text: Lists share to Facebook share to twitterLike Us on Facebook1 commentHelpful apps for Illinoisans Caitlin Wilson May 22, 2014 6,710 viewsIt can seem like smartphones and tablets are a ubiquitous part of life–why not use them to get the most out of your Illinois experience? Here are a few cool apps for Illinoisans, though certainly not all of them. What other Illinois or Chicago smartphone or tablet applications do you use?GovernmentIllinois Government–$0.99Use this application to stay up to date to on General Assembly news and search for your district's state representatives and senators to find their contact information, bios and sponsored bills. Available for iOS and Android.Illinois Legislative Roster–FreeSearch for state and federal Illinois legislators. Available for iOS.Past Chicago History–FreeSee old photos and drawings of Chicago side by side with current pictures, read historical blurbs about the city, plot photo locations, explore historical maps and match old locations and photos with a new map of the city. Available for iOS.Know Your Rights: Illinois–$0.99/Illinois Constitution–Free Read the Illinois constitution. Know Your Rights is available for iOS and allows users to read the Illinois constitution side by side the United States Constitution. The Illinois Constitution app includes the constitution in Spanish and is available for Android.TransportationWGN Traffic–FreeFrom WGN-TV, live traffic information and interactive maps help Chicago-area commuters find the best driving routes, especially during rush hour. Available for iOS.I-70, I-80, I-90 Road Conditions–FreeUpdated traffic and weather information and alerts for interstates in Illinois. Upgrade within the apps for access to traffic cameras for $2.99. Available for iOS.Transit Stop CTA Tracker–Free/$1.99Tracks El trains and CTA buses to estimate arrival times at every station and stop around the city. Users can also save frequently visited stops to reference quickly. Choose between a free ad-supported version or a paid ad-free version. Available for iOS. Check out these CTA trackers for Android, Windows, and BlackBerry phones.Embark Metra–Free/iMetra–$1.99Users will find maps, Metra train arrival and departure information, routes, trip planners and service advisory alerts in both apps. Both available for iOS here and here. Check out these Metra tracker apps for Android, Windows and BlackBerry phones.Chicago Bike–FreeFind the nearest Divvy bike station on a map or in a list. Available for iOS and Android. Check out this Divvy bike app for Windows.Uber/Hailo/Taxi Magic–FreeAll three apps allow users to flag cabs from their phones based on a GPS location or address, track them as they get nearer and then pay using a credit card through the app so no money is exchanged in the taxi–the companies will email you a receipt. After the ride, customers can rate their drivers. Uber customers can also request a black car or SUV or an UberX, a ride-share service. Uber is available for iOS, Android and BlackBerry. Hailo is available for iOS and Android. TaxiMagic is available for iOS and Android. SpotHero/ParkWhiz/Parknav–FreeSpotHero compares open parking spots throughout Chicago based on proximity and price and then lets users reserve parking spaces from their phones. ParkWhiz also compares nearby spots based on price, and booking through the app can be cheaper than booking at the parking spot itself. Parknav will calculate the best route for drivers trying to find free, metered or permit parking and save parking locations so drivers can find their cars later. SpotHero is available for iOs and Android. ParkWhiz is available for iOS and Android. ParkNav is available for iOS. Check out Parking Panda for Windows and BestParking for BlackBerry.NewsChicago Sun-Times Breaking News–FreeAccess select breaking news stories from the Chicago Sun-Times. Available for iOS and Android.Chicago Sun-Times: Today's paper–FreeAccess Chicago Sun-Times digital subscriptions. Available for iOS.Chicago Breaking News–FreeFree breaking news from the Chicago Tribune. Available for iOS and Android.Chicago Tribune–FreeAllows users to access Chicago Tribune digital subscriptions from tablets. Available for iOS and Windows.RedEye Chicago–FreeAccess RedEye news, train tracker and Metromix bar and restaurant guide. Available for iOS and Android.Peoria Journal Star–FreeGet news from Peoria and surrounding areas and access the newspaper while offline. Available for iOS and Android.Daily Herald–FreeAccess Daily Herald digital subscriptions for suburban Chicago news. Available for iOS, Android and BlackBerry.State Journal-Register–FreeSpringfield and state-wide news. Available for iOS, Android and BlackBerry.WGN News–Chicago–FreeBreaking news alerts, live event streaming and news from WGN News. Available for iOS and Android.NBC Chicago–FreeNews, weather and traffic from NBC 5 Chicago. Available for iOS and Android.Fox Chicago News–FreeNews and weather videos from Fox Chicago. Available for iOS and Android.ABC 7 Chicago News–FreeLive streaming newscasts and Chicago news, traffic and weather video and alerts. Available for iOS and Android.WeatherNBC 5 StormTeam–FreeRadar, forecasts, current conditions, videos, live streams and severe weather alerts from NBC 5. Available for iOS and Android.ABC 7 Chicago Weather–FreeWeather alerts are read out loud. Available on iOS and Android.WGN-TV–Chicago Weather Center–FreeMaps, radar and weather forecasts from meteorologist Tom Skilling. Available for iOS and Android.SportsChicago Bears–FreeThe football team's official app includes play updates, stats, breaking scores, video, photos, aggregated social media feeds and game schedules. Available for iOS, Android, Windows and BlackBerry.Chicago Blackhawks–FreeThe hockey team's official app includes stats, team standings, schedules, live scores, videos, photos, backstage content, player cards and push notification alerts. Available for iOS, Android, Windows and BlackBerry.Chicago Bulls–FreeThe basketball team's official app includes scores, schedules, stats, player bios and push notification alerts. Available for iOS and Android.UtilityChicago Free and Frugal–$2.99Information about what's free and cheap in Chicago, including free museum day schedules, free comedy show schedules, information about inexpensive sports tickets, free music event schedules, restaurant reviews, and free listings for books, classes and tours. Available for iOS.ComEd–FreeComEd customers can report electricity outages, view accounts and bill history, manage automatic payments and make one-time bill payments. Available for iOS and Android.WiFi Free Illinois–$0.99The app offers a map of locations in Illinois that have free WiFi. Available for iOS.Chicago Works–FreeMake 311 service requests through the app. Available for iOS and Android.Chicago Crime Watch–$0.99Users view a map of the city overlayed with crime location information, categorized by type of crime or location. It does not include homicide. Available for iOS.FunEnjoy Illinois–FreeThis app from the Illinois Office of Tourism offers information about events, restaurants, attractions and deals categorized based on location and type of attraction. Available for iOS and Android.Illinois Lottery–FreeThe official app from the Illinois Lottery allows users to buy lottery tickets, check jackpot amounts, check winning numbers, get winnings under $600 deposited directly into an Illinois Lottery account and request winnings be transferred into personal banking accounts. Available for iOS.Lollapalooza 2014–FreeUsers can access information about the Grant Park summer music festival, including info about acts, venues and maps. Available for iOS and Android.Chicago Festival Finder–FreeSee lists of Chicago festivals based on location and date. Get directions to festivals and information such as cost, description and hours. Available for iOS.Choose Chicago–FreeAllows users to compare costs of restaurants, entertainment and other attraction in Chicago. Available for iOS and Android.Art Institute of Chicago ToursThis app provides 50 tour routes through the Art Institute using the museum's "indoor positioning system." Users are also able to customize tours based on types of artwork, location and duration. Available for iOS and Android.Illinois Campgrounds GuideThe app helps users find campsites within the state available for RVs and tents, sorted by location, amenities or campground type. Available for iOS. NEXT ARTICLE: Chicago on wrong end of U.S. chamber Business Climate Index 1. This year's corporate fight: Taxis vs ride-share apps2. Take our poll: Will you use the new Illinois State Lottery app?3. Homemade: Cool stuff made in Illinois4. 15 famous downstate Illinoisans5. Want to tell your elected officials what you think about the state of government in Illinois? Use our Sound Off tool. [wufoo username="rebootillinois" formhash="z1s8drb0h9y16a" autoresize="true" height="380″ header="show" ssl="true"]Helpful apps for Illinoisans was last modified: May 22nd, 2014 by Caitlin Wilson Join us to Reboot Illinois. Sign up for our emails! Related: Report shows increasing Illinois minimum wage might actually speed up job creation Brendan Bond Jul 17, 2014 State lawmakers are looking to increase the Illinois minimum wage from the current rate of $8.25. They've placed an advisory question on the November ballot, and a panel in Chicago… share to facebook share to twitter like Us on facebook comment tags:AndroidappapplicationblackberryIllinoisiPadiPhonephonesmartphoneWindows Caitlin Wilson Caitlin Wilson is a staff writer for Reboot Illinois. She graduated from Loyola University Chicago, where she studied journalism and political science. Caitlin has become both endeared to and frustrated with her adopted home state and wants to bring Illinoisans the information they need to actively participate in the politics that directly affect t... ×CommentsBe the first to respond to this quote. Add a CommentorSee all comments on this article commt Comments× TooncesAug 29, 2016 at 8:49 amSo much for Rauner's vision of Illinois being a 'business friendly' state. SallyAug 29, 2016 at 8:49 amI wonder how they chose a .5% reduction, when it should probably be more like 6.5 or 6.0? David FaganAug 29, 2016 at 8:31 amIt's the definition of insanity, just keep pushing the democrat vote button and expecting anything something different to happen. David FaganAug 29, 2016 at 8:28 amOf course she's not running for mayor that would make it her impossible problem in an insolvent city. David FaganAug 29, 2016 at 8:26 amThe key work there is HELP craft, the Black Caucus needs to start proposing solutions since they block everything as targeting the black community. Any increased penalties are targeting those who commit crimes. CarolAug 29, 2016 at 7:41 amSCREW THIS! Enough! What does it take for you people to understand math……go to school……STOP ALL Teachers Pensions N O W !!!! We can not afford this BS and over paid teahcers with their benefits and pensions….they are NO BETTER than anyone else that works and pays into a 401 K…..if they do not go along with it…..fire and rehire. How hard is that? Bird BabcockAug 28, 2016 at 9:43 amFor Duckworth to call Kirk "ineffective" is a joke. Among the 535 members of Congress, Duckworth ranks 12th as the most ineffective member on Congress. Kirk never even made the top 50. Why should we replace Kirk with someone who is even worse makes no sense. This is a prime example of the pot calling the kettle black. NancyAug 27, 2016 at 11:06 pmWhat about the Osaka Japanese Garden in Jackson Park. Definitely a hidden gem in the City. VoxPopuliAug 27, 2016 at 4:01 pmUnfortunately Rauner will not be reelected because Illinoisans are stupid sheep and Madigan has very successful ginned the game so he's now insulated from any opposition. Instead, I say the Republicans just quit. Let Madigan win every seat, win every office. Let him have complete and total control. Then sit back and wait. When the stupid sheep can't blame the nasty Republicans, they'll turn on themselves. Meanwhile, I'm ramping up my plans to move to a state where democracy is observed. I'm not gonna play the game anymore. Bon voyage! BrianAug 27, 2016 at 6:57 amI hate that this was the vote, but the truth is, both courts got this decision correct. The problem isn't the judiciary in this issue, the problem is the Illinois constitution is specifically worded to make this type of change extremely difficult. I think the only way to get this type of change passed (which I really want to see) is to take what was drawn up, cut it up into about 3 separate pieces, and then move on each one at a time. Unfortunately, the reason this wasn't done to begin with is because each piece on its own doesn't seem very effective and therefore many voters will ignore it, thus keeping it from going anywhere. So it would require a MASSIVE voter education campaign the likes of which I don't know that we've ever seen. So sad, but don't blame our courts on this one, they have ruled correctly. A lot of politicians are getting off easy on this one and our courts are going to get all the blame, incorrectly. Jim GalbreathAug 26, 2016 at 12:31 pmI vote for GRate Field. It has the initials of the sponsor, and it can be used as a compliment in good times (great) and an expression of disappointment in time of poor performance (grate, as in "You grate on my nerves!") See? An all-purpose name! thomasAug 26, 2016 at 11:50 amwhy can't we write it properly? It is COULDN'T CARE LESS….. CarolAug 26, 2016 at 10:57 amIsn't it time ALL the schools be monitored yearly? When looking at ALL the years, I don't think the teachers became "prison guards" or wardens yet……..teachers need to T$EACH rather than picket for more money and higher pensions and benefits o and holding our kids hostage. Teachers need to be MONITORED! Teachers need to STOP pretending they are accomplishing something when in fact they aren't having kids reach they full potential……..teachers are more worried about PC then bringing in fun ways to learn. NO more increases in wages, benefits and pensions Pensions MUST STOP and OUR CHILDREN M U S T be FIRST! DavidAug 26, 2016 at 10:51 amAlong with Illinois having the highest black unemployment rate in the nation and the vast majority of people being shot are black all brought to you by Democrats who are predominately supported within the black community. I don't believe it's Masochism so … Dawn KennyAug 26, 2016 at 8:54 amGuaranteed Rate is the dumbest name EVER for a Ball field!! What were they thinking. I thought US cellular was bad, this is just ridiculous! Why couldnt they just kept the Comiskey Park name anyway..dont they know its pure voodoo when you change a business name!!! Stupid is as stupid does I guess 🙁 SallyAug 26, 2016 at 8:01 amWhat is the next legal move? What else can supporters do to get it passed? Be Very AfraidAug 25, 2016 at 7:31 pmWell IL voters, our Supreme Court just told us we have no rights when it comes to deciding how we want this state run. Apparently they and our GA know better and we work for them and their interests. They certainly do not work for us.Governor Rauner, I think the first thing on your list should now be finding the money to hold a Constitutional Convention. It's time the residents took back their state and the only way to do that is rewrite several articles preventing us from doing so. I also hope that those 500k people who signed this petition remember this at the polls in November and vote out as many incumbents as possible. Jim O'DonnellAug 25, 2016 at 7:04 pmVoter suppression and the status quo wins. Democracy loses.Champion News | Chicago anti-abortion activists sue for free speechAug 25, 2016 at 4:00 am[…] Chicago anti-abortion activists sue for free speech […]Illinois Voters Beware: Deceit Season Is Here | Chicago InformerAug 24, 2016 at 11:19 pm[…] to be relevant because the comptroller keeps the state's checkbook. Republican Leslie Munger failed and Democrat Susan Mendoza did not. Trust me, the elected comptroller will have computers […] SallyAug 24, 2016 at 6:35 pmWhy do these politicians think the average voter, the average citizen cares about what happens with Iran (or in the middle east). The average man can't even find Iran on the map. There are more priorities to worry about and here at home. Don't make this Iran stuff a debate. You will be talking to empty rooms. Bear ClawedAug 24, 2016 at 2:25 pmCeasefire in Chicago was successful at collecting and redistributing money to various parties that did little to improve Chicago's violence (http://www.chicagojustice.org/blog/the-audit-of-ceasefire-part-i-in-a-series). Considering that Chicago has some the toughest gun laws in the country we can easily conclude that anyone suggesting tougher gun laws is plain lazy. What Chicago lacks are good paying jobs for poor and low middle class folks. It also has disproportionately small police force. ShocktreatmentAug 24, 2016 at 12:58 pmDisingenuous at best, lies catering to and depending on voters' ignorance more likely. A. This is not a U.S. "deal". Implicit or explicitly stating otherwise reveals ignorance or dishonesty. The treaty involves all five permanent members of the UN security council plus Germany and the European Union. All had to be on board, or the boat couldn't sail.B. There was no "secrecy". As the actual reporting shows clearly and irrefutably, all it took to seethe specific details of the framework was the decision to look.Nothing but a reliable rubber stamp for disastrous the policies of his party, Senator Kirk has failed his constituents since assuming his seat in 2010. Only now, when facing the fact that he will need to find honest work come 2017, is he pretending that people matter more to him than party. Tammy Duckworth may not be anybody's ideal candidate, but she is not Mark Kirk, and in these times, that should be enough.See you in No David FaganAug 24, 2016 at 8:37 amEven thought I can't stand Kirk, he is right, 0bama just funded a terrorist acting like a drug dealer is 100% correct. H.R.BakerAug 24, 2016 at 8:27 amKirk just got vote . Ducksworth is talking in Chicago ,Democratic capital of the world, just trying to get union votes. Ron WilliamsAug 23, 2016 at 10:15 amThis racist comment just cost Kirk the election. Ortho SticeAug 23, 2016 at 6:57 amRodney: It is a good thing because this is the world in which your children will live, not the world in which you have sheltered them. SallyAug 22, 2016 at 11:00 amJuvenile youth offenders reform depends on WHAT the crime is. Petty crime, okay, but a crime used with a gun or that is violent, no. Send the youth to prison. Ron JaegerAug 22, 2016 at 9:34 amI volunteer at one of the juvenile facilities. The problem is NOT a lack of funding, the progressive narrative is a diversion from the true causes, they are: lack of two parent homes, lack of parenting responsibity vs victimhood. Illinois' Juvenile System adds to these by NOT promoting responsibity, the consequence system has been reduced to a coinciding session or a few hours of isolation. As a result of simply inventorying youth offenders they are running the institution, staff are being accosted, constructive opportunities for learning marketable skills are non-existent because of 'liability' rationalization.The system needs to be overhauled and transformed with a boot camp or tough love philosophy. Those youth, few in number, who are drug free and have realized that they need to be responsible for their behavior are on a positive track, unfortunately they are the majority. IDOJJ is merely a holding cell for the state or federal penitentiary systems without radical reform. David FaganAug 22, 2016 at 8:28 amDecriminalize all drug use and just legalize Marijuana and raise some tax revenue. Illinois should also legalize the use for lethal force for the protection of property, crime drops significantly when those types of laws have been passed in other states. RodneyAug 21, 2016 at 5:32 amdiversity is not always a good thing when considering the education of our children. Why is it pushed down our throats as parents? Alexander HamiltonAug 21, 2016 at 5:27 amAnd this is a good thing? Da North Shore VoiceAug 19, 2016 at 1:04 pmThis study is completely unfactual and miscontrued. How some of these statistics were compiled, generated and populated and WHERE it was found and who were the respondents… Covering seven (7) school districts for 10 years and being extremely knowledgeable of 35 communities in both Cook and Lake County; would have to say a big HUH? Glenda TownsendAug 19, 2016 at 10:38 amBremen District 228 is not truly diverse because most of the African American students are housed in one of four schools (Hillcrest). Looks more like segregation, not diversity. BrianAug 18, 2016 at 5:27 pmI was all for supporting this teacher until the part about the credit opportunity for working with a campaign. I have no reason to not believe that a student didn't need to be a part of his campaign to earn that credit, however that is entirely beside the point as it did indeed create an inappropriate relationship. Everything else I'm fine with, however that one thing was easily avoided and should never have happened. R StrohAug 18, 2016 at 4:10 pmThe easiest way to stop being affected by the blatant corruption is to move to a different State. Lawrence A. ConradAug 18, 2016 at 1:30 pmAM I the only one who sees a problem w/ the head of the Executive branch providing money to support candidates for Legislative office or ,if they don't do his bidding, to fund primary opponents? Doesn't it violate the concept of Separation of Powers to have him personally funding or punishing by financing their opponents his party's legislative candidates? David FaganAug 17, 2016 at 8:12 amIllinois is just one big orgy pool for workman comp and trial lawyers.Champion News | Humble former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich? Scott Reeder says no.Aug 17, 2016 at 4:00 am[…] Humble former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich? Scott Reeder says no. […]Champion News | CEO Magazine knocks Illinois' business friendlinessAug 16, 2016 at 4:00 pm[…] CEO Magazine knocks Illinois' business friendliness […] Madeleine DoubekAug 16, 2016 at 12:37 pmBob, no political agenda. Madigan gave a rare radio interview and said this about Rauner. We thought it deserved checking. If the governor doesn't want his last word to be that he fully supports his party's nominee, he can speak up. We continue to fact check Democrats and Republicans. Thanks for commenting. Madeleine DoubekAug 16, 2016 at 12:35 pmBob, no political agenda whatsoever. The Speaker gave a rare interview and suggested Rauner is on record as fully supporting the GOP presidential nominee. We thought that was worth fact checking. If the governor doesn't want his last statement to be the last word on this, he should speak up and say whom he supports. The record shows we have fairly fact checked Democrats and Republicans and we will continue to do so. Thanks for commenting. BarbAug 16, 2016 at 10:28 amWhat is in place to stop illegals from voting? If voting is important, get off your ass and register. This wasn't called voter suppression 40-50 years ago, but the Democrats now call it voter suppression. Typical Democratic ploy scare tactics and lying. AnonymousAug 16, 2016 at 10:02 amRecent graduates are unable to obtain professional positions in Illinois government agencies due to hiring freezes. David FaganAug 16, 2016 at 9:56 amTime for new judges! David FaganAug 16, 2016 at 9:55 amWhen Illinois supports sanctuary cities and gives licenses to illegal aliens, voter fraud would just be a given… David FaganAug 15, 2016 at 9:16 amYes Chicago, vote for Killery "Benghazi" Clinton and get more of the same yet another disaster…. Another "hometown" President Garin FarmerAug 12, 2016 at 11:38 amI have a question about our current econmic position that we are in as far as losing manufacturing jobs and other jobs to neighboring states and such the companies are leaving because basically don't want to pay a liveable wage to there employees and give them some sort of retirement pension or 401k basically they are anti union and anti worker even though they are profitable I have a friend that got one of those jobs in Indiana and he said that when he started moving up the pay scale the company brought in anther employee for him to "train" then when he was supposed to get his raise they made him go to a different position and the guy he trained took his position and he did not get his raise and anther friend of mine who moved to colorado told me that the same thing happened to him out there and he moved back because he did'nt see any advancement opportunity out there so it seems to me that Illinois is worker friendly and the companies hate that I guess so how do we compete with these policies that these other states have I personally would want to work in a worker friendly state and I realize that our budget crisis and taxation come in to effect here but it seems to me people would want to work here because you can advance and have a retirement Brian McCaskeyAug 12, 2016 at 10:24 amClyde Emrich was left off the list. Mr. Emrich participated in the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki as a member of the weightlifting team. He was born and raised in Chicago and has been inducted in numerous Hall of Fames. He has served the Chicago Bears in a variety of roles since 1971. and at age 85, still works full-time. Clyde Emrich was the strength coach for many years including the 1985 Super Bowl Champions. Bob LeurckAug 12, 2016 at 9:57 amWell giving Madigan campaign fire should give you clicks and recognition. Sad to use journalism as an aid to advance a political agenda. A whole take could have been on how 'empty' 'all over the internet' is and therefore rate the statement 'barely true' or 'tepidly true' . Even a bit humorous as 'laughably true' or 'true by the low political standards of a well know allegedly corrupt pol'. But that probably would not get the re-tweets . Sad.dailymail : Paul O'Neal Chicago police shooting video released FridayAug 12, 2016 at 5:00 am[…] read more from here […] Bob WinchesterAug 10, 2016 at 12:28 amFluorspar is the State mineral ……There is a very nice museum regarding mining of spar in Rosiclare( Hardin Co) ,Illinois. James TapscottAug 09, 2016 at 4:41 amShould be longer! Get the Chicago corruption eliminated once and for all! Term limits for all politicians, keeps special interests, inside deals to a minimum! JakeAug 08, 2016 at 12:38 pmLooks like Chicago just ran out of everyone else's money…. j shannonAug 08, 2016 at 11:02 amVoters should be responsible people and registere before any election. Those who show up to vote un registered should be turned away. They have had months to register. They should also have proof of residence. FredAug 05, 2016 at 11:14 amLike some of your articles. We did put the governor in there to change things. Next should be taxes on property! In Park Forest Illinois 2011-14.7040, 2012-18.4212, 2013 20.2131, 2014-22.0417, 2015-24.0586. Of this Village of Park Forest gets 11.8995% not including roads, lib which each get a different percentage. TomAug 04, 2016 at 3:52 pmGetting at most 48% and usually 28% on ratings is failing & crumbling in my book. If I came home with a 28% on a test my Father wouldn't have said "Well when you factor in system wide concerns, acknowledged deferred need, annualized weighted blah blah… son, I think you're right on tract". He'd have said "you're grounded & get your head out of your ass". TomAug 04, 2016 at 3:42 pmYour comment about patient's having a problem getting a doctor's signature that recommends THC treatment shows your bias. You stated they may not want to recommend THC if the get money from drug companies. That's just sloppy & slanted. If there is a correlation please state the independent studies. Otherwise, report facts don't write editorials. SallyAug 04, 2016 at 8:28 amAs a substitute teacher, I work in some of those crumbling schools. They all need to be rebuilt or reehabbed. And yes, the students are prison like. It would be much better to hold classes outside in the fresh air during the summer than in class. JasonAug 03, 2016 at 6:34 pmAll the issues cited are the result of decades of liberal policy throughout the state. No mention in the column about, maybe, I don't know, voting conservative for a change? MikeAug 02, 2016 at 11:26 amWhere would the Illnois Central crash of Oct. 1972 fit on this list? ChuckAug 01, 2016 at 3:06 pmAs a result of the Iroquois Theater fire, doors in public buildings have been required to open outward under building codes. A number of people at the theater didn't die because of the fire. They died because the doors of the theater opened inward. They ether suffocated or were crushed by the mob pushing against the doors to exit the building. CarolAug 01, 2016 at 10:37 amWe, the people of Illinois, are disgusted with the democrats and especially their leader Madigan……he MUST be voted out. CarolAug 01, 2016 at 10:33 amWhy was the name of the judge that agreed with the people name published but not the name of the judge that disagreed? Time to let the voters know who is backing them and who is not. PUBLISH the judges name so we can vote accordingly! NanJul 31, 2016 at 8:14 amHmm is anyone else encountering problems with the images on this blog loading? I'm trying to determine if its a problem on my end or if it's the blog. Any feed-back would be greatly appreciated. SallyJul 29, 2016 at 5:56 pmDurbin won't run for Gov. He's older and probably wants to live his last years in the Senate. There is really no one that the Dems can put forward. There's nobody dynamic enough to beat Rauner at this point. Although Quinn probably wants another shot. DanielJul 29, 2016 at 4:39 pmCan anyone say that poor people are better off in this country than they were in the 60s? Actually, the abortion rate of poor people has sky rocketed at the time as the unmarried mother rates, the incarceration rates is at epidemic proportions, segregation is almost the same as it was in the 60s, race relations are at a historic low despite an african american president. Poor people have been forgotten even by the left who now want to help the "middle class" As the poster says, Poverty Sucks Clint BlocJul 28, 2016 at 7:14 pmRe: Dissolving townships; Too many layers/too many units of local government As a resident of rural Illinois, I believe that rural voters should have the same rights of self-government that voters in municipalities enjoy. Illinois's system of local government treats some voters as second-class citizens, third and fourth class citizens in some cases. There is no GOOD reason why some voters have more control over their communities than do other voters- all depending upon where those voters live, and I would suggest that it's an equal protection problem. There is no GOOD reason why 500 (to use a number) voters in a village should be empowered to enact zoning ordinances, liquor ordinances, dog ordinances, etc., etc., but the same number of voters in a township cannot. Is there any good reason why residents of some local governments are given more power to regulate what goes on in their communities while others are explicitly denied such authority?I propose the following reform of Illinois's local government statutes: 1 Townships completely within municipalities be dissolve, their responsibilities transferred to those municipalities; 2 Townships not lying within any municipality be given powers equivalent to those exercised by municipalities.; 3 Special purpose units of local government be combine/consolidated with those having similar functions, so far as practicable, or where possible, their responsibilities transferred to counties; 4 Adjacent and contiguous municipalities be consolidated.Champion News | Mini-investigations into government spending means big reformJul 28, 2016 at 4:00 pm[…] Mini-investigations into government spending means big reform […] SallyJul 28, 2016 at 3:11 pmHow does the director of a department and politician "bully" its employees. Do they have proof and witnesses? The woman should have taken the $26000 settlement; or maybe she lost her job too? AdrianneJul 28, 2016 at 11:52 amNot only did I notice the lack of flags, what I think was more apparent was the fact that the audience lacked any patriotic gear. I immediately noticed the hats, ties, flags, shirts, and more last week and the total lack of patriotism on display this week. I think that speaks volumes about how the Democrats feel about our country – do you think they are proud of it now, now that they have pretty much ruined our economy, our health care system, our standing with the rest of the world, the middle east, etc.? From what I hear about the speeches last night, the president now thinks we are exceptional!! How and when did that happen. For years he's been denying it! SallyJul 26, 2016 at 3:04 pmHow does Rauner plan to get the term limits through if the Supremes denied it? Give him credit, he keeps trying.Madeleine Doubek: Democrats gave life to Sanders, Trump, Rauner - newsofchicago.comJul 25, 2016 at 10:29 pm[…] at arms' length, while others, including Rauner, kept several states' distance from the Trump convention. They giggled at speakers screaming and pretending to prosecute. They smirked as floor protests got […] SarahJul 25, 2016 at 8:17 pmYou forgot the Orphan Annie house on Main St in Lombard,IL! ArtJul 22, 2016 at 6:24 pmIt is better than winning the lottery. Pensions are not taxed in IL. Only federal taxes paid. David FaganJul 22, 2016 at 8:13 amBut where are all the wild west shootouts everyone was worried about?Need open carry and make posters of GFZ's 100% responsible like other states. D DJul 22, 2016 at 8:08 amVERY unfortunate but true! NCJul 22, 2016 at 7:20 amHow many bad guys carry without a license?Champion News | Donald Trump speech watch: 7 misleading statementsJul 22, 2016 at 4:01 am[…] Donald Trump speech watch: 7 misleading statements […] fed upJul 21, 2016 at 8:55 pm7 misleading statements….hillary "sleeping" thru benghazi maybe wasnt a literal statement? she did nothing so might as well have been asleep….apparently the vetting system we use isnt cutting it….the orlando shooter may have been american, but twice questioned by the FBI and still allowed to own a gun and work at government buildings? someone dropped the ball- wonder how many others are dropped? maybe mexico wont write a check for the wall, but with all the imports we accept, maybe if theyre taxed more on exports, that should cover the cost…..ive never heard hillary say a word about upholding our 2nd amendment rights, all i hear from her and obama is more gun control. last i heard, criminals dont go buy their guns legally, so its basically disarming the law abiding people- if someone attacks you with a tank, you dont fight back by throwing a rock- if they have an assault rifle, then i want one too….it is my right afterall….now be fair and write a story that shows how many statements hillary has made that are false……and what actions she has taken to keep herself out of jail for doing what she did with her emails, not to mention what else shes doing that hasnt been discovered yet…..neither of these people have clean records, but whos hands are dirtiest? whos sold out in the name of donations to a foundation that does nothing but line her pockets (and apparently makes her above the law) Brian HouserJul 21, 2016 at 8:32 pmYep, these are all the same ones he's been doing as his stump this year. And not the only one either – a couple are choice for the Republican party right now. Oh if only we could eliminate the obfuscation, imagine the awesome things we could do when dealing with facts and not pity battles. Kent FrederickJul 21, 2016 at 11:19 amI wonder how much of the exodus of younger adults is because border states are aggressive in trying to attract Illinois high school graduates. The Tribune had an article some time ago on how schools such as the University of Iowa and the University of Missouri are offering large amounts of scholarship money. Mizzou even allows a freshman non-resident to become a resident, simply by registering to vote in Missouri, getting a Missouri driver's license, and working summers in Missouri.U of I is still a bargain, but when state schools start throwing scholarship money and easy changes of residency, then U of I becomes rather expensive.Add to the mix that it's become increasingly more difficult to get into U of I. I know a young man who got into the engineering school at a Big 10 school in a border state, but he couldn't get into U of I's engineering school, as an Illinois resident.With education opportunities outside of Illinois that are as good as U of I and cheaper, it's no wonder that young adults are leaving the state. codalJul 13, 2016 at 11:40 pmHello jkjlfJul 13, 2016 at 4:42 pmGood article RebeccaWiesenthalOct 29, 2014 at 12:40 amEola, Batavia Gloria SpragueOct 28, 2014 at 8:29 pmHere's one named after a Native American that you forgot: Shobonier (pronounced Sho-bah-neer) Melanie WOct 28, 2014 at 7:33 pmWhat about Somonauk? me69cookiesOct 28, 2014 at 4:56 pmMichaelLAnstrom The Good Book also says women should be subservient to the men and cannot speak around them. I agree with you that we need more religion in our government just like the Middle East. KevinPaul2Oct 28, 2014 at 2:09 pmMy guess is that Ms. Doubek is not voting…or maybe just doing the old eanie meanie miney mo? MichaelLAnstromOct 28, 2014 at 12:46 pmI live in Bethany which is biblical but our township is Marrowbone. MichaelLAnstromOct 28, 2014 at 12:43 pm@MJ Momence GregGodsilOct 28, 2014 at 11:28 amYes, you missed Oneida, IL from Knox County. It used to be the smallest "city" in IL due to its form of government. And of course people think of Oneida as the silverware company or the tribe of Indians in NY. I don't understand how it could have been missed! StacyTettemerOct 28, 2014 at 11:03 amDon't go through Sleepy Hollow until after Halloween Drew PageOct 28, 2014 at 11:00 amYour article is a bit puzzling Ms. Doubek, you want everyone to get out an vote, yet trash the campaigns of each of the only two candidates. It would seem from the tenor of your article that you despise both candidates, yet insist that we get out and pick one. One could infer from your article that the best thing for Illinois residents to do is pack up and leave the state. IAMPCBobOct 28, 2014 at 10:46 amBruce Rauner may or may NOT be the best choice, but we already KNOW what we will get with Pat Quinn! MORE of the same old stuff, MORE taxes and very little improvement. At least we MIGHT have a chance to improve Illinois with Rauner, so it's worth taking the chance. We could certainly do worse! In fact, we've already DONE that! jocar531Oct 28, 2014 at 10:43 amSimple, 2 choices…..get out & vote and vote REPUBLICAN all the way! Red RaspberryOct 28, 2014 at 10:11 amYou left out L'Erable. castros1994Oct 28, 2014 at 7:49 amWhat about dillon Illinois Drew PageOct 27, 2014 at 1:17 pm"There are lies, damn lies and statistics." By not counting the people who have exhausted their unemployment benefits, taken part-time jobs at a car wash, or who have given up looking for work, the statistics show that the "unemployment rate" has dropped. Participation in the workforce is a much better indicator of the employment scene.Many people who used to work in the manufacturing sector are now either out of work, or working a part-time minimum wage jobs. Minimum wages are paid for minimum skills. It doesn't take a lot of skill to wash cars, or dishes, flip burgers, mow lawns or dig ditches, that's why these jobs pay minimum wages. It is not an employer's fault that you can't feed a family, own a nice house, or nice car, or send you kids to college on minimum wages. If you want to earn more, you need to learn and develop marketable skills. There is an oversupply of, and therefore a limited demand for, people without marketable skills.For a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the cost, not everyone can go to college. That doesn't means that they can't learn valuable and marketable skills in trade schools. Machinists, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, mechanics (auto, diesel, jet), medical and dental assistants, graphic artists and designers, etc. Many who enter these trades often go into business for themselves and do quite well, often times better than college grads. Kevin_HoffmanOct 27, 2014 at 12:24 pmAlbertGazalooch Albert, thanks for the comment and clarification — it has been updated accordingly. DuPageLibertyOct 27, 2014 at 10:52 amThat is reprehensible that Rauner would simply ignore the group. As Libertarians, we worked hard to return as many surveys and questionnaires as each of our candidates were given (and it wasn't easy, as we are a volunteer organization, we can get overwhelmed quickly). The Illinois GOP should be embarrassed. FreddyOct 26, 2014 at 8:37 am@PhilCollinsIL MikeWebsterILI think we should help deport you instead. You're the real "illegal alien" go back to Europe AlbertGazaloochOct 26, 2014 at 8:10 amJohn Belushi is buried in Martha's Vineyard. MA. Only his name appears as a tribute at his mothers gravesite in IL CindySweitzerReynoldsOct 25, 2014 at 3:30 pmHow soon people forget good ole George Ryan corruption…. JimPratt1Oct 25, 2014 at 9:25 amYou forgotRobert Earl Hughes http://www.death2ur.com/robert_earl_hughes_gravesite.htm Illinois HeraldOct 25, 2014 at 6:07 amThe Illinois Herald only endorsed one Libertarian candidate this election cycle – Julie Fox. She not only deserved the endorsement, she deserves to be elected.Illinois Comptroller Candidates and Endorsement http://www.illinoisherald.com/articles/2014/q4/illinois-comptroller-candidates-and-endorsement/ lindaOct 24, 2014 at 2:00 pmI hope you all understand that every vote for Chad Grimm is a vote taken away from Rauner. If that happens you are putting Quinn back in office. Is that what you REALLY want, because that is what you are doing. MichaelLAnstromOct 24, 2014 at 1:51 pmTravis Lansaw ckfred Libertarians are placed on the ballot by Democrats to split the conservative vote. A vote for these shills is a vote for Quinn and the leftist, tax and spend Dems. Do not get sucked into that game. Vote conservative Republican! Vote straight Republican and get big government out of our lives and businesses. Maybe in 20 or 30 years one of these minor candidates will have a chance but until then, we must not vote for any of them. They should never have been allowed on the ticket but the big unions fought for them. Why do think they did that? Hmmmmmm TamiHottesOct 23, 2014 at 10:18 pmChad has my vote! jeffersonian1962Oct 23, 2014 at 7:23 pmMy wife swings Libertarian, while I swing more so Conservative, but she has the presence of mind, unlike so many Libertarians who risk throwing away their votes. Love downstateOct 23, 2014 at 6:51 pmIF…she really wanted to