illinoisans who are not state workers. This groundbreaking ruling on the Harris v. Quinn case asserts that state governments cannot force-unionize participants in state entitlement programs or force...
The U.S. Supreme Court has issued a groundbreaking ruling today on the case of Harris v. Quinn. The court’s ruling states that state governments cannot force-unionize participants in state entitlement programs or force them to pay union dues as a condition of receiving help from the state. The court’s 5-4 decision was in favor of the plaintiff...
It’s report-card season in Illinois, as the journey and efforts that began last August have come to fruition for students across the state. State governments can be graded too, in particular on the subject of jobs. How Illinois fares on job creation is critically important for local high school and college seniors, who have just...
As early as tomorrow, the U.S. Supreme Court could announce its decision in the case Harris v. Quinn. Legal experts and unions across the country are closely watching this case because it could be a landmark decision on the issues of unionization and freedom of speech. The lead Plaintiff, Pam Harris, is a suburban Chicago...
According to a recent Gallup survey, only 60 percent of Illinoisans believe that this is a good state to start a business. Not only do we have one of the most negative views in the nation, but it stands in stark contrast to booming states such as North Dakota and Texas, where more than 80...
President Obama came into office promising to reduce health-care costs. Instead of delivering on that promise – to reduce health insurance premiums by $2,500 per year for the average family – premiums have actually increased an average of 30 percent over the last year alone. That’s on top of the broken promises that you could...
Most people might think that the police can’t take and keep your property unless they can prove that you used it in illegal activities. Most people would be wrong. Under state and federal civil asset forfeiture laws, which are increasingly garnering national attention, police can take property they suspect has somehow been involved with criminal...
In the next bad surprise for taxpayers and Illinois’ downstate teachers, the Teachers’ Retirement System, or TRS, announced that the shortfall in its pension fund has increased by $6 billion. The bigger shortfall means that without real pension reform, teachers may see their pensions cut and taxpayers may be called on to bail out the nearly insolvent...
Illinois is ranked as the third-most corrupt state in the nation. And Illinoisans have by far the lowest level of trust in state government in the nation at only 28 percent. So why are lawmakers trying to make it harder and more expensive for citizens to fight public corruption? A “watchdog tax” bill that does...