Gov. J.B. Pritzker has given $5 million to a ballot initiative committee backing a graduated rate income tax, the cornerstone of his agenda, as both sides of the issue gear up for an expensive and contentious battle in 2020.

Adam Andrzejewski just turned 50, but he insists that, although he’s getting older, he’s also getting better.

The goal of Andrzejewski’s organization is to track the money spent by all 50 states and the federal government — “Every dime, On line, In real time” is the organization’s slogan.

Illinois needs deep, structural changes to significantly reduce property taxes that are choking off growth in key sectors of the state’s economy. Residential and commercial real estate markets are sinking, and high property taxes bear much of the blame