help Illinois she would NOT be running in a race she cannot win BUT can be party to IL not getting a new Gov but stuck with the same old, same old. I would never vote for someone doing this. Love downstateOct 23, 2014 at 6:33 pmMannyQuintero jocar531 How much did you get paid? MichaelLAnstromOct 23, 2014 at 12:13 pmAny voter who calls himself or herself a Christian cannot vote Democrat. The vast majority of Democrats advocate for abortion on demand as well as aberrant life styles. A vote for a candidate is tacit approval of everything they stand for and if you think God will just wink at this, you are sadly mistaken. Romans, Chapter 1 makes it abundantly clear that those who approve of such things, such as with a vote, will share in the punishment meted out for them. Vote for conservatives who value life and morality. Travis LansawOct 23, 2014 at 10:53 amckfred It is not about him withdrawing from his duties in his business, It is about the shares that he holds in that business and others. These politicians all hold significant shares of many different firms, and pass legislation to ensure stock prices growth of those said companies.What reason would a corporation have for donating millions to a candidates campaign fund? The only logical explanation I can come up with, is that those donations come with strings attached. They donate to both Dems and Repubs that way they are covered regardless of election outcome. Libertarians do not receive these donations, nor do they get invited to participate in debates. That is why they do not want/allow more than two candidates to run. They wouldn't be able to ensure their candidate wins, and that is bad for business. The idea that the two party system is efficient, and that we choose our government leaders is a farce. The corporate elite does and will continue doing so until the people wake up and realize that there is no difference between Democrats and Republicans. Drew PageOct 23, 2014 at 10:28 amI believe there is value in a newspapers endorsement of a candidate. Newspapers typically have the staff and resources to access information not readily available to the voting public.If Bruce Rauner is guilty of illegal activity, let those who believe so come forward with their evidence and proof and take it to the Attorney General, Lisa Madigan, who I am sure would be more than happy to prosecute. So far, the majority of criticism coming from Democrats is "Rauner is rich", as though somehow that makes him a bad guy. If being rich puts you "out of touch" with the voters, then guys like Mike Madigan and Rahm Emanuel are from another planet. I have seen where 50 years or more of Democrat control have done to the State of Illinois. It is time for a change and Rauner is the alternative to the current Democrat power structure. I want to give him a chance to see if he can do better. JohnRichterOct 23, 2014 at 8:40 amLots of media coverage of Rauners company's court case going on in Fl. but little here . Wonder why? Perhaps news involving seniors and nursing homes matter there, but not here? More threats? Partisanship by the media here? ckfredOct 22, 2014 at 12:11 pmHere is my problem with Ms. Hansen. She says that she would be a full-time legislator, while Jim Oberweiss might split his focus between the Senate, his investment firms, and Oberweiss Dairy. Senate rules preclude senators from having other jobs. Fomer Senator Bill Frist is a physician (a cardiologist, if I'm not mistaken), but he had to suspend his private practice while serving in the Senate. To keep his skills up to date, he donated time during Senate recesses to a charity.The Senators who are lawyers all withdraw from their law firms, and most put their law licenses on inactive status.I'm sure that Jim Oberweiss, if elected, would turn over his duties with the investment firms to others in the funds leadership, as well as his duties with Oberweiss Dairy.Second, the Founding Fathers believed in the idea of the citizen legislator. They didn't want to create a class of professional politician, which is what we now have. It wasn't until the 20 Century that Congress had rules about members having other jobs in the private sector. It was the limitations on outside employment that led to Congress being in session for longer periods of time..Frankly, a Senator who has no other job might be more out of tune with how Congress affects the world of employed people than a Senator how has to deal with the issues of people who have to manage a business or professional practice. ckfredOct 22, 2014 at 11:57 amLet me make two points. First is the issue of Rauner thretening an employee, he she took legal action agaisnt a Rauner enterprise. Do you know how many times lawyers get mad at other laywers and decide to ratchet up the amount of paperwork for a law suit? It happens regularly.By the same token, I know small business owners who, when it comes to lawsuits by former employees, tend to be very agreesive in how suits are handled. There are times that a settlement is cheaper than pursuing a law suit to a conclusion, whether it's a motion to dismiss, a motion for summary judgment, or a jury verdict. But, if a business gets in the habit of settling cases, it signals to other employees that a suit with little or no merit can lead to a financial reward. So, a business owner might decide to fight a suit with high-priced legal talent, in order to discourage others from thinking that a suit can lead to a quick settlement.The Quinn campaign has used this information in commercials, and it bugs me, because it shows that Quinn doesn't understand how commercial litigation works or how business works.Second, when it comes to endorsements, I don't like it, when papers such as the Tribune and Sun-Times don't make endorsements in lower profile races. At one time, there was a contested race in the Republoican primary for DuPage County Forest Preserve Commissioner from the 3rd District, between incumbent Wally Brown and Linda Painter. I had trouble deciding, and the Chicago papers decided to pass on primary races for DuPage County Forest Preserve. I wound up voting for Linda Painter, but I really would have liked the viewpoint of one of the Chicago dailies. Drew PageOct 22, 2014 at 11:20 amBill Clinton was right about one thing, this election should be about "More jobs, higher income, better education and training, secure health care and stronger families and communities." THESE ARE EXACTLY THE THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN MISSING IN ILLINOIS UNDER THE STEWARDSHIP OF PAT QUINN AND THE DEMOCRAT MAJORITIES.WHAT PAT QUINN AND THE DEMOCRATS HAVE PROVIDED INSTEAD ARE: * BUSINESSES AND INDIVIDUALS FLEEING THE STATE; * LOST JOBS; * LOWER INCOMES; * PUBLIC SCHOOL CLOSURES; * TERMINATION OF HEALTH INSURANCE POLICIES THAT PEOPLE LIKED AND COULD AFFORD; * COMMUNITIES WITH THE HIGHEST MURDER RATES IN THE NATION; * UNFUNDED PENSION LIABILITIES; * LOWER BOND RATINGS; * HIGHER PROPERTY TAXES; AND * EVEN HIGHER STATE INCOME TAXES, WITH MORE TO COME. Clinton went on to say that "when Pat Quinn took office, things were in a terrible mess." Clinton was right about that too. BUT FROM WHOM DID QUINN TAKE OVER? IT WAS FROM ROD BLAGOJEVICH, THE FORMER DEMOCRAT GOVERNOR WHO, IN CONCERT WITH DEMOCRATS MIKE MADIGAN AND JOHN CULLERTON. THAT MESS, WHICH QUINN INHERITED HAS ONLY GOTTEN WORSE UNDER HIS WATCH. NOW QUINN WANTS FOUR MORE YEARS.The Democrats have already planned to make the 5% state income tax permanent and to increase it even further. They would like you to believe that the State has no control over property taxes, but those seeking property tax relief with Mike Madigan's law firm think differently.And in response to all this, the Democrats' only come back is "Rauner is rich".. ThomasHill1Oct 22, 2014 at 11:14 amWhere is your coverage of Julie Fox? Are we to consider this journalism or a paid advertisement for the establishment candidates? Deliberately censoring candidates has no place in journalism.http://juliefox2014.com WillMetteOct 21, 2014 at 9:34 pmExcept for the Obama years, it has not been this bad since 1983. WillMetteOct 21, 2014 at 9:24 pmWho wants to work? I just want to collect checks!You are looking at the wrong numbers. Look at the percentage of people who have jobs. Unemployment only counts those that have looked for a job in the last 30 days. cuzimjoeOct 21, 2014 at 4:59 pmMunger Road in Wayne jocar531Oct 21, 2014 at 10:56 amI love the part about the millionaires tax, birth control and raising the minimum wage being USED to get DEMOCRATS to the polls……..more and more freebies PAID for by the working taxpayer! The DEMOCRATS will do anything they can to TRICK the voters! jocar531Oct 21, 2014 at 9:20 amEricOccupyChicagoRoberts here you go again! IF Rauner is a tax evader than he would have charges against him or be in jail….period. One of BO's right hand men took GE jobs and sent them overseas while sitting on BO's administration. Name ALL Rauner's illegal deals…..has he been charged and found guilty or has he been vindicated? Do you even know math? About the tax code, if you don't want people to be able to take advantage of loopholes then why do they exist? Every single person that lives and breathes takes advantage of loopholes, legally, if they can……….including Quinn, Madigan and Cullerton. I like your touch about naming a republican that is in jail rather than your democrat Blago. Didn't get past me and won't get past others. Unions are supporting Quinn by taking union dues from members and NEVER asking the members to whom and how they want their money spent……just like the democrats do ALL the time. And WHY do the unions have such HUGE surpluses IF they are only there to represent their members against their employers? Could it be they are OVER CHARGING their members? I listened to the debate last night and it' true, Quinn has no record to run on. The auto factories are NO SUCCESS story. How many car dealerships were wiped out of business by the democrats from the WH down? How many people were put out of work from those dealerships, from small auto repair shops and gas stations with repair bays? NOW here a real "MATH" problem for you! Quinn babbles about the CUB (as you do), okay, he may have championed it to fruitation BUT, the citizen fund it………so how does that exactly have Quinn being a hero? Quinn loves the unions because he has too, Illinois is in too deep with benefits to say otherwise. Again, you do the "math". Quinn lied about the tax raise and now claims it is in his budget. because of his tax raise each worker working a 40 hour week will lose an additional 1 week of pay. So, IF he lowered the taxes, as he said he would, than minimum wage people would have more money in their pockets to begin with…..you do the "math", The debate was a HUGE SUCCESS for RAUNER, yes the billionaire, that is self made. Charter schools are what many,many families want to be a part of, waiting lists are long, and yet Quinn ignores, once again, what the parents want, and WHY, so he can line his pockets with donations while the taxpayers of Illinois suffer under the tax burden of trying to keep up with the deficit on their benefits and pensions? You do the "math", I heard nothing from Quinn about curbing the gun violence thruout the state but he sure was quick to say he wanted to forward put a curb on gun contro, that is backward. You do the "math", lTry as you will but QUINN is and has been a FAILURE!!!!!! Bud LeoneOct 21, 2014 at 9:14 amQuinn's record speaks for itself, I don't think anyone needs to lie about him, when the truth is right before our eyes. I'm not a Republican, just a taxpayer that's sick and tired of seeing our money wasted by these people in Springfield. We already know what Quinn can do, (nothing but spend our money) so now it's time to see what this guy can do. The two best Governor's in my adult life was Thompson and Edgar, both kept Illinois in the black. And for all the good they did, Ryan, Blago, and Quinn destroyed it!!!! DavidSamuelsenOct 20, 2014 at 2:54 pmMore crap from Rich Miller. Miller says "The law would give workers the right to not join the very unions which negotiated their pay, benefits and working conditions." You have to be a child to think the union is negotiating on behalf of the employee, they are negotiating on their own behalf. Unions are nothing more than a business that produces nothing. EricOccupyChicagoRobertsOct 20, 2014 at 2:33 pmnixit71 EricOccupyChicagoRoberts Kepp drinking that Koolaide nixit… Scott JOct 20, 2014 at 2:18 pmPigHip was right on old route 66 in Broadwell Scott JOct 20, 2014 at 2:09 pmBurger Barge in East Peoria is an excellent choice! I think Guy believes illinois is a suburb of Chicago though! Roni JoOct 20, 2014 at 11:57 amWOW, do you realize there is more to the state of Illinois besides Chicago???? Might try getting out box. I think I will doing my own research. ThomasHill1Oct 20, 2014 at 11:09 amI appreciate that Reboot publishes articles mentioning Libertarian candidates. Yet, I am puzzled by the fact that Libertarian candidates are not included in your candidate surveys.Julie Fox, Libertarian candidate for Comptroller is the only accountant running for the top accounting position in the state.Fox was recently publicly endorsed by former Congressman Joe Walsh over the air on WIND AM 560.http://juliefox.nationbuilder.com/former_congressman_joe_walsh_endorses_julie_fox_for_comptrollerLike her fellow Libertarian candidates, whom had to fight and survive a well funded challenge to stay on the ballot, Julie Fox deserves to be included in any and all candidate surveys.Anything less is certainly less than truthful. guestOct 20, 2014 at 10:44 amThis list is stupid. Try a town like Hammond, Atwood or Sullivan, and there's hundreds more. Now these are BORING! GoldbrickOct 19, 2014 at 8:39 pmAnybody tried Corner Grill in Genoa? If you haven't you're really mill one of the best in Illinois. RogerLookOct 19, 2014 at 7:24 pmi will take the Burger Barge on the river in East Peoria Illinois over any of those place they are showing in Chicago area. This place care how you feel when you go home. happy, full and wanting to come back. i drive 40 miles 2 or 3 times a month to eat one of their burgers. nixit71Oct 19, 2014 at 7:22 pmEricOccupyChicagoRoberts nixit71 – Um, I didn't disagree about the content. EVERY political mailer I receive is a one-sided collection of half-truths and misinformation. My comment was directed towards the "Democratic Precinct Committeeman" aka drone who does as his political bosses command, is void of individual thought, and is content with keeping the machine going as long as possible, no matter how failed and corrupt it is. So keep feeding at the trough. As long as your bosses keep filling it up for you, you have nothing to complain about. The rest of us will eat somewhere else. Drew PageOct 19, 2014 at 12:33 pmEricOccupyChicagoRoberts jocar531 Drew Page If you have a pension plan, or IRA, or 401k,. or 403b plan, those funds are invested in stocks and bonds through various mutual funds. If so, you are part-owner of a lot of companies and corporations like banks, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, oil companies, public utilities, mining companies, auto companies and foreign investments. You may even be part owner of the Sun times or Tribune yourself, without even knowing it. And the Tribune does not always endorse Republicans. They endorsed Rahm Emanuel, Richard M. Daley, Barack Obama, Harold Washington. Do a little research before you make these proclamations, you make yourself look foolish. jocar531Oct 19, 2014 at 9:54 amEricOccupyChicagoRoberts jocar531 Drew Page You are not worth the time and the typing to answer you because you have no answers, you just foam at the mouth like a mad dog. NEVER can you answer anything……could be because you yourself know how full of BS you really are! ShawnFaivreOct 19, 2014 at 9:25 amThe Wahl cooperation headquarters and manufacturing that makes hair trimmers, beard trimmers, etc. is in Sterling, Il. EricOccupyChicagoRobertsOct 19, 2014 at 8:45 amjocar531 Drew Page EricOccupyChicagoRoberts You do realize that Rauner is part owner of the SunTimes…right? Tribune always endorses Republicans. So not a real big shocker there. SunTimes endorsing Rauner is a little bit like masturbation… hat_manOct 19, 2014 at 8:04 amWTH is everything about Chicago and the 'burbs?!?!? Even the little square showing what the blow up map is supposed to be goes all the way out to Freeport. Obviously the stupid people running this have never been west of Belvedere or south of I-88. What a bunch of idiots. You want boring? Try Deer Grove, Illinois. Population 50. Maybe more including livestock. (That's farm animals for you city folks.) No stores, one bar. Their version of nightlife is sitting out on the porch and watching the stars more across the sky. Music venues? Sometimes there's a band at the bar…sometimes not. You could always stop by and I can turn up the stereo in my truck. Active life? Well out here (away from "up-state Illinois) we're active working for a living and not sitting at our computers putting together crappy little pages about how much we think we know about Illinois. Fast food? You guys can stop by anytime and I can have the wife whip you up something. We always keep the fridge stocked. Non-fast food? Well, that would be if I tried to whip you up something. (The wife is so much better in the kitchen that I am) I guess that would make Deer Grove Illinois the real #1 Most Boring Place in Illinois. jocar531Oct 18, 2014 at 11:05 pmDrew Page EricOccupyChicagoRoberts BRAVO, very well said. And as of tomorrow Rauner will pick up yet another endorsement…….THE CHICAGO SUN TIMES Both "CHICAGO" papers will now be endorsing Rauner…..what does that have to say about the democratic machine in the Windy City? EAT YOUR HEART OUT………EricOccupyChicagoRoberts!!!!!! Chalk it up to intelligence! Drew PageOct 18, 2014 at 10:20 pmEricOccupyChicagoRoberts Drew Page If Rauner is guilty of something illegal, present your evidence to Lisa Madigan, the Attorney General. She is the daughter of Illinois House Speaker, Mike Madigan, the ringmaster of the Democrat party in Illinois. As a conscientious Democrat public servant, she would be duty bound to prosecute Mr. Rauner. You must think that Lisa Madigan is either incompetent, or corrupt for not prosecuting Rauner, which is it.If Rauner has lied about Quinn, why hasn't Quinn sued Rauner for liable and/or slander? All Quinn and his lawyers would have to do is prove Rauner is lying. That should be easy enough, right? So why hasn't Quinn done it?As for your contention that Pat Quinn is not under investigation, take that up with the Chicago Tribune, they are the ones who printed it. Your hatred of all things not Democrat is spilling over onto Scott Walker. All he did was turn Wisconsin's financial deficit into a surplus, without having to fire any teachers. He refused to bargain with the teacher's union over health insurance benefits but did agree to continue bargaining salaries. with the surplus that was created, he lowed Wisconsin property taxes. A lot of businesses have left Illinois and moved their operations to places like Wisconsin and Indiana because their conservative fiscal policies do not require continual tax increases.If you think you are convincing anyone of anything with your crude and vulgar comments, you aren't. country girlOct 18, 2014 at 7:59 pmWhoever did this survey obviously didn't leave the suburbs. I am from Cairo Illinois which is the last town in Illinois, and there is literally nothing there no WalMart, no fast food, no night life. It is literally the most boring place in the country! RogerLookOct 18, 2014 at 6:04 pmagain this page has never got outside of the chicago area. i am guessing if they saw a cow walking down lakeshore drive they would howler bear, or they are really cows. at least it show the worse place in illinois are in the chicago area. i was born and raised in central illinois (that is down state to you chicago people) you may find it boring here but it is what you make of it. the most beautiful areas in the state are outside the chicago area. yep when the wind is from the soith west you can smell the cows and pigs. but we know that that is something we will have on our plates in a few months. you can go for long walks in the woods and watch the animals and birds or to just get away from people and the noise. try that in chicago. jocar531Oct 18, 2014 at 3:05 pmEricOccupyChicagoRoberts Drew Page The word "federal" is all you can stand on…….oh well too bad! You are trying any out you can get just like a "democrat". Just like the Jackson's didn't do anything wrong either! And as for Walker, get serious. He won a recall bid bigger than the original election. He has lowered taxes, lowered property taxes, etc. And only a democrat would believe that to be wrong. "IF" Quinn is so very innocent than why did he run with Blago? And did NOTHING to help his running mate out once accused. EricOccupyChicagoRobertsOct 18, 2014 at 11:48 amDrew Page EricOccupyChicagoRoberts Anyone who defrauds the elderly and has to lie about his opponent being under federal investigation is an utter POS. If there are issues, state them…if you have to make stuff up to try and sway voters, you are immorally influencing the election process by passing off false data. In my book, only an utter POS would do that. Rauner wants to do to IL what Walker did to Wisconsin…something else that makes him an utter POS. All he is vying for is the cell next to Gov. Ryan… The man is incapable of telling the truth. EricOccupyChicagoRobertsOct 18, 2014 at 11:45 amjocar531 EricOccupyChicagoRoberts He still is not under federal investigation…that is an outright lie. Unless you can show where he is actually under investigation by the federal government, I think you need to take your own advice. Good PointOct 18, 2014 at 11:13 am@Danny Z You're right! Everything is great in Illinois! No need to change a thing. The last person to move out can turn the lights off, and pay the tab. Drew PageOct 18, 2014 at 8:15 amEricOccupyChicagoRoberts You are the one who sounds desperate. Resorting to calling Rauner a POS proves it. Typical Democrat response to anyone contesting the Democrat rule of this state. Say what you will about Rauner, but he is not the one who who is responsible for the mess Illinois is in. Talk about crooks, the Democrats have the patent on them. jocar531Oct 18, 2014 at 7:19 amEricOccupyChicagoRoberts You really need to stay in touch before you comment. Try reading up on Qujinn's "Slush Fund" of $54.5 million dollars, than come back and defend him and you will also see that Rauners literature is correct. Educate yourself or DO NOT VOTE! driver69Oct 18, 2014 at 6:48 ami was in the public system for 35 yrs and really enjoyed the pay and bennefits untill my last 10 yrs when they hired an idiot to supervise, thats when i started eyeing retirement, at the same time the insurance premiums went up and the employers contribution on the ins shrunk while at the same time the deductable went way up so i got out at 55-thats when the ins went ta 800 a month and a yr later to 1,100 then 2 yrs later to 1,600 so i got another job to get ins cheaper, now i dont work at all and am drawing two retirements and doing fine OtakuboyTOct 18, 2014 at 12:31 amcmc1212 four of the last seven EricOccupyChicagoRobertsOct 17, 2014 at 11:08 pmnixit71 EricOccupyChicagoRoberts Spoken like a true drone and follower of lies… It definitely takes lack of any individual thought to not see the lies that the Rauner campaign puts out without puking. Why is is it that they are so hard pressed to find a truthful comment and seem to only publish lies on the Rauner campaign flyers? Is Bruce just bucking to be Ryan's cellmate? nixit71Oct 17, 2014 at 10:36 pmEricOccupyChicagoRoberts – Agreed. Why spend money trying to convince drones to think any other way than they've been programmed to think for decades? They do as they are told to and obey their commanders without questions as good drones will do. Rauner should allocate his expenses more wisely. Money not well spent indeed. Danny ZOct 17, 2014 at 9:30 pmSurprise, surprise- the corporate hacks at CATO gave Quinn an F. Wait, didn't Rauner give large donations to CATO in the recent past? cmc1212Oct 17, 2014 at 8:31 pmTwo governors in a row sent to prison. IMichaelGrandinettiOct 17, 2014 at 5:17 pmThey are both no good. Drew PageOct 17, 2014 at 4:16 pmEricOccupyChicagoRoberts Drew Page MannyQuintero jocar531 The other two were Democrats, but that is beside the point. Democrat control has put the state where it is today. If you like it that way, keep voting Democrat. Don't try smearing Rauner. He isn't responsible for what has happened to Illinois. Drew PageOct 17, 2014 at 4:03 pmWhat numbers are you talking about? If you are talking about taxes, yes they add up to a 67% increase. Illinois debt adds up to the tens of billions. State pension plan under funding adds up to the highest in the nation.. The number of businesses leaving the state are adding up also. School closings in Chicago add up to 54. The costs for the Illniana tollway (the road to nowhere) add up to about $3 billion and Quinn wants taxpayers to pay for it.The Democrat controlled State of Illinois adds up to a disaster. I must agree with you, that with Quinn YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GETTING. EricOccupyChicagoRobertsOct 17, 2014 at 3:51 pmDrew Page MannyQuintero jocar531 Drew…you do realize that while the Democrats have had control of the state for the past 12 years that we have had a republican governor for the previous 40 years? And don't forget that 2 of them are in prison… Electing Rauner would make that #3. EricOccupyChicagoRobertsOct 17, 2014 at 3:47 pmHow can Bruce Rauner be more trustworthy when his campaign and the Illinois Republican Party on his behalf send out campaign literature with outright lies about Governor Quinn? Are they so desperate and have that little amount of ammo to use against the Governor that they are forced to lie about him. Quinn is not under any federal investigation. He is not named as a defendant nor is he named as a witness or even been questioned in any currently running investigation run by state or federal officials, yet I just received a full page, color, glossy flyer in the mail today that claims that Quinn is under federal investigation. How is it that one can be trustworthy and a outright liar at the same time. Rauner is an utter POS and shouldn't be allowed to run for dog catcher, let alone Governor. Lets just skip all the shenanigans and just put him in a cell next to Ryan so this state can continue to move forward and not be brought down by yet another republican crook. EricOccupyChicagoRobertsOct 17, 2014 at 3:34 pmYou should also ad that Rauner and the Illinois republican party have no problem publishing outright lies about Gov. Quinn. I just received a pull page glossy mailer stating that Quinn is under federal investigation…which he is not. Why do republicans feel the need to lie about their opponents? Does this mean that they just don;t have any real ammunition to use against the Governor, so their only resort is to make up lies to pass off as facts? I don;t get why anyone would vote for anyone who is part of such a corrupt, dishonest, and dishonorable party like the Republican party. I also think that it is funny that the Rauner Campaign has so much money to burn that they are sending campaign literature to a Democratic Precinct Committeeman LOL. We really need campaign finance reform and limit campaign funding to public funds and that is it. This is ridiculous.But then again, keep wasting your money sending campaign lit to people you have no chance of getting to vote for your sorry, criminal ass. jocar531Oct 17, 2014 at 3:24 pmMarkGarrity Leah67 Go take course in Finance 101. Negative amounts will cause bankruptcy, so IF that is your idea of adding up you can join the democrats as a politician. Your mind is just as backward as their' are. PatrickOct 17, 2014 at 3:21 pmIt makes sense that you'd like to have a union workers pension. I wonder how many of those union workers (teachers) would have traded their pension for your salary 30 years ago? Perhaps instead of reworking 30yr old agreements, and forcing the revenue generating producers (tax payers) out of the state in search of tax reprieve, we should cut some of our overly generous social programs, sending many of the takers (social program recipients) out of the state, looking for other states from which to take. Just maybe, we'd keep our revenue producers and be able to pay our obligations to those we signed contracts with 30 yrs ago. Just another thought, a larger population base of producers might make it easier to pay these obligations than a smaller population base of primarily takers… Finally, maybe we should elect politicians that understand that raising taxes to pay for 30 year old obligations, while keeping overly generous social programs, causes producers to leave, leaving fewer producers to pay the bills, causing a higher tax rate, which in turn causes more producers to leave, and invites more takers and bad behavior. Change ArtistOct 17, 2014 at 3:08 pmInteresting take. Bruce Rauner has not "owned" or run a company like Bloomburg or Microsoft. I suspect the companies his group invested in were either start-ups or needing a capitol infusion and going to a bank was not going to get them what they wanted. (Most businesses would rather borrow from a bank and not have to give an ownership stake in exchange for the money needed.) That is what venture capitol is all about. Ever watch Shark Tank? Therefor, Bruce can't pin his success on any one business. He talks about the returns provided to investors (union pension funds). When you assume he won't be able to do some of the things he wants, you credit that assumption to the tax rates. I guess you are in favor of raising taxes to fund a very wasteful and fraud-riddled government. As I recall, there was a study about the Medicare/Medicade program that found about $600 M being spent on people from out of state using our services. How about the insider deals on buildings and services? I wonder what would happen if you presume Bruce could cut a Billion Dollars of spending? Where would you stand on taxes. then? nixit71Oct 17, 2014 at 3:04 pmMarkGarrity Leah67 – The only reason Quinn's numbers add up is because all Quinn does is "add up". Anyone can raise taxes, charge more, raise prices, etc and balance a budget. That is not what we need from our elected officials. They need to understand there are limited resources and prioritize their expenditures based on those limitations. Quinn sees a deficit and asks "how much extra can we charge?" No thanks. His numbers add up if you work in the public sector. For everyone else, not so much. PatrickOct 17, 2014 at 2:48 pmIf you signed a contract that you get the deed to your home after paying off the mortgage, I think the poor government should just take it to help all the poor people that can't afford a mortgage like you Mr. Elite… If you put 20% of your pre-tax income into that house over 30 years, tough. Homes are a sinking investment and people like yourself argue that there is no point in following through on a contract in good faith. MarkGarrityOct 17, 2014 at 2:20 pmLeah67 Quinn has taken a lead because when Rauner finally released his economic plan it didn't add up. As presented his plan to levy all kinds of new service sales taxes doesn't bring in nearly enough money to make up for the income tax cuts he proposes. That means the middle class would not only be stuck paying even more of the bills with his service taxes but the state would go back to piling up huge deficits under Rauner. Unless of course he's lying about what he'd do. With Quinn we know what we're getting. You may not like the choices he makes but at least his numbers add up. Less for moreOct 17, 2014 at 1:39 pmA survey released Thursday by Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling contained some terrible, no good, very bad news for Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn and his reelection prospects. According to the PPP, Quinn — not Scott Walker, Jerry Brown or Rick Scott — http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2012/11/quinn-extremely-unpopular-madigan-would-start-out-favored.html thanks to an approval rating of just 25 percent. Further, Quinn lost two of three hypothetical matchups with possible Republican challengers in the 2014 gubernatorial race in Illinois. Both state Sen. Kirk Dillard and state Treasurer Dan Rutherford topped Quinn in their showdowns, while Congressman Aaron Schock lost narrowly to Quinn. Quinn also trails possible challengers in a Democratic primary big time: According to the PPP, he would trail Bill Daley by three percentage points and state Attorney General Lisa Madigan by a whopping 34 percentage points in the poll of 500 Illinois voters. (Scroll down to check out the candidates said to be considering running in Illinois' 2014 governor's race.) Another recent poll has similarly spelled trouble for Gov. Quinn. A Tribune/WGN poll released last month also put http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-10-12/news/ct-met-governor-pat-quinn-1012-20121012_1_pat-quinn-black-voters-budget-cuts. Only 4 in 10 Democratic respondents to the poll said they supported Quinn. Still, a September poll released by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute put Quinn's approval rating at 42 percent. Facing the disastrous recent numbers, Quinn reiterated this week that he still plans to run for reelection and that http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/Quinn-Running-Again-Doing-A-Good-Job-181380501.html, NBC Chicago reports. Drew PageOct 17, 2014 at 11:07 amSo your the lawyer for Pat Quinn. You obviously think he needs one. Who are some of your other clients, Mike Madigan, John Cullerton, Richie Daley?You tout some interesting unemployment stats under Quinn's administration. One wonders what prompted that drop in the "unemployment" rate. Could it have anything to do with those whose unemployment benefits have been exhausted no longer being counted as "unemployed"? Could it have anything to do with the number of people who have given up trying to find work? Is it possible that fewer people are unemployed in Illinois because they moved to other states?I guess we can't fault Quinn for raising our taxes. He did a great job of that by actually increasing them twice as much as he said he would. And as an added benefit, he wants to make the temporary increase permanent. I think I must agree with with your premise, If you like what's going on in Illinois, Quinn is your man. nm442Oct 17, 2014 at 7:52 amPensions need to go away. It's plain to see that they are a pyramid scheme. Don't put your retirement on other people's tax dollars. I work in the private sector, I don't have this luxury. If you say you put in 9-10%, unfortunately you made a bad investment to a nonfinancial institution and trusted the dirty government. You lost. It's over. Drew PageOct 17, 2014 at 5:18 amtollway boondoggle 60,000 jobs? How do they figure that? Sounds like they will have 60 guys working on that road 1,000 times. Seems to me that the state has a sweetheart deal with the asphalt dealers. Every time they build a new road, they come along within a year or two and widen it, or add more entrances and exist ramps, or decide it doesn't go quite as far as they would have liked it to go. Within three years, the pot hole filling starts and never stops.The Romans built roads that are still in use today. The runways at O'Hare were built about sixty years ago. It's one of the busiest airports in the world and the biggest, heaviest jets land on those runways every few minutes everyday, all year long. There's never been a pothole they had to fill in. they could build roads that way, if they wanted to. JayOct 16, 2014 at 11:44 pmTough Love, I'm not sure how you can make a comparison with a police or firefighter and a "typical" private sector worker. Who exactly are you comparing them to? To work 30 years in emergency services is long enough, believe me. Your "typical" worker does not work midnights and holidays, wear bullet resistant armor or climb a ladder onto a roof carrying an axe and wearing an air pack. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. You can work behind a desk on a computer until you're 67 for sure, but most cops and fireman cannot, and should not, do their job at that age. There has to be a system set up to take care of their retirement too. They pay 10% of their salary into the system every paycheck, they don't receive social security, and a majority of them do not get any retirement healthcare benefit. It's not fair to provide them with 401k style plans because they need to retire sooner than conventional workers (see above) and will not receive a quality retirement; something they deserve after doing that job for all those years. If you don't think so, sign up and give it a try. And besides all that, these numbers presented in the article are not as bad as they are being portrayed. Certainly there are some plans that need work. And there are some really underfunded plans out there. However, the 80% rule is not necessary. And the 90% mandate is absurd. These numbers literally mean that, if every single active duty employee were to retire tomorrow, and no one else were to be hired, the fund could only support XX% of the retirees for a certain amount of time. That will never happen. At the same time, local governments need to take responsibility for paying into their funds. Tough Love, you would probably be very surprised to see exactly how much you pay each year on your tax bill for your town's police or fire pension contribution. Probably between $100 and $200 a year total if you are like the average household. I'm guessing your library levy is probably more expensive. lgtshotOct 16, 2014 at 5:15 pmHard not to believe Chicago is the "rattiest" city with 2 of the biggest rats comeing from there -Obama and Holder! tollway boondoggleOct 16, 2014 at 3:49 pmMr. Cronin likely traded the Dupage vote in favor of Illiana for the Illinois Tollway's $3-billion plus Elgin-O'Hare (DuPage) Tollway (on the west side of O'Hare) which is being built by the Illinois Tollway Authority. In the end that tollway will likely not support itself nor generate the more than 60,000 jobs promised. It will drain revenue from the existing tollway tunning on the east side of O'Hare. MikeOct 16, 2014 at 2:11 pmThe fire fighters and police officers didn't create the pension issue. These men and woman do a tough job. But as it usually happens the people that made the mess step away. Feel free to think of these under staffed and over worked villains in the light they deserve. I am a public servant and a tax payer! Trust me, for the hard work I do, I do not make a wage that is gair. After 30 years of beating up my body on fires and ambulance calls I will retire a beat man. I love my job and love serving my community, but over the years get tired of being a villain for doing a job most would never do! jeffersonian1962Oct 16, 2014 at 12:50 pm@steve Good points, but sheesh, punctuation? Bev SOct 16, 2014 at 7:31 amWhat happened to the Skokie section? It seems that it no longer exists! Why have you changed the neighborhood section? If I want to read all about the state and elsewere I can read the newspaper. Please put it back as it was. EdBentonOct 16, 2014 at 7:27 amAfter 32 Years it is TIME to RETIRE DURBIN FOREVER from Public Office. He has been in office almost as Long as my Wife has been ALIVE she is 34 Years Young. Here is something to think about Durbin was Alive when the Apple 2 Computer was the BEST THING on the Market and cost as much as a NEW CAR. guestOct 15, 2014 at 8:43 pmas long as the citizens do not have the power of the vote on key issue's our elected officials will keep sticking it to us ScottShueyOct 15, 2014 at 5:30 pmIf people really want to REBOOT Illinois, why isn't Julie Fox mentioned as a candidate? Seems to me she would be the best one qualified for the position of Comptroller. SimeonBeckerOct 15, 2014 at 5:24 pmI will be out of the state on election day so I have already had the immense pleasure of casting my absentee vote for Julie Fox, the only candidate remotely worth serious consideration! Great job conspicuously snubbing her, Reboot! Michael TuckerOct 15, 2014 at 3:18 pmIt my understanding that there 8 another candidate running whom is more qualified than the two in your article are combined. Do you not think the people of Illinois need all the facts and to have a chance of making a real change. Instead of continually sliding to depths of poverty . vote Julie Fox if you want an honest change and a chance. aaron_m_wrightOct 15, 2014 at 2:21 pmthomasbhill LOL @ "both candidates." Terrible writing is terrible. Vote JulieFox1214 !! #wrongreboot RilesMOct 15, 2014 at 1:28 pmYou left out the most qualified candidate. Please vote for Julie Fox, Libertarian. http://juliefox2014.com/ ThomasHill1Oct 15, 2014 at 1:11 pmHow can you write an article about the comptroller's race and not mention the third candidate on the ballot, Libertarian Julie Fox, who happens to be the only accountant running for the state's top accounting position?Really?