-By Warner Todd Huston
Vincent Vernuccio of the Competitive Enterprise Institute appeared on Fox Business Channel’s “Follow the Money” show and talked a little bit about where the dues that union members pay goes.
Fox Business only gave a snippet of the video that CEI made so here is the full video.
Video: CEI’s Vincent Vernuccio on Where Union Dues Go”
From the Institute for Truth in Accounting…
Oregon’s “Financial State of the State”
Chicago (November 17, 2010) — Today, the Institute for Truth in Accounting released Oregon’s “Financial State of the State.” After an intensive review of the State’s 2009 audited financial report the Institute determined the State is in a precarious financial position because it does not have the funds available to pay more than $6.6 billion of the State’s commitments as they come due. Each taxpayer’s share of this financial burden equals $5,600.
Continue reading “
True Oregon Taxpayer Burden is $6.6 Billion”
-By Warner Todd Huston
If conservatives intend to translate Tea Party enthusiasm into actual power they are certainly going to have begin to put like-minded folks into office and not just at the federal level. Every office from dogcatcher, to city offices, to county and state offices needs to be filled with Tea Party advocates. Conservatives cannot expect an enduring governing capability by focusing solely on federal elections.
To that end, this week American Majority (AmericanMajority.org/) unveiled a new initiative to help train Tea Party groups to groom local candidates in order to build a more enduring conservative governing majority across the country. The project is called the New Leaders Project.
AM hopes to help local Tea Party groups to identify 10 new leaders in their local community to run for state or local office. “The program will help community leaders identify quality candidates while fostering a new era of accountability between voters and elected officials,” said representatives for the group.
Continue reading “
Building a Conservative Majority Starts at Home”
From the Illinois Policy Institute…
Earlier this year, the House and Senate passed HB 5154, a union-backed bill which would permanently take government employee performance evaluations out of the public sphere. Read more about why this matters to watchdogs like you.
Governor Pat Quinn issued an “amendatory veto” that rightly narrowed the scope of the bill (only police performance records would be off limits). However, today the House voted to override his veto.
Our very own Director of Government Reform Kate Piercy notes, “If the Senate agrees, performance reviews will be sealed forever. Goodbye transparency.”
Continue reading “
Unions Attempting to Take Away Public’s Right to Know in Illinois”
Chicago-based Sam Adams Alliance is announcing its fourth annual Sammies awards…
On the heels of some of the most citizen-driven election results in decades, we’re proud to announce the contest opening for the 4th annual Sammies, our annual awards show recognizing America’s best citizen leaders.
In 2011, the Sammies will recognize their achievements with new categories, $60,000 in prizes, and the best party we have ever thrown! It all happens April 8, 2011 at Chicago’s Union Station. Get all the details here.
Nominate someone you know (or yourself) for a Sammie!
Get the latest on the Sammies, including announcements of featured speakers and nominees by following us on Twitter and Facebook.
From the Institute for Truth in Accounting…
Colorado’s “Financial State of the State”
Chicago (November 16, 2010) — Today, the Institute for Truth in Accounting released Colorado’s “Financial State of the State.” After an intensive review of the state’s 2009 audited financial report, the Institute determined the state is in a precarious financial position because it does not have the funds available to pay more than $8.1 billion of the state’s commitments as they come due. Each taxpayer’s share of this financial burden equals $4,900.
Continue reading “
True Colorado Taxpayer Burden is $8.1 Billion”
From the Institute for Truth in Accounting…
Arkansas’s “Financial State of the State”
Chicago (November 15, 2010) — Today, the Institute for Truth in Accounting released Arkansas Financial “State of the State.” After an intensive review of the state’s 2009 audited financial report, the Institute determined the state is in a precarious financial position because it does not have the funds available to pay more than $2.4 billion of the state’s commitments as they come due. Each taxpayer’s share of this financial burden equals $3,300.
Arkansas law requires a balanced state budget. “If governors and legislatures had truly balanced the state’s budget, no taxpayer’s financial burden would exist,” said Sheila Weinberg, founder and CEO of the Institute for Truth in Accounting (IFTA). She continued, “A state budget is not balanced if past costs, including those for employees’ retirement benefits, are pushed into the future.”
Continue reading “
True Arkansas Taxpayer Burden is $2.47 BILLION”
-By Dan Proft, for the Illinois Policy Institute
Amid the contentious debate as to how we improve public education in America, there is one reality to which all parties subscribe: there is no substitute for a quality teacher in the classroom.
The scholarship on teacher quality is clear. It is the most important school-related factor in student achievement. Some studies suggest the difference between having a good teacher and having a bad one can exceed one grade-level equivalent in annual achievement growth.
