It’s Just A Game, State Workers

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Written by Pat Hughes

It’s bad enough that, after decades of Mike Madigan’s leadership, the state can’t pay its bills. But now, his daughter, Attorney General Lisa Madigan, wants to take away the ability of state workers to pay their own bills.

Throughout the bitter dispute over the state budget, Madigan-Nemesis Governor Bruce Rauner has worked to keep the state government running so that core services are not completely shut down. The Governor has made clear that paying state workers for work that they do, while working to pass a balanced budget, is a top priority.… Continue Reading

02.08.17
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Critics Say ‘House of Madigan’ Continues to Play by Own Rules

Written by the Chicago City Wire

Several Illinois legislators have responded to the House’s latest capitulation to longtime Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago), decrying the body’s utter lack of independence or apparent motivation to value representation of home jurisdictions over the speaker’s sway.

Following the state House’s vote, Madigan’s standard menu of mandates was approved yet again as he keeps a three-fifths majority in the House. The results incited strong reactions among officials and members of both political parties.

… Continue Reading
02.07.17
Neil Gorsuch Could Rule on These 3 Big Cases If He Joins Supreme Court Soon

Written by Fred Lucas

President Donald Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court could have a say in rulings on religious freedom, transgender bathrooms in schools, and private property rights, if he is confirmed before April 16.

Judge Neil Gorsuch of the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals met with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and other senators Wednesday at the Capitol less than 24 hours after Trump announced his nomination.

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.,… Continue Reading

02.04.17
Think Tank, State Reps Propose Budget Solutions 2018 Plan to Close $7.1 Billion Deficit

Written by the Chicago City Wire

The Illinois Policy Institute is proposing a budget conservative group leaders contend would put an end to the state’s nearly two-year impasse, closing a $7.1 billion deficit without adding any new taxes.

The Budget Solutions 2018 plan calls for comprehensive property tax reform — which Illinois Policy Institute execs insist amounts to $3.4 billion in savings — by taking simple steps like freezing property taxes over the next five years and putting an end to state subsidies and mandates that, the group argues, needlessly drive up the cost of government.

… Continue Reading
02.03.17
7 Reasons Neil Gorsuch’s Nomination is Only the Beginning of Taking Back the Judiciary

Neil Gorsuch

Written by Daniel Horowitz

This week, President Donald Trump fulfilled his promise to nominate a very qualified and intelligent conservative judge. Neil Gorsuch is likely a very good pick. However, given the past history, the enormous post-constitutional pressure even in some circles of the conservative legal movement, and so much terrible court precedent, it is yet to be determined if Gorsuch has the resolve to not get sucked into the swamp.

This point was best encapsulated in a statement from U.S.… Continue Reading

02.02.17
The Media March in Lockstep Toward Irrelevance

Knight

Written by Robert Knight

As any reporter can tell you, it’s far more fun to cover zany people and events than those exuding decency and restraint.  The news business, like much of the entertainment media, thrives on mayhem.

In Disney’s animated classic “Fantasia,” the spectacular deviltry of “A Night on Bald Mountain” is followed by a peaceful march of candle-bearing believers after the morning sun dispatches the satanic hordes.  The melodic strains of “Ave Maria” wash away any lingering creepiness. … Continue Reading

02.01.17
Illinois Loses 16,700 Jobs in Face of New Tax Hike Proposals

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Written by Michael Lucci

Illinois lost 16,700 payroll jobs in December 2016, according to a Jan. 20 report from the Illinois Department of Employment Security, or IDES.

In addition, the state’s November jobs count was revised down from a gain of 1,700 jobs to a loss of 4,500 jobs. Illinois’ unemployment rate went up to 5.7 percent in December, even though Illinoisans continued to drop out of the workforce.

The budget plan coming out of the Illinois Senate couldn’t come at a worse time, as it depends on tax hikes that would only hinder job creation.

… Continue Reading
01.31.17
U.S. Senator Rand Paul Offers Worthy Obamacare Alternative

Rand Paul

Written by Joshua Withrow

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. (A, 92%) has been nothing if not vocal about his belief that a new set of health care reforms should be voted on at the same time as a repeal of Obamacare. This week, Sen. Paul has revealed his proposal to replace Obamacare, by introducing S. 222, the Obamacare Replacement Act.

His bill is obviously designed to work in tandem with the partial repeal that was passed by Congress last year, in that it sweeps away the parts of Obamacare that the other bill leaves behind, particularly the regulations.… Continue Reading

01.31.17
Illinois Held Hostage to a Grand Bargain

IllinoisSenate

Written by State Representative Jeanne Ives

No one should be surprised that group think instead of rational choices surround the 13 interconnected bills of the “Grand Bargain.” It is wholly predictable given the longevity of the Illinois Senate leaders involved. They’ve been working together for nearly 2 decades. They put in place many of the policies that are now taking a toll on our state.

They are the beneficiaries of generous pensions when they retire, excessive pay for their part-time jobs, and the public attention and stature of the positions they hold. … Continue Reading

01.30.17
Roe v. Wade Is A ‘Jealous God’ That Demands Blood And Generates Rage

Written by Tom Neven

Is there a constitutional principle so sacrosanct that it can abide no exceptions? Perhaps the First Amendment? Nope. Courts have placed reasonable restrictions on free speech and the practice of religion. You can’t libel someone, nor can you sacrifice live animals. The Second Amendment? No again, as any number of gun laws attest. One can find reasonable exceptions to just about every constitutional principle.

But 43 years ago, trawling through the penumbra and emanations of the Constitution, Justice Harry Blackmun found an inviolable right that had somehow evaded the Founding Fathers: the right to kill a child in utero—mere inches from being fully born, even—for any reason or no reason.

… Continue Reading
01.28.17
Frustrated Illinois Manufacturer Flees to Indiana’s ‘Affordable Shore’ Next Door

From the Chicago City Wire

The president of a company that moved from Illinois to Indiana said recently on a Chicago radio talk show that he looks back on Illinois and hopes one day the state will get its act together.

“It’s kind of a double-edge sword,” Hoist Lifttruck President Vincent Flaska said during a recent edition of “Illinois Rising.” “I still live in Illinois, and I want to see Illinois succeed. But the problem that they have is that they need to get rid of how their tax credits function.

… Continue Reading
01.27.17