#WhoIsJulieFox Less for moreOct 15, 2014 at 12:43 pmMy family is from both parts of Illinois and for the most part, you couldn't get any of them to move anywhere else or believe in anything other than what they grew up believing and would never change, so in most areas they are pretty much the same. They both call each other funny names and both believe Illinois is flat and wouldn't venture too far from it or they would drop off the planet. They both vote democrat so no reason to be confused why the whole state is depressed and so far in the red that it will never get out of it!!!! Both would never change and that is why we have the state and federal representatives for so many years. When these reps finally do get out of public offices they get some job at S.I.U. which by the way is also funded by taxpayers. When you get down to it, they just really have different accents!!! steveOct 15, 2014 at 11:25 amdown staters make Chicago its own state leave the rest alone Chicago think it knows whats good but they don't they put smoking band on bar casinos look how much tax money they have lost! I live by a casino it went from couldn't hind a place to sit to there is always a lot of room and cut staff in half just because Chicago don't like smoking . bars are the same way look how much tax money they are not getting from casinos and bars so there you go raise tax to cover up the lost and Chicago get to call the shots and get the all rewards we need to get where there a hole lot less time in offices and the gov. need to live in the house that we pay for not flying back home every nite when we are paying for the fuel !there more ofyour tax money Drew PageOct 15, 2014 at 11:13 amPablita What's the advantage of this road to the vast majority of Illinois taxpayers? Illinois owes so much to so many already, why are they looking to further increase our debt? This is somebody's boondoggle. DavidJFaganOct 15, 2014 at 10:44 amIs this Elected? nixit71Oct 15, 2014 at 9:48 am@Disgusted with Illinois – Sadly, even if you factor in an employer/state contribution of 5%+ over the course of a public employee's career, and deposited that amount yearly as the employees do, you still would run out of money 15-20 years after retirement. And if the state is contributing over 5% towards retirement, it's better off putting those employees on SS and outsourcing that portion of their retirement to the Federal Govt. The truth is the employee contribution is and has never been high enough. The pension formula is biased towards end of life and, apples to apples, blows away the SS benefit received and paid for in the public sector. Changing the pension formula a bit from 5 to 15 years of highest salary would go a long way in addressing the huge liability. RogerLookOct 15, 2014 at 1:36 amwe down staters just want to give Chicago to Indiana. Patriot ConnieOct 14, 2014 at 10:10 pmDonaldFrost Cook County and the unions decide the elections in Illinois every time. Union workers always vote Democrat because they think Republicans will take away their pensions. Idiots, or as Rush Limbaugh would say, "Low information voters." The corruption in Chicago, Cook County and the Democrat legislature in Springfield will never change. I've lived in Illinois all my life and am ready to move to a red state! I sure wish I could have retired with 80% of my salary as union workers do, and no, they don't pay their fair share into their pension plans. If that was the case, they wouldn't need taxpayers to fund their retirements. BruceBarnesOct 14, 2014 at 10:07 pmLet's not forget the fact that 99% of the municipalities, from Chicago, all the way down to the smallest village, have unfunded pension obligations, too. These additional obligations could easily double what the State owes and make the individual obligation amount, per person, close to $70,000. Now factor in the Federal mandate that these outstanding obligations be brought up to 80% paid in, at the value that the contributions would have earned in the markets, had they been properly funded in the first place, and you have the largest sink hole ever created by man. Welcome to the fact that the most likely situation will be the Federal government coming in and running the State, Chicago, and, potentially, many other large cities, towns, villages, and townships, when they all declare bankruptcy and the residents flee Illinois. no nameOct 14, 2014 at 9:50 pmI had to stop reading to laugh at retiring at 55. NahBabyNahOct 14, 2014 at 9:05 pmFuriousCStyles Check out your tweet on my https://www.rebelmouse.com/NahBabyNah/ site http://rbl.ms/1w613Nk GuestOct 14, 2014 at 8:20 pmI am going to have to move out of Illinois. Although I hate to say that as a life-long, 47 year resident with my entire extended family here. DonaldFrostOct 14, 2014 at 7:37 pmI don't live in the state of Illinois, but I still think it's sad to see people in the elder years of life having to worry about getting their pension. If 'Disgusted with Illinois' is correct, it's up to the citizens of that state to act responsibly and don't vote for politicians who make promises of services that are going to have adverse ramifications down the road. Politicians at all levels of govt. attempt to buy votes by offering services. We, the people, need to vote in responsible people that properly access situations instead of doing what they do and not worry about it until later. They (the politicians) don't act responsibly and neither do we. Kevin_HoffmanOct 14, 2014 at 6:43 pm@sam The incorrect image was uploaded and it now has been updated accordingly. Thanks for the heads up, Sam. Have a good one. LanceHottrodOct 14, 2014 at 6:34 pmPablita – – Tolls would be 4 times and expensive the article says – – I would not use it due to high tolls. BrianWickensOct 14, 2014 at 4:49 pmIsn't this the same IDOT that was crying poor when it came to salting the EXISTING roads last winter? SidelinerdOct 14, 2014 at 3:36 pmAll three people are very liberal. Amazing Dan Cronin still fools you folks. PablitaOct 14, 2014 at 3:22 pmI believe this highway will be used for the new cargo airport in peotone. Cargo is moving from ohare so more hotels can go up. Warehouses are being built already.The major interchange off I 57 is almost complet Would be nice to get from 57 to 65 and avoid the nasty 80/94 traffic. RogerLookOct 14, 2014 at 12:43 pmlooks like the unions need some more work for their members in that area. so why not used tax money to pay them and put more money in back pockets. it is the Chicago area way of doing business. MichaelEdwardSoperOct 14, 2014 at 12:42 pmHow about fixing or jobs and schools and homeless Danny MannOct 14, 2014 at 12:00 pmExamples of gigantic state pensions. You can find all the details on the web, search big IL retirements. A huge help would be for state to exempt $50, $60,000 from the Illinois income tax and they have to pay taxes on the amounts after the exemptions. I/E get a IL pension of $500,000 and they pay IL taxes on $450,000. This would only affect the very well to do people. There are literally 1,000's some say 5,000 that get pensions over $125,000 per year, + almost free healthcare. This would fix the revenue problem over night and not hurt the little people. But this means the pols won't get all their retirement $ either so the odds that will happen is zero at best. Isn't it amazing how the pols changed the state constitution to make them the biggest rip off artists on the planet. IL pols legalized Bernie Madoff style stealing to protect their pension $ and screwing every IL in taxpayer. top 10 IL retirement amounts State Universities Retirement system Current top 10 pensions range from $516,000 to $348,000 Teachers Retirement system Current top 10 pensions range from $278,000 to $237,000 General assembly Retirement system (most have 2nd political job & get 2nd IL pension Current top 10 pensions range from $216,000 to $135,000 Judges Retirement system Current top 10 pensions range from $193,000 to $177,000 State Employees' Retirement system Current top 10 pensions range from $190,000 to $134,000 Most H.S. superintendent retirement plans around Chicago are $300,000 to $400,000 or more. They also are usually kept on as consultant for a year to help the new super. Danny MannOct 14, 2014 at 11:29 amMadeleine is absolutely correct. IL's goose has been cooked by past pols and especially Madigan's IRON fit control of entire state govt. Here is a point I need to add. If Rauner wins election Madigan will fight him tooth and nail on everything. His complete control of of state everything will give him dictatorial power to BLOCK anything Rauner does, good or bad. Then Madiga's plan will be to blame Rauner for everything, even the state bankruptcy that is looming on the horizon. Chris RoblingOct 14, 2014 at 10:50 amI think Quinn has Madigan's troops. Rauner has done more to build a precinct organization than any other Gopper in almost 25 years. We shall see. mr dOct 13, 2014 at 8:54 pmright thats defently not flora more like belvidere and cherry vale il Augie80Oct 13, 2014 at 8:10 pmPeoria is in northwestern Illinois??? DavidSamuelsenOct 13, 2014 at 6:43 pmMore unwanted opinion from some guy named Rich Miller. Leon ArdeleanOct 13, 2014 at 5:37 pmThe problem that Judy has, in her quest for votes, her office gets further behind in paying the bills. She is always on Facebook visiting different locations. (While she is collecting a paycheck from the taxpayers). This is how the poll should be conducted: Is Judy really performing her duties or is she out campaigning for votes, instead of making certain that the bills are paid? The State of Illinois is collecting tons of money and Judy is sitting on top of it. Sorry, one man's opinion. nixit71Oct 13, 2014 at 4:37 pm"Illinois had kept its tax rate low in comparison with most of the nation for decades because it was skipping and skimping on its long-term pension obligations…"If this is true, doesn't it imply that retirees, not the current workers, have not paid their fair share in income taxes? Wouldn't the solution then be to tax retirement income at some level since retirees benefited the most from keeping the income tax rate "artificially" low for so long? MidWestMikeOct 13, 2014 at 2:14 pm"Quinn often criticizes Rauner for his wealth and has charged him with being out of touch with average Illinoisans."Of course, what we want in a governor is a business failure or a government troll who's income has been eating from the taxpayer trough with no real world business experience. Quinniocco was, is and remains a loser. If the best you have is bitching about the other guys success your lost. MichaelLAnstromOct 13, 2014 at 11:06 amThe only poll that means a thing is on election day. I have never given much credence to polls because they are always worded in such a way that the pollster gets the results he wants. Just vote conservative and change the direction of this state and nation are going. Semper Fi NancyGloverOct 12, 2014 at 5:33 pmI have visited the Crenshaw House. The third floor was full of energy and an ominous sad feeling, jimmythesaint67Oct 12, 2014 at 5:00 pmthey just ran this same article on the 8th. it is a plagiarized compilation of various websites, one of which belongs to a friend of mine, #41 is on her site and no one else's. it isn't even close to be haunted. it is just a ghost story. terrible work for you not to give credit to those you ripped off. RebeccaWardlowOct 12, 2014 at 3:04 pmShabbona Lake State Park is the forgotten gem in Northern Illinois. You should check it out. ShawnFaivreOct 12, 2014 at 11:00 amHow about Giant City state Park, Garden of the Gods, or Ferne Cliffe State Park? These are absolutely GORGEOUS places in the Fall, or any time really! TeresaKnoupMatthewsOct 12, 2014 at 10:17 amNice to see Lake Le-Aqua-Na on here. It's absolutely gorgeous in the fall! If you're in Northwestern IL, stop by! jeninDsOct 12, 2014 at 9:50 amThe Anderson Cemetery was left out also, but there is no way the writer could have included all the Haunted Cemetery's in IL that are haunted. These were taken from a website and may be just the one's that they have visitied and confirmed for him or themselves. jeninDsOct 12, 2014 at 9:47 am@Nightmarcus I just watched this on tv last night. jocar531Oct 12, 2014 at 9:15 amMannyQuintero You are definitely on the wrong page…….today the Tribune endorsed RAUNER……….it states "A businessman who can say 'no' to power is voters' best hope for reviving Illinois' finances, economy and job growth." Citizens Utility Board……..great reasonable thinking!?????????? jocar531Oct 12, 2014 at 6:52 amMannyQuintero jocar531 sorry but you have NO KNOWLEDGE of any governmental positions. You, an election judge? OMG this country is in major trouble with people like you working the polls. You need to be tested because people that have no idea of what is going on have NO RIGHT TO VOTE! You are clearly in no position to vote or speak of an opinion when you are completely brainwashed by government handouts. My guess is you do not work or realize the huge increase of added taxes taken out of workers pay checks. You are dumb to the core, sorry, but if the shoe fits you MUST wear it! Drew PageOct 12, 2014 at 4:12 amMannyQuintero jocar531 First of all, the discussion here is about who will best serve the State of Illinois as Governor. You talk about Republicans costing the taxpayers money. Do you realize that there are no Republicans in positions of power in Illinois? The Democrats control the State House of Representatives, the State Senate and the Governor's office. The Democrat party has been in charge of Illinois for years. they determine what laws will or will not be passed. They are responsible for increasing taxes on businesses and individuals, driving them to leave the state. They are responsible for under-funding the state employees' pension plans. It was Pat Quinn, the man you say you voted for, that signed the last income tax increase into law, raising it from 3% to 5%. He promised to veto any tax increase larger than an additional 1%, but then approved the additional 2%. He said it would be temporary, but now wants it to be permanent. Do you think that is moving the state forward? I think that is moving the state into bankruptcy. MannyQuinteroOct 11, 2014 at 9:38 pmjocar531 MannyQuintero who is reid and we are talking about gov quinn who is reid it dont matter i cast my vote last saturday i am a election judge sorry rauner is a loser jocar531Oct 11, 2014 at 7:36 pmMannyQuintero jocar531 You are clearly confused! this is not Congress we are talking abut here but Illinois and they have never shut down Illinois. And as far as the republicans shutting down government, yes they did and will do it again. What is Reid so afraid of? The House has passed over 350 bills that are sitting on Reid's desk because he is AFRAID some of them might pass. IT IS THE DEMOCRATS CAUSING THE SHUT DOWN! So ask your democratic friend what they are afraid of! You really need to get your facts straightened out and then question why the senate isn't doing their job. Just like the years, yes years they did not get a budget together. So just who is stale mating the government? And your democrats are collecting their pay check for doing what exactly? MannyQuinteroOct 11, 2014 at 7:10 pmjocar531 MannyQuintero because replublicans all they do shut down the goverment cost 24 billions to the tax payer and are threatening to do it again nothing is being done they block all things to move this country forward jocar531Oct 11, 2014 at 12:13 pmMannyQuintero WHY?????????? Drew PageOct 11, 2014 at 11:19 amGood idea. Keep trusting Quinn, he won't raise your taxes. Oh wait, he's already done that and by twice as much as he promised. But sure, you can trust him.Keep trusting Mike Madigan and John Cullerton, they have done so much for for the state. Look at the prosperity they have brought us. Plenty of good paying jobs to be had, low taxes, no school closings, state pension plans fully funded, no political corruption, a great credit rating, fiscal responsibility, with businesses and individuals moving into the state because of it. This must be the case, why else would because these great and resourceful leaders keep getting re-elected. YOU CAN COUNT ON THESE MEN – THEY WILL ALWAYS LET YOU DOWN. Drew PageOct 11, 2014 at 11:00 amI know the Illinois politicians who have lied to me before and they are currently in office. I know who is responsible for the state's income tax increase; underfunded pensions; downgraded credit rating; the cause of businesses and individuals leaving the state; and school closings. They too are currently in office. I don't need to be reminded. I don't care that Rauner is wealthy. He has not held an elected office in the state and I do not hold him accountable for the current state of affairs in Illinois. Rauner says that if elected (and re-elected) he would serve no more than eight years. Did anyone ever hear a Democrat say that? MannyQuinteroOct 11, 2014 at 10:51 amVOTED FOR PAT QUINN TheresaLynnOct 11, 2014 at 6:55 am@kim where did it say Tockford ?? NightmarcusOct 11, 2014 at 3:35 amThe Manteno State Hospital in Manteno IL HAS to be among the top 5 (it is an abandoned insane asylum). There is record of a lady named Jenny who's medical records states she was completely normal upon entering. Her parents forced her there after an argument about career/schooling. She was subject to electric shock therapy as well as many other brutal treatments as were the rest of the patients. When the place was shut down some 20 years later everybody was free to go. Jenny locked herself in a bathroom and refused to leave. They found her some days later dead after writing her entire diary on the wall with her own blood (black and white pictures for documented proof of this). Jenny's building is the only building of several that have not been fully remodel and currently stands condemned. Someone has painted over the blood, and someone else retraced it with black spray paint and it has been painted again. I have pictures of the place and didn't realize that it was the same room until I compared it with the original black and white photo. The experiences people have had are too numerous to list. janarchy11Oct 10, 2014 at 7:42 pmYou graduated from Loyola and write drivel. Well done. jdonnellyOct 10, 2014 at 7:22 pmMoon Creek cemetery just south of streator il was left out. An old cemetery know to be haunted by a hatchet lady. Along with the ghost train. There was word of a movie coming out about it, but don't know if it went anywhere. GlennConnectionOct 10, 2014 at 6:49 pmrebootillinois what kinds of things do you usually look to do? Reply to firstname.lastname@example.com GlennConnectionOct 10, 2014 at 5:09 pmrebootillinois will give it thought. samOct 10, 2014 at 4:02 pmThat is not a picture of Dale Lennon. Great reporting RebootIllinois. Leah67Oct 10, 2014 at 2:25 pmWell, nothing will change for Illinois. Quinn raised our taxes, businesses are leaving to more business friendly state. Taxes will go up, up, up, to offset the taxes lost by both residents and businesses leaving. Way to go Illinois. Quinn is ahead because people don't do their own research on the candidates but instead listen to the negative ads that have only partial truths. Illinoisans get what you deserve. rebootillinoisOct 10, 2014 at 2:19 pmGlennConnection We'd definitely be interested! Is there a specific topic in mind that you would like us to cover? MDoubekRebootILOct 10, 2014 at 2:07 pmEricOccupyChicagoRoberts, DaveChgo fitzhenry1105 and everyone: Quinn has most union endorsements and several others. Rauner has 3 business group endorsements and now the Tribune, the Daily Herald and Crain's. What do you all say about that and which, if any, will produce votes? MichaelLAnstromOct 10, 2014 at 2:04 pmDon't pay any attention to these polls. They mean nothing! They are worded in such a way as to get the desired results. Where was the last poll taken? Chicago? Downstate? Just vote conservative in Nov. No more machine politics!! Vote them out!! Dump Quinn!! GlennConnectionOct 10, 2014 at 12:54 pmrebootillinois thx! See you around town! How about a visit to Kane county? rebootillinoisOct 10, 2014 at 12:50 pmGlennConnection Done & done, John! slyranOct 10, 2014 at 11:27 amThe Red Lion Pub is no longer on Lincoln Ave. It moved a block north off the Rockwell Brown line L stop years ago. ckfredOct 10, 2014 at 10:56 amFirst, you didn't include Pfeiffer Hall on the campus of North Central College in Naperville. There may be as many as 6 ghosts in the building. One ghost is Barbara Pfeiffer, whose son donated the funds for construction of the building. She supposedly died while watching her grandchild perform in a play. Often her seat is left empty (center section, towards the front).Another ghost is that of a professor who may have committed suicide in his office. His office is where the women's restroom is on the second floor, above the theater lobby.As for the crash of American 191, the plane didn't lose parts of the engine. It lost the #1 engine during its take-off roll, flipping over the wing. The plane got airborne, rolled on its left side, and crashed. GlennConnectionOct 10, 2014 at 10:14 amrebootillinois thx for RT! Plse follow EricOccupyChicagoRobertsOct 10, 2014 at 9:49 amSo we have Quinn, who has a long track record of reform and we have Rauner, who has a long track record of illegal deals, tax evasion, and sending jobs overseas. How is it that we would expect Rauner to improve IL when everything he has done in his career in the business would is to do things that got IL in trouble in the first place? While Quinn may not be perfect, Rauner is certainly not the answer…ever. The math doesn't even add up in how he will handle the states finances and when asked to make his numbers add up, he evaded the question. Rauner is on a fast track to be Ryan's cell mate. This guy shouldn't even be on the ballot. kimOct 10, 2014 at 12:17 am#44 Tinker Swiss cottage is in Rockford, il …not Tockford AlalnOct 09, 2014 at 10:13 pmThey have Bloods Point cemetery is in Flora Township in Boone County not Clay County. It is not in Flora Illinois. Please correct the mistake. The place is south east of Cherry Valley near the Illinois Wisconsin border. Love downstateOct 09, 2014 at 5:58 pmCome on people. Quinn is ruled by Chicago and you all know who runs Chicago. We need a change, he may not be perfect BUT…we must have a change – he cares only for Chicago and if you don't know who owns Chicago, you need to find out… Vote Rauner…it is our chance to get something done in this state except what helps Chicago! KevinKnippOct 09, 2014 at 5:00 pmGiant City? Disgusted with IllinoisOct 09, 2014 at 4:32 pmNinety-some percent of the monies in the pension funds were put there by automatic deductions of 9-10% of employees' salaries since day one of their employment! The politicians, wanting to give the public all kinds of services without raising taxes and thus ensure their reelections, renegged on their agreed upon contributions for decades, instead using that money for state services/developments. THAT is why there is a problem. Now their solution is to cheat public employees some more by reducing or taking away benefits protected by the state constitution and trying to make the public think it is the public employees who are the cause of a financial problem in the state, not the politicians' irresponsible and illegal political actions. Do your homework. Read the real history of the problem. Any person who invested 9-10% of their salary for 35 years would have the same amount from which to draw their pension from, too. It appears to be sour grapes on much of the public's part. Those who didn't fund their retirements properly, or tragically had theirs stolen by unethical companies now want public employees, who faithfully contributed to theirs, to be suffer, too. jocar531Oct 09, 2014 at 3:19 pmDrew Page jocar531 Couldn't agree with you more! WE are one the same page. Drew PageOct 09, 2014 at 3:02 pmjocar531 I think that I would amend your statement by saying the present Democrat regime HAS CAUSED the financial disaster that is the state of Illinois. There are no Republicans in charge to blame, not in the Governor's office; the office of the Speaker of the Illinois House; or in the office of the President of the Illinois Senate; and not the in the Mayor's office of the City of Chicago. All the Democrats can try to do is distract Illinois voters and try to make a Republican candidate look worse than they are. Rauner isn't the reason the State of Illinois is losing businesses, jobs and individuals. He isn't the reason the State of Illinois' credit rating has been downgraded multiple times, causing the state to pay higher rates to borrow money and sell bonds. Rauner isn't the guy who raised Illinois income taxes, or who lied to us telling us it wouldn't be more than an additional 1%. Rauner isn't the guy responsible for under-funding and over-promising Illinois public sector pensions. So why are Democrats trying to make Rauner the villain? He hasn't screwed the people of Illinois, Pat Quinn, MIke Madigan and John Cullerton have. Drew PageOct 09, 2014 at 2:43 pmWhen somebody lies to me he has forfeited any trust I may have given him. I am willing to give the benefit of the doubt to someone until he proves he is not worthy of my trust. Quinn has lied so often to the citizens of Illinois, including me, that I wouldn't believe anything he said. RogerLookOct 09, 2014 at 2:33 pmWildlife Prairie State Park – Hanna City, Ill. do not think this is a state park anymore. think it is back to private owners. nixit71Oct 09, 2014 at 1:45 pmSmokeeater – A single public employee will burn through his truly entitled allotment of pension benefits – that is, his contribution, his investments gains, and state portion – in 15-20 years (some a lot sooner than that). This even assumes the state made its contribution on-time and yearly, something it didn't do in the past. Even in this perfect pension world, every year that retiree or his spouse lives beyond 70-ish (if he retired at 55) is an added cost to the state. And that cost keeps increasing every year for that employee at a rate that exceeds inflation (3% COLA). In order to properly fund pensions, the state portion – what the taxpayers are on the hook for – would have to exceed what the 6.2% SS match would've been. The unions say the state saves money. The numbers say the state assumes too much risk and doesn't really save anything."Employees had been funding their responsibility" doesn't really tell the full story. Just because they contribute $1 does not entitle them to take out $10. The truth is the employee portion of the match is too low and has been since Day 1. It's a tired argument that no one falls for anymore. SmokeeaterOct 09, 2014 at 1:20 pmPension reform should be replaced with politician reform! Had the politicians been funding as required in the bill from the early 1900's there would be no need. Employees had been funding their responsibility, so should the pols. jocar531Oct 09, 2014 at 11:26 amArlys Mills Has Quinn told you that utilities have been deregulated and you can now save more $? Has he taken care of the union pension deficit hanging over persons head? Has he stopped teachers from being fired due to performance? Has he allowed every student wanting a better education to receive one? Has he explained to you how a small business owner will remain in business if he raises the minimum wage, which will in turn have to raise the wages of existing employees? Has he CUT spending? Has he BROKEN TAX promises? Has he given our hard earned tax dollars to BIG BUSINESS while taxing others out of existence? The CITIZENS UTILITY BOARD, are you for real? Illinois MUST save taxpayers money not a utility company! (I didn't realize Illinois owned the utility companies…….LOL) GET REAL and rise up and GO FOR BIGGER AND BETTER THINGS! Arlys MillsOct 09, 2014 at 11:17 amWhat about Randall Olsen? He is running against Adam Kinzinger. I have met him three times and am impressed with his integrity. He doesn't have money for television ads. He is not getting funding from large groups because he is trustworthy. Arlys MillsOct 09, 2014 at 11:13 amI do not trust any political ad. They take things out of context. I have faith in Pat Quinn because I have been watching him since he created the Citizen's Utility Board that has saved me (and anyone who uses electricity, natural gas, and telephones in Illinois) a lot of money over the years. He recently took the side of homeowners against banks by vetoing legislation that would have transferred to legal costs of foreclosures of Condo's to the other Condo owners (people like you and me). jocar531Oct 09, 2014 at 11:03 amHave females lost their thinking? How many of these same females would stay with their husbands if they weren't trustworthy? "WOMEN GONE MAD"! And with RAUNER more trustworthy then why is it stating Quinn ahead in the polls? Have ALL the lies and deceit from the now governor Quinn have everyone's head spinning with the high taxes, no jobs and his being investigated? People WAKE UP! The present regime HAS HELPED CAUSE the depressed state that Illinois is in. So, in order to "dig out" of the job, tax and deficit holes Illinois is in EVERYONE M U S T vote REPUBLICAN to bring back employment, lower taxes and rid Illinois government of scandal and wasted spending while putting an end to claiming bankruptcy and making Illinois a stable state. nixit71Oct 09, 2014 at 10:11 amDrew Page nixit71 – You bring up an excellent point that no one else has talked about and I've not thought about either. Is the pension bump common across the public unions? If not, what makes a teacher's contributions that much greater than the police officer who kept your neighborhood safe for decades? Isn't he just as vested? MDoubekRebootILOct 09, 2014 at 9:33 amKaneFacts MDoubekRebootIL rebootillinois yes that certainly seems true. jocar531Oct 09, 2014 at 9:27 amDrew Page nixit71 I have met him twice and he is an ordinary man that you would never think "has money". As a matter of fact the first time he was wearing jeans and shirt and also very casual the second time.He does speak about the issues, it's Quinn's comments that get him on a different path. Quinn only accuses and doesn't speak about what is needed in Illinois and how he will accomplish it, because he can't! He has given big businesses taxpayer money to stay in Illinois without any additional jobs added. Quinn lied about "temporary taxes". He only cares about his political career and acts as IF the people will overlook his LIES and HARMING TACTICS that effect ALL Illinois taxpayers. EXAMPLE: while people are struggling to keep their homes and pay their bills Quinn shortens the time for people to pay their property taxes and in turn IF these properties go up for sale due to unpaid taxes then "the rich get richer" and he puts families on the streets with no shelter, children without school, etc. Has he taught about how he has affected families………NOT FOR 1 SECOND! Rather then cutting spending and taxes Quinn only adds to already burdened people,while bribing businesses to stay. KaneFactsOct 09, 2014 at 9:19 amMDoubekRebootIL rebootillinois Isn't public opinion on the office of SOS formed by efficiency of DMV centers etc? Running efficiently now. MDoubekRebootILOct 09, 2014 at 8:59 amJesse White in driver's seat in new SOS poll rebootillinois http://ow.ly/CuWRG #twill MDoubekRebootILOct 09, 2014 at 8:58 amNew poll asks: Who's more trustworthy, Pat Quinn or Bruce Rauner? rebootillinois http://ow.ly/3sxbaa #twill Drew PageOct 09, 2014 at 8:43 amThis is exactly the kind of needless government waste that Rauner should be pointing out that he would oppose. He could point out how much money could be saved by not taking on this project for the benefit of a few at a cost to the many. Drew PageOct 09, 2014 at 8:38 amnixit71 You make excellent points. It's time Rauner started acting like the business man he is and quit trying to act like he is "Everyman". Most people don't buy into his "$19.00 watch" and "flannel shirt" campaign ads. Put on a suit and make the kind of statements you have proposed. He should talk about the issues that most Illinoisans care about, jobs and how he would create more of them; how those jobs would provide a decent income to workers; property and income taxes and how he would amend them to the benefit of the people and businesses paying them.This is where the focus belongs and I don't understand why he hasn't done this either. His campaign advisers had better wake up before it's too late. Drew PageOct 09, 2014 at 8:23 amnixit71 Drew Page I agree that a single bonus payment is better than bonus payments over a retiree's lifetime. I value you teachers. I also value police, firefighters, trash collectors, and others who provide services to the public. I pay for the services of these people through my property taxes and other taxes. Would you want to bonus these workers as well, or just teachers? And what would be the criteria for earning these bonuses, just being there? RickGellertOct 09, 2014 at 7:57 am@PaulSmith7….Dead Broke….. Your comment is obvious to a reasonable person, but it is not pointed out often enough. RickGellertOct 09, 2014 at 7:44 amDe-fund IDOT. Make the Promoters of this Project wear official Jackets. Official Jackets that are misspelled. I used spellchecker and IDOT is flagged. Spellchecker suggest IDOT should be spelled IDIOT. I agree. JoeZingherOct 08, 2014 at 8:48 pmIt's worse than they are saying. Unlike the Federal government and other states, Illinois does not make it a felony or even a misdemeanor for a government official to lie in an official report. That means that even the data that they think is reliable, isn't. Official reports influence the award of government contracts, so if you're a corrupt official and you're on the take, you can lie in an official report and there is nothing anyone can do about it. In other states, someone interested in the contract would complain about the lies in it to the US Attorney's office and the FBI would dig into it as a case of local corruption. But, without a state criminal code to point to, the US Attorney can't indict on the federal charges. Result, even if the lie is caught, the corrupt official has no reason to cooperate with the US Attorney and roll over on the person who bribed him. nixit71Oct 08, 2014 at 11:14 amDrew Page nixit71 Agreed, but I'm just looking for ways to move us forward. The separate bonus idea makes more sense. If you truly value the teacher's contributions to your district, then the district and local taxpayers should pay for them. This also gives the local taxpayers more visibility into how much money is being allocated as such. nixit71Oct 08, 2014 at 11:07 amThe polling results are not surprising. The tentacles of govt and the public unions extend far and deep in Illinois. There are more folks vested in keeping the status quo – higher taxes, higher debt, etc – than the folks footing the bill for these unsustainable promises. Each govt employee has a spouse/child/sibling/relative/neighbor that might be negatively impacted by any change to the current state, no matter how fair it is. How do you get these folks to vote against their vested interests when they benefit greatly from the sad current state of affairs?The soaring debt is the next generation's problem. The pensions are "guaranteed", so pay up. I'm sure there are plenty of retirees want to keep income taxes high because their retirement income isn't taxed anyway. The deck is severely stacked against the working man in this state.Rauner's only chance is to bring the focus back on the state finances. His stance should be, "I know we cannot cut our way to fiscal nirvana, but I will look at each and every level and make the necessary cuts. We will all feel some pain. We will all have to do more with less. Some services will be cut, but I will work hard to make sure the most needy aren't the most impacted. I will prioritize our state's needs and allocate our limited funds accordingly. Most importantly, I will do this while letting the income tax hike expire as planned from 5% to 3.75%"If he was honest and straightforward as such, he will win over anyone else on the fence. He needs to bring the focus back where it belong. Why he hasn't done this yet is beyond me. Drew PageOct 08, 2014 at 9:48 amnixit71 The whole purpose of granting those 15% to 20% annual salary increases over the last three or four years of a teacher's or administrator's salary was to fatten their pension benefits, which are 75% of the average salary earned over those last few years. The school boards went along with this because they didn't have to payout those pension benefits over a retiree's lifetime, the taxpayers of Illinois did. Ironically it was Rod Blagojevich, the favorite of the teachers' unions, that reduced these end-of-career annual increases to no more than 6%.Why did the Illinois legislature agree to this arrangement? Take a look at how much the Illinois teachers' unions contribute to Democrat politicians' campaigns and who these unions (IEA and CTU) vote for. One hand washes the other and the taxpayers go down the drain with the dirty water. Have you seen any public sector unions come out in support for Rauner? Drew PageOct 08, 2014 at 9:37 amjocar531 JoshuaHellmann Well said and I couldn't agree more. jocar531Oct 08, 2014 at 9:34 amDrew Page jocar531 rebootillinois I apologize but did not see your humor and have not read your other posts…….so are you telling me that I need to watch out for you around every corner? LOL….have a great day and I am counting on you voting for Rauner….we need ALL the help we can get so we can kick Quinn out and have him go back to mowing his lawn and his neighbors lawn that can no longer afford lawn service and we MUST DUMB DURBIN! Durbin's wife is a lobbyist, don't you see that as a conflict of interest? Lobbyist and a Member of Appropriations?????? Durbin "democrats for equality", except when it comes to healthcare????? Drew PageOct 08, 2014 at 9:04 amjocar531 Drew Page rebootillinois Awfully touchy there Jocar. I was responding to the comment that Quinn has a slight lead in the polls. This is well known to those following the race. I didn't see the point for the comment, so I decided to add a little humor. If you have read any other of my posts, you would know that I strongly object to Quinn, as well as Madigan and Cullerton, and that I favor a change and Rauner is the alternative to Quinn. ChicagOpinionOct 08, 2014 at 3:00 amChicago really needs to be a state in and of its own. Then, they can have Quinn as long as they want. DannyOct 07, 2014 at 4:23 pmSurprise, surprise, the Daily Herald – the same ones who cooked up the bogus IMRF "13th Check" controversy, endorsed Rauner without even a "blush of shame" about Rauner's nursing home dealings, his flip-flopping on every conceivable issue, or the fact that very few of any of GTCR's investments actually succeeded in the long term. Even less of a surprise? Reboot dutifully reprints this. After all, your staff is chums with the Daily Herald, right? And your founder's husband gave Rauner $4.5 million, right? nixit71Oct 07, 2014 at 2:41 pmWhy not just offer the retiring teacher a one-time bonus outside of final salary and, thus, the pension calculation? That way, the school district picks up the full tab, all the other taxpayers aren't on the hook for the higher pension, and the teacher still gets his/her money. jocar531Oct 07, 2014 at 2:00 pmJoshuaHellmann jocar531 I read the articles you attached and it clearly states that Rauner had no ties to these practices. And with each one Rauner addressed it personally. But what did Quinn say about his "slush fund" and other investigative matters……….?!?!! All he can come up with is Rauner is a millionaire and look at poor me, career politician that has to cut his own grass while getting a salary and top of the line benefits with a great pension waiting while still grabbing ALL the perks he can and raising every ones taxes because he can NOT control spending. Doesn't care about the people of Illinois only about his title and power. jocar531Oct 07, 2014 at 1:36 pmDrew Page rebootillinois I actually believe you should drop out…..or maybe you already did…on your head……lol! JoshuaHellmannOct 07, 2014 at 1:12 pmjocar531 JoshuaHellmann Granted, I may have misjudged your political leanings and for that I apologize. I am running on about two hours of sleep at the moment. However:http://politics.suntimes.com/article/springfield/rauner-firing-blanks-flap-over-hired-gun-ballot-challenge/tue-08262014-837pmand:http://www.illinoisherald.com/articles/2014/q3/illinois-gop-sends-armed-thugs-libertarians-homes/and also:http://ivn.us/2014/09/15/ill-libertarian-party-files-complaint-gop-intimidating-petition-signers/Quinn and Rauner are both bad choices if you want to vote for fresh, decent government in Illinois. In light of what Rauner's willing to do to try and get an edge over Quinn (if one believes the "spoiler theory", that is), Rauner could very well be another George Ryan. And Quinn is, of course, well embedded within the Democratic Machine. It's times like this that I really wish Rich Whitney had been a bit more successful in 2006 and actually won, instead of getting the still fairly impressive 10% that he got. I've met Rich and volunteered with him in a couple of Green Party campaigns, and had he won he would have either gotten rid of the corruption in Illinois government, or the corruption would have unfortunately gotten rid of him. But I imagine you would have had an issue with his and the Green Party's economic beliefs, however. jocar531Oct 07, 2014 at 12:58 pmDrew Page LOL…..LOL Great sense of humor but don't waste it here print your comment and pass it on to the Rauner campaign headquarters……so true! jocar531Oct 07, 2014 at 12:54 pmJoshuaHellmann jocar531 Just what did the republicans do? Explain! You have NO IDEA what party is mine. I vote for the person I truly believe to be THE BEST!!!! And the BEST IS RAUNER for GOVERNOR! JoshuaHellmannOct 07, 2014 at 12:42 pmjocar531 Should Giles Corey have confessed to witchcraft in order to appease the forces that were set against him in late 1600's Salem, Massachusetts? And thusly, should Chad Grimm suddenly step aside after the many trials and tribulations he went through in order to get on the ballot and support a candidate that he obviously doesn't agree with? I'm afraid that democratic elections and free political speech sometimes entails your party not winning a fair election because the other parties' candidates got more votes than yours (and as I'm about to explain, this election could hardly be considered fair). Deal with it, or admit that you don't believe in democratic elections and free political speech, just like Rauner and his thugs, I mean "private investigators", obviously don't. And for clarification's sake, I'm neither a Democrat nor a Libertarian. I'm a Green who's ticked at BOTH ruling parties' assault on democratic elections this year, and while I'll likely be writing in Scott Summers, the candidate that would have been the Green Party's candidate for governor were the election process fair and constitutional (a judge ruled that some of the state's ballot access laws may be unconstitutional a couple of months ago), I stand in solidarity with my fellow third partiers who also have to deal with all this insanity. I hope Grimm gets at least 5%, it would serve you Republicans right for what you did. More weight, spoiler theorists, more weight. MichaelLAnstromOct 07, 2014 at 12:36 pmThe only poll that means anything will be the polling place. These polls can be made to say whatever the pollsters want them to say. I call BS!! VictoryRiderOct 07, 2014 at 12:28 pmNot buying it. Indiana has far more pollution than Illinois. Indianapolis has a higher homicide rate than Chicago. Must have the wallet near the ass where they pulled out these rankings. Drew PageOct 07, 2014 at 12:20 pm@MDoubekRebootIL rebootillinois Well, I guess then that the election is unnecessary and Rauner should just drop out, right? After all, the poll says Quinn is ahead. Drew PageOct 07, 2014 at 12:17 pmSo you were expecting to see something different when polling Chicago? I'm surprised that the poll showed 14% were for Rauner, obviously suburban visitors to the city.The majority of women for Quinn must still have government jobs, or have husbands that do. Those for Quinn obviously think everything