Noted futurist and author Joel Kotkin visited the Illinois Policy Institute Wednesday to discuss how Illinois can brighten its economic and social outlook. In his remarks, Kotkin discussed the importance of good public policies that will allow people and businesses to thrive. When bad public policies are enacted, people vote with their feet – which...
by John Tillman There is only one way out of the worldwide debt crisis, but so far Illinois’ political leaders do not seem to understand what that path is. Here is what the solution is not: The solution is not increasing taxes. The General Assembly and Gov. Quinn did that in January by implementing a...
by Brian Costin Just a few hours before a new legislature was sworn in, on January 12, 2011, at 1:30AM Illinois’s 96th General Assembly passed the largest tax hike in state history, raising the individual income tax rate by 67 percent and the corporate tax rate by 46 percent. The vote passed by a razor thin...
U.S. Rep. Jeff Flake of Arizona speaks at a luncheon hosted by the Illinois Policy Institute on Oct. 19, 2011.
by Jonathan Ingram Earlier today, Republican members of the Illinois House of Representatives filed a resolution in the General Assembly urging the federal Super Committee to recommend granting the state greater flexibility in administering its Medicaid program. In particular, they ask that the Super Committee and Congress repeal the “maintenance of effort” requirements in ObamaCare. As you...
This letter was featured in the Fall 2011 edition of Compass, which arrived in mailboxes last week. The complete issue is downloadable here. Halloween is a wonderful holiday for children and grown-ups alike. You have tricks and you have treats. The same is true in policy and political debates. There are tricks and there are treats;...
by Amanda Griffin-Johnson Pro-liberty viewpoints can be few and far between in the media, so it’s refreshing to see an articulate, intelligent and straightforward individual, such as Professor Richard Epstein, interviewed on PBS. Watch Prof. Epstein dispel misconceptions about the free market, equality and taxes in video below. Watch Does U.S. Economic Inequality Have a...
Guest post by Peter Breen The number one issue for folks in my recent campaign for Lombard village trustee was holding the line on taxes and spending. After I won the race and was sworn in, I realized the practical difficulty of a part-time member of a village board having to watch over a roughly...
by Jonathan Ingram A year and a half ago, Nancy Pelosi told the public that Congress had to pass ObamaCare so they could find out what was in it. Well, Americans aren’t pleased with the result. New polling data from the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that support for ObamaCare is at all-time low. Only 18 percent of Americans think that they...
By John Tillman Last week, the Chicago Tribune published a commentary piece I wrote about the Occupy Wall Street protestors in Chicago. They’ve been camped out near my office for the past few weeks, and I decided to engage them in conversation on my way home one night. The media has likened the Occupy Wall Street protestors...
by Amanda Griffin-Johnson This time of year, children go door-to-door dressed in costumes to ask their neighbors for treats. Throughout the year, governments at the federal, state and local level provide services and programs that many look upon as treats. But considering the cost and inefficiency of some of these programs and services, are these...
by Emily Dietrich “If we repeal this law, these jobs will come back to Illinois,” said Brian Littleton, founder and CEO of ShareASale, at a press conference announcing the introduction of legislation to repeal Illinois’ affiliate nexus law, sometimes referred to as the “Amazon tax.” Wednesday’s press conference focused on the thousands of Illinois businesses...
by Mark Cavers Earlier this year, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker ushered in a set of reforms to his state’s budget and personnel system. At the time, opponents said the reforms would be catastrophic. This month, the governor launched a website showing what the reforms have actually meant for local governments and taxpayers. According to Gov. Walker, local...
by Jonathan Ingram As we reported yesterday, ObamaCare is going to bust Illinois’ budget and hurt the most vulnerable among us. But did you know it’s also going to drastically raise the costs of hiring new workers? ObamaCare requires most employer-sponsored insurance coverage to provide a minimum level of benefits, which ultimately drives the cost of labor...