Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner, Wirepoints News
Chicago criminals out on probation/parole/pretrial release continue violence in 2024
One thing Chicagoans can’t help but notice when scrolling through news feeds: the number of violent crimes committed by defendants while they were out either on parole, probation or awaiting trial.
States are rejecting progressive tax schemes, moving to flat tax structures
In 2020, Illinoisans rejected Gov. J.B. Pritzker and his legislative allies’ push for a progressive income tax scheme in Illinois. And with it, they rejected claims a progressive tax would “modernize” Illinois’ income tax.
As population woes continue, Illinois’ loss of congressional seats could accelerate
Illinois’ leaders can deny the state’s population problems all they want, but a collapse in the state’s number of congressional seats is proof enough of the state’s population woes.
Avoiding a conflict of interest: Nearly a third of Illinois lawmakers have rejected a taxpayer-funded pension
Illinois’ public pension crisis is coming to the fore after three years of being ignored during covid. Billions in federal aid to both the private and public sectors helped Illinois politicians paper over the state’s growing debts and worsening retiree security, but with pandemic aid finally drying up, they soon won’t be able to ignore the problems.
New 2023 data: Inflation can’t save Illinois from its worst-in-nation pension crisis
COGFA, Illinois’ official number-crunching group, is out with its state pension reports for both FY 2022 and 2023 and its analysis shows that while record-high inflation has reduced the stress of pension costs on the budget in the short-term, those retirement debts continue to be a major threat to the state’s fiscal and economic stability.
Gov. Pritzker’s dishonest spin on Chicago crime, Illinois jobs
There’s no denying Gov. J.B. Pritzker should be one of the state’s biggest cheerleaders, consistently accentuating Illinois’ positives. It’s what any good governor should do.
Illinoisans burdened with $207 billion in official state & local pension debts, $41,000 per household
The $200 billion Illinois’ public and private sectors got in federal covid bailouts pulled Illinois back from its decades-long, self-inflicted financial decline. Unpaid bills are now mostly repaid, state revenues are up and the state has received multiple credit rating upgrades.
Illinois becomes first state in America to go backward on school choice
School choice in Illinois is dead. For now. The teachers unions were on a warpath to kill Illinois’ small tax-credit scholarship program and their Democratic allies weren’t willing to cross them. Gov. J.B. Pritzker, House Speaker Chris Welch and Senate President Don Harmon failed to call a bill to a vote this week to extend the program and with that, the Invest in Kids Act sunsets at the end of this year.
1.2 million Illinois public school children can’t read at grade level, yet legislature, unions push to kill state’s only school choice program
It’s incredible that Illinois politicians and the teachers unions are focused on maiming – or even killing – the state’s tiny 9,700-student school choice program when states across the country are not only expanding school choice, but making it universally available for every single student in their state.
‘Illinois is growing,’ claims yet another group of political elites; It’s not true
Wirepoints has highlighted for years how Illinois’ failed public policies are driving residents out of the state. All the evidence, from the U.S. Census Bureau to the IRS to United Van Lines to U-Haul to Allied Van Lines, shows Illinois losing far more residents to other states than it gains. We’ve also shown how Illinois births and legal international migration into Illinois have dropped steadily. Illinois consistently ranks at the bottom of most population/migration statistics.
Chicago: Where violence and dismal education intersect
There’s a good reason why Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis-Gates is sending her son to a private school instead of the public one in her Roseland community. At Harlan Community Academy, the school Davis-Gates’s son would have attended, only 5 of every 100 students were proficient in reading in 2022. Roseland’s a dangerous place, too – 28 people were killed in the community last year.
Chicago criminals have green light to rob, loot, burgle as odds of punishments collapse to near zero
The decision to commit a crime in Chicago has never been easier. Criminals are almost guaranteed to profit because the chances of getting caught and punished have collapsed to near-zero.
Illinois nation's 5th-worst state for jobs in June, 258K Illinoisans without work
The latest labor report for June shows Illinois still has the nation’s 5th-worst unemployment rate in the country. A 4.0 percent jobless rate means 258,000 Illinoisans were still unemployed as of June.
Illinois economy stalls out to begin 2023
We wrote recently about Illinois’ poor economic growth and how Illinoisans are taking a hit under the state’s failed policies. Since Gov J.B. Pritzker took office in 2019, Illinois has had the 10th-worst GDP growth rate in the country, the number of people employed has dropped, and Illinois has consistently had one of the worst unemployment rates in the country (currently 5th-worst).
It's not just people; Illinois suffered the nation's 3rd-worst loss of business in 2021
Illinois’ constant bleed of residents to other states has been well documented by the Census Bureau, the IRS, U-Haul, United Van Lines and others.
Illinois lawmakers hike their own salaries 27%, to nearly $90,000, in one year
Illinois lawmakers are responsible for policies that consistently leave Illinois at the bottom of the barrel nationally – from debts to taxes to credit ratings to out-migration.
13 IL counties among the top 50 property markets nationwide most 'at-risk' of a downturn
Illinois is home to 13 of the nation’s 50 housing markets that are most at-risk of a downturn. That’s according to a recent report by ATTOM Data Solutions, a company that provides comprehensive data on property values and taxes across the nation.
15 days to slow the spread? Pritzker issues 41st emergency declaration, 1,114 days after first one
The covid pandemic began with health officials urging lockdowns for “15 days to slow the spread.” Gov. Pritzker issued his first disaster proclamation on March 12, 2020.
Will he ever quit? Gov. Pritzker issued Covid disaster declaration no. 38
Credit Gov. J.B. Pritzker for his persistence. It’s hard to keep up with his Covid Disaster Declarations. He’s issued so many – 38 straight dating back to March 2020 – that almost nobody reports on them any more. Just Wirepoints and a couple of other groups. The mainstream media gave up a long ago. Even we’re a bit behind in reporting on it this time.
About Gov. Pritzker's '$1 trillion' GDP brag
Gov. Pritzker continued to tout his first-term “accomplishments,” this time as part of his second inaugural speech. Included were his usual lines about paying down the state’s unpaid bills, balancing the budget and garnering credit upgrades for the state.