in Illinois is wonderful and want to keep it that way. Underfunded pensions? No problem. Bond ratings downgraded for the state and subsequent higher interest rates the state must pay? No problem? Property taxes in Illinois one of the highest in the U.S.? No problem. Businesses and people fleeing Illinois? No problem. Sixty-seven percent increase in state income taxes? No problem. More tax increases coming? No problem. Corruption in state government? No problem.As you can see, there are no problems, so why not keep Pat Quinn? VictoryRiderOct 07, 2014 at 12:14 pmjocar531 Like when I voted for George Ryan? So yes it can get worse. jocar531Oct 07, 2014 at 11:40 amThe voters of Illinois already know that the governor is being investigated and about the state run nursing homes, the lies about taxes and not wanting vouchers for our youth to better themselves. What about pension debt and the out of control contracts for labor unions? This is out of control and has been for too many years. We need some one who will stop ignoring the Illinois debt and focus on bringing jobs back to the state and cutting spending, for openers no money on a presidential library of "the worst president ever", is that suppose to be something to be proud of? And Grimm has absolutely no chance of winning but will take away votes for his own pride. If Quinn remains the governor and is stilled teamed up with the corrupt Madigan you will soon be living in a bankrupt "Detroit like" state. It is known the entire country that Illinois is the corruption capital of the world and yet the voters are backing a democrat because they have learned nothing. Obviously most Illinois voters are welfare "give be freebies" people, people that believe the democrats lies, people that turned a blind eye to the Daley corruption, all the way from parking meters to family members on trial to great benefits and pay raises for union labor employees that do nothing more than pour more and more debt on the city and state. There is NOT ONE DEMOCRAT that has learned anything from their past lessons, NOT ONE! Grimm's quit the race NOW! And back up Rauner for governor. Can the state get any worse with a new, fresh idea governor? VOTE REPUBLICAN!!!!!! marcelOct 07, 2014 at 10:29 amDrew Page Your numbers are incorrect with regard to the pension calculation, that diminishes the validity of the rest of your response. I see the article author commented here but also failed to correct your information. Teachers may earn FULL benefits for 35 years of service (not 34) and are at least 55. If the qualify for full benefits they receive the average of 4 consecutive years of their last ten years teaching.The pension is diminished by 6% for every year of service below 35 or it can be determined by multiplying 2.2% x years of service in yet another formula. The concept that there is only one formula is untrue, there are multiple ways to determine the pension, many teachers never qualify for a full pension. The end of career bump/increase was originally implemented to help teachers afford the cost of insurance until they qualified for medicare, more so than encouraging retirement. These days teachers pay into TRIP (Teachers Retirement Insurance Program) and are actually paying insurance premiums for decades BEFORE they retire and then pay an additional amount for the premium when they retire if they choose the insurance (it is a lower premium but still paid in full by the teacher) The ILGA came up with a few genius ideas like 5 and 5 to allow early retirements as well, those have much higher long term consequences. In addition, the article author fails to mention that while many educators work enough quarters to qualify for some social security, they essentially lose the money paid in due to a drastic reduction of benefit meaning, teachers are actually subsidizing private sector social security. The average FULL pension is what is listed in the article but the average TRS payout is far, far less due to the fact that many do not qualify for the full benefit. This process is detailed and complex, unfortunately most have the attention span of a gnat but too bad, usually the most shocking or emotion inducing information is posted and people need to get the full explanation and information completely accurate next time. MDoubekRebootILOct 07, 2014 at 8:48 amNew poll: Quinn adds edge on Rauner rebootillinois http://ow.ly/CngnE #twill MichaelLAnstromOct 07, 2014 at 7:22 amI wonder how much these schools paid to get on the list. Kankakee Community College is a superior school and isn't even mentioned. JanShawOct 06, 2014 at 10:00 pmThe IL Constitution guarantees these pensions. Of course, it also requires a balanced budget – and taxpayers never agreed to pay what ever it takes. Which promise is more important? How about a constitutional amendment to cap all pensions, even those already being paid? TiredOfIllinoisPoliticsOct 06, 2014 at 4:56 pmThey both lie, I can't trust either one, so neither will be receiving my vote. I REFUSE to vote for the lesser of two evils. chriswyoilliniOct 05, 2014 at 1:18 pmILFreedomPAC BruceRauner rebootillinois capitolfax ago all growth has been in public sector Quinn has bankrupt Illinois #BringBackIL chriswyoilliniOct 05, 2014 at 1:17 pmILFreedomPAC BruceRauner rebootillinois capitolfax fact free is Quinn claim that he created jobs when there are less jobs now than 4yrs billkeck1964Oct 04, 2014 at 9:58 pmThat gross metropolitan product for Chicago does not mention where it comes from . A lot of it comes from businessmen and women who have offices in Chicago but who live in non-Cook. county cities and towns. If. Chicago had to get it's business people from Cook county it would be in big trouble Argo1991Oct 04, 2014 at 8:07 pmLove my alma mater, Argo Community High School! What a great mascot: Jason, the Argonauts, and the golden fleece. Still remember watching the mythology of this story in junior high before we got to high school. What an inspiring story! I was even more impressed when I went back to my HS reunion and how great the parade, football team, band, and cheerleader were! I am a proud grad! On to victory we will go, students of Argo High! SQUARELY IN THE MIDDLEOct 04, 2014 at 3:51 pmI could not have said it better. You nailed it. Democracy works best when thoughtful people of different viewpoints can have meaningful discussions and make compromised decisions on the issues. In my lifetime that has never happened in the city of Chicago and on very rare occasions in Illinois. One party rule is a disaster. RegularGuy55Oct 04, 2014 at 12:09 pmThis article doesn't consider the expense side of the ledger – how much does it cost to operate the respective counties. Many downstate counties don't have mass transit systems, or a large population of non-English speaking school students like Cook County has. For that matter, the downstate counties have only a fraction of the paved roads in Cook and the collar counties.What the secession talk DOES represent is the apex of frustration the rest of the state feels about the 1000 pound gorilla in the General Assembly. That was never more evident than in the last election for governor. Except for Cook and the collar counties, Quinn LOST the State of Illinois. Now those downstate counties feel that Quinn is governor of the 'other' Illinois, not the Illinois the downstaters live in. Drew PageOct 04, 2014 at 8:48 amSQUARELY IN THE MIDDLE There are very few of us that are saints. I too believe that Bruce Rauner is better equipped to solve the fiscal problems facing the state of Illinois. As far as I am concerned, the politicians running Illinois have sold out the taxpayers to buy the votes of public sector unions and to feather their own nests. I feel believe that elected office should not be a lifetime position. I believe that no person should be able to hold an elected office for more than eight years in their lifetime. I have no problem with elected officials drawing a salary or being covered for Life and Health insurance during their term of office. If office holders were limited to eight years in office there would be no need to provide them with pensions or retiree health insurance. Under the guise of protecting state employees, Illinois legislators created an amendment to the the State Constitution making the retirement benefits unchangeable. But the pensions of non-elected state workers provided benefits nowhere near as generous as the legislators created for themselves. And the pensions of the legislators were the ones they were most interested in guaranteeing in perpetuity.Bruce Rauner is the ONLY Illinois politician who has campaigned for eight year terms limits and has stated many times publicly that if elected (and re-elected) he would step down after eight years in office. I don't know what Bruce Rauner will do if elected, but I do know what the Democrats have done after they were elected. We are living with with what they have done and not done for years and it's time for a change. TiredOfIllinoisPoliticsOct 04, 2014 at 5:08 amDo you KNOW what the definition of FAMOUS is? It usually means people who are widely known and respected in a favorable way for things they've done. Why in the HELL would you put James Earl Ray Jr. who assassinated Martin Luther King Jr. in that category? He would be known as INFAMOUS which means known for doing something bad, not FAMOUS! SQUARELY IN THE MIDDLEOct 04, 2014 at 12:24 amAMEN. An increase in the state sales tax is appropriate. It will force the many people earning incomes off the grid for paying income tax to chip-in. SQUARELY IN THE MIDDLEOct 04, 2014 at 12:15 amI don't believe Bruce Rauner is a saint. No venture capitalist is. I do believe Bruce Rauner is better equipped to solve the fiscal problems created by the cozy relationships between the Democrat Party and the public unions. We should start by freezing the pensions of all former legislators and their outrageous inflated self serving monthly retirement income. jonnyg215Oct 03, 2014 at 8:20 pmNo illiana toll way!! Kevin_HoffmanOct 03, 2014 at 6:27 pmDrew Page Thanks for the feedback, Drew. These lists were not determined by my personal opinion, but by the various websites I note at the beginning of this post. It's all subjective anyways, right? jpkennedysrOct 03, 2014 at 6:17 pmjpkennedysr and these numbers are light by about 3x if you use more appropriate discount rate assumptions kenutrabdeOct 03, 2014 at 5:41 pmDrew Page No, Democrats for me thank you, I'm full. kenutrabdeOct 03, 2014 at 5:40 pmHopefully that was a big toilet flush I heard. Drew PageOct 03, 2014 at 4:28 pm@HuskiePride The article was probably written by someone who flunked out of Northern and still carries a grudge. Drew PageOct 03, 2014 at 4:26 pmYeah, let's get the NIU administration to tear down the old Administration Building and replace it with something costing $60 or $70 million bucks. That would give them the excuse to jack up tuition costs from $10,600 a year to about $25,000 or $30,000 a year. What the hell, parents can afford that right? That's what student loans are for, right? I noticed that no pictures were shown of the newer campus buildings were shown. I guess that would not have suited the purposes of the "author" of this hit piece.I also noticed that the article diss'ing NIU spoke of the 2008 shootings that left six dead and 21 wounded.. Prior to those shootings Cole Hall was not an eyesore and NIU had never previously experienced that kind of violence. Seems to me that I read somewhere that there have been murders and rapes reported at a number of prestigeous universities around the country in recent years.. I didn't happen to see anything about the hundreds of murders annually reported by Chicago police in the neighborhood surrounding the University of Chicago. Unlike the University of Chicago, NIU students can walk the streets from the campus to downtown DeKalb without fearing for their lives. And if you want to talk about eyesores just venture a couple of blocks off the campus of University of Chicago, or Northwestern for that matter. Drew PageOct 03, 2014 at 4:00 pmMichaelLAnstrom I agree completely. We have seen what the democrats have done to Illinois. They can't blame Republicans, no matter how they try, because there are no Republicans in charge of the Illinois House, Senate or Governor's Office.Now they are sponsoring an amendment to the Illinois Constitution called the VOTER DISCRIMINATION amendment. This amendment is being proposed under the pretense of forbidding any law that would allow discrimination on the basis of race, color, member of a language minority,national origin,religion, sex, sexual orientation, religion or income. Illinois already has laws on the books that forbid denying otherwise eligible citizens the right to register to vote, or to cast a ballot, on the basis of any of these forms of discrimination.THE REAL PURPOSE OF THIS AMENDMENT (THE ADDITION OF SECTION 8, TO ARTICLE III) IS TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT NO LAW CAN EVER BE PASSES TO REQUIRE A VOTER PHOTO ID BE USED TO REGISTER OR CAST A BALLOT. If the sponsors of this amendment want to prevent the possibility of ever requiring a voter photo ID, they should come right out and say it clearly and let the voters decide if they want to approve that or not. Instead, they try to hide their real motive under the cloak of an "anti-discrimination" bill and slide it by the voters hoping no one will notice. HuskiePrideOct 03, 2014 at 1:29 pmI'm not going to dog any of the top 4, but NIU got a bum rap. Horrible pictures were chosen. "brutalist architecture" was cited as a negative, but was a positive for NU. Just garbage. Here are some of many better pictures of NIU. http://www.niutoday.info/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/hsc-fall.jpghttp://www.niu.edu/spsc/images/690pxImages_campus.jpghttp://images.forbes.com/media/lists/94/2010/northern-illinois-university.jpg tater2650Oct 03, 2014 at 12:47 pmmissing the York Dukes, Pekin Dragons, Mt. Pulaski Hilltoppers, Havana Ducks, PORTA-AC Blue Jays MichaelLAnstromOct 03, 2014 at 12:14 pmDump Quinn!!!! Vote Conservatives into office and watch Illinois begin to heal. Rauner all the way!!! Drew PageOct 03, 2014 at 11:27 amIf you are happy with the state of affairs in Illinois and America, you can thank Pat Quinn, Barack Obama and the Democrat party for it. If you prefer to hear lies that make you feel good, higher taxes, fewer jobs, more corruption, and a deteriorating economy, keep voting Democrat. marcelOct 03, 2014 at 9:20 amSure Jim, I like your plan so long as public sector incomes then rise to match those in the private sector with similar qualifications or responsibilities. My position requires a degree beyond a master's degree and I run an operation with 200 employees that performs in the top half of the industry. I doubt you ar e interested in paying me anything close to the comparable private sector salary and benefits which makes your argument intellectually dishonest. PaulaOct 02, 2014 at 6:55 pmWhy we cuss? How about highest taxes in the entire union. Payroll & property. Crooked polititians always on the take. Ridiculous lawmaking on ridiculous topics rather than dealing with the important issues that affect us. Poor qualities that deter business from wanting to come to IL. Do I need say more? GuestOct 02, 2014 at 6:46 pmThe People need to get out of the pension business. bumpdraft14Oct 02, 2014 at 6:33 pmIllinois Central College could be number 1 on the list. But, since we rely on the lowest compensated and least educated people in the college to enter data,…we don't deserve to be on the list. pmbidwillOct 02, 2014 at 4:10 pmDominickAhrens Sorry but the promises are not sustainable – especially the health care benefits. Due to changing demographics i.e. lengthening average life spans and the rising costs of health care the benefits are much more lucrative than originally anticipated. The health care benefits are enormously costly – same issues exist with the federal medicare program. In Illinois however we don't even account for the cost of the promised health care benefits in our financial statements. Yet another reason we are so well supported by the rating agencies. pmbidwillOct 02, 2014 at 4:02 pmWhat do you mean 'unilaterally cut'?! It was the opposite of unilateral in terms of sharing facts including issues of not being able to sustain pension benefits in the future. It is not acceptable for our legislatures to have done what they have done to mismanage pensions over such long period of time. Take it out on the legislators – not on the Illinois taxpayers. DominickAhrensOct 02, 2014 at 1:02 pm"Union puppet" – glad we can address the issue on a rational rather than emotional basis. The promises – at least for the majority of funds – were sustainable, IF the elected officials had made the contributions that independent agencies like the Department Of Insurance had recommended. Instead some utilized non-Generally Accepted Accounting Practices to produce "evaluations" based on erroneous numbers to develop an alternate – lower – funding level. Others simply chose not to pay the full amount, and others paid nothing. Of course, that little tidbit is rarely mentioned. After all, politicians are trying to fix the problem, right? It's those nasty firemen and cops that are to blame. The employees (who have been contributing their full amount as defined by state law) for their full careers live in the state and pay taxes as well, so please shed the holy mantle of "taxpayer". SuperDukesOct 02, 2014 at 12:15 pmDixon Dukes. I mean, how many Dukes could there be? mark spontakOct 02, 2014 at 12:13 pmSt Edwards Green Wave Drew PageOct 02, 2014 at 12:06 pmIf the Illinois Constitution can be amended to make state worker pensions untouchable, it can be amended again to reverse that position. The U.S. Constitution was amended to make the sale and consumption of alcohol illegal, but was re-amended to repeal prohibition.SPEAKING OF CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS, I just received a pamphlet in the mail on September 30th detailing proposed amendments to the Illinois Constitution, to be voted on November 4th. The first amendment would expand crime victims' rights. The second proposed amendment would add SECTION 8 (VOTER DISCRIMINATION) to ARTICLE III and the text reads as follows: "No person shall be denied the right to register to vote or cast a ballot in an election based on race, color, ethnicity, status as a member of a foreign language minority, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or income." Right below the text of SECTION 8 – VOTER DISCRIMINATION is another paragraph captioned EXPLANATION. It reads as follows:"The proposed amendment would prohibit any law or procedure that intentionally discriminates or has an unequal effect upon a person to register to vote or cast a ballot based on the voter's race, color, ethnicity, status as a member of a language minority, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or income."I believe the real intent of this amendment is to eliminate the possibility of enacting any future law that would require a voter photo ID in order to register and/or cast a ballot. It is well known that Eric Holder, the Obama administration and many Democrats have voiced strong opposition to a requirement of voter photo ID, claiming it would have an "UNEQUAL EFFECT" on minorities, the poor and the aged. If the sponsors of this Constitutional amendment want to prevent a future law that would require a voter photo ID to be presented, then they should say so in clear language instead of trying to hide that intention in non-discrimination language. Laws that do require a voter to produce a valid photo ID apply equally to all voters. I think people should understand this before they vote — don't you? drdotsOct 02, 2014 at 11:10 amGene Krupa and Benny Goodman were 5 years old in 1914. Obviously, they couldn't have coined the term "Jazz". It was probably coined in New Orleans to describe the music played in "sporting houses" and is a corruption of the term jass which is a euphemism for sexual intercourse. EdBentonOct 02, 2014 at 7:53 am170 jobs in Chicago boy that will make a DENT in the Unemployment rate on the South SIDE. Oh Yeah I forgot this Olive Garden will Be DOWNTOWN where they forget their is a SOUTHSIDE of Chicago kinda like how IL forgets their is a Rest of the State unless they need MONEY. DavidDinelliOct 02, 2014 at 6:11 amYou missed Addison Trail's Bucky Blazer, beats out most of them SolameanieOct 01, 2014 at 6:59 pmfritzc77 rebootillinois Unbelievable. Is there any hope for IL without Chicago's secession? chriswyoilliniOct 01, 2014 at 5:38 pmILFreedomPAC BruceRauner rebootillinois capitolfax Rich quit being a Quinn lacky the Chrisy investigation is a media driven sham UIC DudeOct 01, 2014 at 2:22 pmThe UIC campus may not be the best looking, but compared to what it was in the late '80's it's absolutely stunning!!!!! PaulSmith7Oct 01, 2014 at 12:18 pmGo watch the movie Alas Shrugged, then read what Quin and Rauner say: "We need to craft a Plan" "I created a committee" "The plan I propose" "I Signed landmark legislation" "we need to be pro-growth" Bla Bla Bla. It is a art to be able to say so much and never say anything DeJordySep 30, 2014 at 7:17 pmThanks for the union puppet perspective. Yes, the state was negligent, but the promises are unsustainable, and Cullerton will stick the taxpayers with the bill. Those that are left, that is. huhSep 30, 2014 at 4:28 pmwhy do you show a picture of augastana with colored leaves, and one of NIU in the month of January, with no leaves and snow? not that i think NIU should replace augustan, but c'mon man…. TherckSep 30, 2014 at 3:29 pmThe road from nowhere to nowhere. Whichever politicians are pushing for this need to be identified and publically derided. This almost sounds like a return to the days of governor Ryan when bogus roadbuilding projects were purshed in order to curry favor with the road building industry and unions. And we know what happened to him. cmcbSep 30, 2014 at 12:44 pmWhat? The governor's race is close and could go either way? Wow, Politico really has its fingers on the pulse of Illinois politics. DLVMSep 30, 2014 at 8:27 amVery stupid idea from a state that is flat broke. Whatever happened to extending Rt 53 from Lake-Cook to the WI border? It's been held up for almost 50 years. That would be a tremendous help in alleviating congestion in every town north of Lake-Cook to the border. BillBairdSep 29, 2014 at 10:33 pmAnybody who doesn't think Illinois needs a change should have their head examined. There seems to be nobody willing to fix it's deep problems and meanwhile more good Illinoisans are leaving the state. We can be so much better but you have to want to change. Status quo doesn't get it. ckfredSep 29, 2014 at 1:34 pmPaulSmith7 ckfred Tecnically, 294 ends at 94. But, 94 is a tollroad east of the 94/294 interchange. Remember that the Tri-State continues on past where 94 merges near Deerfield and continues to the Wisconsin state line.It was probably an instance where trying to put the tollbooth west of the interchange wasn't feasible, or land east of the interchange was cheaper.I know people who live near the interchange. The traffic isn't from the tollboth. It's from people who can't decide if they want to drive through Chicago or around and wait until the last possible minute. I've driven the Kennedy, and you can't believe how many people wait until the last possible minute to decide if they want to continue towards O'Hare or go north on the Edens.But then, I've always wondered why if driving south on the Tri-State, there wasn't a toll for those exiting to the eastbound Ike. The Cermak Road toll plaza isn't that far south of the interchange. It seems to me that there ought to be a unmanned plaza charging 40 cents cash/20 cents I-PASS. PaulSmith7Sep 29, 2014 at 1:20 pmckfred Just looked at the Map … I-294 comes down from the north, and merges with I80. Then for about 4000 feet I 80 and I294 are the same highway. By "theoretically" continuing I294 for a Extra 4000 ft on I 80, they get to collect a toll for you driving on that 4000 ft of I-80/I-294. Then I-294 "just ends" That is a State induced Traffic jam, just for the money. No other highway does not end when it ends…. PaulSmith7Sep 29, 2014 at 1:14 pmckfred Let me Qualify myself a bit. I own a Camper/ trailer store on I-80, 30 miles west of Joliet. All my campers/trailers are made in Elkart IN. Myself and my drivers drive Across this I80/90 Corridor DAILY. (sometimes 2-3 times per day, from "West of Joliet" to "East of South Bend") If there is a accident, or it is rush hour, you may see a delay. Otherwise it runs pretty smooth in all areas not under construction. The biggest "bottle neck" is the one toll you have to pay for, where 294 and 80 meet. (They put 294 and I 80 together for some unknown distance, before 294 " just ends" so they can collect a Toll for anyone going on I-80) With that being said, I think it would be possible to add more lanes more economically, that to buld a entire new highway. Most of the "Corridor" has what I see as "available space" for more lanes. ckfredSep 29, 2014 at 12:56 pmMaybe Quinn isn't under federal investigation, but he's a Democrat. The number of Illinois Democrats who have faced federal investigations, indictments, and prison sentences is greater than the number of Illinois Repubicans who have been in the cross-hairs fo the Feds. By the same token, Barack Obama is a Machine politician, despite he claims to be a reformer. So, I wouldn't put it past him to have the Feds investigate Chris Christie for the simple reason that he is a Republican that does well, when surveyed against potential Democrats for the 2016 presidential election.Do what want a political insider who is going to be excrutiatingly correct with his facts? Or do we want an outsider who will stand up to Madigan and Cullerton and try to fix the budget woes of Illinois? ckfredSep 29, 2014 at 12:50 pmOn the one hand, Illinois can't afford a major construction project, such as this. On the other, I remember the long, drawn-out fight over construction of the Crosstown Expressway back in the 1970s. If would have run from the Kennedy-Edens Junction along Cicero Ave to a little past Midway Airport, then turn southeast and connect with the Dan Ryan at 91st St.Considering the amount of traffic on Dan Ryan and the Kennedy between the I-57/I-94 split and the Kennedy-Edens Junction and the volume on the Tri-State Tollway between the I-90 interchange near O'Hare and the I-94/I294 junction near South Holland, the Crosstown Expressway made a lot of sense.If I remember correctly, the Tribune was against building the Crosstown. That viewpoint probably made sense in the early 1970s, but not it was a major mistake.So, let's not be so hasty as dismiss the Illiana as a boondoggle. It may not make sense today. We certainly can't afford it today, or probably for the next 10 years. But, there will come a time when we need to connect Interstates 55 and 65 with a highway other than Interstate 80. DavidSamuelsenSep 29, 2014 at 12:33 pmBarbHuyser DavidSamuelsen So you think we should be listening to "political insiders". No thanks Barb. They have an axe to grind at our expense. The simple facts are Illinois is in shambles, lead by Quinn. He needs to go and the only real alternative is Rauner. BarbHuyserSep 29, 2014 at 11:59 amDavidSamuelsen You might want to actually visit Capitol Fax and take a loooooooong look at the many posts and comments. Rich Miller is a reporter and commentator, but he takes after both sides. It's in the comments where you see Rauner's campaign being shredded into so many tiny pieces. Comments by political insiders who really pay attention to what is going on. PaulSmith7Sep 29, 2014 at 11:37 amWhen you are dead broke, and mortgaged to the hilt, you do not remodel your kitchen. Even if your Brother in law is a contractor 🙂 and you "owe him a favor" They must learn to say "I am sorry, it is not in the budget" DavidSamuelsenSep 29, 2014 at 11:19 amOK Rich Miller, we get it….you are a Quinn Supporter. But no amount of distortion and spin will change the fact that Illinois is in trouble and Quinn has been in charge. Time for a change, your boy is toast! RonnieMalleySep 29, 2014 at 11:14 amDominickAhrens With all due respect, I think you've missed the point Dominick. Peter has identified and writes about taking steps to change the culture of the status quo. America is now facing its racial history head on as it culminates into recent events and current situations, economic and otherwise. Also, it would behove you to revisit your comment, "you fail to mention that the predominant killers of African-American males are other African-American males." This is the same propaganda perpetuated by politicians, pundits, and all who wish to justify or convey, whether subliminally or consciously, dominance of white power. And even if there were unbiased statistical evidence to lend truth to the comment, perhaps it would behove all of us to look at the root cause being a lack of economic and developmental opportunities as Peter points out, and not the symptoms. Drew PageSep 29, 2014 at 10:52 amThese are exactly the kind of boondoggle projects that keep Illinois in the poor house. Who are the friends of the Illinois politicians that will be rewarded with the road construction contracts? What's in it for Quinn and Madigan? Why would anyone want to pay big tolls to get from Will County, IL to get to I-65 in Lake County IN, when they can use I-80/94 without tolls? ckfredSep 29, 2014 at 10:08 amIf you like the International Style of architecture, then you will love the IIT campus. Ludwing Mies van der Rohe, who became dean of the architecture school, designed most of the buildings, based on Bauhaus theories of design and architecture. Let's remember that IIT is noted for the study of engineering and science. jctdSep 28, 2014 at 6:47 pmMascot. Stupid auto correct. jctdSep 28, 2014 at 6:46 pmTechnically, University High School is the Illineks, not the gargoyles. And their swimming team picks their own major every year. Drew PageSep 27, 2014 at 2:29 pmQuinn is a liar, whether he admits it or not. He said he would veto any increase in Illinois income tax in excess of an additional 1%. He didn't. He signed into law the increase of an additional 2%. The law he signed called for a reduction back to 3.75%. Now he's trying to say that he never intended for the increase to be temporary.Walgreens wants to leave Illinois, Caterpillar wants to leave and so does State Farm. State Farm has purchased massive office space in Dallas and Atlanta. Throwing tax breaks at corporations like Sears to stay in Illinois is a waste. Sears is becoming more and more irrelevant. It used to be an anchor store for shopping malls, but no longer. With more and more people buying online and from places like Walmart, Kohls and Target it won't be long before Sears becomes another Montgomery Wards or Pennys. Making online purchases subject to sales taxes will ultimately drive more businesses out of Illinois.Illinois has the second highest property taxes in the nation, behind New Jersey. And the only state that has more people leaving it than Illinois is New Jersey. Quinn may say that the state has nothing to do with local property taxes, but that's another lie. Mike Madigan appoints the Cook County tax assessor who sets tax assessments for businesses and individuals in Chicago and the rest of Cook County. When the big corporations fight their assessments they employ the most successful law firm that gets relief from such assessments, the law firm of which Mike Madigan is a partner. When the taxes of the big corporations are reduced, the differences must be made up by the individual property owners. Quinn is running campaign ads crowing about how HE expanded jobs at a local Ford assembly plant. He would like voters to believe that Ford had nothing to do with it. When Ford lays off employees in Illinois will he be making commercials showing himself touring the assembly plant and riding in a ford pickup truck crowing "I'm driving" ? Businesses and individuals are leaving the state and Quinn touts his major accomplishment as getting same sex marriages legalized. Let's face facts, Pat Quinn does not run the state of Illinois, Mike Madigan does. Quinn knows it; Madigan knows it; Illinois Senate president Cullerton knows it; Rahm Emanuel knows it; the newspapers know it; and so does every legislator in the state. Mercedes MalletteSep 27, 2014 at 12:49 pmPat Quinn's BIG PLANS will be ignored, who's he think he's fooling he is not now or as ever been a factor in Springfield. He put on his dancing shoes and dance to Madigan's music. HerbCarmenSep 27, 2014 at 10:37 amtimmathews AthertonKD Not sure about that, but I fully endorse this: http://www.whiteysicecream.com/ timmathewsSep 27, 2014 at 10:33 amHerbCarmen AthertonKD http://twitter.com/timmathews/status/515886861638582272/photo/1 Al GrosbollSep 27, 2014 at 8:29 amTerrible waste of money. This is the type of project that got Illinois in the financial mess we are in today. JeffFurgersonSep 26, 2014 at 10:04 pmstupidest idea i've seen yet Boondoggle2Sep 26, 2014 at 8:31 pmHerbCarmen I have noooo idea LOL HerbCarmenSep 26, 2014 at 8:27 pmBoondoggle2 The Galesburg Silver Streaks? The Steinmetz College Prep Silver Streaks are on there. Lemme ask, tho…What's a Maroon? ja3Sep 26, 2014 at 8:22 pmHerbCarmen I had to scan the page to make sure they didn't miss my Monticello Sages… mnmmadSep 26, 2014 at 5:58 pmAre you kidding Me???? Of course Augie looks good with Fall colors- add University of Illinois's Quad in the Fall ………………………………………………….. BeckaFranckSep 26, 2014 at 4:19 pmrebootillinois hahaha, no. we had a fight song. But that would've been a good idea! SULLY57Sep 26, 2014 at 3:08 pmPoocheeMoore BrianCostin I HAD SEVERAL JOBS AND WORKED OVER 20 SUMMERS THAT I PAID INTO SSI. BUT BECAUSE I WILL DRAW TRS, I AM NOT ABLE TO DRAW SS AND CANNOT BE REFUNDED THE AMOUT I PAID IN DeJordySep 26, 2014 at 1:43 pmContrary to your Facebook headline, it is not the police officers who should be worried, it's the taxpayers, who are on the hook. And you are minimizing the fundamental problem. The math doesn't support the promised benefit, even if scheduled contributions were made. That is why it is upside down. Drew PageSep 26, 2014 at 12:32 pmWasn't it during a 'lame duck' session (held at midnight) when the legislature approved the 67% income tax increase that Quinn signed into law? rebootillinoisSep 26, 2014 at 10:34 amBeckaFranck Was your school's fight song Queen's "We will rock you?" SparklykissSep 26, 2014 at 10:18 amBeckaFranck rebootillinois bahaha, these sound like super fake schools. I'll never complain about being a Flash again now, those were bad. DominickAhrensSep 26, 2014 at 10:16 amEver notice that when the subject of spending increases comes up, they intend to "pay bills" and increase funding to things like education, police and fire protection… And when austerity measures are discussed, those are inevitably the first services we are told will suffer as a result. There's never any mention about raises to or the creation of new administrator and staffer positions, the entitlement programs that were expanded or the waste and fraud that goes uncorrected. And the state's history of not paying its bills goes back much farther than the start of the 5% tax rate. AndyKahl75Sep 25, 2014 at 8:50 pmbobandtom Check out these Illinois high school mascot names. AndyKahl75Sep 25, 2014 at 8:49 pmchickmcgee1 I think you will laugh at these Illinois high school mascot names!! RonnetteSep 25, 2014 at 3:55 pmAre YOU people aware that 'they' manipulated the votes……… I watched several videos that show that the counters (those that were hired to count the votes) were possibly not aware that they were being video taped and are seen taking the write in votes and putting all the YES votes into a NO pile even though the page is clearly marked with a huge X marked in the YES Box!!! I am NOT surprised at the disgusting illegal and deceptive practices of these employee who know nothing of honesty and putting their political and greedy needs before those of the people as a whole. Corruption (Durbin) is every where; maybe thats where Illinois politician learned it. Ashley HSep 25, 2014 at 3:17 pmThe Rockford East E-rabs aren't on here? Jack SteenSep 25, 2014 at 2:32 pmWhy did you not mention that Ms. Sanguinetti made her first million dollars with her bogus personal injury lawsuit against the city of Wheaton, METRA, and the Union Pacific Railroad for her pratt-fall at the College Avenue station on the UP's West Line – and that she then went to work for the hearse-chasing lot of dishonest 'lawyers' that secured her dowry ? Plano guySep 25, 2014 at 1:34 pmTo bad the plano reapers are not the grim reapers but the farm equipment called a reaper where it was invented so your article is incorrect I think the farm equipment is even more unusual PhilCollinsILSep 25, 2014 at 9:10 amMikeWebsterIL If you win, will you get a list of illegal aliens, who got driver's licenses, and give the list to ICE, helping them deport? MDoubekRebootILSep 24, 2014 at 7:02 pmWe boost salaries and teacher pensions 24 percent? rebootillinois http://www.rebootillinois.com/2014/09/23/editors-picks/madeleinedoubek/boost-salaries-teacher-pensions-24-percent/25544/#.VCF0yVvqd1w.twitter #twill candy byersSep 24, 2014 at 4:52 pmIllinois definetly needs to have toll roads to take the tax burden off of its citizens. However, do it with 80, 55 and 57. When my sister and I drove from Illinois to Georgia and up the eastern seaboard last year, we noticed EVERY state had toll roads, unlike illinois and these states do not have the financial problems this state does. We need more common sense in our government. It is sorely lacking! rebootillinoisSep 24, 2014 at 4:20 pmMashChicago Thanks for sharing! We're glad to hear you enjoyed it 🙂 EdBentonSep 24, 2014 at 4:13 pmDaveChgo TravisValgren http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/sep/16/durbin-immigration-bill-would-help-contain-ebola/ Really it was in the Washington Times 8 Days ago. TravisValgrenSep 24, 2014 at 3:57 pmPlease take away Lundy's Pot Subscription. He sounds exactly like Sheila Jackson or Nancy Pelosi. All 3 are delusional and in denial. BrianMichaelWellsSep 24, 2014 at 2:19 pmWe need a bypass road to avoid I80-I94 through Nw Indiana and The South suburbs Drew PageSep 24, 2014 at 10:23 amTKJoliet DavidSamuelsen That strategy seems to have worked pretty well for our current president. KKWSep 24, 2014 at 7:46 amRoxana Shells KatieKeownSep 24, 2014 at 7:17 amAlso, the Zeigler-Royalton Tornadoes valeriefleonardSep 23, 2014 at 8:39 pmRauner has been quoted in other news stories as saying he couldn't find any qualified black to hire in his firm. In this story, he is quoted as saying he did hire blacks. I'm inclined to believe the stories that broke earlier. guestSep 23, 2014 at 8:22 pmMdh in Macomb il is the worst! TKJolietSep 23, 2014 at 7:57 pmDavidSamuelsen My decision on who to support for Senator for Illinois is not based on how they will help or hinder the agenda of other politicians. It is based on how they will serve as my representative at the federal level. Oberweis, with his constant campaigning and perpetual candidacy, strikes me as someone who is more interested in being elected Senator for his own reasons, be it power, status, or something else entirely, than he is in representing MY interests in Washington. Heck, he hardly took the time to represent the citizens of the 25th district in Illinois as a State Senator before he set his sights on a bigger prize. If he can't even keep his focus on the office he already has before seeking something more, I don't trust him to suddenly develop a sense of responsibility to his position AFTER I elect him to it. As I said, I've not researched his positions on many issues very deeply because I have already written him off as a candidate because I doubt his sincerity. There is no reason to research him further. thunderboltSep 23, 2014 at 7:57 pmi would add the andrew thunderbolts with the mascot "tommy thunderbolt". MDoubekRebootILSep 23, 2014 at 5:22 pmWhy do we boost salaries and teacher pensions 24 percent or more? rebootillinois http://www.rebootillinois.com/2014/09/23/editors-picks/madeleinedoubek/boost-salaries-teacher-pensions-24-percent/25544/#.VCF0yVvqd1w.twitter #twill DeJordySep 23, 2014 at 1:17 pmStill, the biggest driver of property taxes is the schools themselves. Drew PageSep 23, 2014 at 11:59 amUp until a few years ago, teachers and administrators were eligible for 15% to 20% increases in each of their last three years of service to a school district. Local school boards did have to pay the cost of theses salary increases over the last few years prior to a teacher's retirement, but they didn't have to pay the cost of the higher pension benefits these raises would create over the remainder of the retiree's lifetime, the taxpayers of Illinois did. Under TRS a teacher who puts in 34 years of service can retire on a full pension (75% of their average earnings over the last three years of service) at age 55 or older. Once they are on pension, that amount is increased annually by 3% compound interest. Over a 20 year time period a simple interest increase of 3% would amount to 60% increase in annual pension income. At a compounded 3% increase over that same 20 years would result in an 85% increase in annual pension income. A teacher retiring today at age 55, with an annual pension of $50,000 would receive at age 65 an annual pension of $67,700; and that assumes they no longer work for wages anywhere else. At age 75 they would receive an annual pension of $92,500. Now that is a handsome annual pension, even without Social Security. Where else do workers in Illinois get automatic annual 6% pay increases during the last 3 or 4 years of service to an employer? Very few employers in the private sector offer defined benefit pension plans. If pension plans are offered they are typically 401k plans that may, or may not, provide matching employer contributions, up to the first 4% of an employee's salary. These 401k pension plans don't provide a guaranteed annual pension benefit or COLA adjustments. DominickAhrensSep 23, 2014 at 11:58 amSorry, mobile posting and cats is a bad combination for accuracy. Let's try this again: Your comparison of the events in Missouri, Florida and Michigan share only one common denominator – the races of the decedents. The Zimmerman case was a case of self defense. The McBride shooting was a case of (at best) negligent homicide. Neither of them involved law enforcement, and both have completed the trial phase, while the event in Ferguson is still being reviewed the last time I checked, making any assumption into motives speculation at best. You also praise instant communication as a "means for actions that bridge the gulfs that separate races and ethnicities", but I have to wonder if your perceived remedy may not have side effects that might worsen the original situation. Consider the multitude of tweets and Facebook posts that have surrounded these incidents. We are not seeing news – that is, verifiable facts – communicated as quickly as we are half truths and opinions that bear the often biased opinion of their senders. Combine that with the perceived anonymity of the internet and many will post things that they would never say in a situation where they would have to be answerable for it. The idea that unfettered exchange of opinions equates to the dissemination of factual information fails to understand the old programmer's warning of GIGO – "Garbage In, Garbage Out" that could allow such media to function less as uniter and informer than divider and propagandist. We have seen similar offerings on a myriad number of topics not limited to race. Not that such media should be monitored or restricted, rather that as "caveat emptor" serves as a reminder for purchasers, perhaps "caveat lector" should be the motto of the new media many see as more timely. Additionally, while you highlight these shootings and the racial overtones surrounding them, you fail to mention that the predominant killers of African-American males are other African-American males. While I support the idea that a strong domestic economy helps people obtain and keep employment and helps them to become self-actualized, there are a number of people viewed as "authorities" that would lose their positions of influence if fewer people needed to turn to them for "representation", most of them promoters of more "economic redistribution" in the form of public aid and entitlements. DominickAhrensSep 23, 2014 at 11:36 amYour comparison of the events in Missouri, Florida and Michigan share only one common denominator – the races of the decedents. The Zimmerman case was a case of self defense. The McBride shooting was a case of (at best) negligent homicide. Neither of them involved law enforcement, and both have completed the trial phase, while the event in Ferguson is still being reviewed the last time I checked, making any assumption into motives speculation at best. You also praise instant communication as a "means for actions that bridge the gulfs that separate races and ethnicities", but fail to realize the programmer's warning of GIGO – "Garbage In, Garbage Out" that could allow such media to send lessees as uniter and informer than divider and propagandist. Consider the multitude of tweets and Facebook posts that have surrounded these incidents. We are not seeing news – that is, verifiable facts – communicated as quickly as we are half truths and opinions that bear the often biased opinion of their senders. Combine that with the perceived anonymity of the internet BeckyStrohlSep 23, 2014 at 10:55 amDavidSamuelsen TKJoliet I thought the whole idea of elections was to vote for the person whom you thought would be best for that office and NOT what society deems necessary. If we start thinking that voting is "wasted" because we don't vote for the lesser of two evils because that's what the establishment has decided then we are no longer a republic. DavidSamuelsenSep 23, 2014 at 10:46 amTKJoliet You have "not delved deep into his positions on important issues" , and yet you just right him off because he has continued to run for office. At this point you can vote for Oberweis who will help us stop Obama in his last two years, vote for Durbin if you support Obama, or waste your vote on an independent candidate. It is that simple. TKJolietSep 23, 2014 at 10:24 amBusinesses exist for 1 purpose – to make a profit. If they didn't, they would cease to exist. Walgreens and other U.S. corporations are doing exactly what they are designed to do when the seek out creative, inventive, illegal, or unpatriotic ways to increase their profits. But here's the rub – a large portion of Walgreens' and other corporate profits are obtained in the largest and most stable economy in the world – the U.S. Why is it the largest and most stable? Because a democratic political system combined with a robust market-based economy allowed it to evolve into that economy. That democratic and capitalistic system operates under a series of rules and investments. Walgreen's makes money because there is a local police force (paid for with taxes) in every jurisdiction they operate in that protects their local stores from theft, looting, and destruction. There is a series of transportation channels (rail, truck, boat, and plane) that allow them to move their goods across the country in an incredibly efficient manner, and that infrastructure is built, maintained, and managed by tax dollars. There is a objective and competent court system that exists for them to utilize when incorporating their business, engaging in contractual relationships, and when necessary litigating their case before an impartial judge. That court system operates on tax dollars. There is a federal bureaucracy that grants them patents and trademarks, protects those some patents and trademarks, and allows them to make profit as a business on those patents and trademarks, and that bureaucracy is operated with tax dollars. There is a competent and engaged citizenry that forms a labor force for Walgreens to staff their stores and corporate operations, and that competent citizenry is funded through a nation wide public education system, again paid for with tax dollars. Walgreens is doing exactly what they are designed to do when they seek to maximize their profits by relocating to another country. It is a wise business choice. Ethically and morally, however, it is the wrong choice. As a major player in the American economy Walgreens makes billions of dollars off the very products and services that are provided to them through tax dollars. Refusing to contribute to that system and neglecting to pay their fair share to maintain the effectiveness of that system is wrong, and Walgreens, or any corporation, who refuse to contribute while siphoning billions from the American economy are as deplorable as private citizens who attempt to dodge their responsibilities as well. TKJolietSep 23, 2014 at 9:23 amI know of no other public figure who has spent more time unsuccessfully campaigning for office than Jim Oberweis. 