Ted Dabrowski, Wirepoints News
Illinois schools must fully reopen in August, but teachers unions may say no
The need to fully reopen Illinois schools is growing more urgent day by day. Evidence shows the mental and emotional harm to children of not being in school is outweighing the potential harm of the coronavirus. The good news is the risk of a full-time, in-class reopening is far lower than originally feared. Other countries’ experiences show Illinois can reopen schools safely.
COVID-19 will mean higher taxes on your home
Politicians have slowly shifted the property tax burden in Illinois from businesses to homeowners for decades. COVID-19 is about to make things worse
lllinois' overly-restrictive shutdown rules make it a national outlier
A New York Times article provides a fresh state-by-state look at which states are reopening and which are still shut down due to COVID-19. Notably, Illinois was one of the first to shut down and it will be one of the last to reopen.
Seven facts that tell us Illinoisans can and must get back to work
On March 20, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed an executive order requiring residents to stay at home in response to COVID-19.
Ten lessons from an old friend that just survived an ugly bout with COVID-19
An old friend of mine from my childhood years in Georgia just survived an ugly bout with Covid-19.
What next for Illinois?
What’s happening today is unprecedented. The coronavirus is impacting Illinoisans' lives in more ways than can be counted. We wish our readers the best and hope you all remain healthy.
Overwhelmed by Illinois' 'shadow mortgage'
Most Illinoisans don't know it, but they're on the hook for a "shadow mortgage" of pension debts.
93 of Illinois' 102 counties have lost population since 2010; St. Clair, Madison among biggest losers
If you’re wondering how widespread Illinois’ problems really are, check out the below chart based on U.S. Census data. It shows that 93 of the state’s 102 counties have shrunk since 2010. Illinois’ population dropped by 100,000 people between 2010 and 2018 and few of the state’s counties have been spared.
Leaving Illinois: Does anybody care about people like us?
Since 2000, Illinois has lost a net 1.5 million residents to other states
Illinois' financial decay hits home
Illinois’ financial decay isn't just happening at the top, it has likely spread to your community, too. Households from Peoria to Harvey and from Alton to Rockford are seeing property values fall, city populations shrink, tax burdens jump and incomes stagnate.
Pain at the pump
Illinoisans' pain at the pump will be more acute than ever now that the state's motor fuel tax has doubled to 38 cents per gallon from 19 cents.
Pritzker’s untruth: Illinois’ budget is billions out of balance
Gov. J.B. Pritzker says Illinois’ budget is balanced "for the first time in decades." That’s the claim he made upon signing Illinois’ $40 billion budget for 2020.
Big win for tax hikes, big trouble for the middle class
On Monday, the Illinois House of Representatives voted to amend the Illinois Constitution by adding progressive income tax language. The amendment passed 73-44-1 on party lines. It will now end up on the ballot next year for all Illinoisans to vote on.
Toilets and skyscrapers
Chicagoland’s political elite know exactly how to pass the property-tax buck onto everyone else. They use their powerful connections to cut their own property tax bills and push the costs onto other unsuspecting residents. And that’s left many lower-income homeowners footing ever-larger tax bills.
What Illinoisans need to know about Pritzker’s progressive tax
If you’re an ordinary Illinoisan, you may be tempted to support Gov. Pritzker’s plan to change Illinois’ flat tax structure to a progressive one. He’s promised to lower your taxes if you’ll support the switch.
Oh the places the wealth will go!
Did Gov. J.B. Pritzker even see the top tax rates of other states before he released his new progressive income tax plan?
20 facts Pritzker doesn’t want ordinary Illinoisans to know
There’s no arguing that Illinois is a wreck. But read Gov. J.B. Pritzker's recent pre-budget report and you'll get the impression former Gov. Bruce Rauner alone caused that wreck.
Moody's warns tax hikes could accelerate exodus
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker got a warning of sorts from Moody’s ahead of his first budget address. The rating agency’s most recent report highlighted the usual crises Pritzker must tackle: ballooning pension debts and chronic budget deficits.
The astounding reversal on Illinois’ pension crisis
Governor J.B. Pritzker has made his position clear on pensions: No reforms. Not necessary. Just pay them. Nobody in the Democratic party, which holds supermajorities in both the House and the Senate, has voiced any dissent.
$19 billion for education swallows more than half the state’s current budget
While the request is being downplayed as “symbolic,” it reveals just how out of touch education officials are from the realities facing Illinois and its residents, like the state’s crumbling finances, punishing tax bills and the increasing flight of Illinoisans.