-- Connecting the dots between our economy, government and business --
The state appellate court has ruled Rauner administration is violating state labor law by refusing to allow thousands of state workers to move through the state pay plan over the past two years.
Illinois requires not only a four-year degree but also a separate teacher training program and then a number of additional exams to be a teacher. It is also difficult for a teacher to use out-of-state experience to qualify for a position in a local school in Illinois.
Jeanne Allen, founder of the Center for Education Reform, said the additional steps that a teacher here has to take creates an artificial shortage.
The analysis, conducted by the Pew Charitable Trusts, shows the state is 49th in terms of expenses outpacing revenues during the years 2002 to 2016.
The annual “Emerging Trends in Real Estate” survey ranked the Chicago real estate market 42nd among 78 U.S. urban areas, down from 19th last year. Seattle, Amazon’s hometown, topped the latest list, followed by Austin, Texas, and Salt Lake City.
The full survey is linked here.
The dominant carriers at O’Hare were feeling flush when plans for terminal modernization and expansion surfaced earlier this year. Since then, however, intensifying fare competition and concerns about overexpansion have sparked pressure from Wall Street to curb spending. American has promised to trim $1 billion in annual costs by 2021, and United is looking to save more than $2 billion by 2020.
Local governments in Cook County, including the county itself, now have a whopping $139 billion in debt, most of it unfunded and most of it money owed to municipal and school workers for pensions and retiree health costs.
That’s the bottom line of the latest Debt Disclosure Report issued by Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas, with the combined figure that taxpayers are on the hook for rising 30 percent just since 2011.
Two years ago Chicago Tribune editorial board member Kristen McQueary was savaged by liberal critics around the country for writing that she wished — literally, critics claimed — for a catastrophic storm to wake Chicago up about its financial problems. “The most evil op-ed writer ever,” wrote one critic. “Cheerleading for Katrina-like disaster to strike confirms paper’s bankrupt journalism,” tweeted state senator Lou Lang (D-Skokie). “Insensitive…racist,” wrote plenty of others. Well, this summer’s hurricanes back her up. Puerto Rico is going back to the drawing board on a plan to relieve it from its impossible debt burden. Hurricane Maria washed
The latest proposal that may get fast tracked and passed immediately is a good-for-nothing property tax freeze introduced by Rep. Michelle Mussman.
Bailout first, reform later.
Presented without comment: “By every measure, Illinois residents are better-off than their counterparts in every neighboring state.”
The new policy comes on the heels of several Joliet Patch articles examining generous payouts for outgoing city staff.
SIGN UP HERE FOR OUR FREE WIREPOINTS DAILY NEWSLETTER