Geoffrey Canada, founder of the Harlem Success Academy charter school in New York City, has said a great teacher is like a great artist and should be recognized as such.
So why are the teachers’ unions fighting that recognition?
Continue reading “
Unions’ Preferred Rating for Teachers: NR”
-By Dan Proft, for the Illinois Policy Institute
I do not think government functionaries should set private sector salaries or that U.S. policymakers should be adorned with the appellation properly reserved for Russian autocrats.
But, if I did not believe in free markets and free minds, NBA Commissioner David Stern would be my choice for “Pay Czar.”
Stern is in the midst of a negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) for the four hundred some odd millionaires in the NBA. Stern’s position is that the league needs to reduce player salaries by one third (some $750 million) and consider contraction, which would close down a franchise or two in order for the NBA to be a self-sustaining business model.
Continue reading “
My Nominee for Pay Czar: David Stern”
Once again we get a fly-on-the-wall perspective of what is going on in the office of “our congressman,” hereafter known as our lame duck congressman.
So, now that he’s been pitched out on his left-wing, what will “our congressman” be planning for that lame duck session?
Let’s peek in and see…
Me, I call it a zombie congress instead of a lame duck congress. After all, it’s dead men walking, dead men that don’t know they are dead, dead men that still feed off the living blood of our taxes, dead men that eat our flesh, killing us all.
From the Sam Adams Alliance…
$60,000 to be given to top citizen leaders of 2010 at April awards gala in Chicago
CHICAGO – On the heels of some of the most citizen-driven election results in decades, Sam Adams Alliance announced today the contest opening for the fourth annual Sammies, an awards show recognizing the country’s most active and effective citizen leaders from 2010. The awards will be held April 8, 2011 at Chicago’s Union Station.
The theme of the 4th annual Sammies, “Redrawing the Lines,” refers to the redrawing of battle lines in American politics from the traditional Republican and Democrat to a new division between political professional and citizen.
Continue reading “
Sam Adams Alliance Announces Call for Nominations for 4th Annual Sammies Awards”
-By Warner Todd Huston
On Oct. 20 I had the please of sitting in an intimate audience in downtown Chicago, Illinois invited to listen to one of America’s great wits, P.J. O’Rourke and what a fun night it was. The evening was sponsored by Chicago’s Heartland Institute, a free market policy group.
O’Rourke’s latest book is titled Don’t Vote It Just Encourages the Bastards. I was lucky enough to get my copy signed by the author that evening.
Don’t Vote is a brilliant, disturbing, hilarious, and ultimately sobering look at why politics and politicians are a necessary evil – but only just barely necessary.
Continue reading “
Heartland Institute: A Night With P.J. O’Rourke”
-By Kevin Roeten
Reducing the US budget over $5 billion/year sounds too good to be true. Actually 1.2 billion is the US share (22% in 2010). But the ‘peacekeeping budget’ is a whopping $7.8 billion/yr, of which the US is responsible for over 27%, or $2.1 billion. The offending party—the UN. The place—Manhattan. The damage—at least $3.3 billion/year.
In the 2/3/10 column by Brett Schaeffer, Time to Rein in the U.N.’s Budget | The Heritage Foundation, he explains the details included in the 2010-2011 2-yr UN budget. [9] If one includes the US voluntary contributions to the UN, the US exceeds $5 billion annually. [13]
Continue reading “
UN Ripe for US Budget Cutting”
Adam Andrzejewski, former Republican candidate for Illinois Governor and founder of For the Good of Illinois, urges voters to Vote “NO” on liberal Democrat Illinois Supreme Court Justice Thomas Kilbride.
Tea Party activists and individuals working within traditional conservative political “Establishment” organizations are united on issue priorities, but differ when it comes to their level of enthusiasm, and the Tea Party movement’s ability to accomplish its political goals, according to a new study from Sam Adams Alliance.
The study, Surface Tension: Tea Parties and the Political Establishment, also found:
Continue reading “
Sam Adams Alliance: New Tea Party Study Released”
-By Dan Proft, for The Heartland Institute
NBC dedicated a week of programming at the end of September to spotlighting the good, the bad, and the ugly of K-12 education in America under the rubric “Education Nation.”
Part of NBC’s “curriculum” included an interview with President Obama by Today Show host Matt Lauer. The president inadvertently offered an insight into why calling America the “education nation” is like calling a diminutive person “stretch.”
Continue reading “
Obama Failed the ‘Education Nation’ Test”
And now we check in again in the office of “Our Democrat Congressman” to see how he and his staff are trying to spin this disastrous Obama economy…
Obama Tax Hikes: What’s Their Excuse? from Heritage Action for America on Vimeo.
Another great video from the Heritage Foundation staring Clint Howard as “Our Democrat Congressman.”
