Illinois Medicaid: $12 million paid to the dead is business as usual
Illinois Medicaid: $12 million paid to the dead is business as usual
Illinoisans are all-too familiar with jokes about cemeteries full of voters. But, according to a recent audit, the dead are also receiving Medicaid benefits. National news outlets reported recently that the state made Medicaid payments to health-care providers on behalf of nearly 3,000 deceased Illinoisans under the Medicaid program. The federal-state program, which is supposed...
By Naomi Lopez Bauman
Update: The taxi cartel’s attacks on ridesharing in Chicago
Update: The taxi cartel’s attacks on ridesharing in Chicago
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has backed off a proposal that would have hobbled or destroyed ridesharing services such as uberX and Lyft in Chicago – for now, at least. And when the taxi lobby turned to the Illinois General Assembly for help, they proposed a ridesharing bill full of provisions that would harm consumers and...
Illinois loses 3,200 payroll jobs, another business exits the state
Illinois loses 3,200 payroll jobs, another business exits the state
Illinois lost 3,200 payroll jobs in March, and the state’s unemployment rate ticked down to 8.4 percent from 8.7 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Illinois’ month-over-month change in payroll jobs was the third-worst nationally. Only Pennsylvania and Virginia lost more jobs. This news comes fresh on the heels of the announcement by...
By Michael Lucci
Illinois House Committee wants taxpayers to pay $100 million for Obama library
Illinois House Committee wants taxpayers to pay $100 million for Obama library
An Illinois House Committee wants taxpayers to pay $100 million for a Barack Obama library. Somehow, House Speaker Michael Madigan thinks this is an appropriate use of funds despite the state’s more than $100 billion pension crisis and $6.6 billion in unpaid bills. Madigan told the Chicago Tribune he will use “skills that I’ve developed in the legislature...
By Jane McEnaney
Dick Durbin’s ‘candy-flavored’ addiction
Dick Durbin’s ‘candy-flavored’ addiction
Sen. Dick Durbin, long known for his anti-smoking campaigns, released a new report Monday alleging that e-cigarette companies target youth smokers, and then proposing a new set of Food and Drug Administration regulations for the products. Durbin’s 40-page report urges a slew of restrictions on e-cigarette marketing and sales. Durbin commented upon release of the...
By Bryant Jackson-Green
Chicago’s collar counties should get their welcome mats ready
Chicago’s collar counties should get their welcome mats ready
Expect Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s call for property tax hikes to be a boon for Chicago’s collar counties and Lake County, Ind. Cook County residents have been fleeing to neighboring counties for decades, and Emanuel’s proposed hikes – to prop up city pensions – will only increase the outflow. According to IRS data, Cook County lost...
The progressive income tax was never about tax relief
The progressive income tax was never about tax relief
State Sen. Don Harmon and advocates for his progressive tax proposal argue that the progressive income tax will provide tax relief for Illinois’ middle class. Not only is the argument not true, but the progressive income tax was never about tax relief. The proof of that is in the numbers. Under Illinois law, the individual...
By Benjamin VanMetre
Only 28% of Illinois residents trust state government, lowest in nation
Only 28% of Illinois residents trust state government, lowest in nation
The constant stream of government corruption stories in Illinois takes a dramatic toll on citizens’ trust of government. A recent Gallup poll showed only 28 percent of Illinois residents trust their state government. Illinois is the only Midwestern state where trust in state government is less than 50 percent. The most recent corruption story to...
By Brian Costin
Why health insurance will likely be less affordable next year
Why health insurance will likely be less affordable next year
Many Illinois families are all too familiar with the many broken promises of the Affordable Care Act, or ACA, commonly referred to as ObamaCare. The president repeatedly promised that the average American family would save $2,500 per year. Not only did the president and administration later backtrack on that promise, but many families actually also...
By Naomi Lopez Bauman
Union dues are a $15 billion tax deduction
Union dues are a $15 billion tax deduction
Union members are allowed to deduct their union dues on their taxes, equating to an estimated $15 billion nationwide. According to the Internal Revenue Service, workers are allowed to deduct union dues as part of their itemized deductions: “You can deduct dues and initiation fees you pay for union membership… You can also deduct assessments for...
By Justin Hegy
Budget Solutions 2015: Keeping promises to taxpayers and turning around Illinois
Budget Solutions 2015: Keeping promises to taxpayers and turning around Illinois
The 2015 fiscal year marks a long-awaited milestone for Illinoisans: taxpayers are less than one year away from tax relief. The record 2011 income tax increase is slated to partially sunset during the 2015 fiscal year. But politicians are already crying poor as Illinois approaches the tax-hike sunset. The solutions they’ve offered up involve making...
By Benjamin VanMetre