2002 – U.S. Senate; 2004 – U.S. Senate; 2006 – Governor; 2008 – U.S. House; 2012 – State Senate; 2014 – U.S. Senate. I've not delved deep into his positions on important issues because his perpetual seeking of office frightens me that he is someone who seeks to hold important office as a trophy and as a status symbol as opposed to a servant of the people. When he finally did win office for State Senator in the 2012 election, he immediately showed disdain (in my opinion) for the position he achieved by campaigning for a more "elite" position. It reeks of someone who wasn't even interested in the true duties and responsibilities of the job, but rather someone who wanted to use it merely as a springboard for something more. I'm certain the people of the 25th district that he represents weren't interested in electing a Senator who saw their needs and their representation as a just one small hurdle to tackle before moving on to something grander. I would like to believe the best of his intentions, but his continual campaigning casts serious doubts on his true motives (in my mind) and as such I cannot vote for someone who appears to be more interested in obtaining the "title" of Senator than engaging in the actual work of representing me. DeJordySep 23, 2014 at 9:11 amWhat BS to say these sweetenings "save money." With or without them, most teachers retire as soon as they can– at around 58. Who wouldn't when you get 75 percent of your salary with 3 percent raises for life? No extra incentive is neededThese days, that can start at $100,000. School boards have stuck taxpayers with these "gifts." Hinsdale should just say No. Don't even negotiate this; teachers already have provisions for raises. Drew PageSep 22, 2014 at 1:40 pmLet the Democrats take pot shots at Rauner. "Did we tell you that he is rich?" "Did we tell you he you he is 'out of touch'?" "Did we tell you that Rauner maybe, possibly, could have broke the law?""Did we tell you that Pat Quinn is a hell of a guy?" "Did we tell you that there really isn't an unemployment problem in Illinois, what with all the businesses and jobs that Quinn brought in?" "Underfunded pensions, credit ratings in the sewer? It's all GOP propaganda, don't believe it."If you believe what the Democrats are telling you and you like the way Illinois is today, keep voting for Democrats. kfloresSep 22, 2014 at 8:41 amI definitely find the article an interesting read, and am eager to look further into some of the claims, however I am immediately concerned about the costs per year that they are associating with childcare and education. I work for a Child Care Resource & Referral agency, and can tell you that on average, whether in a home or center, care for an infant ranges from $150-$200 per week. That is approximately $7800-$10,400 in just the first year. This does not account for costs in highly urban areas or areas with greater median income where the costs can be more than $300 per week. Sadly, for most families the cost of caring for one child does not come down enough to make a difference on the family budget until the child is at least 3 years old. It just makes me curious as to where the sources they cited in the article got their information. Jack RabbitSep 22, 2014 at 8:13 amJacobUssery Arcades? Those still exist? You may not have much to do in Southern Illinois, but the scenery and peace make up for that. Oh! The Southern Illinois Wine trail and craft breweries also help. Jack RabbitSep 22, 2014 at 8:12 amJacobUssery RogerLookSep 22, 2014 at 6:06 ami would like to see a chart covering the last 20 years showing who each governor had hired. something tells me this is more the norm for any governor in Illinois. vm3Sep 21, 2014 at 10:25 pmIs this really fair? You could probably post a list of the top 25 paychecks in any profession in Illinois, and the numbers would be larger than this.What's the median pay? What's the average? What's the percentile breakdown?Because without that information, I don't know if these 25 salaries are out of line or representative. And that makes your headline implying that superintendents are overpaid, questionable.Mind you, I'm not defending these salaries one way or the other. I'm just suggesting that reaching a con lusion based solely on the top 25 salaries is impossible. BrianWickensSep 21, 2014 at 6:28 pmMakes you wonder, this being Illinois, how many MORE state employees like this are out there and have been, mowing lawns and answering phones, for YEARS. RogerLookSep 21, 2014 at 9:42 amwe have also put more past governors in prison than any other state kimjnsnSep 20, 2014 at 10:59 pmIf this was a true nonpartisan poll, how could Wheaton College be # 1 as a liberal arts college when they consistently bash free speech when it comes to gay rights, reproductive rights, and following the law(ACA)? The practice is one of shutting those that don't believe rather that actually allowing free thought and debate. Pris HawkinsSep 20, 2014 at 7:59 pmPlease consider cities, towns and areas south of Springfield in these Illinois polls. I've noticed that there are several answers missing from each of your poles. Thank you, Priscilla Hawkins….. From Metropolis Illinois, which is within driving distance to Harrisburg, Karnak, Vienna, Thebes, and Cairo (where the Ohio and Mississippi rivers meet) . jocar531Sep 20, 2014 at 2:27 pmDrew Page Bud Leone RuleoflawLaw Great comment and true facts! Some people will never see the light! Drew PageSep 20, 2014 at 2:12 pmBud Leone Drew Page RuleoflawLaw Bud — thanks for your honesty. While it may seem otherwise, I understand that not all Democrats are bad people. My Dad was a lifelong Democrat, a WW II vet and a union man. A more honest man never walked the earth. He believed the Democrat party supported the working man. He would not tolerate lawbreakers, thieves, liars or cheats and he was especially scornful of anyone who was capable not working for a living. I believe that most of us have more in common than we sometimes like to admit. No group of people feel the same way on all issues and no person feels the same way on all issues. Very, very few people totally liberal or conservative on all issues. There are Democrats who are against more gun control laws and there are Republicans who favor gun confiscation. There likely are as many pro-choice people among the Republicans as there are pro-life people among Democrats. There are Republicans who understand that social safety nets are necessary for those who truly can't take care of themselves and there are Democrats that who feel the opposite. Unfortunately, there are politicians that will use those differences to divide us as a people, turning us against one another for their own political gain. Our president seems to be especially good at that. The news media love controversy and are more than happy to exploit controversies. They love to turn up the heat under the pot and watch it boil. When the operatives of one political party have been in power for a number of years and under their watch things have gotten worse, it is time to make a change. That doesn't make the people who call themselves Democrats or Republicans are bad people, but it does mean that their leaders have failed the American people. DaveChgoSep 20, 2014 at 2:11 pmWhile I appreciate the intellectual rigor of such an opinion, in fact I represent no clients in the area of climate change. That said, I do represent entrepreneurs of various types, private equity folks and others in the innovation economy who are working to create thousands of jobs in this country. So believe what you want to believe. Bud LeoneSep 20, 2014 at 1:03 pmDrew Page Bud Leone RuleoflawLaw I can pnly say I agree with you on all issues. I can also say that where this is concerned, I do know what I'm talking about, as I am a registered Democrat, and I worked for 21 years in a Democrat County and I know all too well how it works. Now don't get me wrong, we have a lot of good people at local levels, that are Democrats, but I for one would not give you two cents for any of them, at State or Federal level…… Drew PageSep 20, 2014 at 12:00 pmBud Leone RuleoflawLaw Drew Page Bud, there is no arguing with a guy like Rule-of-law. He is in the Democrat camp lock, stock and barrel. To him, anything and anyone Democrat is better than anything or anyone Republican. The Democrats have sold out the taxpayers to unions and minorities in exchange for votes and campaign contributions. Eventually, their irresponsibility caught up with them. Like the character 'Wimpy' in the Popeye cartoons, the Democrats "will gladly pay you tomorrow, for a hamburger today." The bills for all their spending have come due and they can't pay. So who do they want to stick with the bills? the businesses and individuals who do pay taxes, of course. It's hilarious watching them scramble to blame this on Republicans, when there aren't any. A man comes along who has made a very successful career in the private sector and has never been an elected politician and says,"Illinois is screwed up. We can't pay our bills. We haven't funded our pensions. Our credit rating has been downgraded multiple times. Businesses and individuals are fleeing the state. Public schools are being closed down. State income taxes have been increased 67% and even though we were promised by the governor it wouldn't be increased by more than 1%, he signed a 2% increase into law and although he said the increase would be temporary, he now wants it to be permanent. Our politicians see their jobs as lifetime positions, but I think all elected officials should have term limits of only eight years. I think I can do better."Now Democrats, like our friend 'Rule-of-law', want to attack the Republican who has had nothing to do with the mess that Illinois has become. By some sophistry of "reason", they have concluded that Rauner is out of touch with regular people, but guys like MIke Madigan, Richard M. Daley and Rahm Emanuel are in touch with regular folks who, over their dinner of hot dogs and beans, are worried about meeting their mortgage, paying their bills and being able to afford sending their kids to college. If there were evidence of Rauner's "corruption" don't you think that a conscientious Attorney General would have brought charges against him, had him indicted and put on trial? Apparently such a possibility did not occur to 'Rule-of-law'. Perhaps 'Rule' should petition the Democrats to have the State's Attorney General investigated by a Special Prosecutor for failure to diligently prosecute Rauner's suspected illicit activities. There are a hell of a lot of things wrong with Illinois, but Rauner isn't responsible for them and unlike his Democrat opposition, he has pledged to leave office at the earlier of being voted out or at the end of eight years. When is the last time you ever heard a democrat say that? DavidSamuelsenSep 20, 2014 at 11:13 amSo Dave Lundy is president of a company that makes it money in "communications" with a focus on "energy and the environment". In other words he spreads lies about global warming. Why should anyone believe what he has to say about anything. DennisSpears1Sep 20, 2014 at 10:23 amYour own poll shows that Grimm is pulling MORE from Democrats! Why to you continue to perpetuate the lie that we are all disenfranchised Republicans? Why no mention of Chad Grimm by name till the 5th or 6th paragraph? You are really starting to show your true colors and they are not unbiased or independent! BenKoylSep 20, 2014 at 10:14 amThis is the first paragraph of this article, "A new Reboot Illinois poll shows a tightening in the race between Gov. Pat Quinn and Republican challenger Bruce Rauner as a Libertarian candidate for the first time offers respondents frustrated with the major party candidates a third-party option."Would it be so hard to just put Chad Grimm next to Libertarian candidate? The Democrat and Republican get a name, but the Libertarian does not. Seems unfair to me. DavidMolinaroloSep 20, 2014 at 12:47 amHow can you boast about the amount of jobs created when the people who left the workforce was probably much greater? I highly doubt these numbers trend any different than the national numbers, which usually run between 150-300K jobs created, but with upwards of 750K dropping out of the workforce. Written as a math equation that would be lets say + 200K – 750K still equals – 550K. So, the Net Job Creation is Negative. ckfredSep 19, 2014 at 7:46 pmI know a lot of very successful people who graduated from North Central College in Naperville. I find it hard to believe that NCC is ranked lower than the Illinois liberal colleges listed here. NCC is building a new, state-of-the-art science building, and NCC has a tremendous theater program. From what I gather, the only school in Illinois with a better theater program than NCC is Northwestern, considering the number of great actors who studied at NU. jocar531Sep 19, 2014 at 7:03 pmRuleoflawLaw jocar531 I can not believe how you can possibly think Quinn is the better man…..you are kidding right? Two serious investigations and you are overlooking them? Other than that state of Illinois he has contributed too, now we will being picking up his court and attorney fees. Don't think you can do things ALL by yourself as in, tax assessing. We have lived in our present house 31 years and have put in for property tax corrections 3 times and have received lower taxes 3 times. We also own a condo and have done the same once and received an adjustment also. The County Assessor's office will try to pull the wool over your eyes every time and insurance companies are great at doing it. Quinn is not a stand up guy, he caves in to Madigans whims of stupidity. Bud LeoneSep 19, 2014 at 6:29 pmRuleoflawLaw Drew Page He took my money? You can't possibly be serious with that remark. My God man what do you think Quinn and company have been doing the last 6 years, besides raping the state? When I read your comments, I now know why this country is in the shape it is, and how idiots like obobo got in, not once but twice… RuleoflawLawSep 19, 2014 at 5:48 pmDrew Page RuleoflawLaw Short answer, Rauners took tax dollars for his businesses, that means he took your money. As for property taxes or any kind of taxation, that started long before any of us were born. Do you recall a guy name Rostenkowsky? Check him out. No matter who is governor, the real power is in the legislative body. Quid pro quo is Latin for play to pay. Yes, that phrase has been around since time immemorial. Reason that the scenery does not change much, is because of low information voters or low participation at the polls. Thus the reason for the financial chaos. How do you propose that services be rendered, specially with the top billionaires not wanting to pay their faire share? And no, businesses have not been exiting the state. You probably hear about one or two that will threaten to leave the state, if they do not get some tax abatement. Quinn has said "no" to many, but they stay- the problem is that the issue is dead and the public does not her about it anymore. Another reason is that such a company does a financial analysis of their income statements/ stocks/ shares, etc. and find that it is not financially feasible to uproot and leave. They end up on the loosing end. It is all hype. Just ask the residents of Wisconsin, if they have benefitted from jobs out of Illinois? still for the moment "Quinn is the man for the state." you know that he did not create the tax fiasco, the pension's deficits, etc. Have to run. -Enjoy the day. Bud LeoneSep 19, 2014 at 5:27 pmRuleoflawLaw You may be right, but as far as me and my family are concerned, we have had our fill of Quinn and it will be Rauner all the way. RuleoflawLawSep 19, 2014 at 5:20 pmjocar531 RuleoflawLaw Quick reply-not much time. It is wonderful when companies offer assistance such as water or other essentials, but you the taxpayers pay for it. Yes, companies do make an effort to help, but for them is a tax write off, so who really pays? in other words, they do not loose money, just gain "good will from the people." As for appealing one's property tax bill, because they may seem high. Well, the work involved is sometimes not worth a few dollars, that will comeback on the next bill. Personally, never had to, because I am able to calculate and verify, if my property taxes are in line with the accorded assessment. If one has to pay a lawyer to do it, not worth it. Many companies that want to enter any state, first course of business is to ask for tax abatement for -say the first five years or so, usually is a school district or a community that wants induce businesses to come in. Usually in exchange for a few lousy jobs at minimum wages. Guess who ends up picking up." the difference the difference? the local taxpayers. You should try attending some of your municipal meetings and watch your local elected officials in action, with these companies. This has no bearing on political parties. They both try to do what is best for their "constituents." At least those looking in. Personally, there has to be a better way, say with a third party. Frankly, when Rauner started with his ads, it told the tale. I saw right away, what most do not see. As for Quinn, he is still the better man for Illinois. Knowing the history, as I do, Quinn is the man for now. Another is to try to understand how taxation works. Not all is peaches and cream. All I have time for today. Have a great day. Do not sweat the small stuff, life is too short. MichaelLAnstromSep 19, 2014 at 3:42 pmRuleoflawLaw Thanks for the laugh of the day. Vote conservative and get these leftist bums out of our government!!! Dump Quinn!!! jocar531Sep 19, 2014 at 3:10 pmI completely agree with Drew. As we have already learned thru the BO administration how these numbers can and have been totally wrong. How many unemployed people have left the state? How many people have run out of unemployment benefits? How many people have decided it's useless to look for a job in Illinois? First and foremost these questions must be answered for a "REAL" number? And "why" would Quinn get credit for the unemployment number? Did he hire these people? OR DID the companies "HE PAID OFF" to remain in Illinois employ these people? NEVER trust a DEMOCRAT……..Never trust the democratic machine……..never trust a Blago partner! Look around at almost ALL the fallen politicians from Illinois….what party did they belong to? How many even lied after being caught? How many screamed "INNOCENT"? Voters have you learned anything yet? Vote REPUBLICAN and/or CONSERVATIVE! Don't bite off your nose to spite your face. Tony PedrettiSep 19, 2014 at 1:07 pmVery interested in seeing Small Donor Matching catch on in my village and the throughout the state. Drew PageSep 19, 2014 at 11:25 amIt would be interesting to learn if those "unemployment" numbers exclude those who have exhausted their unemployment benefits and those who have given up looking for work. It seems likely they would not include those who have left the state seeking jobs elsewhere. Drew PageSep 19, 2014 at 11:20 amLenSilva Drew Page Len, you may be right about that. However, I believe that any and all elected officials from town councilman, city alderman, up to and including the president should be limited to holding their elected office for no longer than eight years in their lifetime. Career politicians do no one, except themselves, any good. Eight years in an elected office should be enough for anyone. If the president of the U.S. can be limited to eight years, so too can any lesser office. LenSilvaSep 19, 2014 at 10:39 amDrew Page LenSilva Nope, just pointing out that most people think every congressman is a bum, except theirs. Drew PageSep 19, 2014 at 10:28 amLenSilva You must be a judge in Illinois. LenSilvaSep 19, 2014 at 8:52 amWe only need term limits for your party, not mine. JamesPeronSep 19, 2014 at 8:44 amIf the Republicans succeed in destroying choice at the polls then I hope libertarians will announce their intention to vote Democrat and to campaign urging others do the same. TiredOfIllinoisPoliticsSep 19, 2014 at 6:37 amNo Third Party Candidates on the ballot? I won't be voting. I REFUSE to vote for Quinn OR Rauner, and with the Republican Party trying to get Grimm off the ballot, I will NEVER vote for another Republican Candidate in any election for any position again, PERIOD! You've just proven you're no better than Democrats by manipulating the election to your own advantage. It's suppose to be about giving THE PEOPLE what THEY WANT, not for the betterment of the PARTY! BillReidSep 19, 2014 at 12:03 amAverage age of 82? Come to the next ten wakes you see posted in the obituaries, you'll be lucky to find one over 82. Your opinion is cruel, uneducated, greedy and oppressive especially considering the life threatening commitment your employees have made. DaveChgoSep 18, 2014 at 10:29 pm@Joyce Thanks Joyce. I try. DaveChgoSep 18, 2014 at 10:28 pmTravisValgren He said nothing of the kind. Don't know where you're getting that from. DaveChgoSep 18, 2014 at 10:28 pmTravisValgren Durbin's commercials have done nothing of the kind. They've been positive and focused on his accomplishments. Perhaps you're thinking of someone else. mjbuttrySep 18, 2014 at 10:08 pmAgreed BuddyAdelsbergerSep 18, 2014 at 5:34 pmDurbin has proven he is against the constitution. He thinks only police or military has guns, because the Chief of Police in Chicago believes it so. Durbin thinks Holder is the greatest Attorney General there is. He has written me letters several times staging so. Durbin is worthless just like Obama. rebootillinoisSep 18, 2014 at 5:26 pmSoquelCreek MDoubekRebootIL Same with Illinois, sadly. SoquelCreekSep 18, 2014 at 5:24 pmMDoubekRebootIL rebootillinois California is an example to the nation! Too often, it's a negative example. http://twitter.com/SoquelCreek/status/512728988414775297/photo/1 SoquelCreekSep 18, 2014 at 5:23 pmMDoubekRebootIL rebootillinois Illinois wants to raise taxes so Democrats can give cronies $330 MILLION/YEAR, too? http://twitter.com/SoquelCreek/status/512728525841760256/photo/1 SoquelCreekSep 18, 2014 at 5:21 pmMDoubekRebootIL rebootillinois What? Illinois want to have an unemployment rate higher than 43 other states, too? http://twitter.com/SoquelCreek/status/512728235407183875/photo/1 BeckyStrohlSep 18, 2014 at 9:52 amI'm going Libertarian or independent parties anymore. I've had enough of the lie that Democrats and Republicans are different parties. They have been in power for too long and have become more oligarchy than republic. You know the saying "The definition of insanity is repeating the same actions but expect a different outcome". TravisValgrenSep 18, 2014 at 8:49 am@Joyce I take it you don't watch the Democrat commercials. False accusations, outright lies and twisted quotes. Snarling? Unbelievable you are that biased. TravisValgrenSep 18, 2014 at 8:46 amDurbin thinks amnesty would have stopped the Ebola crisis. Enough said, Dementia is setting in. gvw3Sep 18, 2014 at 8:17 amI can't for the life of me understand why this guy keeps getting re-elected! I have had correspondence with him and found him to be very arrogant. I was pretty much told if I didn't like the way it was I could move to another state. I know my real estate taxes have tripled in the last 10 years. How about you? copper12Sep 17, 2014 at 9:52 pmIf these municipalities would have paid into the pension funds like they were supposed to they wouldn't be in this mess. What they also fail to tell you is the employees paid into their pensions and the municipalities are not posting their fare share. Instead they borrowed against it. JJMRSep 17, 2014 at 1:30 pmit appears to me that both could be right about the strengths and weakness of Durbin. But Durbins inability to see the economic issues of this country lead me to side with Mr. Robling JoyceSep 17, 2014 at 12:56 pmThis was disappointing. Mister Robling used such inflated and heated language that it was difficult to take him seriously. It came off to my ear as so much election-year snarling. The more measured tone of Mister Lundy's comments was appreciated by this reader. JeffSep 17, 2014 at 12:15 pmDurbin has to go period. He is not been well respected for some time, and proudly carries a D- to F rating. Agreed, he's a rubber stamp for Obama… Note: Durbin also recently voted along with other Dems to restrict the 1st Amendment – which protects core political speech. Republicans unanimously rejected this vote and prevailed. Time to layout the welcome mat for Oberwise. Ron SchaberSep 17, 2014 at 12:11 pmKeep Obama's pet or insert a corporate fat cat? The Democrats and Republicans have been tearing this country apart for decades and stripping away our rights and we keep giving them the opportunity. There is a third choice. Libertarian Sharon Hanson. She doesn't have the corporate sponsors/masters like the other candidates so she is free to work for We The People. Break the status quo and take your country back!http://www.sharonhansenforussenate.org/home MichaelLAnstromSep 17, 2014 at 10:51 amDurbin has proven himself to be a rubber stamp for Obama and, thus, an enemy of the people of this nation. Dump him into the dustbin of history. Vote conservative! Mike SE ILSep 17, 2014 at 7:22 amThis is an insult to Illinois. Get outside the Chicago metroplex and away from the interstate exchanges and discover the real Illinois. When you make it to the Moonshine Store you might have some credibility. jocar531Sep 17, 2014 at 7:14 amDrew Page RuleoflawLaw Excellent facts and true comments! Drew PageSep 17, 2014 at 6:36 amRuleoflawLaw You are correct, neither the state nor the president control gasoline prices, but that doesn't stop local, state or the federal governments from slapping hefty taxes on a gallon of gas. If you do your fact checking you will find that the government tax on a gallon of gas is far more than the oil companies make in profit on that same gallon. With respect to outsourcing jobs, how many of those jobs that left Illinois actually went to China? The majority of the businesses fleeing Illinois went to Wisconsin, Indiana, Iowa or right to work states. But you ant to go back to Nixon (the Republican) and blame him. I notice you had nothing to say when President Obama's friend and "New Jobs Creation Czar", Jeff Imelt, the CEO of General Electric moved 8,000 jobs from the U.S. to China. You, like Quinn and the rest of the Democrats, want to attack Rauner for being wealthy. I say good for Rauner. Unlike the state of Illinois, Rauner never took a dime from me. He never lied to me. He is the only politician in Illinois that I ever heard that wants term limits for elected officials (a max of eight years) and I believe that's exactly what is needed here. No one ever forced the public to do business with Rauner or the businesses he was involved with. If you have proof that he did something illegal, show it to the Attorney General, Mike Madigan's daughter. I am sure she would be delighted to prosecute Rauner for any laws he broke. You say the government can't be run as a for profit entity. While that may be true, it doesn't mean that government should spend more than it takes in. That is what responsible budgeting is supposed to prevent. We have seen proof positive that certain Illinois politicians have run Illinois government as a personal "for profit" entity. Mike Madigan's has accumulated substantial personal wealth as a partner of a law firm that just happens to specialize in reducing property taxes for businesses and corporations. The property tax breaks given to businesses and corporations need to be recovered by being charged to individual home owners. Those property taxes in Cook County are assessed by the man that Madigan installed as County Assessor. And you believe that state government has nothing to do with property taxes? Can you or anyone else remember when the roads and highways in Illinois weren't under constant resurfacing with asphalt? How much in political campaign contributions to the Democrat party come from the Illinois Asphalt Dealers Association? Have you never heard the words "pay to play"? Do you not believe that is the way those in control of granting contracts in the state of Illinois have continually done business? When Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and Senate president Cullerton put together a sweetheart deal for 53 union bosses by making them eligible for City and State pension plans, based on their union salaries, with some "working" as little as one day as a public sector employee, the government was being run as a for profit entity for those union bosses. By the way, those union bosses were also collecting full pensions from their unions in addition to the pensions they will collect under the public pensions. The state of Illinois is in a terrible financial position with public pensions being substantially underfunded, constant borrowing, continual cuts to its credit and bond ratings resulting in higher and higher interest that Illinois must pay to sell its bonds. Continual corruption, tax increases and more tax increases threatened, it is no wonder why businesses and individuals are fleeing the state. Instead of doing anything to clean up this mess what do the Democrats do? They blame Bruce Rauner, who has had nothing to do with it and call for the public to re-elect the same people who brought us to the current disaster that is Illinois. RadineKelloggSep 16, 2014 at 9:38 pmwhat about the great hand breaded tenderloin and homemade BBQ at B's Drive-In in Farmingtin ? Yep, visit the heartland of Illinois of good food. FromNormalILSep 16, 2014 at 9:10 pmFive-eight-eight… two-three-hundred….emPIIIIIIRE! jamcclureSep 16, 2014 at 6:23 pmMay be guy should come to the Southern part of Illinois oil to try the great food at The Dinner Bell 2 and The Great Boar both located in Anna. ChelsieSchoberndSep 16, 2014 at 5:21 pmMels Illinois Riverdock located in Hardin. Try it out sometime. And Kampsville's Louies. Great places. ChelsieSchoberndSep 16, 2014 at 5:18 pmI bet if you go somewhere BESIDES Chicago and it's surrounding areas, you'd find even better food, too! Chicago ain't the only city in Illinois >:/ jocar531Sep 16, 2014 at 2:11 pmRuleoflawLaw Sorry but you better check out some of your lies. In a natural disaster companies do donate water, supplies, etc., don't just think the government buys and hands out everything. What corporations has government rescued? Union companies, like the automobile industry and than on top of that the government stepped in with the clunkers program. And what did that do to small repair shops and parts stores? Did it help Detroit to flourish back to life? Counties do have a say and regulate taxes, BUT have you ever applied for a cut in your property taxes and received it due to being over estimated? Schools pay a school per student NOT per school so if a children goes to another school under a voucher program that money would go with the child! Competition is a GREAT thing. We just might see teachers that are NOT doing their job, ;ose their job…….NO MORE UNION PROTECTION. No more huge increases in pay and benefits. Since when did classrooms of 34 children become too big? Why? If we go back an average class had 50 – 52 children with NO teacher assistance.How many companies has Quinn taxed out of Illinois? How much tax money was than offered to the most profitable companies to stay? How many people have been taxed out of Illinois? How many Illinois, from any county, pushed to keep kids in school and graduate? How many black" leaders" have HELPED the Black communities by speaking to them positively and bringing in black business owners to relate to them? What is Quinn under investigation for? Lost tax dollars? Did Quinn keep his promise on the temporary tax? How many politicians have stolen from their campaign funds? And what party are they associated with? I can go on and on but this is a great start, so go ahead and knock your socks off to answer the questions. RuleoflawLawSep 16, 2014 at 11:21 amSorry, you are all repeating what you hear on the commercials. Fact check before answering. Who do you really think controls the oil industry? Not even the president, whoever may be in office at the time. Jobs? the job creators had been offshoring manufacturing since Nixon introduced the USA to China. Minimum wage? Would any of you work for such low wages? If not for the increases, you might still be earning 3.25 per hour. With the cost of living heightened over the decades, would you lead a middle class life style, earning 8.25 per hour? Middle class means a good paying job, that affords you the ability to support your family-own a home- vacation once a year-a little savings, and all that compliments a decent life style. Rauner made his money by your consumerism. State funding for his nursing homes, charter schools, which do not guarantee success, but take away public school money that should be preserved for public schools. Additionally, Rauner is lying to you. The governor's office does not control property taxes, that is a local/county mandate, you might take the time to check that fact with your local municipality. Do you know that government is a service entity? Government cannot be run as a for profit entity. What do you expect when a natural disaster occurs? It will not be a private business that comes to the rescue. Fact is, the corporations expect government to come to their rescue, which means -you the taxpayers also rescue the corporation. Would you be okay waiting for police response or fire department response longer than 25 minutes, when the most s/be 3/5 minutes? Services is what government is about, and it cost! Of course, if you are one of the top earners in Illinois or anywhere else, guaranteed lifetime good health, live in a mansion, all I can say about that -is "never say never."- Best to all of you. Bud LeoneSep 16, 2014 at 9:58 amDrew Page RuleoflawLaw I can't dispute one thing you said, your right on target!!! Bud LeoneSep 16, 2014 at 9:49 amDavidMolinarolo I agree totally with your assessment of Quinn. he and his buddies have cost us plenty in the way of jobs, because of taxes. Just look at what we pay for gas, and how much cheaper it would be with all the taxes they have placed on it, so they could have more money to squander. We need professionals with business sense, not professional politicians… DavidMolinaroloSep 16, 2014 at 8:40 amI would reply, but the other two gentlemen seem to have everything I was gonna say covered with one exception. The Minimum Wage. Ever since IL raised its MW to $8.25 it has been the largest exporter of jobs in the Midwest. Jobs have been moving to IN, and Scott Walker's WI. IL has ALWAYS been bad about understanding what brings jobs to a region. One is cost of Labor, the other of course is Tax Incentives. Here's an example…20 some odd years ago, my hometown was in the running to get a Tyson's chicken plant that would have brought in several hundred jobs in a community of 20K people. We didn't get the plant in a rather embarrassing way which I won't go into here, because the plant went to Kentucky because that state gave it a nice tax incentive to locate there. Bruce Rauner, as a businessman, knows about what it takes to draw business. Quinn, who's a political bureaucrat, just simply doesn't. In fact Quinn's policies are hostile to business. Drew PageSep 16, 2014 at 8:31 amRuleoflawLaw There are a number of states that don't have state income taxes, but the people who live there have fire and police departments, public transportation, their trash gets picked up, their kids go to public schools, their roads and bridges are maintained. Illinois can only wish they were as financially as well off as Wisconsin and Indiana which, by the way, are the states attracting the businesses and individuals fleeing Illinois.I don't need to look at the history of Illinois; I lived it for 70 years. I have seen the unbridled corruption and mismanagement bring the state to its current level of decay. I have seen four of the last eight Governors convicted of corruption and sent to prison. I have seen Operation Greylord send several of our judges convicted of taking bribes and sent to prison, along with scads of Chicago aldermen and political fixers. I have seen Chicago lead the country in the number of murders each year. I have seen the taxpayers sold out to the unions and minorities for their votes and campaign contributions. You won't ever have to worry about Illinois being run like a business, not as long as it continues to raise taxes. Bud LeoneSep 16, 2014 at 6:31 amRuleoflawLaw Bud Leone 1)Pat Quinn raised taxes by 67% on every Illinoisan and now wants to make his massive tax hike permanent. 