From the United Republican Fund…
WINFIELD, IL – The United Republican Fund (URF) announced today their list of endorsements for the November 2, 2010 election.
The URF has a two-part endorsement process consisting of a candidate questionnaire that covers issues such as budget and taxes, state employment and pensions, education, Medicaid, state courts, state government efficiency, capital contracting, and social regulation. Following the completion of the questionnaire, each candidate is interviewed by a committee of the Board of Directors of the United Republican Fund.
“We’re impressed with the quality of the candidates this election cycle,” said Dennis LaComb, Executive Director of the United Republican Fund. “We’re also pleased that the majority of candidates interviewed were aligned with the URF LIFT principles of limited government, individual rights, free markets, and traditional values.”
Continue reading “
United Republican Fund Announces 2010 Endorsements”
The Illinois Policy Institute is sponsoring a bus tour (The Illinois Turnaround Tour) of the state to get voters excited about the fast approaching elections. This week they have stops in nearby DuPage and McHenry Counties.
Real change starts here…and real change starts with you.
Think the national government is a mess? Take a closer look at Illinois.
For years, Illinois politicians have driven our state in the wrong direction—a direction that’s leading us to financial ruin. That’s why we’re launching the Illinois Turnaround Campaign, focused on practical, common-sense solutions to our state’s problems:
October 11,12: Illinois Turnaround Tour DuPage County & McHenry County”
-By Adam Radman, Americans for Tax Reform
The recent attacks by Rep. Phil Hare’s campaign against Bobby Schilling and the Taxpayer Protection Pledge lack credibility. Democrats like Rep. Hare have made these false and misleading claims over and over again across the country. A number of news sources have reviewed the charges and discredited them. Starting in April, FactCheck.org’s Brook Jackson condemned the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for making similar claims calling the attacks “blatantly false.” Jon Ralston, during his television show Face to Face, called similar claims against the Pledge in NV-03 “thoroughly misleading.” Even the DSCC and Democrat Senate candidates have attempted to distort the meaning of the Pledge. Democrat Sen. Patty Murray’s attempts were called “a stretch” by King 5 TV in Washington State.
Rep. Phil Hare has attempted to distract voters from the important issues this election cycle: jobs and economic growth. Voters should demand to know from Rep. Hare just how tax hikes on individuals and/or businesses create jobs. In fact, voters should also ask him why he left Washington before putting a stop to one of the largest tax hikes in U.S. History. By taking the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, Schilling has made a clear pledge to the taxpayers in IL-17 that he will oppose and vote against any and all tax increases on working families and employers
Continue reading “
Hare Desperate to Take Focus Off Record Uses Debunked Attacks on Bobby Schilling and ATR Pledge”
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.
Continue reading “
Illinois Policy Institute: The Mob Files”
From The Institute for Troth in Accounting…
Two weeks ago, Truth in Accounting CEO, Sheila Weinberg, had the opportunity to speak at the State Policy Network in Cleveland, OH. State Policy Network is the largest gathering of state think tanks from around the country. Sheila addressed attendees on the importance of using accurate accounting when calculating balanced budgets. She emphasized how it is currently impossible for citizens to hold lawmakers accountable, because citizens are not given the facts about the financial impact of elected officials’ decisions. The speech struck a chord with audience the members, some of who were hearing this for the first time.
Sheila advised the group: ‘Governments have been able to expand because the public has not been told about how much things cost. If elected officials had to balance the budget using truthful numbers, people would be outraged by how much government costs and the taxes they have to pay for the government they are getting.’
Continue reading “
Sheila Weinberg Speaks at the State Policy Network Annual Meeting”
From the Sam Adams Alliance…
Today is the 288th birthday of Samuel Adams–“founder” of the American Revolution.
Never heard of him? Or at least, only know about Sam Adams because you like the beer named after him? Well that’s a tragedy because in his day–way back in 1776–Sam Adams was considered the thought-leader and brain child behind the American Revolution. Our most famous founding fathers, including John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin, all credited Samuel Adams with spearheading a movement that changed the course of not only American history, but also truly, liberty and democracy across the globe for generations to come.
Samuel Adams was a modest and humble man who used the communications tools of his time–the pen, newspapers, pamphlets, and person-to-person meetings, to generate a demand for independence against the encroaching suffocation that England was imposing on the colonies.
Continue reading “
Happy Birthday Samuel Adams!”
from the Illinois Policy Institute…
Earlier this year, the Illinois Policy Institute released our inaugural Legislators’ Guide to the Issues.
As we update the guide for 2011, we want to incorporate the voices of citizens all across the state of Illinois on how policy has changed their lives for better or worse. Over the next month, we will be soliciting your views on 3 featured topics each week. Here are the first 3 topics.
