Category Archives: Illinois Budget

The Onion Runs a J.B. Pritzker Campaign Ad

J.B. Pritzker just put out this campaign ad: . Watch this video on YouTube. . Talk about false advertising: . • Right off the bat he talks about keeping one’s word. This from the guy who promised he’d never sign … Continue reading

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An “Agreed Bill” That I Don’t Agree With

In April, I was appointed to be a representative of the House Republican caucus on an “Agreed Bill Committee” which is a device used by labor and the business community during negotiations over the critical issue of Unemployment Insurance. By … Continue reading

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Debt Option #2: Amend the Constitution

The previous post dealt with a proposal to address the issue of our debt, laying out a “front-loaded” increase in payments to our pension debt so as to avoid ever-increasing payments due in future years. That post was written under … Continue reading

Posted in Cost of Government, Illinois Budget, Illinois Constitution, Public Pensions | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Debt Option #1: Front-Loading Pension Payments

Long before I was elected to the House, I’ve been talking about Illinois’ pension crisis (here, here, here and here, to name a few). Since that time, our accumulated pension debt has risen from “just” over $100 billion to somewhere … Continue reading

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What to Do About Illinois’ Debt (And Death is Not an Option)

With more than $7 billion of unpaid bills and (depending on who you ask) $130-$200 billion in unfunded pension liabilities, a credit rating hovering just above “junk” status and people and businesses fleeing in droves, there are no easy answers … Continue reading

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