2)Pat Quinn promised job creation would be a top priority, but Illinois leads the Midwest in job losses. 3) Pat Quinn promised not to cut education, but he cut $500 million, causing teacher layoffs and crowded classrooms. 4) Pat Quinn used to support term limits, but now he opposes Bruce Rauner's term limits initiative. 5) He hurt dedicated employees on the retirement system. jocar531Sep 16, 2014 at 5:16 amRuleoflawLaw Bud Leone David (below) wrote you an answer BUT QUINN also teamed up with Blago, for how long? He ignored what was happening around him and SO he got into the drivers seat. If you have noticed many reports talk about republicans (Congress) not being on the same page, well I for one don't think it's a bad thing because people are elected to represent their district and/or state not to be "BROWN NOSED" and follow the leader no matter how much their people want or do not want something. They have NO FREE THINKERS, it's ALL the same voting stance as if they were ONE, just like healthcare, don't need to know what's in it, vote for it and then we'll find out! Have you learned your lesson from that vote alone yet? Obviously not! IF the black man BO wants it we will do it no matter what the American People want! The democrats only follow that is why America is in the tank. No longer respected, a weakened military and ISIS and/or ISIL threatening America. Illinois is a business, should be treated as a business and therefore MUST have a business leader! Budget. Taxes. Contracts. Bills, ETC. Grow up and face the truth stop hiding behind liars and power pushers that is why Illinois is on the verge of collapse! SavannahSep 15, 2014 at 11:13 pmThis list is here because they are the top schools with low income. This is the second list that Newsweek posted. Hope that helps. Have a great night! RuleoflawLawSep 15, 2014 at 11:06 pmThe ignorance in this blog is overwhelming. Some need to take a long look at history in Illinois. If anyone on this page thinks that government can run like a business, think again when it is all privatized and one of you may find yourselves on hard times. Try telling the private water company why you cannot pay the bill. Or when an emergency, you call 911 -house is on fire-you have not paid your fee, therefore the house burns down. Or a burglar in your house, the police may take 25 minutes to answer the call, which normally is 2/3 minutes. Or the state infrastructure does not improve, a bridge collapse and a family member has been affected in the collapse. The list is endless. No, Quinn is not perfect, but Rauner will be the devastation of Illinois. Look to your neighbors to the North Wisconsin or to the South Indiana and Michigan. RuleoflawLawSep 15, 2014 at 10:39 pmBud Leone Okay- list all the bad things that Quinn has done against the state and its people. elemenousSep 15, 2014 at 9:58 pmHow can Lake Forest and Stevenson be on this list with a poverty rate of 4.65 and 4.24 respectively? They may be a top school, but I don't know what they are doing on this list of top low income schools… Bud LeoneSep 15, 2014 at 5:21 pmI can't believe people would be that stupid to re-elect him, after all that he has done to this State. In my opinion, this amounts to nothing more than political propaganda!!! MichaelLAnstromSep 15, 2014 at 4:22 pmAbsolute and total BS! DavidMolinaroloSep 15, 2014 at 3:15 pmI wouldn't trust any poll done by a Democratic donor or anything coming out Chicago. They can word the questions anyway they want to get the answers they want. As an example, I got a polling call about a week ago that had the strangest answer range I have ever heard in a poll. You know, most of the time, you get "Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree", right? This poll had answers in the Negative…about how much Doubt you had towards the candidate given a certain statement. So it was a bit confusing on even how to answer the questions. I don't know who conducted the poll, but it sounded like the questions in that section came right out of a Democratic Talking Point Playbook, because the things they attributed to Rauner, to which they gave a "negative" connotation to, were things that would actually wanna make me vote FOR Rauner rather than against. So I would take these polls here with a grain of salt. I would say that because Rauner has had such a lead in all the polls leading up to these couple, I say that these were outliers at best. If the people of Illinois really think re-electing Quinn is going to make things better, then they are as stupid as they come. Don't forget, Quinn inherited the current situation from Blago, so he can't blame it on a Republican. jocar531Sep 15, 2014 at 12:59 pmJust go to show you how ignorant Illinois voters are! Just goes to show you that blacks have NO IDEA about the democrats and how the democrats use and abuse them! Just goes to show you that people on welfare are very happy to remain on welfare and will TAKE anything that is given RATHER than working for it! Just goes to show you how CORRUPT ALL DEMOCRATS truly are, they will lie, they will condemn the rich for being richer than they are and they will not hide ALL their scandals, tax increases, lies and NOT CARING about the poor and job creation. Illinois is on the verge of bankruptcy and the voters are pretending that it will not happen. How soon are they really hoping for Illinois to become a Detroit? How many red flags must be raised before voters SEE that the democratic machine has caused higher taxes, job loss, business departure, too many guilty city counsel, alderman, etc. elected officilas before ILLINOIS VOTERS WAKE UP? Of ALL the politicians found GUILTY of "STEALING MONEY" how many are BLACK? Are the public schools up to par are student scores? Have the teachers received raises with each and every contract? Has the high school graduation rate increased? Have Illinois community leaders come out to speak to anyone about staying in school, improving their future, taking care of their children, standing up to drug and gang violence, stopping the weekly murders? HELL NO! Tell me the name of a DEMOCRAT that is worried about your future as an Illinoisan? Enough said!!!!! Can't come up with 1 name!!!!!!!! there is the answer as to how to vote………………..VOTE REPUBLICAN and/or CONSERVATIVE!!!11 Stop the ILLEGALS from coming in to America and being sent to Illinois! Stop the money being used on ILLEGALS and bring down taxes in Illinois!*******QUINN and MADIGAN 1 & 2, I dare you to have LIE DETECTOR TESTS with questions being asked by LEGAL VOTERS!!!!**************** Drew PageSep 15, 2014 at 11:54 amIt wasn't Rauner who said he would veto any income tax exceeding an additional 1%. It was Quinn who said that then signed into law the additional 2% increase in state income taxes. It wasn't Rauner who said the income tax increase would only be temporary, it was Pat Quinn. It was Pat Quinn who appointed a woman to fill a temporary vacancy in the Illinois House of Representatives to get the necessary one additional vote to pass the additional 2% increase to the state income tax. It has been Pat Quinn, Mike Madigan and the Democrat majorities in both the Illinois House and Senate that have presided over the continuing under-funding of state pension plans, the continual financial downgrading of Illinois credit rating and bonds. It has been these same Democrats that have been responsible for the flight of businesses and individuals from the state.This, and a poll of 800 people say Rauner is out of touch? Why, because the guy is a multi-millionaire? So is MIke Madigan, why don't the polls show he is "out of touch". After all, how many 'regular' people get to decide what will and won't become laws? How many 'regular' people get to install their daughter as State Attorney General? How many 'regular' people get to decide who will and who will not be judges in the Illinois court system? How many 'regular'people get to kick voter initiatives to limit the terms of elected officials off the ballot?I will say this about Quinn, he is a 'regular' Democrat politician. If you think he is "in touch" with the people of Illinois, ask him over to your house for dinner on day. Ask him to give you a hand painting your house. Ask "Mr. In Touch" Quinn to get your husband a full time job for $20.00 an hour. Since he is so concerned with "education", ask him push for legislation that would provide vouchers for parents who want to send their kids to better schools. Ask 'regular guy' Pat Quinn to push legislation that would limit the terms of elected officials. Einstein once said that insanity could be defined as doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. If Pat Quinn gets re-elected it will only prove that those voting for him meet Einstein's definition. ScottKnierimSep 14, 2014 at 2:40 amHaa Flat Rock ,,,,,,, Moonshine ,,,,,back in our drilling days I think was just a General Store TSep 13, 2014 at 6:49 amYou missed Funk houser theRIGHTwaySep 12, 2014 at 7:35 pmThese stats are based on the VERY obvious reasons. Pathetic and WRONG. JeneeSep 12, 2014 at 6:18 pm* All the deer in Deer Grove and Deerfield and all those other deer places. *The nut towns – I believe there are a few Walnuts and Walnut Groves. *Is there really carbon in Carbondale? *Does Anna live in Anna? *I thought Tampico was in Mexico?*The battle of Yorktown and Prophetstown were not even in Illinois.*Oregon and Ohio, I thought those were states? *Don't apply for college in Princeton or Harvard, you'll be disappointed. *How much wood is in a Woodstock? Or are there just birds, instead? *Rock Falls, Rockton, and Rockford sound too dangerous. *Buda? Buda lova's? *You can't be a girl if you live in Amboy *Do they sell vodka in Belvidere? *What type of fruit is a Marengo? *Parking is cheap in Freeport. ckfredSep 12, 2014 at 3:43 pmSo where are the schools that are traditionally considered elite schools like New Trier, Hinsdale Central, and Nequa Valley? ckfredSep 12, 2014 at 3:41 pmWilliamMcdonald Most of the wealthier suburban school district don't get a lot of state aid, when compared to the Chicago Public Schools. I saw how little my elementary and high school districts get lately. It's far less, as a percentage of the budget, compared to when I was a kid in District 101 in Western Springs. BigOldGeekSep 12, 2014 at 3:18 pmWilliamMcdonald Riiiight. Those few poor Chicago people stealing all that money from those virtuous downstaters. Never mind that Cook pays 40% of the taxes in the state while only having 24% of the population. Cook and the collar counties are quite literally worth 80%+ of the assessed real estate value of the state. But yeah, we're "Stealing" from Springfield. RuleoflawLawSep 12, 2014 at 3:06 pmRauner is a very wealthy man, and now he feels that he is entitled to be head of the state. Really? He is not really concern about the plight of the small businessmen. The main issue for him is getting tax breaks for the top corporations in the state, which of course, will benefit him "handsomely!" Remember, he initially wanted to dismantle minimum wage? He sure backed off that one quickly. He cannot do anything about property taxes-that is not state business. That type of taxation belongs to the local cities/counties. So people, please do not be fooled by those ads with minorities! Give me a break. When did he discover that they even existed? Why not ask him about his company's personnel practices? What is the percentage of minority hiring within his company and at what degree of promotions among minorities? The man reminds me of the snake oil salesman for the early days of our nation. Maybe he is a descendant of one of them. He is bad for Illinois. He is simply looking out to benefit his company holdings and those of his wealthy connections. Drew PageSep 12, 2014 at 7:11 amKarenShermanBushy Karen – The last paragraph gets to the heart of the issue, not only locally, but state wide and country wide. There exists in this country a mentality that will always pander to those who demand more from others, whose attitude is "you have it, I want it, so you owe it to me". KarenShermanBushySep 11, 2014 at 11:38 pmNo recognition at all of the greater effect on the local economy: If I go out of business, not only do I put 11 people on unemployment rolls, the shopping center that already has its share of vacancies will have more. The property tax I pay to the local schools (about $9,000 a year) goes away. The sales tax I pay (about $25,000 a year) goes away – that is how local governments fund police, fire, plow the snow, etc. I have 13 suppliers who are small "mom and pop" businesses. We ARE their retail outlet. Not sure where they'll sell their goods, or if they'll be able to maintain themselves in business.Who gets the money REALLY? The state and the feds as they collect increased taxes from these poor, downtrodden people. The unions will figure out how to get their slice, as we're seeing in the news these days, and who else? The insurance companies, of course – workers comp insurance is paid on TOTAL GROSS PAYROLL. Or – I can stay in business and raise my prices, HOPING the market will sustain a price increase like that. Considering that I'll not only have to be paying for my own direct cost increases, but knowing that every supplier will have to raise their wholesale prices to compensate for their increased costs as well.This all makes sense to somebody, I'm sure – – – most likely to those who hope to get re-elected on the back of such a "grand plan". Shame on them all. LanceknightmareSep 11, 2014 at 5:57 pmThis seems to be a problem. This data says just as I already knew. If the minimum wage is increased. Workers will just cut there employees to make up the difference. Even though the number of workers will be cut to equalize the cost of doing business. These companies will STILL increase the cost of there wares. This means that dishonest and morally questionable businesses will profit from this change. While the main stream media will most likely convince the majority that there is no profit for these businesses and there is some sort of loss of revenue. I say stop charging fees for everything. At least for businesses that make under a certain amount. New businesses are not able to go into business and many businesses are struggling because of the taxes. The amount gained from these taxes I don't consider to be a considerable amount. Sure there is more tax money being taken from each individual business. Though, there are less businesses to tax because of it. jocar531Sep 11, 2014 at 2:54 pmI believe what he is saying but I do not have faith in the "welfarers" to stop crying that they need more. Too many have been handout takes for generations, baby makers and free loaders.Too many do not attend school to receive any type of diploma, And recently we have the democratic party telling people to cut their hours or to quit their job. So exactly what type of "turn around" do you expect from these people? How many have multiple "FREE" phones? So, the doers will still be the givers and the takers will remain the takers. But you haven't said anything on the subject, you are only listening and going by what 'ONE" man says. Try getting business owners opinions, or wearing their shoes, before you draw a conclusion! Tony PedrettiSep 11, 2014 at 1:44 pmIf you can put Rhetoric and other bias aside, what does the opposition offer to equivalently boost a middle class-driven economy and Nick Hanauer's points here? http://www.ted.com/talks/nick_hanauer_beware_fellow_plutocrats_the_pitchforks_are_coming DeJordySep 11, 2014 at 1:22 pmWhat is it with you guys trying to portray state employees as so badly paid? You have just shown that they rank rather high. Their pension deals are extremely sweet. Drew PageSep 11, 2014 at 1:07 pmjocar531 Drew Page I truly sympathize with those who want to work and support their families and who can't find a decent paying job to do it. The more burdens the government places on employers (in the form of higher minimum wages, regulations and taxes, the more jobs that will be lost. Some will benefit immediately from an increase in the minimum wage, others will suffer by losing that minimum wage job they had. The answer isn't mandated increases in a minimum wage, but in the creation of more jobs. there, the state and federal government can help by lowering taxes and fees on businesses and reducing needless and expensive regulations and requirements imposed on businesses. RogerLookSep 11, 2014 at 11:39 amthink about it. IDOT employees get 60,000.00 per year. when you drive past them on the road there will be 4 of them just driving down the road looking for trash out of one truck. or you will see one man digging a hole and 3 guys leaning against a truck. you go into the drivers lic office and can see 3 people standing there talking about baking cookies with 30 people in line that need waited on. go past dnr office and see 15 trucks setting outside when they could be emptying trash cans. opening up more gates or out looking for people hunting with out a lic. sorry illinois employees get paid to much for doing way to little. jocar531Sep 11, 2014 at 11:23 amDrew Page GREAT LOGICAL COMMENT! But will the backers of higher wagers understand it? My bet is NO, it's just a give me give me additude. Drew PageSep 11, 2014 at 11:06 amMinimum wages are paid for minimum skills. A person's wages should not be based on how much a person needs, but on the level of the skill needed to do the job. Should you make less money for doing the same job, just as well and for just as many hours as another person, just because that other person has more dependents than you do? If you answer 'no', then it is logical that a person shouldn't make more than you do for doing the same job, the same way and for as many hours just because he has more dependents than you do.Despite what politicians tell you, the economy is in the dumper. Entrepreneurs aren't starting new businesses and existing businesses are cutting back the number of their full-time employees because of Obama Care, taxes and government over-regulations. Manufacturing jobs have been outsourced to countries where labor is cheaper. Even people with college educations, experience in their fields and a strong will to work have lost their jobs are having a difficult time finding work in their field, or even related fields. Those with limited education and/or skills are finding it especially difficult to find work and are taking jobs taking little to no skills. Jobs that don't require much skill and/or education don't pay much. If you want to earn more than a minimum wage, increase your marketable skills. Go back to school, be it high school, college or a trade school. Consider relocating to an area where employment opportunities are greater. It's cold in North Dakota during the winter, but the unemployment rate there is next to zero due to the oil drilling boom. As the oil fields draw more and more workers into the area, housing demands increase construction jobs and all the retail supply and service businesses to support the influx of workers, creating more jobs. Fast food workers in North Dakota can make $15.00 an hour. And there are a lot of jobs paying a lot more for people who are willing to relocate there and seek one of those jobs. Of course if that's too much to ask, I suppose you can march around carrying a sign and scream how you can't live on what McDonalds pays. jocar531Sep 11, 2014 at 10:59 amHey Quinn, you are always quick to try to downgrade some one for having money and NOW you are after business owners. Where are theyto get the money to pay their employees a higher wage? NOT from your pocket! Have you talked about how a higher wage affects the entire chain of employees for receive higher wages? Where is ALL that money coming from? NOT from your pocket! Talk is easy and CHEAP but YOU NEVER HANDLE the long term outcome, because you have no clue what you are saying and expecting business owners to do. You will SAY anything to GET a vote WHILE DAMAGING the state more than you already have! QUINN, grow up and think, TELL THE TRUTH! jocar531Sep 11, 2014 at 10:52 amQuinn showing his true democratic colors………………made up lies of bribery! Sorry Quinn no one needs to lie to try to win but YOU! Democrats are becoming extremely well known for their LIES and name calling……and so far you have DONE BOTH! Can't fight on your past record? You have no one but yourself, oh and Madigan, to thank for being in the TANK (flush), BYE BYE! ericgrohler55Sep 11, 2014 at 10:46 amAdd up all government employees for I'll how do we look now. EldostresSep 11, 2014 at 5:46 amThere are like only 3 in Chicago… BillSep 10, 2014 at 11:36 pmMorton High School is Downstate, just east of Peoria. WilliamMcdonaldSep 10, 2014 at 7:25 pmyou notice they are all in chicago or the suburbs, they get all the money from down state springfield CarolineKaplanSep 09, 2014 at 9:56 pmBetter listings with Us news report rankings. But i think you need to figure out where your individual child needs to go. Everyone knows where the good and great schools are located. We pay more in property taxes to send the kids there. great schools at the end of the day offer more options and opportunities. guestSep 09, 2014 at 6:02 pmI would really like to know who is defining the living wage in these areas when I make so much above minimum wage and still cannot pay all my bills every month as well as having to find dependable transportation to where I need to go??? HarlonKatzSep 09, 2014 at 4:51 pmPeople outside of Chicago, not just down state, view it as Chicago vs. every place else mostly due to the Democratic Machine countrol of the state. Look what they Democrats did after the last census – remapping to secure seats for Chicago Democrats, eating into suburban populations, but not enough to make their seats unsafe. They did similar things in Texas and Florida, but for some reason it is fine with the Obama administration because it was Democrats doing it. RogerLookSep 09, 2014 at 4:43 pmJason Barickman has done more in 2 years than Brady has done in 5. thinking a change is in need. RogerLookSep 09, 2014 at 4:33 pmwell looks like William Brady does much of nothing but suck in his pay check. Ann WallaceSep 09, 2014 at 11:30 amAre you kidding me? These are good choices but all Chicago suburbs. I thought I'd be reading Bloomington or Peoria but instead it lists Park Ridge? Elk Grove? These are no longer small town by any means. — via Reboot Illinois MarkRobertsonSep 09, 2014 at 8:12 amCould have included the transistor (University of Illinois) and the Internet browser (Netscape, Mark Andreesen). StanSep 08, 2014 at 11:43 pmYea, I live in a three bedroom ranch, house valued by the county worth 72,500, my taxes after arbitration and review were still 6,500… So not sure where they got these numbers for crook county, but they may need to re-evaluate. John RodgersSep 08, 2014 at 7:05 pmYou mean the Koch Brothers plan, right? You can call it Illinois Policy Institute, but we all know the billionaires are behind IPI, and apparently will spend tens of millions of dollars to stop the everyday person from having a decent retirement. VictoryRiderSep 08, 2014 at 5:42 pmSaints preserve us. Is there nothing Ditka won't endorse? Sorry Bruce, getting the coach to endorse you is not a positive for your campaign. VictoryRiderSep 08, 2014 at 5:40 pm???????? bruce rabeSep 06, 2014 at 6:58 pmCentral IL is extremely boring, suburban yuppies. please don't consider moving here. Ken SmithSep 06, 2014 at 4:40 pmWhy does the chart say "non-fast food restauntant rank," and then proceed to say below in the pictures that Oswego has the worst non-fast food restaurant rank at 88? The 88 is in the middle of all of the other cities on the chart. How can this even be a proper study? Do you journalists even understand how to read charts, or is that not required for the job? Kyle BarkerSep 06, 2014 at 3:54 pmThis is great! Maybe these kids won't go to college, not everyone deserves an education nor should we be paying for those who aren't ready. oo55Sep 06, 2014 at 1:07 pmSales /service tax impacts the poor and middle class who can least afford it and enables the wealthy from paying their fair share! Rauner=government for the rich! junegenisSep 06, 2014 at 12:41 pmThe problem with all polls is that they focus on "likely voters" meaning people who have a history of voting. A lot of Julie Fox's support will come from disillusioned voters who may not have voted for years. Julie Fox is giving those voters reason to come out and vote once again MechelleSep 06, 2014 at 11:03 amI am a DBA student and am wondering if an economist was part of the task force and if you have any data for the financial and employment impact of raising the minimum wage? A policy brief or document I could read.Donna CheesesteakphillySep 06, 2014 at 3:43 amSarahHanviriyapunt you're misinformed. Look up PERA & SB7. You're right that the NON-regulatory documents are not "the law" but you're wrong in your understanding of these docs. The non-regulatory docs. provide guidance ABOUT THE PERA & SB7 LAWS. Teacher "tenure" has no practical meaning anymore in Illinois. Even an experienced "tenured" veteran teacher with 100% "Excellent" ratings who receives ONE "Needs Improvement" rating will now lose their job to a brand new, untested, non-tenured first yr teacher with a single "Proficient" rating if there's a reduction in force. This is ILLINOIS STATE LAW. Most (if not all) IL public school-teacher's union contracts contain a non-grievance clause for performance evaluations. That is, by contract agreement with school districts, most teacher unions can NOT file grievance/contest performance evaluation ratings ("tenured" or not). By ILLINOIS STATE LAW, a significant portion of teacher evaluation ratings (30-50%) MUST now include demonstrable evidence of student growth/achievement. Don't know who the "teachers" are that you spoke with because ALL public school teachers MUST undergo performance evaluations with annual summative State ratings submitted to the ISBE by ILLINOIS STATE LAW. How can teachers "ask for raises every year" when most contracts are for four? Stop exaggerating. Teachers don't pay into Social Security because they don't get Social Security. The pension liability exists because of Springfield legislators' diversion of funds for other uses for years while teachers have always paid their share. The truth is most teachers don't even understand the pension system themselves much less are they even thinking about retirement but are focused on their students. And unless they're near retirement, most teachers don't really believe there's going to be anything left by the time they reach retirement; if they even make it to retirement because most teachers quit within 5-10 years. But heck, if it will make you happy and get you to quit your belly aching, then you can have my nest egg if I ever get one. Better still, I'm done. Why don't we just switch jobs Sarah, because I am so sick of hearing people gripe about things they don't understand. If teaching's so easy, then I'll hand over my classroom keys and you can take over for me (If you're truly outraged by "insane" salaries then maybe your time would be better spent crusading against our multi-million dollar sports figures). I paid a $2,300 fee so I could spend 300 hours of extra unpaid time working towards my National Board Certification- a process I found more difficult and rigorous than my Master of Science degree- because I wanted to be a better teacher. The state used to pay National Board Certified Teachers a stipend but discontinued the practice years ago. But that did not stop me from investing the extra time and money again when my certification was up for renewal- because it wasn't about the money. In eight years I've been tasked with designing nearly a dozen new course curricula. Combined with regular grading and lesson planning, that adds a MINIMUM four hours nightly after family time and everyone else has gone to bed, including Fridays, weekends and most of the summer- rarely do I get to bed before midnight. All told, I EASILY put in 1,000 hours of extra UNPAID work each year (I'll let you divide that figure by a standard 40 hrs work week and then divide that by 4 wks/month to see what that comes out to). When I coached, I received a $3-4,000 stipend for the season but like most coaches worked for free year around through holidays and summers to help train my players. One year I did the math and found I was making less than $1 an hour for all the time I was putting in. Before http://www.rebootillinois.com/2014/08/28/editors-picks/kevin-hoffmanrebootillinois-com/average-starting-teacher-salaries/23911/ "WaaaBooHoo's" me, understand that I'm NOT complaining. I am proud of how hard I've worked and the time I've invested in the lives of my players and students. But DON'T YOU DARE tell me I have a cushy job and only work 9 months out of the year. My health insurance premiums are decent but include 0 vision coverage and my deductibles are high. God forbid if you have kids with chronic medical conditions like we do. My family's out of pocket medical costs last year, NOT including premiums, was over $12,000. I am sure, Sarah, that you work hard at your job and I would NEVER presume to make judgment statements, tell you how to do your job or pretend that I could do it better, having never walked in your shoes. So PLEASE, don't pretend like you understand the inner workings of my job or have the knowledge to sit in judgment of me or my colleagues. Extend that courtesy to me, and I'll extend the same to you. rebootillinoisSep 05, 2014 at 5:58 pmhamybear That was an expected issue Rauner would run into, political analyst Paul Green made the same point: http://ow.ly/B9KYD hamybearSep 05, 2014 at 3:30 pmILNewsJunkie rebootillinois My issue is with his pandering to the religious right. Drop the social issues and maybe he stands a chance. kindamaraSep 05, 2014 at 11:28 amLisa Madigan got into office because of her father Michael Madigan! Life time politicians and it's a "family business". ckfredSep 05, 2014 at 10:11 amVictoryRider Most charities will list people somewhere. My church had a campaign to have members pay for at least 1/4 of a stained glass window. Walk into a church, and you will find plaques on the doors of rooms, at the bottom of stained glass windows, on pianos and organs, etc.If I remember correctly, there was wing at Illinois Masonic Hospital named after W. Clement Stone, since he was the primary donor. ckfredSep 05, 2014 at 10:07 amHow about Illinoisans who made large donations to charities outside the state, as well as large gifts to Illinois charities from non-Illinois residents? PoocheeMooreSep 05, 2014 at 7:35 amIt should also be required statewide that they total outstanding debt of each taxing body be listed, and the total outstanding pension obligation, as is done in cook county. SteveHeinemannSep 04, 2014 at 10:25 amThis is a very misleading comparison. Yes, the average toll collected in Illinois is only a little over $2. However, what they do not tell you is that on Illinois tool roads there is a toll booth every 12 miles!If they ranked the states by the toll charged per mile driven in the toll road, Illinois would be ranked in the top 2 or 3 most expensive. FrankSep 04, 2014 at 7:08 amI know the media only reports on the negative especially on conceal and carry. I am a law abiding citizen that happens to live in cool county and have a conceal and carry. The cost of my class to receive this permit with the legally purchased gun was $1000, not cheap and a huge responsibility that I take seriously. I also take hand gun classes, I look at myself and others that have this permit an extension of the Law and not a criminal. Most people don't understand that if they get assaulted in any way, it would take the police 10-15 minutes for them to arrive and hopefully they will still be alive. However if I am within the vicinity when they get assaulted it would take me less then one minute to react and stop the threat. Plain and simple. oo55Sep 04, 2014 at 3:02 amDoes this include incarcerated offenders? That would explain the high numbers in Marion and other "Prison Industry" countries. MDoubekRebootILSep 03, 2014 at 7:33 pmReboot Illinois gov poll: It's tightening, in some key places. rebootillinois http://ow.ly/B2EHc #twill Bud LeoneSep 03, 2014 at 7:27 pmMaverickCoast Yep, that's a fact!!! Kevin_HoffmanSep 03, 2014 at 7:13 pmRichardPatel Hi, Richard. You can view School Digger's ranking system here –> http://www.schooldigger.com/aboutranking.aspx — it's also hyperlinked in the second paragraph of the article. Thanks for taking the time to comment.Take care, Kevin JoeSep 03, 2014 at 6:26 pm@MDoubekRebootIL pmerrion rebootillinois I think that what's forgotten is the people who voted for Kirk, but not Brady, in the collar counties caused Brady to lose. The margin was close enough that had Brady performed better in those counties he would have won, no matter how badly he did anywhere in Cook. Especially Lake and Will Counties. So what does that mean in 2014? If Rauner does much better in the collar counties, especially Lake and Will, he can win even if he does very poorly in Cook. MaverickCoastSep 03, 2014 at 6:24 pmGet rid of Chicago!!! It's the reason this state is in collapse! SarahHanviriyapuntSep 03, 2014 at 2:50 pm@kirochka13 chimusicguy I earned $35,000 at my first "big" job away from home. I already had many years of experience at that time. I had 15 years of experience before I even got CLOSE to $60,000/year … And I was working 60+ hours, a meager 2 weeks of vacation (as opposed to an entire 3 months off in the summer). SarahHanviriyapuntSep 03, 2014 at 2:48 pmLizzy101 chimusicguy SarahHanviriyapunt Thank you for pointing that out, Lizzy. Lizzy101Sep 03, 2014 at 2:30 pmchimusicguy SarahHanviriyapunt The title says average starting pay. RichardPatelSep 03, 2014 at 2:03 pmI'm not sure what criteria were used on this list, but there are at least a few schools on this list I would never send my kids too, and a few more not on this list that are truly great schools that do well by their kids rather than data. Bud LeoneSep 03, 2014 at 1:43 pmI'm still registered as a Democrat, but I never vote party, always person. But I have to say, that the best shape this State has ever been in, during my life time was when two different Republicans were Governor. Jim Thompson and Jim Edgar. After they left office, this State has had a steady decline. And after they left we had one Republican and two Democrats in charge, and they have equally done a miserable job. I wonder how close Rauner is to Thompson or Edgar as far as being able to do the job at hand? BigEdMustafaSep 03, 2014 at 8:40 am@Tough Love Lets put them on SS and add 3% of their annual deposits up to 5% 401K and offer $500,000 term ins. policy while working. BigEdMustafaSep 03, 2014 at 8:37 am@Guest So if its not 50, what is it. I can't retire till I'm 67. is it 67? Tell me the facts. MDoubekRebootILSep 03, 2014 at 8:33 ampmerrion rebootillinois Correct. Suburban Cook key and Quinn rising. http://ow.ly/B22v6 #twill Brain CoachSep 02, 2014 at 11:46 pmDrew Page Brain Coach Excellent points Drew! Timely as I was reading a recent article complaining about the Noble Charter Schools where I did my pilot. Very disciplined environment produces almost 100% graduation from HS and success in college as well. One of the keys to their success is the disciplined environment you praise. However, there is very vocal criticism (from psychologists and teachers from the public schools of course!) saying the discipline hurts their self esteem. One commenter went so far as to criticize a Nobel school parent who praised the fact that her daughter had been stabbed in the local HS before transferring to a Noble School. They are threatened of course – if the public schools could supply the discipline necessary to create a safe learning environment, Noble schools would not be so needed.Schools today focus on content not critical thinking and the increasing reliance on digital media is undermining these skills further. Sorry about the confusion on my program – from a neuroplastic perspective every thing we do physically changes our brains and kids especially need to work hard to increase brain function until it becomes easy, then do hard work again. Repetition is key – no one likes to do times tables, since a calculator is so much easier to use, but using a calculator trains the brain to be lazy, times tables trains the brain to do math unconsciously making it much faster and more accurate. My program is basically one that uses non digital exercises to force the brain to make 100's of accurate decisions in a few minutes, as they become progressively harder the brain responds with more post synaptic receptors (making it faster) and more connections in the frontal lobes, increasing executive function. Ironically the same exercises I used with the kids I've used with Marines and Snipers including SEALs. But schools need to go back to basics as you said, but that means more work for teachers, who don't get the necessary support from parents, and discipline from administrators who want to keep it easy. Lots of factors working against the kids success, unfortunately. RichSep 02, 2014 at 10:34 pmSandraSandy BrianCostin sure you would trade. That way you reap the benefits from what HE paid. LColeman61Sep 02, 2014 at 9:36 pmSheilaJohnson1 You have to answer the question at the top in the box to have access to the page. FrerichsIsaFraudSep 02, 2014 at 9:16 pmKarlP, I'm a former Republican county board member in Champaign County, and I would strongly urge you to swallow your distaste for Cross because Frerichs is dangerous. He mismanaged our local pensions (we issued almost $3 million in bonds to pay off a misguided early retirement incentive he proposed) and he was later removed as IMRF Agent by the board. Frerichs should NOT be put in charge of a pension system thousands of times bigger!!! RalynSueSpeerlySchraceoSep 02, 2014 at 5:33 pmSo to make it short… they are both full of BS, nothing new… eatingdogfoodSep 02, 2014 at 11:33 amNeed For A Couple Of Municipal Bankruptcies To Straighten This Mess Up !!! Only Way For The Municipal Unions And Their Lawyers To Stop Milking The Taxpayer !!! Drew PageSep 02, 2014 at 10:58 amBrain Coach While I do agree with the comment in your first sentence, please define " military grade neuroplastic training", for those of us unfamiliar with the term. Assuming there is a certain discipline involved in such training, I am not surprised at the results. Perhaps a level of military discipline in our schools would serve to produce the same results in all public schools. Reading, writing, vocabulary and arithmetic skills are essential for continuing education beyond the fifth grade. No child should be promoted to a higher grade until they have mastered these skills for their grade level. If that means remedial classes in these subjects during summer school and/or after school tutoring, so be it. The grade schools are pushing kids into high schools who can't read, write or do arithmetic at a 7th grade level. In these circumstances, failure is almost a certainty. Our educational "system" is putting the responsibility of teaching grade school basics of reading and arithmetic onto high school teachers. High schools are putting kids who can't read, write or do arithmetic at a 7th or 8th grade level, into classrooms with kids who have these skills. High school teachers are being given the responsibility of providing kids high school level instruction, while at the same time trying to bring those who are one, two or three years behind in necessary skill levels. This slows down classroom instruction for those who do have the requisite skills for their grade level, so they too fall behind. We worry about the self esteem of a kid who is held back in grade school. What about the self esteem of the kid who isn't held back, who gets out of high school with a diploma who has the equivalent of a 9th grade education? What about that kid's self esteem when he/she gets to be an adult and learns the hard way that they can't get a decent job, support themselves, let alone a family and faces a lifetime wondering how to get by on $30,000 a year and envying the "rich" who make $55,000 a year. Brain CoachSep 02, 2014 at 9:26 amThe problem is focusing on passing tests and not on improving cognitive/critical thinking skills. We did a pilot adopting our military grade neuroplastic training program to an inner city school' With practice a couple time a weeks of the non digital exercises, ACT Comp scores jumped 2.3 points and ACT Reading 3 points, so it can be done! http://www.combatbraintraining.com JacobUsserySep 02, 2014 at 7:42 amI used to live in Bolingbrook and now live in Rochelle. Much more to do in Bolingbrook then lot of other town. Have they even been to Rochelle? How about Golconda down in Southern IL? There is nothing to do in either town. No theaters, arcades, or anything else fun that I can thing of so I think your list could be better!!! Tough LoveSep 02, 2014 at 6:58 am@Guest Quoting …."Have you ever researched any of the cancer studies or life expectancy studies on post retirement firefighters?? Yes and they show that post-retirement mortality of Police and Firefighters is EXACTLY the same as that of non-safety Public Sector retirees. When pressed, the HUGE (statistically credible) California CalPERS system chief actuary made that disclosure.That safety workers die young is but one of many persistent but FALSE statements often put forth by seedy Public Sector Unions to support their members' grossly excessive pensions and benefits. Tough LoveSep 02, 2014 at 6:50 amZERO Taxpayers support for these GROSSLY EXCESSIVE pensions ….. 4x-6x greater in value at retirement than the pension of the TYPICAL Private Sector worker retiring at the SAME age with the SAME years of service and the SAME pay. Do you think a 3% per year-of-service formula is not REAL costly ? Do you think starting to actually collect UNREDUCED pensions in your early 50's is not REAL costly? Do you think 3% annual COLA increases (that NO Private Sector Plans include) is not REAL costly?Taxpayers are fed-up with being financially "mugged" by these insatiably greedy Unions & workers.NO ADDITIONAL FUNDING. moonmacSep 02, 2014 at 6:29 amYet the number of six-figure pensions TRS has been doling out has increased 24 percent this year compared to last, with about 6,000 retired educators collecting more than $100,000 annually. 