Continue reading “
Ill. Policy Institute: How Has Government Policy Affected You?”
The Greatest Show on Earth
Watching explosions from the latest Transformers movie on Michigan Avenue and catching glimpses of movie stars like Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie may provide an exciting novelty for Illinois residents. But is it worth the price? Our latest Spotlight on Spending highlights the glitz, glamour, and surprising cost of the Illinois film tax credit.
Watch Out for Scabs…
What happens when a union protesting a Wal-Mart (for, among other things, paying minimum wage) hires a bunch of non-union picketers and pays them…that’s right…minimum wage? The Daily Show offers an amusing takedown of union hypocrisy below.
Continue reading “
Illinois Policy Institute Update”
From the Illinois Policy Institute…
Real change starts here…and real change starts with you.
Think the national government is a mess? Take a closer look at Illinois.
For years, Illinois politicians have driven our state in the wrong direction—a direction that’s leading us to financial ruin.
That’s why we’re launching the Illinois Turnaround Campaign, focused on practical, common-sense solutions to our state’s problems.
Continue reading “
September 28: Illinois Turnaround Tour Lake/Cook County (Northbrook)”
From the Illinois Policy Institute…
Republicans at War?
There’s no shortage of opinions regarding Tuesday’s Delaware primary results, which sent Tea Party favorite Christine O’Donnell into the running for Joe Biden’s U.S. Senate seat. Is the GOP “at war,” or is something else in play? What does O’Donnell’s victory mean for both parties across the country? Check out a roundup of TV news—and late night talkers.
What Karl Rove Should Have Said
When political strategist Karl Rove famously weighed in on O’Donnell’s victory in Delaware, he didn’t try to hide his disapproval of the political upstart. Raising several questions about her past, he also expressed doubts in her political abilities: “I’ve got to tell you, I wasn’t frankly impressed as her abilities as a candidate.” What should Rove have said instead? Click here to read more.
Continue reading “
Ill. Policy Institute: Republicans at War?”
From the Institute for Truth in Accounting…
If we’d known all the facts… We might have have made a different decision…..
Do you know the truth about our federal financial situation?
It isn’t pretty. But we have to face the truth… or we could face disaster.
The Truth in 2010 campaign aims to get office seekers, opinion leaders, and voters engaged in a crucial issue for our country’s future: our massive, troubling, and often-ignored government debt. The United States is deeply in debt, plagued with dubious accounting standards, and saddled with massive unfunded obligations. Each of these issues will have a long-term impact on our nation’s future freedoms, standard of living, and on each of our lives.
Our nation faces profound financial challenges that will require bold leadership, citizen engagement, and tough decisions. Without accurate financial information, none of these is possible.
The Institute for Truth in Accounting provides its expertise to develop more effective accounting standards and deliver accurate government financial information to policymakers, opinion leaders, and citizens so that they can work for a more secure financial future.
Continue reading “
Video: Institute for Truth in Accounting”
-By Warner Todd Huston
I am here today at the Right Nation 2010 conference in the western suburbs of Chicago (straight west of O’Hare Airport). This afternoon began with three speakers remarks, ACORN whistleblower Anita MonCrief, Wall Street Journal writer John Fund, and former Majority Leader Dick Armey.
Anita was up first and she told us of her early days as a left-wing activist in ACORN, but she realized as she got higher in the organization the lies being told and the corruption going on was a slap in the face of the principles she thought she was fighting for.
At some point she decided to speak out and immediately the left made to destroy her. But as she persisted she found that the right was in support of her and were there to offer their help.
Continue reading “
Right Nation 2010 – Anita MonCrief, John Fund, Dick Armey Speak”
-By Warner Todd Huston
Last night I had the pleasure to attend the 26th anniversary dinner for the Chicago-based Heartland Institute held in the resplendent Grand Ball Room of the Hilton Hotel in downtown Chicago.
The Heartland Institute is one of the premiere think tanks in the country and has some great resources on the fallacies of Global Warming, free markets, healthcare, technology, taxes and education among others. If you are a blogger Heartland’s work on all sorts of conservative issues is a gold mine of information that can help you intelligently elucidate your points. If you are just an interested citizen, you should also check out Heartland’s great work. And the legislative work the institute has done these many years has been highly important for the conservative, free market side of the aisle. Please do check out Heartland’s extensive website and do donate if you can to help keep it all going.
In any case, the night started with some socializing, a well stocked open bar, and the opportunity to bid on all sorts of interesting auction items.
During the socializing I had the opportunity to talk to Steve Kim, the Republican candidate for Illinois Attorney General and Ed Rutledge the candidate for Lt. Governor from the Libertarian Party.
Continue reading “
Heartland Institute’s 26th Anniversary Benefit Dinner”