School choice gives parents, students the freedom to flourish
School choice gives parents, students the freedom to flourish
Choice means giving parents the right to decide which educational option is best for their children, whether it be public schools, charter schools, private schools, online learning or homeschooling.
Bailing out state pension systems rewards bad behavior
Bailing out state pension systems rewards bad behavior
Over the weekend, the Peoria Journal Star published a letter to the editor from an elementary school principal in downstate Illinois.
Institute on WAND TV: Illinois’ addiction to pork
Institute on WAND TV: Illinois’ addiction to pork
Institute policy expert, Jonathan Ingram, joined Doug Wolfe on WAND TV to discuss Illinois’ addiction to wasteful spending. Check our Piglet 2012 for examples of pork in Illinois. MUSEUM CAPITAL PROJECTS ABRAHAM LINCOLN MEMORIAL GARDEN FOUNDATION, INC. (Sangamon County) – $82,433. Renovation of the Ostermeir Farmhouse to add handicap accessible features, waterproof basement, replace carpet,...
Without real reforms, Illinois’ credit downgrades will just keep coming
Without real reforms, Illinois’ credit downgrades will just keep coming
On Jan. 25, Standard & Poor's Ratings Services downgraded Illinois' credit to A- from A.
Back room collective bargaining deals leave taxpayers in the dark
Back room collective bargaining deals leave taxpayers in the dark
The time for passing a Truth-in-Collective Bargaining Act is long overdue.
By Brian Costin
Institute on Fox Business: Ted Dabrowski talks Illinois’ credit downgrade on Varney & Co.
Institute on Fox Business: Ted Dabrowski talks Illinois’ credit downgrade on Varney & Co.
The Institute’s Vice President of Policy, Ted Dabrowski, joined Varney & Co. on Fox Business to discuss the S&P’s latest downgrade of Illinois’ credit to A-Minus the eleventh credit downgrade since Gov. Quinn assumed office in 2009.
Institute in Daily Herald: Defined benefit plans cannot be sustained
Institute in Daily Herald: Defined benefit plans cannot be sustained
Daily Herald published the following opinion piece by the Institute’s Vice President of Policy, Ted Dabrowski: Many civic groups are calling for the legislature to do something ? anything ? on pension reform. That’s fool’s advice. Instead, they should call on lawmakers to do the right thing. That means a defined contribution system. It’s the...
School Choice Week
School Choice Week
Josh Dwyer Director of Education Reform National School Choice Week is centered on the belief that parents should be empowered to choose the best educational environments for their children From Friday, January 22 to Saturday, February 2 organizations around the country will be sponsoring events related to promoting school choice. Celebrate and promote the ongoing...
Dropping out of pensions
Dropping out of pensions
State law doesnt allow for the lawmaker, who entered the upper chamber in 2008, to drop out of the system.
No pay for Illinois lawmakers until the state pays all of its past due bills?
No pay for Illinois lawmakers until the state pays all of its past due bills?
What would happen if state officials had their paychecks suspended until the state paid all of its past due bills? State Rep. Charlie Meier, R-Okawville, thinks it would help the Illinois Legislature find a solution to the state's budget problems.
Illinois needs a strict spending limit
Illinois needs a strict spending limit
Illinois has a spending problem. Spending per capita has grown nearly three times faster than it would have under a responsible spending limit one tied to the growth of inflation and population.
By Benjamin VanMetre
Grayslake teacher contract details remain a mystery
Grayslake teacher contract details remain a mystery
Grayslake sounds like a great place for a mystery. It could be the name of a mansion overlooking a foggy moor upon which a wealthy young heiress was found dead of arsenic poisoning among half a dozen acquaintances, all with serious grudges.
Liberate workers from politician-controlled pensions
Liberate workers from politician-controlled pensions
In the aftermath of this months scramble to pass something anything that politicians could call pension reform, heres the most important reason why taxpayers should be grateful the Nekritz-Biss plan was shelved: the funding guarantee.
By Jonathan Ingram
Institute on ABC 20: Auditor position vacant at 3 out of 5 state pension funds
Institute on ABC 20: Auditor position vacant at 3 out of 5 state pension funds
Illinois Policy Institute Executive Vice President, Kristina Rasmussen, appeared on ABC 20 to discuss the Auditor General’s report, which found that Illinois’ unfunded pension liability grew nearly $12 billion in fiscal year 2012. The unfunded liability in the state’s retirement systems has ballooned by nearly $12 billion in the last budget year. That’s according to...