6K TEACHERS MAKING 6 FIGURES SITTING ON THEIR BUTTS! MOST CORRUPT STATE IN THE NATION! samanthakyleighSep 02, 2014 at 12:38 amLol. I love how Northern Illinois is considered the whole of Illinois by everyone who doesn't live in Illinois. These places are nowhere close to as boring as where I live…in central Illinois. sandralee133Sep 01, 2014 at 2:25 pmI think it is a common situation now. Because the growth of the taxes are met throughout all the country. As I can understand people take long-term loans, but then the taxes get higher and they become unable to pay the percents. That is why I often take only short-term loans here – <a href="http://paydayloansonlineservice.com/">official PaydayLoansOnlineService site</a>. So I am always sure I can pay it back and moreover I can take the money very quickly and easy. The necessary amount will be transmitted on my bank account in the day of applying. kirochka13Aug 31, 2014 at 9:18 pmchimusicguy WaaaaBooHoo says everyone working in IT that averages 50+ hours a week without overtime and is constantly learning on their own time/dime while not getting summers off. SarahHanviriyapuntAug 31, 2014 at 3:22 pmAlso, I'd like to add that the "laws" you speak of are not "laws," but NON-regulatory GUIDANCE documents. They are far from set in stone, and are not "the law". SarahHanviriyapuntAug 31, 2014 at 3:11 pmYou're telling me that teachers work MORE than 9 out of 12 months? So I misspoke when I said that it's starting pay. In the school district for my town, teachers make an AVERAGE of $55,000 per 9 month period. I cannot think of ONE case where a *bad* teacher was fired for not performing. Teachers basically have to be guilty of a crime in order to get them out of their teaching positions. I know several teachers who have told me that they have no performance reviews, no annual goals, nothing to show that they are doing a good job. If parents complain about a bad teacher, nothing is done about it. Teacher unions will never allow the firing of bad teachers. It doesn't HAPPEN. Teachers who abuse students get to "resign," and only if parents want to press charges are the teachers ever held responsible. So teachers earning an "average" ANNUAL (every YEAR) salary for working 3/4 of a year don't ever have a chance of being fired. They have SWEET medical benefits. They don't pay into social security and they contribute a meager amount to their own pensions… But they are somehow VICTIMS?! That is one twisted perspective you have there, Chicago guy. The teachers unions vote on what they want their annual raises to be. They go on strike when they don't get it out of tax payers. Instead of saying "We are willing to contribute more to our own pensions and take a 2% raise instead of a 4% raise," they cut programs from the school curriculum. They want shorter chimusicguyAug 31, 2014 at 1:21 pmSarahHanviriyapunt You have many inaccuracies in your reply. Listed above is AVERAGE pay for each district, not starting pay. The above also includes all the extra stipends teachers have to perform just to get to this average level. The minimum raise is based on the CPI, so is not anything major. "Occasionally" during the summer is flat out wrong in almost all cases. Yes, the wonderful tax deduction of "no more than $250" for spending your own money on your classroom. Yay! New teacher evaluation laws have changed the tenure rules. Your argument about firing is no longer applicable. There is and has always been due process. So you have ONE accurate statement about taxes, coupled with a myriad of misinformation. SarahHanviriyapuntAug 31, 2014 at 9:29 amThis is STARTING PAY. Teachers get a *minimum* raise every year that everyone gets, regardless of performance. They work 9 out of twelve months, and occasionally during the summer. They get tax write-offs that parents educating in the home could never hope to get, and they can never be fired for performance problems. Every job I've ever had, I knew I could be fired. I knew I had to perform well, or I would have a bad review with my boss. Teachers NEVER go through this process. VinceMadridAug 30, 2014 at 4:07 pmRape/sex offender is the crime of someone forcing someone else to have sex. It happens to men and women and many cases go unreported.without their consent. It is terrible, terrifying and devastating for the survivor. The Sexual Offences Act defines it as the intentional penetration by a penis of the vagina, anus or mouth of another person, and there are clauses about consent and the belief in consent.Being silent only helps your attacker. Telling someone means you can get the physical checks and the support you need.Then either call the police and visit your GP or local sexual health centre ASAP. They will advise what to do and won't tell anyone (including the police) unless you say so. http://safekidzone.com/#!/page_home Bobo2381Aug 30, 2014 at 9:57 amThis is idiotic. Since that area is a sprawl the stats for this ranking can't apply. There are soo much more boring places to live in Southern and Central Illinois. chimusicguyAug 30, 2014 at 7:55 amSo we have to go through the usual "teachers work far more outside their contacted hours than ANY other profession, with NO pay for it? That they have to spend their "vacations" doing classes to maintain their license, on their own dime? That, as stated above, this includes pension payouts that may not even be solvent retirement age for many? Tell us again how the pay is "not bad." SheilaJohnson1Aug 29, 2014 at 8:25 pmEvery time I click into this from facebook whatever I am trying to read is all grayed out. WillMetteAug 29, 2014 at 7:48 pmNot bad for 181 days less 12 sick days. momwholeansinAug 29, 2014 at 6:09 pmDrew Page Just compare a CPS neighborhood school's test scores (like Clemente) to a selective enrollment school's test scores (like Payton) Drew PageAug 29, 2014 at 5:12 pmIt would be interesting to see a comparison the ACT scores of public high school student and those attending private or parochial high schools schools. Drew PageAug 29, 2014 at 11:31 amMinimum wage isn't the problem in Illinois. A lack of jobs and a lack of skilled labor are the problems in Illinois. When adults can't find a job paying a decent wage, many will take anything they can get, including minimum wage jobs. Jobs pay minimum wages because they require minimum skills. The fact that people can't raise a family or have a lifestyle they prefer on minimum wage is totally irrelevant. It is not an employer's responsibility to provide a worker with a wage adequate to support that worker's needs or wants. The law of supply and demand applies to the work force as it does to economics. If the demand (for labor) is high and the supply (of labor) is low, the price (of labor) will be high. The converse is equally true. When demand is low and the supply is high, the price will be low. Creation and expansion of businesses creates demand for labor. When the demand for skilled labor increases, the supply becomes limited to those with skills — increasing demand and shortened supply lead to higher wages to attract and keep skilled labor. What is government doing to stimulate and help businesses start and grow? What are individuals doing to make themselves more skilled and therefore in greater demand? GuestAug 29, 2014 at 11:27 amBTW- It is physically impossible for a firefighter to retire at the age of 50 with a full 75% pension- the system is not set up that way if you look at minimum ages to be part of the system. Again- get your facts straight before expressing your opinions in articles. GuestAug 29, 2014 at 11:22 amAnother uneducated person making comments about firefighter pensions. Please get the facts straight prior to making these public servants out to be villains. Have you ever researched any of the cancer studies or life expectancy studies on post retirement firefighters?? More than likely not from your commentary. Maybe you should do a little more research rather than just running with perceptions. How come we don't see some articles on the the politicians that caused this mess- a lot of those people from the past as well as today belong in jail. Drew PageAug 29, 2014 at 9:29 amI don't know what Bruce will do if elected, but I do know what Pat quinn has done since he's been elected. Quinn says Rauner is lying, that may or not be true. However, Pat Quinn promised the voters of Illinois that he would veto any state income tax increase in excess of an additional 1%, then he signs into law and increase in that tax of an additional 2%. The politicians, including Quinn, who pushed this increase in the state income tax promised voters that it would be "temporary" and drop from 5% to 3.75%. Now of course they say it must be kept at 5%. They now accuse Rauner of wanting to "cut" the state income tax back to a level that they themselves promised. Rauner has advocated for term limits of eight years for all elected officials in Illinois. I support that initiative absolutely. The incumbent crowd of Democrats controlling Illinois, led by Mike Madigan, have successfully defeated a taxpayer initiative calling for such limits. To the current Democrat ruling class, it doesn't matter what the people of Illinois want, it's what they want that is most important. Every time I hear the call "more money for education" I want to throw up. How many millions of dollars have taxpayers spent because local school boards allowed automatic salary increases to those planning to retire three years into the future? Up until a couple of years ago, school boards were approving annual increases of from 15% to 20% a year for each of the final three years prior to a teacher's or administrators retirement. This went on until a law was passed limiting those automatic increase to 6% per year for those working the last three years prior to retirement. These school boards granted those automatic salary increases to fatten the pensions of retirees, dumping the cost onto all the taxpayers of Illinois. It is well known that teachers and administrators don't get Social Security pensions, but they don't pay into Social Security. Teachers and school administrators covered under the Illinois Teachers Retirement System (TRS) can earn a full pension with 34 years of service at age 55. With a pension benefit of 75% of the average income a teacher or administrator earns during the last three years of employment over a 34 year career, plus annual 3% compounded COLA increases, a Social Security pension isn't needed. It may be desired, but it isn't needed. Add to this the taxpayers subsidizing retired teachers and administrators health insurance premiums. Retired teachers and administrators are eligible to take a PPO health insurance plan with the state picking up 50% of the cost. If an HMO plan is chosen, the state picks up 75% of the cost. Only Illinois legislators get a better retirement package. Those taxpayers outside the legislature, judiciary or the school system sure as hell don't get those kind of retirement benefits. momwholeansinAug 29, 2014 at 6:22 amWhat is wrong with our educational system? NancyButlerMurphyAug 28, 2014 at 11:51 amSay, why don't the politicians of IL take giant pension cuts? And the big wigs at the top – all need to realize they are a huge part of the problem (unlike those teachers, firefighters and police who work ALL THEIR LIVES actually DOING A SERVICE for EVERYONE, not just one half of the state? Why are the folks of our middle class duking it out blaming the WRONG people when we need to blame the pols for the cronyism? AND while we are at it, why are we, each state, trying to lower the bar for capitalization for our states, by becoming lower waged states, lower tax states, it's about competing then between states and "right to work" means right to be fired for no reason other than they need "growth" by cutting heads? Do we not understand that yet, that "growth" in a corporation means firing people, because CEOs are no longer productive seekers of true growth which is invention and marketing, not cutting employees to skeletal staff so the CEOs can make bank – their salary voted in by the same officers they choose/elect (and i say "elect") into that seat? I scratch your back/you scratch mine… The people of IL need to stand up to THAT, and the rest of the states need the corporations to realize that they have used our AWESOME BUSINESS INFRASTRUCTURE to become what they are! The least patriotic thing they could do is move to another country (Burger King to Canada? what the hell is that?) and make Microsoft and Apple pay up the $ they are hiding overseas, the $ they've paid thru lobbying to make it "legal" for coroprations to evade taxes. We'd have one of the richest nations out there if our corporations weren't turncoat "humans." Look at our tax coffer, $3B+ and where does that $ go? Into pockets of cronies… not into the state that's for sure. Brain CoachAug 28, 2014 at 11:37 amMy program increased ACT Composite class average scores by 2.3 points and Reading by 3 points at an inner city school in Chicago last year with just a few hours of brain training. It was adapted from a similar one the military contracted me to develop to improve performance. How do I get it to the school system and parents? John Kennedy, email@example.com VictoryRiderAug 28, 2014 at 10:44 amNumbers are like your brother-in-law. They Lie. Kevin_HoffmanAug 28, 2014 at 9:35 amoo55 Oscar, we always take a balanced approach, and those who fund our organization have no say in any editorial decisions. While Chicago may skew the results, it is still part of Illinois along with the most populated metro area in the state. This was strictly a state-by-state comparison to the rest of the Midwest and had to be taken as a whole. We plan on following up with metro area statistics soon in a separate article. Additionally, the value of $100 decreased in majority of states that have large cities like Chicago. oo55Aug 28, 2014 at 9:11 amKevin, Thanks Kevin, Leaving the metro vs rural out seems to reinforce an agenda rather than clarifying the the issues.Would the people funding RBOOT allow a more balanced approach? Sincerity, Oscar Kevin_HoffmanAug 27, 2014 at 5:28 pmoo55 You can view that information by clicking on the "About Reboot Illinois" tab at the top right section of our website. It's the seventh bullet point, thanks for commenting! Kevin_HoffmanAug 27, 2014 at 5:24 pmoo55 Thanks for the comment. The Tax Foundation also has separate data to show the relative value of $100 among the state's metropolitan statistical areas, which we're currently working on as a separate article. In the meantime, you can view that information here –> http://taxfoundation.org/blog/real-value-100-metropolitan-areasYou'll see in the Chicago metro area, $100 is worth $93.81; whereas in non-metropolitan areas of Illinois it's actually worth $118.91. Kevin_HoffmanAug 27, 2014 at 5:11 pmMichaelLAnstrom Thanks for your feedback. In each month's unemployment report we note the statistics don't include those who have given up or people who are collecting benefits. It's mentioned in the second paragraph of this article. We've also published articles regarding the shrinking workforce (http://bit.ly/1nERos2), the labor force participation rate (http://bit.ly/1sDXawZ) and reasons why Illinoisans have to look beyond these figures to see the full picture (http://bit.ly/1C3OEOt). No political BS here, just reporting on the numbers that were released. LindaGalliAug 27, 2014 at 3:24 pmChicago just wants to be the next Detroit. The only problem is that it is bringing the entire state down with it. You would think that a 28% unemployment rate for the young blacks in Chicago would tell them something, no they just want to raise the minimum wage so that even more people are out of work. cheezhead68Aug 27, 2014 at 1:16 pmNot including those who have dropped out of the workforce, looking or otherwise, make these numbers useless; measuring nothing. Certainly don't indicate a growing economy… DominickAhrensAug 27, 2014 at 11:13 amWhile not defending the refusal to provide information requested under a lawful FOIA, this "article" is a great example of making a mountain out of a molehill. The Illinois Pension law requires trustees of certain funds to maintain a number of hours of continuing education per year, in order to maintain their competence as fiduciaries, and conventions provide a central point where experts in fund management, investing and administration can meet and educate a large number of people. Why is there no mention that elected officials, both locally and in Springfield, who have a much worse record of fiscal responsibility (especially when it comes to the pension issue over the past 30+ years) aren't required to maintain a similar degree of competence… or even display that they understand that 4-5= defecit. Where are the stories about the trips to Peoria, Indianapolis or Paducah? I guess those wouldn't provide the impulses of envy and the hint of malfeasance among people who are unaware that more sunny climes do. Additionally, numerous funds send out verification letters, or "certificates of continued eligibility" as some are called. While forging a decedent's signature is a crime in and of itself, during the affidavit provides additional legal leverage for the injured Fund in both criminal prosecution and civil recovery. Calling attention to that seems like a red herring, unless the unintended point was to highlight the lack of oversight by IMRF. MichaelLAnstromAug 27, 2014 at 10:46 amWhy not include the tens of thousands who have given up and are not even looking for work and the additional tens of thousands whose unemployment benefits have been exhausted? This is a bogus set of statistics. Our true unemployment rate is above 12%. I call political BS!! dkolarsAug 26, 2014 at 10:19 pmLennieJarratt How is it misleading? The data you ask about would be, I'm guessing, in different data sets than what was presented, namely "state support for Illinois public institutions, documenting the changes in the share of revenue from state support in 1987 to 2012." Seems as though the figures given fulfill the purpose. TroyIllinoisCountsTooAug 26, 2014 at 7:54 pmFigures… Split the state at 88! St. Louis metro East has places like Lotta Watta Creek that rock most everyone else in to submission! Even rbil.com is all about Chicago and plaaaces north. oo55Aug 26, 2014 at 5:20 pmWho or what funds RBOOT Illinois? oo55Aug 26, 2014 at 5:15 pmThis is misleading because of chicagoland. Would like to see a map that compares similar demographic regions. LennieJarrattAug 26, 2014 at 4:42 pmWhere is the data of the actual dollars from the state? How about the spending of the school? Or the student population? This data is very misleading without more information. MichaelLAnstromAug 26, 2014 at 11:34 amGood name, IB. You are indeed a boy. You are also a bigot as well as being a moron. Rauner will make a great governor. He is ten times the man Quinn is. Vote conservative, everyone!!! VictoryRiderAug 26, 2014 at 10:48 amHow about a list that excludes Universities that will put their name on a plaque? Only a couple mentioned here. VictoryRiderAug 26, 2014 at 10:43 am@Guest And the school with the most noble prize winner U of I is far down the list. Well it is Forbes, maybe they go by the most GOP CEO's graduated. IllinoisBoyAug 26, 2014 at 10:34 amIn addition to using the populist approach that sank the campaign of Mittwit "Mr. 1% Multimillionaire Mormon" Romney in 2012, the campaign of Pat Quinn also has the option of using the approach that sank the campaign of Jack Ryan in 2004. It is imperative to unseal the divorce papers of Bruce Rauner and his ex-wife before she divorced him. This information will reveal that Rauner was both physically and verbally abusive toward his ex-wife. The fact that Rauner is supported by Governor Fat Fatty of New Jersey is another reason to not vote for Bruce "Not Springsteen" Rauner; it should not come as a surprise that Bruce Springsteen had the intelligence and integrity to not vote for Chris Christie in either 2009 or 2013. NoILPrisonerAug 26, 2014 at 6:38 amMy daughter went to Western Kentucky University – a beautiful school. As an out-of-state student, she paid about 1/2 of what she would have paid in Illinois as an IN-STATE student…pretty sad. JoeMassonAug 25, 2014 at 10:59 pmJust shows how crooked our lawmakers are if they pass this just because they can't manage taxpayers moneys!! andreaAug 25, 2014 at 10:00 pmOn penny rd andreaAug 25, 2014 at 10:00 pmStory that a little girl chasing her bal into the street was stuck and killed by a semi …. at night if you put baby powder on the hood of your car and wind shield and sit in complete silence you will here her laugh and her ball bouncing … she will leave hand and feet print on your car So ILAug 25, 2014 at 8:15 pmQuinn putting off the oil industry has people in So. IL very upset. The few protesters that you read about amount to nothing. By putting off the industry he has lost what votes he did have in So. IL. Not MpressedAug 25, 2014 at 7:09 pmSame boring commentary tearing down anyone who is not a Democrat while building up the candidate you truly are pulling for the entrenched politicians who have cost our once great state so much abcxyzgovAug 25, 2014 at 2:34 pmThese figures are incorrect. I would call my 2500SQ home right around average. 2 car garage, unfinished basement, no deck or patio and an asphalt drive on a typical suburban lot in Grundy County, yet my taxes are $6000. And that is down for $7000 from a couple of years ago. Please double-check your figures. Drew PageAug 25, 2014 at 12:39 pmIn Sunday's Chicago Tribune, columnist Eric Zorn opines that the defeat of of the voter initiative to impose terms limits on politicians holding elective office is "OK". The only reason that politicians made it so difficult to amend the Illinois Constitution is that they didn't want the public to make 'willy-nilly' changes to it, like the people of California did, limiting taxes then calling for more money to be spent on education. It had nothing at all to do with making it virtually impossible for the voters to change public employee pension benefits or to keep elected politicians in their jobs for as long as they wanted to stay. The politicians intent was simply to protect the voters from themselves. Being the simpletons we are, we have no idea what's in our best interests and should leave weighty matters such as these to the intelligentsia of lifetime politicians, the vast majority of which are Democrats. Here, our noble representatives doing their best to keep us from falling into the pit that is California. Strange though, it seems our "representatives" are doing everything they can to emulate the Golden State. They have sold out taxpayers to buy the votes of minorities, illegal aliens and public sector unions. They have successfully struggled to surpass California as the state with the biggest public sector underfunded pension liabilities. Following California's lead our representatives have voted to legalize same sex marriage, establish sanctuary cities for illegal aliens and increase state income taxes. They have closed the gap in the race to see which state will first to declare bankruptcy. We are falling somewhat behind however in the number of irresponsible liberals we send to the U.S. Senate, but are in a virtual tie for having the most ineffective state Governor. And like California, the will of the people takes second precedence to the word of a judge. all the above notwithstanding, our pols sure don't want to end up like California. Right, Mr. Zorn? MichaelLAnstromAug 25, 2014 at 10:48 amThat city has had a long parade of communists as mayor and these challengers are just more of the same. Until you folks in the cesspool get some education and compare these politicians to those in the old Soviet Union to see the close parallels, you are doomed to keep repeating the same freedom destroying mistakes. SteveTTAug 25, 2014 at 10:47 amAnyone who actually calls Chicago "chi city" needs to be slapped in the mouth. Open hand, right to the kisser. MichaelLAnstromAug 25, 2014 at 10:45 amFar too little. Far too late. The corruption in the government runs deep and is destroying our economic health. Time for them ALL to go! Vote Rauner!!!! MichaelLAnstromAug 25, 2014 at 10:41 amWe conservatives need to get out the vote too. We need to watch the polling places like hawks to thwart the flood of voter fraud that is sure to come out of Chitcago. We will elect Bruce Rauner and we will get rid of all the leftist communists that infest OUR government. Libtards, you are now free to flame away!! LOL!!! CaraAug 25, 2014 at 10:32 amI always found Sleepy Hollow Rd to be really creepy at night. Especially if it was foggy. BuzzMikeAug 24, 2014 at 1:47 pmI would like to know exactly how Neighborhood Scout determines the geographical areas which it then labels "neighborhoods." Drew PageAug 23, 2014 at 5:21 pmThe deck is stacked against the taxpayers of Illinois. Crooked politicians amended the Illinois Constitution to protect their overly generous pensions. Then they make it all but impossible to change it. The majority of taxpayers want term limit for office holders. The majority of politicians do not. Gee, I wonder why?Politicians decide who will be judges in Illinois and the judges decide in favor of the pols who gave them their jobs. Judges also get to define what the English language means, regardless of what it says in the dictionary. According to their 'pretzel logic', it doesn't matter if the people who pay the bills want the Constitution changed to include terms limits, or to allow pension benefit changes, they will tell you what is not possible, so shut up and go away. And they hide behind the crooked laws they created allowing them to do it. ChanceAug 23, 2014 at 12:12 pmStrangely, i dont see what each county costs or any sort of ratio of income vs expense… would that possibly be because once that information is added the premise of the article is debunked? JulesAug 23, 2014 at 8:38 amAnd what is the welfare costs? That should be considered. Hate these one sided statements. TeresaKnoupMatthewsAug 23, 2014 at 7:55 amThis is accurate. Families have problems actually finding the resources available in your area. Forget about finding resources for your child once they leave the public school system if they fall somewhere in the middle. Only 1 of the state colleges has a good inclusive program that provides information for obtaining assistants and has handicapped accessible housing. The rest of the schools have a long way to go. The state needs a proactive office ensuring this information is posted online and that the county offices are aware of the services in their area. Also they need to get the state schools up to par so that the young adults have multiple choices. PoocheeMooreAug 23, 2014 at 4:44 amCORRECTION: Discretionary cuts can be made to the largest line item in the budget: employee wages and new benefits. Of course it takes lawmakers willing to do this, and give away all those union contributions. If a company faced the same budget problems facing the state, they'd cut, but not services that would destroy the business. So it can be done, and is done everyday in the private sector where reality reigns. Unfortunately the state at the threat of the unions chooses to do the opposite, and threaten to cut vital service to state 'customers' while keeping all the state staff bloat intact. MarkGlennonAug 22, 2014 at 11:23 amSo glad to have an Illinois machine political operative standing up for our democratic rights. This piece wins the worst of the week award. http://wp.me/p2Oseh-4gb jocar531Aug 22, 2014 at 12:15 amdarren colclasure Can't move, husband has a job here, all my kids and grandkids are here, have 2 properties here and I AM NOT A QUITTER! I will fight for what is right. RickKingAug 21, 2014 at 10:56 pmjimpalermo Yes, and please don't you forget that I also paid that 6.2% into social security as I have had my own business that I worked on my days off and off duty hours. That business also employed 7 other people that paid into S/S and I paid 6.3% on their wages. But just to pour salt in the wounds and thanks to Democratic Congressman Rostenkowski (a convicted felon) I will be unable to collect my rightful amount of S/S because I am a Police Officer ( entitled to a public pension), so not only did I pay in the required employee share of 6.2% but also the employers share of 6.3% and still will only collect a small fraction of what I am entitled to. The good news is that after I die, my wife will get her benefit from my social security based on what my benefit should have been, not its diminished amount. So it would seem that the bias is just againt me and other Police and Firefighters, not our wives. ( source: the social security administration) hows that for some convaluted logic. Only in America could an injustice like this be so blatantly imposed and 90% of the good citizens don't even know how their Police Officers and Firefighters are getting screwed. All they seem to care about is: " why are you getting more than me". jimpalermoAug 21, 2014 at 10:25 pmThe link below is to the Californial Public Employee Retirment System (CalPERS) Actuarial Experience Study. Read pages 34 and 35 and you will find that California public safety employees live LONGER than other public employees there. http://www.calpers.ca.gov/eip-docs/employer/retiree-ben-trust/experience-study.pdf jimpalermoAug 21, 2014 at 9:50 pmYou've made an excellent case for the police and fire pension benefits. jimpalermoAug 21, 2014 at 9:34 pmThis link is to the CalPERS Actuarial Experience Study which on pages 34 and 35 indicates that public safety workers in California live LONGER than other public employees. If you can provide data that contradicts this study I'd love to see it. http://www.calpers.ca.gov/eip-docs/employer/retiree-ben-trust/experience-study.pdf jimpalermoAug 21, 2014 at 9:21 pm@JayPo L57 Please don't forget that the 9% plus that you contributed to your pension is only ~3% more than the general public contributes to Social Security. Also remember that the employer has a matching contribution for Social Security, and that your pension check is far larger than SSI benefits and that you are eligible to begin your pension at age 50 while the earliest SSI retirement benefits begin (at a significant discount) is age 62. J A WelchAug 21, 2014 at 9:19 pmjimpalermo I live with the fact that I will likely die earlier than most of my friends. That I will likely die before I can receive any medicare benefits despite having contributed my entire life. I challenge you to provide data that shows that firefighters do live as long as the general population. You prove it. jimpalermoAug 21, 2014 at 9:10 pm@JA Welch Do you have any literature that would substantiate your claim that retired fire fighters die at significantly younger ages than the general population? J A WelchAug 21, 2014 at 8:22 pmPolice and fire pension funds are not underfunded due to the age and years of service requirement, nor the COLA. They are underfunded because of a change made to the amortization schedule that determines the "actuarially recommended contribution." The municipalities lobbied the state legislature to change the method for determining the ARC from a level dollar amount to a level percentage of payroll in 1992. In simple terms, the municipalities owed the pension funds money. Think of this debt as a mortgage. The level dollar amount method is like a 30 year fixed mortgage. The level percentage of payroll method is like an interest only mortgage. The municipalities wanted the smaller payments in the short term in exchange for the larger payments in the long term. This was actually argued at the Illinois Supreme Court. It was well known to the municipalities that these payments would grow exponentially, even if investment returns were far in excess of actuarial assumptions. To now blame firefighters and police officers for the underfunding problem is disingenuous and deceptive. J A WelchAug 21, 2014 at 8:09 pm@DeJordy The statement above is a fact. Ask an actuary who works with firefighters. If you doubt the actuary, ask yourself, "Do I know any 87 year old retired firefighters?" There are a few incredibly lucky ones, but that's it. RogerLookAug 21, 2014 at 8:03 pmwhat you are not telling is how much more it cost to run cook county over what they are taking in in taxes. jimpalermoAug 21, 2014 at 6:18 pmMayor Weisner's op/Ed was about the downstate police and fire pension deficits, not the City of Chicago. My focus has been on the downstate plans, so I can't debate the plan provisions you speak of. Furthermore, I have never endorsed the lavish spending of Chicago's mayors, but I welcome the opportunity to discuss the downstate plans if you wish. RickKingAug 21, 2014 at 4:46 pmjimpalermo Chicago Police Officers dont get a "compounded COLA ! Police Officers born after 1 jan 1955 dont get any Cost of Living raise at all until they hit 60 years of age when they get an un compounded one and a half % and that only for a max of 20 years so in other words, when they turn 80 they no longer receive a raise of any kind. I paid 9% of every dime the city ever paid me for 34 years into that pansion and agreed to work nights, weekends, holidays and at first not even to be paid for overtime. (when I worked 18 hours a day at a polling place and was paid nothing extra for it I was told, "it's your civic duty") but mostly I agreed to be the guy running towards the sound of gunfire instead of away from it like everyone else. One of the things I was promised was this pension. Now after I kept my end of the bargain , being shot once and stabbed twice in the process you want the city to go back on its end of the contract. While our mayor cries poormouth, he spends like a drunken sailor, 91 million for Bike paths, 20 million for Kayak gagages on the Chicago river, 55 Million for a park which the city already owns the land to honor the former Mayors wife, 125 million for a private Catholic Schools basketball stadium and hundreds of other needless expenses. Odd I dont hear a word of complaint out of you and your ilk about that I would love to debate you about this any time or place sir. You have my email address. darren colclasureAug 21, 2014 at 3:12 pmjocar531 or you can do what I did, move out of that hellhole Drew PageAug 21, 2014 at 10:53 amAdd on at least another $10,000 for room and board at any of these colleges/universities and you are talking about pricing the cost of a four year college education out of reach for many people.. Every year, for more than 20 consecutive years, these institutions have raised their tuition and fees by 5% to 8%. They have no incentive to hold costs down. They know that students and parents have access to loans and it doesn't matter a bit to them that college grads (or their parents) can wind up owing anywhere from $80,000 to $160,000 after four years and a B.A. or a B.S. degree. TomBemisAug 21, 2014 at 7:43 amThis is really misleading. It would be more accurate to show what percentage of those eligible to apply, 21yrs old or older with no felony convictions etc. Jaypo L57Aug 20, 2014 at 11:16 pmjimpalermo The firefighters and cops are not to blame for this mess, the politicians are. We put our pensions contributions regularly. the problem is that the politicians were allowed to use that money for other things and did not put it into the pension fund. The politicians pension funds are well funded, funny how that works. Our state politicians get much more lucrative pensions and healthcare benefits after only one term at their PART TIME job. We live in the most corrupt state in the country! We are only asking for what we were promised and paid for! This is our retirement savings. We already made concessions with the two tier pension system which we were told would be the only concession they would need. If you take away or reduce the pensions you will just have a lot more people on state aid. Very few get the lucrative pensions you have discussed. Jaypo L57Aug 20, 2014 at 11:03 pm@DeJordy That statement is accurate. firefighters are exposed to many things throughout their career and their life span is shortened you can look that up. Also lets talk about the fact that firefighters and cops put a large portion of their salary into their pension and in many cases contribute to social security which they will receive very little benefit from. I am a firefighter and we buried two of our guys in the last couple years. Both from job related cancer. One in his fifties two years into retirement and the other in his thirties. The town next to us has buried three in the last couple years again all from duty related cancer. We also have another person who has cancer. This does not even facter in the firefighters and cops who die of heart attacks and work related injuries.. We are not asking for anything more than what we earned and paid for. the politicians want you to think we are the villains in this matter but they are the ones at fault. many town managers did not put in the annual pension payments even though they collected them from the personal, they diverted the money else where which is how this problem started. so in your own words "give me a break" and get your facts straight! DeJordyAug 20, 2014 at 3:44 pm@CPL Tack : "Most firefighters are dead within 8 years of retirement." Oh give me a break! If we are paying them 75 percent of their last salary–which is still a salary level compensation, we can find them something to do for the money until they are, say, 62. If you retire in your early 50s, maybe the taxpayers shouldn't have to float you for 30 years afterward–which is common, despite your ridiculous statement. DeJordyAug 20, 2014 at 3:40 pm@DMc77 OK, so a lot of them can retire at 52 or 53 at 75 percent. Wow. DeJordyAug 20, 2014 at 3:39 pm@DMc77 chefuncleericAug 19, 2014 at 7:41 pmWhat happened to Springfield! The State Capitol of Illinois? I guess corrupt Politicians aren't too exciting. IllinoisBoyAug 19, 2014 at 4:31 pmI have a feeling that Bruce Rauner's lead over Pat Quinn will drop by several points after his divorce papers are unsealed, and it will be revealed that he both verbally and physically abuse toward his ex-wife before she divorced him. The character issue is likely to haunt Bruce "Not Springsteen" Rauner as much as the fact that he is another Mittwit Romney without the Mormonsim. Drew PageAug 19, 2014 at 2:57 pm7,000 units of government. This is how patronage armies are built and maintained. All of the soldiers in this patronage army are getting salaries, benefits and pensions at taxpayer expense. Does anyone really think these armies are going to vote themselves out of their jobs, benefits and pensions? Apparently Gov. Quinn does. Let's see, how many legislators have voted to eliminate their jobs? How many have voted to cut their salaries, pay the full cost of their benefits or forgo their pensions? How many have ever voted for terms limits to give other hogs a shot at the trough? Can anyone out there give me an estimate? Drew PageAug 19, 2014 at 2:40 pm@Mad as hell democrat What the heck has the Tea Party got to do with this? First of all, there is no Tea Party, only Democrats, Republicans and Libertarians. Guess which party has been in charge since 2008. Guess which party has controlled Illinois over the past 50+ years. I'll give you a hint, it has been the Republican or Libertarian party.The reason unemployment is so high is that Illinois makes it very difficult to open a new business or expand an existing one. There are numerous and needless regulations that employers are continually having to deal with and taxes on businesses that make it more difficult to be competitive. If the opposite were true businesses would be coming here from other states, not leaving to go to other states. With Illinois' debt, underfunded pensions, credit downgrades, inability to pay its bills, and history of taxation and government corruption, why would any rational want to start or expand a business here? Don't blame Illinois failures on the Republicans or supporters of the Tea party movement, there aren't any in power in Illinois. Drew PageAug 19, 2014 at 2:21 pmWell, as long as Gov. Quinn is a "happy camper", I guess that's all that matters. It's pretty nice to be able to say that the unemployment rate is shrinking when you are the guy calculating that rate. Let's see, if you exhaust your unemployment benefits, the government says you are no longer "unemployed". That may come as a bit of a surprise to those who are no longer getting a paycheck and can't pay their bills.. If both husband and wife were working and one spouse was laid-off, or let go and finally gave up looking for a job after a year or more, guess what, that person is also no longer counted by the "happy camper" as being "unemployed". You don't have an employer; you aren't getting a paycheck or any employer provided benefits; but you can call yourself a self-employed domestic caretaker who is in-between jobs, so you are definitely not "unemployed" and don't have to admit to that indignity. Right Gov. Quinn? SandraSandyAug 19, 2014 at 11:33 amIt is a fact that IDES is holding and denying unemployment benefits claims to cook the books and/or save Illinois dollars. I have contacted the governor, though I believe this comes from the top, and I have contacted my Representatives. Unfortunately, I don't think anyone will take action. geegeecAug 19, 2014 at 5:05 amContrary to what democrats seem to believe, businesses don't exist as charitable organizations to give people jobs and pay taxes. Businesses are established to make profits for their owners and shareholders. It's pretty much that simple. if business has to leave the USA to make/keep their profits, the problem is with the blockheads running the government, not the businesses. tnovaksuntimesAug 18, 2014 at 11:59 amMDoubekRebootIL No surprise. Edgar always backs GOP nominee: George Ryan v. Poshard; Jim Ryan vs. Blago; Judy vs. Blago., Brady vs. Quinn. TommcoleAug 18, 2014 at 11:20 amFirst of all let's get something straight because I am a little confused with the message being sent from the Democratic party, are corporations people or companies? Do they have the right of citizens, protections of the constitution or should they have to fold to whatever the government tells them to do? Are they allowed a choice in what religion they support or what charities they should choose to give to? At this point I am not sure what the Democrats expect from a business. Corporations have one motive in mind, profit. If I worked for a company and the management told me that they where not concerned about making money I would start looking for another job, quickly. Corporations have to make money, that is the entire reason someone invests all of their life into building a business. It is a huge gamble and if you win, you should win big. AS an employee, I understand that I have little to no investment into the company I work for, if they fail tomorrow I just go find another job but the owner is in real trouble because he invested everything into his dream and has