The Unbearable Heaviness of Britain
Health officials in the UK are growing aghast at their country’s collective chubbiness. So what’s the proposed government solution? Paying pounds…for citizens to lose pounds. View the BBC report below.
The Mob Files
How did a former mob bookie wind up getting a top job with the state after his name got dragged through a prominent “Family Secrets” trial? You can watch John Tillman discuss the state’s mob debacle on Fox News here.
Welcome to Government Land…
If you were running a failing business, would you hand out 7 percent pay raises, a two-year “no layoff” guarantee, a pledge to close no branches, and then another round of pay hikes topping 8 percent? Not likely…but it’s another story if you live in Government Land. Read the Institute’s latest piece in the Rockford Register Star to find out more.
Gov. Quinn To Schools: Hire! Spend! Now!
Last Monday, the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget sent a letter to Illinois school districts urging them to frantically spend newly available federal stimulus funds—totaling more than $400 million—before the end of November. What gives? You can learn more here.
Fantasy Football and Free Markets
What does Monday’s Bears/Packers matchup have to do with free markets? What can fantasy football teach us about life? Check out Mike Demkovich’s latest musings on the topic over at our blog.
Billions and Billions
$3 billion, $5 billion, $10 billion—the talk surrounding impending federal and state tax hikes is downright scary these days. How can we put the sheer magnitude of these amounts into real-world perspective? Check out our latest report, “Billions and Billions,” here.
Win-Win-Win
Illinois faces a looming health insurance dilemma—so how can we transform it into a win-win for taxpayers and public employees? Our newest report on the positive impact of Health Savings Accounts—and what they could do for our state—is here.