everything to lose. All of that being said we now address the real question, is a company moving it's tax burden to another country to save money un-american or not? When we started the entire globalization process the people on the left hailed that America was becoming citizens of the world. American companies began importing low quality goods at an alarming rate and the only thing the bought from us was cheap grain. America began a long, slow slide to the point that we are at today, jobless. No country can live on consumerism if they have no manufacturing base but, that is exactly what people on the left think we should do. The largest corporations in America manufacture nothing, pay the absolute minimum, offer the worst benefits and say they will shut down any locations where the employees even think about organizing. The entire idea in being in business for yourself is making a profit and if a company has to move to another state, country or even planet to do so then the state, country or planet of origin needs to take a good look at why they need to leave. President Obama and Senator Durbin need to read the writing on the wall, they are destroying our country with high taxes, unfair laws and attacks on personal and corporate freedoms. MichaelLAnstromAug 18, 2014 at 10:31 amslighinf : At this point, that's a vote for Quinn. PeterGurbaAug 17, 2014 at 8:24 pmall your posts are gray lines ,,, Reboot Illinois Greg NewmanAug 17, 2014 at 12:36 pmIllinois <3 http://j.mp/1vFoxg5 RMeierdirksAug 17, 2014 at 12:15 pmCindySweitzerReynolds http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=hRhGVo_dwkk#t=20 SteveEhlersAug 16, 2014 at 2:59 pmMost from Chicago almost all from northern Illinois. Interesting jocar531Aug 15, 2014 at 11:08 pmI was very disappointed listening to this panel. So much stuttering, making excuses, no definite opinions. Why was this panel needed if people heard the candidate speeches? I felt that they were ALL for the democrat, Quinn, just by no one stating facts. I also felt that they made a bit of fun about Rauner due to his wealth and love of Illinois. Yes, panel some one can be that passionate about rebuilding the state they love, their home state. Rauner is committed to turning back on the generator that powers Illinois by bringing jobs, in all forms, back to a state under a lower tax base, lower taxes that will generate spending in other forms, living within a budget and cutting waste. Rauner wants Illinoisans to be the most important people and that they will again feel pride within themselves and be able to live accordingly. Putting people back in control of their own lives. Having politicians work for the people and represent the people. People and jobs first, control spending second and lower taxes third. Quinn has nothing more to say then Rauner is very, very rich and that is something he, himself, Quinn will never be. That is not speaking about the job of governor, about how to get Illinois out of debt and give the people back their self worth. THIS PANEL WAS A WASTE OF VALUABLE TIME WITH NO FACTS! MelanieAug 15, 2014 at 9:31 pmYou'd think you'd spell their names right! Brett's last name is Eldredge not Eldrige! Mad as hell democratAug 15, 2014 at 11:51 amThe unemployment numbers are going to keep going down since people can only get unemployment for 6 months now until it runs out. My wife lost her job after 15 years with a bank she worked for and only was able to receive 6 months of unemployment because the federal government decided not to extend unemployment past the 6 months anymore. So at that point you stop filing and your number comes off the books. So I wouldn't be patting mr. Governor on the back to much here, he can thank the messed up tea party politicians in Washington that's going to help the unemployment numbers to keep looking better because people are just stopping from looking for work. My wife at 45 now has to try and go back to school and get a degree in something so she can go back out there to find a job that made close to the money she made. She got fired and the bank added a couple things to her job description and made the pay half what she was making knowing they would get some younger person with little experience to take the job. Her managers where asking her how she did her job and certain things only she knew how to do on the computer before they let her go. That's what the companies are doing out there now and you change the description of the job a little bit so people can't come back and sue about loosing her job for know apparent reason other than to save money cutting from the bottom. She always got top reviews and the most raise possible every year which was like a quarter to thirty cents an hour. But the small bank has like 15 presidents 25 Vice Presidents and 40 executive Vice Presidents which none got cut all making over $100,000 plus. But if you made $40,000 after putting 15 years in you weren't concidered valuable enough cause they can find a your person to do your work for half the pay cause the unemployment is so bad in Illinois. So I wouldn't take any bodies numbers on unemployment cause the government never figures the numbers out to make them look bad. Drew PageAug 15, 2014 at 10:47 amckfred If the Democrats didn't like the current "unfairness" of the progressive federal income tax code, they could have changed it during Barack Obama's first two years in office. The Democrats controlled the House and Senate as well as the White House in those days. They could have done the same thing the Democrats in Illinois did, when they raised the state income tax 67%. They could have pulled their members together at a midnight meeting, maybe on Christmas Eve, shoved the legislation through and then ran home for a holiday recess. But had the Democrats changed the federal tax code to their liking, they wouldn't have the opportunity to complain about it and blame "the wealthy" for taking advantage of it. And if "being rich" is such a bad thing, why do people like Rahm Emanuel, Mike Madigan, get elected and e-elected? Why do people like Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, John Kerry or any other Democrat in the U.S. Senate get elected and re-elected? Most everyone in the U.S. Senate is a millionaire. None of the Democrats seem too upset about Hillary making $200,000 per speech, or her husband bill making even more per speech on the lecture circuit. Why isn't the Democrat party denouncing the likes of Harvey Winestein, George Soros, Steven Speilberg, Barbra Streisand, Oprah, George Cloony, and the other multi-millionaires and billionaires like they do the Koch brothers? And why is it "unpatriotic" for Walgreens to want to shelter their income from taxes in Europe, but ok for Apple and G.E. to do the same in China? One word explains it all for me, and that word is "hypocrisy". Drew PageAug 15, 2014 at 10:07 amIronic isn't it, that Jesse White is now concerned about the "buying of black votes"? I don't recall him ever being concerned about the history of Democrats buying those votes. I guess it all depends on who is doing the buying.Instead of playing the race card, Jesse should stick with the standard Democrat condemnation, "Rauner is rich". That, of course, is the ultimate crime or sin that any Republican can commit. Wealthy Democrats are "good people, who earned their fortune", wealthy Republicans are "bad people who stole theirs from the poor". Didn't you learn this in Sociology 101 in college? DavidEvans1Aug 15, 2014 at 9:32 amI will still complain that he is not paying enough in taxes because the average worker pays approximately 28 percent and he paid around 15 percent. It is a matter of fairness, workers in this economy live from paycheck to paycheck and this is not the case with Mr. Rauner. jocar531Aug 14, 2014 at 1:12 pmMichaelLAnstrom Jesse White has helped the black community by his Tumblers/ They are fantastic…….although I do not believe whites can become part of it…….you are right about the race card! MichaelLAnstromAug 14, 2014 at 12:42 pmI have voted for Jessie White every time he ran. He was the only Democrat I ever voted for. I will NOT vote for him ever again. He has thrown the race card into this election. That is unacceptable to me, period!! jocar531Aug 14, 2014 at 11:56 amAll I have heard are the words "money and rich". What is the problem with a business, any business making a profit? Isn't that idea of owning your own business? Who among these democrats is for the working class? Why do these democrats talk down about their rich opponents as if because they are and have been successful that is a bad thing. Money is the key word in every one of these speeches and yet the democrats are always spending taxpayer money as if it is endless. The have raised taxes every single time they have a new idea. Have you ever known one of them to cut taxes, look to make hard core decisions about the way they spend other peoples money? How dare they laugh at the rich and successful. These people worked for their money. spent their own money to create their businesses and labored to become successful. And as far as bank accounts being off shore and not paying taxes that has nothing to do with the candidates that has to do with the government tax laws. Each and every one of us and the democrats would do the same if they could. Tell me how every elected official gets away with perks at the taxpayers expense and NEVER claims that as additional income? The democrats are two face and only put their candidates down during campaigns. How many companies did NOT pay 1 cent in taxes? Did they get away with it because they could by law or because they decided they just weren't going to pay? Rauner is the ONLY person, as governor, that will invest in the black communities because he believes in them. Where have the democrats been for all these years, what have they done to help the black communities? People MUST stand up and ask the democrats these questions. While property values have plummeted why have property taxes stayed the same or gone up? Why has Quinn cut the time frame in which property taxes must be paid? Why have democrats voted to put low income people into homes they couldn't afford and than have those people be foreclosed on? The democrats have made it a habit to take as much and more from "WE THE PEOPLE" as they want and still ALWAYS want more. Quinn wants a higher minimum wage without looking at what it will do to the business owners. He doesn't think about the bottom line. EX: I have worked for 2 years at a job that I started at $7.00 an hour and now I am making $9.00, but you are hired today (under the new minimum wage at $10.00) so now they employer needs to also give me a raise for my performance, experience and loyalty. So while you are paid $10.00 I will be paid $12.00-$13.00 an hour and that will effect all employees wages NOT JUST NEW HIRES. So how will businesses be able to operate at the same prices to consumers and still keep their doors open. The democrats don't think about the common folk they ONLY think about themselves. How will ILLEGALS already in the state and those being brought in affect our economy, our medical, our schools, etc.? Quinn, Durbin, Vallos, Rahm, White let's hgeard your take on where the money is coming from. And don't tell me from the federal government because I also pay federal taxes. NOTHING IS FREE and NO ONE else but working people will be covering the costs across the board!I would like for ONE DEMOCRAT to stand up and tell the truth A N D represent "WE THE PEOPLE"! jocar531Aug 14, 2014 at 11:04 amTime to get serious about ALL the taxing bodies in a failing state. Vote for the person that will stand up for taxpayers and begin to put an end to the lies and devastation in Illinois. The state needs to downsize, especially since so many people are moving out due to high taxes and unemployment. Quinn and Madigan have done NOTHING to help the citizens of the state or city. Rahm, mayor of Chicago, is letting in ILLEGALS that will add a new burden to taxpayers and has hiked property taxes.Ask the candidates when enough is enough. Durbin has done nothing to help taxpayers thru out the country. He voted for BOhealthcare, was 1 of 8 that wants immigration reform and still does. he is second in command in the senate and does NOTHING to bring the house bills, 362 to date, to the floor for a vote. Yet he blames republicans for DOING NOTHING. I, for one have had enough of the lies, taxes, not enforcing the laws of the land, blaming the republicans and voting party lines. Which candidates ARE hearing "THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE" and voting accordingly? Name recognition is NOT enough. Illinois needs leaders that are NOT AFRAID to take a stand and do what is best for the citizens. (EXAMPLE: daddy Madigan and daughter Madigan and there are others)The country needs people that are NOT AFRAID to stand up and represent "WE THE PEOPLE". Illinois voters do not need to put up with lying thieves that than get family members into high ranking government offices. When will someone pass a law that ALL officials found guilty of embezzlement MUST pay back every penny of what was stolen? The state confiscates homes, cars, etc. from drug dealers so why not do the same for officials that steal? Are they above the law? Laws MUST be the same for ALL people. GET active, learn about the candidates and get out and vote because you and only you can get the politicians hands out of every ones pockets including your own! Volunteer in campaign offices…..Rauner and Oberweis must win to begin to move the state and country in the RIGHT DIRECTION. (if bread gets stale you throw it out) so do the same with the STALE candidates. ckfredAug 14, 2014 at 10:45 amWhen I was a kid, rich people were respected and admired. Now, they are considered horrible people who are out of touch, if they are Republicans. But then, Karen Lewis, president fo the Chicago Teachers' Union, thinks Rahm Emmanuel, as a multi millionaire, is also out of touch with working-class Chicagoans.What bugs me is the attack ad from the Illinois Freedom PAC that says that Bruch Rauner pays a lower tax rate than most Illinoisans.So what? My father taught me years ago that wealthy people pay lower effective tax rates on their income, before deductions and credits, than middle class people. They get larger deductions for property taxes and mortgage interest, because they own expensive homes. They donate far more to charity. And they do far more investing, which probably means taking losses on investments that offset investment gains.I don't know whether to be mad at liberals or the fact that the average American really doesn't understand how the tax code works for people of all income brackets.What also bugs me is that they accuse Rauner of laying off people and sending jobs to China. First, you have to understand how private equity groups work. They buy businesses that are underperforming, or even failing. They try to both cut costs and increase sales. Then they sell the businesses. A lot of failing businesses would go under without private equity groups taking ownership positions. That means every last employee would lose his or her job. Which is better, laying off half of a workforce or the entire workforce?Yes, the sending of jobs to China troubles everyone. But, in the global marketplace, people in developing countries can't afford American-made goods. By the same token, if one American manufacturer sends jobs to China, others may have to do the same, in order to compete on price within the U.S. Americans tend to be cheap and complain about Chinese labor while buying Chinese goods.And while Pat Quinn is playing class warfare, let's remember that he grew up in Hinsdale. I grew up in the western suburbs, and Hinsdale is where the old money lives. Perhaps I woulnd't think of Quinn as a bit of a hypocrite, if he had grown up in Brookfield or Berwyn. Terria1Aug 13, 2014 at 5:13 pmWe will not tolerate Oberweis's hate. Terria1Aug 13, 2014 at 5:11 pm@Veronika Name calling and ranting will not make you sound credible. cbjAug 13, 2014 at 3:42 pmSo many people focus on the cost of financing college instead of the actual price to go to college. I went to an Illinois state college in the late 90's. A 4 year degree would run you about $46,000 with room and board. That same school 16 years later is now over $100,000 for the same degree. A lower interest rate on that money doesn't make college "more affordable" it just reduces you financing costs that are placed on top of what you borrowed. Scott2342134253Aug 12, 2014 at 10:13 pmTime to leave the state. bmulleroneAug 12, 2014 at 8:56 pmI also worry about student loan debt interrupting family formation. In addition, those who go to college, even college-dropouts, pay on average more than they cost the state over their lifetimes. I think what we ought to do is come up with some way for anyone to have the chance to graduate college without debt & without the cost delaying when they graduate. One thought that has been going through my mind is some kind of reciprocity grant. For example, state that the state will cover the full cost of attendance (at least for certain major at the in-state public colleges & universities) while you are a student, give a person credits over the course of their lifetime so that whatever they pay in state income taxes reduces their outstanding balance, so if they stay & likely become a productive member of Illinois society, they effectively graduate without debt. If they leave, then the grant becomes a loan for whatever outstanding balance is owed, hence having reciprocity to the state either way. DisabilitymomAug 12, 2014 at 6:33 pmhttp://qctimes.com/news/local/government-and-politics/elections/gop-lieutenant-governor-candidate-sought-state-job/article_3e944233-bb37-54eb-962d-8aa7d23972a0.html GregoryStachnikAug 12, 2014 at 12:59 pmWell in the media's eyes it's either vote for Madigan's guy, or vote for Madigan's guy, a real outside is not what they're looking for. slighinfAug 12, 2014 at 12:42 pmThat's who I'm voting for. DuPageLibertyAug 12, 2014 at 12:39 pmNo mention of the Libertarian candidate Chad Grimm? MichaelLAnstromAug 12, 2014 at 11:02 amThe communists have plenty of time to rig the election in Chitcago and swing it in favor of the libturd left. We must be VIGILENT to make sure that does NOT happen. Semper Fi. AmyKirbyAug 12, 2014 at 8:30 amAww, there is no need to be unfair to people from Illinois. I mean, there are a lot of people, you can't just assume all of them are broody cats, ha-ha. I do have a couple of web friends there and can confirm that they are cheerful happy-go-lucky guys. As for these employment problems I'd recommend services like http://resumewritinglab.com/ if you're dissatisfied with something at your current workplace. It helped me a while ago. And the last thing, if you're a good professional it won't be hard to find employment in any state. Cheers! JeffSobelAug 11, 2014 at 10:07 pmPoocheeMoore Its called "Personal Responsibility" Either start your own IRA or get a job where they will offer you a 401k and leave the taxpayer out of it. PoocheeMooreAug 11, 2014 at 9:25 pmIf 1% of IL citizens get a fat retirement for next to nothing, why shouldn't the other 99% paying for it also get the same benefit, protected in the state Constitution??? IMBACKAug 11, 2014 at 8:49 pmIf the state has it's way your entire paycheck will be direct deposit to the state and it's crooked politicians from Springfield on down with a generous payoff for those in the Federal government who claim to represent us . ShirleyMazzeiAug 11, 2014 at 4:07 pmI grew up near St Charles. I now live in a small town near small cities. Maybe you should leave your office an venture out. There are so many nicer places than what you told about. BillMorrisAug 11, 2014 at 3:33 pmYour list IS CHICAGO. Try venturing south of Naperville for a change. Your idea of small also lacks perspective. Try talking to someone at Enjoy Illinois for some insight. Red RaspberryAug 11, 2014 at 2:31 pmThe unions had no problem with the state skipping payments though. MikeLawrenceAug 11, 2014 at 2:15 pmThey robbed from all the state employees now they want to steal from the rest of Illinois residents Red RaspberryAug 11, 2014 at 1:33 pmWhat could go wrong? Illinois has proven it can;t handle money in anyway responsibly.. Doc_DAug 11, 2014 at 8:57 am' "The results show an incremental increase for Rauner after the poll participants heard a short explanation of the two plans," said Gregg Durham, chief operating officer of We Ask America.' The increase went from 31 to 33, if I read the above correctly. It is unlikely that this is statistically significant, which means that the results are essentially the same. Politicians, reporters, and the like need to be very conscientious about accurately interpreting statistical data for the public. TerrySwickAug 11, 2014 at 4:27 amAll Chicago area AGAIN except for Charlie Parkers in Springfield. Charlie's awesome though. Why isn't this called Reboot Chicago? GuestAug 10, 2014 at 11:06 pmJohn Hopkins? I'm not sure I can trust this list. JellyBmeAug 10, 2014 at 11:42 amIt was disappointing to see all of these places are in or very near to Chicago. I was hoping for a more expansive overview of what ILLINOIS had to offer. JamesPatterson2Aug 10, 2014 at 9:36 amYou know , don't you that there are more cities in Illinois other than Chicago? BrandNewAngstAug 10, 2014 at 12:00 amHave any of you ever been to Mt. Carroll its a 3 hour drive to chicago. and it has less than 3000 people in it. Secret SquareAug 09, 2014 at 10:25 pmHas anyone attempted to figure out what the MEDIAN pension is in each of these funds, and how it compares to average salary? The reason I ask is that "average" does NOT necessarily or always mean "typical" or "representative of most members of the group", especially if there are very high or very low outliers skewing the average figure. To take an extreme example to make a point: if 5 guys who make $40K a year are sitting in a bar and Bill Gates walks in, everyone in the bar will suddenly have an average income in the millions. A small percentage of members of each pension system may be getting higher or inflated pensions, which is going to pull up the average, but it does not necessarily mean everyone else is getting richer along with them.A more accurate reflection of what the typical pensioner is getting would be the median — the figure that half the group falls above and half falls below. Does anyone know what that is and whether it coincides with the average? Jim33Aug 09, 2014 at 9:53 amThis is why I hate Republicans. You've got a horrible Dem incumbent, and they nominate someone worse, that I also won't vote for. b2dempseyAug 08, 2014 at 3:15 pmOf all the groups listed only the judges come close to what other workers put in to social security How much would it help if everyone kicked in the same amount as social security which is over 12% Drew PageAug 08, 2014 at 12:31 pmIf you don't think Obama Care has resulted in many employers cutting full-time jobs to part-time jobs, to escape having to pay IRS penalties, you are missing the boat. The Tribune says that the rise in part-time workers is due to the "recession", as employers reduce hours and that employees will see their hours restored as the economy "continues to improve". All I have heard Obama say about the recession over the past two years is that there is no recession, how productivity is increasing, how the unemployment rate is down and the economy is improving. If the economy is improving, why aren't all those who were reduced from full-time to part-time been restored to full-time status, with their benefits restored? DDougsterAug 08, 2014 at 9:00 amNice article on 13 outlying cities around chicago but I think you forgot that the state of Illinois extends FAR below highway 80 and some of these you chose can't compare to what is down there. Rather a rude attempt in my opinion but it's why this state still has Demoncrats running it. Drew PageAug 08, 2014 at 8:51 amLike Obama, Quinn likes to talk about all the jobs HE created and how low the unemployment percentage has dropped under HIS stewardship. And just like Obama, he doesn't count the number of people who have exhausted their unemployment benefits or who have given up looking for work. I guess when everyone is out of work and out of unemployment benefits, the "unemployment rate" will be zero and we can all start singing "Happy Days Are Here Again". Is this just an Illinois "thing" or a Democrat "thing"? mlitesolutionAug 08, 2014 at 7:55 amDrew Page mlitesolution Not a bad idea, but politicians saying we will back your program doesn't work. Many I have talked to say they will but never act on the real issue of raising the funds to create stability. Putting it in the hands of those that are dropping the ball would be a problem to. I have the logistics for the product distribution ironed out and abandon buildings or distressed buildings or closed schools are easy to find. Training communities and veterans that want to create a better future is also easy to find.Crowd Sourcing seems to be the Answer… I just need the film industry to help shoot the Video and major media like @FoxNews or @CNN to run the info for the project. CBS radio to help and maybe get a BILL BOARD on the highway to RUN it. That's a tall order… but with the right volunteers and investors to get it off it is doable. Drew PageAug 08, 2014 at 6:54 ammlitesolution I like your idea. I like your enthusiasm even more. I have one suggestion to improve it. Instead of asking each of the 12,882,135 people in Illinois for $5.00, let's have the legislature, under the guidance of our elected representatives, who all swear they are only in Springfield to serve us, reassign $64,410,000 out of annual state budget toward this project. $64,410,000 out of the state's total annual budget would only be a drop in the bucket. One way to come up with that money would be to postpone, FOR JUST ONE YEAR, the tearing up and rebuilding roads/highways that were built only three years earlier, or perhaps postponing the construction of the Obama Presidential Library, or Mayor Emanuel's invitation to house, clothe, feed and educate the children pouring in illegally to the U.S. from Central America. kenutrabdeAug 08, 2014 at 6:46 amHow many people have just "given up". When people just give up, they no longer collect benefits which takes them out of the government active statistics. How many have given up and have taken an early retirement like myself, that takes me out of the work pool too. Sure now there are less people looking for work, fine nice lower number, but it's really just a lie the politicians use. They'd be happy to throw all the unemployeed into a black hole, never to be seen again and claim a dozen unemployeed, crow about that 99% employment. mlitesolutionAug 07, 2014 at 11:21 pmI have a DREAM. A dream for ILLINOIS. A dream for America. A dream for our Planet.LETS CROWD FUND THE PROBLEM AND PAY IT FORWARD FOR ILLINOISWe have a population of 12,882,135 in Illinois, if everyone of us put in $5 = $64,410,675With $64,410,675 we can build 16,000 of my vertical farming machines.Each vertical farming machine generates $43,000 max annually, but lets say we under produce and only do $23,000 per unity after 18 months start up.16,000 units x $23,000= $368 million gross profitSo we have 16000 units and we reinvest and build another 62000 units = 78000 vertical farming units Did I mention this gets done in less than a hundred acres of property and building the farming units creates jobs, working the vertical farms creates jobs, and because our product is closer to our local market we are reducing green house gases, not to mention bringing up the property values in our communities. 78000 units x $23000 = 1.679 billion in gross profit in 2.5 years time. So in the next year we build 122,000 more units for a total of 200,000 vertical farming units in Illinois.200,000 x $23,000 = $4.6 billion gross profit. Now we reinvest and build 100,000 more at year 3.5 years in.300,000 x $23,000= $6.9 billion gross profit – reinvest and build 100k more at 4.5 years in.400,000 x $27,000= $10.8 billion gross profit – reinvest and build 100k more at 5.5 years in500,000 x $29,000= $14.5 billion gross profit. During this whole time our Grow Illinois Project has reduced billions of Dollars off our State Debt. annually as a pre-condition of this project. 1000's of jobs created and buildings transformed city by city giving way to a new age of younger indoor farmers that can supply the world organic produce without GMO's and reducing the fossil fuels to produce them.In addition, during these 5 to 6 fast paced years we built hybrid wind and solar farms to support our power demands, and we build anaerobic composting machines by our plants and near organic waste center to not only generate organic fertilizer juices, but they also generate millions of dollars in energy without the use of fossil fuels.Our vertical farming model becomes franchised and grow projects spread like McDonalds and Walgreens nationally before taking the jump to a world wide approach to prevent World Hunger. Albert Einstein once said that "Thoughts are Things". These Things are visions that can become actions, which will than become a doable future.Its not gonna be easy and it is a challenge, and its gonna take the ECO-Warriors of today to drive this program. I know plenty of returning veterans, farmers, environmentalist, students, teachers, and community members that can train those that will carry this torch into future. A future that if we stand together in Illinois we can lead our country back to prosperity no matter what government is in place. I am going to crowd fund this on Indiegogo and I hope Illinois is listening, I hope America is listening, I hope the World is listening, because GROUND ZERO is right here, RIGHT NOW. Read more: http://www.rebootillinois.com/2014/08/07/editors-picks/madeleinedoubek/illinois-insolvency-must-be-solved/22242/#ixzz39lrA2Qzp DanLong1Aug 07, 2014 at 10:48 pmEverything is gray. Can't read or see a thing. Jake hayeAug 07, 2014 at 8:34 pmI can't believe nobody mentioned Pecatonica!! Dick BAug 07, 2014 at 6:31 pmYou need to look up ZIP code 62514, my home town. Drew PageAug 07, 2014 at 4:58 pmThe Governor's office, the House and Senate are under control of the Democrats. The City of Chicago has been run by Democrats since Hector was a pup. If you are content with the current situation in Illinois, the last tax increase and the ones to come, keep voting for Democrats. If not, consider the alternative. DClarkAug 07, 2014 at 4:34 pmI can't believe that Macon County didn't make either list-good or bad! Very interesting! DavidSiroisAug 07, 2014 at 3:35 pmI say shut it down…. should have happened about 20 years ago. Sprtsgrl77Aug 07, 2014 at 2:03 pmEffingham! Red RaspberryAug 07, 2014 at 1:25 pmCompare dollars to rate. How many in Illinois who are on state pensions pay no Illinois income tax? Quinn has only proven he has no clue on how to run a state. In reality he has proven that Madigan is the one who runs the state. DavidEvans1Aug 07, 2014 at 1:22 pmRauner's wealth does matter, not that he has wealth but rather how he made his wealth. There is been allot of talk about the shady business practices of the companies that he owns, the sheltering of wealth in the Cayman's and the low tax rate that he pays. Most working people pay double the tax rate that Rauner pays. Drew PageAug 07, 2014 at 1:07 pmSince no one wants to hear about how we got into this mess I will confine my comments to possible solutions.1. Offer all current state employees retirement options: Keep your current pension plan benefits, but require higher employee contributions into the pension fund and/or increase the retirement age in order to collect full benefits2. Offer a lesser monthly benefit and/or a greater retirement age for full benefits, but do not increase employee contributions into the pension fund. 3. Offer all new state employees only a defined contribution plan, instead of a defined benefit plan. 4. Keep union bosses out of state employee pension plans. 5. Eliminate the state subsidy for retiree health insurance of retired state employees. 6. Attempt to amend the State constitution, if you enjoy tilting at windmills. 7. Fire all current state employees and rehire the ones worth keeping at the same salaries, but under revised pension and health insurance plan options. 8. Eliminate the compounded COLA adjustment and replace it with COLA adjustments which are based on salary at time of retirement. 9. Eliminate the practice of letting retirees double and triple dip into multiple state employee pension plans and instead take the one pension that pays the highest benefit. 10. Do nothing, kick the can further down the road, and wait for the inevitable collapse of the pension system, declare an emergency the double everyone's property and state income taxes. If you think there has been emigration out of Illinois by individuals and businesses up to this point, you ain't seen nothin' yet. Detroit will look like "Silicon Valley" compared to Illinois. OGreenAug 07, 2014 at 1:03 pmLincoln Trail Homestead State Memorial/State Park somehow became incorrectly located on the above map. The actual location of Abraham Lincoln's first home in Illinois is on the Sangamon River in Macon County about nine miles west of downtown Decatur, Illinois.Map: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Lincoln+Trail+Homestead/%4039.8149106%2c-89.0883571%2c12z/data=%214m2%213m1%211s0x0:0x99ad54de048f878b Lincoln Trail Homestead: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Trail_Homestead_State_Memorial Red RaspberryAug 07, 2014 at 12:46 pmQuinn has got to go. 4 more years of him and Illinois will be a third world country. bobAug 07, 2014 at 12:10 pmVictoryRider I suspect a state fair in Chicago would be just as much a money loser. many of the county fairs manage to break even or even turn a profit. No reason the state fair can't do so. Uf it can't, for whatever reason, maybe it is time to shut it down. PeerProgressiveAug 07, 2014 at 9:57 amMDoubekRebootIL PeerProgressive yankeesfan Thanks, Madelein. I may not always completely agree with a particular direction ReBoot Illinois seems to be taking at times, but I always appreciate how much attention you pay to your readers and how much you care about someway, somehow, facilitating actual progress in Illinois. VictoryRiderAug 07, 2014 at 9:55 amComparing Dallas to Springfield is false equivalency. Dallas is around 13 times larger in population with even greater disparity if you include the metro area. Move the fair to the Chicago metro area and you can turn a profit. Of course the only entertainment down south would be cow tipping and shooting stop signs. MDoubekRebootILAug 07, 2014 at 9:46 amPeerProgressive MDoubekRebootIL yankeesfan I understand your point and concern about the price. I'm sure we'll be there to cover as will other media so we'll get the word out. Thanks! PeerProgressiveAug 07, 2014 at 9:42 amMDoubekRebootIL PeerProgressive yankeesfan Thanks for your note of encouragement, Madelein. I loved the angle of your comments you directed us to – pointing to a bleak future for generations to come if nothing meaningful is done, the state constitution not withstanding. I also followed the link to learn more about the MPC event featuring the budget, Quinn and Rauner. I thought, great, I'll go! Then I saw the registration fee, so I am not going after all. Another writer spoke about the role of voters and the consequences of their apparent lack of interest when it comes to actually casting a ballot. When I saw the $200 registration fee, I thought about the people I volunteer to help at my church's Care Center. Person after person is working hard for less than $25,000 a year to support a family of 4 or more people. Their stories almost always include the time when they made more, could pay their bills and keep their car in good repair. These people have been clobbered and, sadly, very few seem to vote. I can't but help thing of them, their children and mine when I read about a $200 event with an opportunity to question the candidates. These folks won't be there, nor will their children, but they are at the center of this discussion as much as the pension issues since they pay a plethora of consumption taxes on one side of the ledger and disproportionately require the state's health and human services on the other. MDoubekRebootILAug 07, 2014 at 8:39 amPeerProgressive yankeesfan What a great conversation everyone! I wanted to bring to your attention this post and invite your comments and attendance at this forum: http://www.rebootillinois.com/2014/08/07/editors-picks/madeleinedoubek/illinois-insolvency-must-be-solved/22242/ DebPenningAug 07, 2014 at 7:01 amHas anyone mentioned San Jose which is actually pronounced San Joe's? CraigHearnAug 07, 2014 at 6:58 amMule Creek CraigHearnAug 07, 2014 at 6:57 amRosie Claire CraigHearnAug 07, 2014 at 6:56 amBoody. On Rt. 48 just S of Decatur. (DON'T BLINK!) Drew PageAug 07, 2014 at 6:13 amDaveChgo Drew Page PeerProgressive Dave, I can't and won't argue that Republican Governors were blameless in failing to fund the state employee pension plans. What Jim Edgar did in deferring payments into the state employees pension fund is inexcusable. When CMS recommended that George Ryan increase rates for the TRS health plans, Ryan did just the opposite, he cut the needed rate increases and actually increased benefit levels. The results were predictable and dire. Within 12 months, the TRS retiree heath plan was facing insolvency. Of course a "blue ribbon" panel was formed and they commissioned a study by an insurance consulting firm, at a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars, which identified the problem as insufficient renewal funding of the benefit plans, increasing benefit levels at no additional costs and the level of state subsidies of those retiree health plans (the state was paying 50% of the cost of those who chose a PPO plan and 75% of the cost for those who chose an HMO plan). Emergency funding had to be passed by legislature to bailout the TRS retiree health plans. Ryan's actions were in this regard were political and stupid, as he ignored the recommendations of the State's Central Management Services (CMS) department who told Ryan what was necessary. Ryan did a lot of stupid things when he was Governor and even prior to that when he was the Secretary of State. He broke nearly every campaign promise he made. I was happy to see him convicted. To see Jim Thompson and his law firm handling his defense basically 'pro bono' suggests that there was more than just personal friendship involved.Is it something in the air here in Illinois, corn spores perhaps, that turns our elected officials, regardless of party, into self-aggrandizing, greedy, power hungry, lying lawbreakers? Or is it that they were that way to begin with? It is no small wonder that so many in Illinois don't bother to vote. Perhaps these people believe that voting is futile, because no matter who you vote for, nothing changes. It would be hard to argue differently. But I will continue to vote, because it gives me the right to complain. Those who don't vote forfeit the right to complain. As we have seen over the years, it really doesn't matter that much who the governor is, the real power lies with the speaker of the House and the President of the Senate.These are the people who control the legislature, if they are in agreement, they can override a Governor's veto and pass or kill any legislation they want. JennAug 07, 2014 at 1:04 amWhen you're in Thayer you're there. CindySweitzerReynoldsAug 07, 2014 at 12:00 amyour picture of the knitting needles say Chester, IL. and it should be Casey, IL. AngelAug 06, 2014 at 10:28 pmRauner is a decptocon!! He is NOT a true conservative, he is in deep with King Rahm, and if anyone says otherwise you are an idiot!! Quinn is a crook, so in otherwords Illinois is SCREWED!! PeerProgressiveAug 06, 2014 at 10:27 pmyankeesfan PeerProgressive Thanks for the comment about my message being balanced. Your comment really gets to the heart of what I believe will be necessary to resolve the pension/budget mess and, perhaps most importantly for older persons like me, avoid leaving generations to come with our shameful fiscall legacy. Others' comments in this string tell us that it is very unlikely that the state supreme court will uphold the pension reform law that was passed. Then what? Something, someone will have to give up programs dear to their hearts and important to their constituents. Someone else will have to shovel in more revenue to at least begin filling the hole while meeting basic obligations to education, social services and healthcare. Someone else will have to understand that we have to nurture and encourage businesses in our state. Others will have to accept that fixing inefficient government is not just a matter of firing employees; investment must be made in updating systems, paying salaries that attract talented public administrators, etc. So, concessions will have to be made by all. Balance is the key concept, hackneyed agendas the biggest barriers – along with the corruption implicit in long standing relationships that enrich insiders: politicians, business people, unions, et al. Right now no one seems to have a Plan B for the day we learn that we are back to square one with regard to the state's pension obligations because no one seems to have the courage and the public standing to lead a charge up the middle. Disheartening, to say the least! yankeesfanAug 06, 2014 at 9:04 pmPeerProgressive Amen! I too am a teacher, and I cannot stand to hear fellow teachers whining about how their benefits are a "promise." My beef is that these "promises" were forged in very shady settings. Your comments are the best and most balanced that I have read. For anyone's interest, I highly recommend "Illinois Pension Scam" by Bill Zettler. IkeAug 06, 2014 at 8:17 pmForgot small town of Metroplis. Little Egypt towns of Theibs and Karnak to go along with Joppa. Aron Burr' s failed capital Little America and my home town Golconda. Names form the Golconda diamond mines of India MikeLong1Aug 06, 2014 at 7:58 pmAncona CloraBethHannaAug 06, 2014 at 7:56 pmBARDOLPH tmeadowsAug 06, 2014 at 7:55 pmKinmundy, Oskaloosa, Hord, Bible Grove DanSkaggsAug 06, 2014 at 7:01 pmI am sure that the pension and health benefits of the polititians are not in danger of running out and are funded with no shortages.They are only trying to take from the public employees maybe everyone should just pay in to S S even the polititions at all levels they should not get one hundred percent of their pay they got in office and have full benefits marshechAug 06, 2014 at 4:42 pmCross never did much for Republicans in Illinois especially when he could have helped in the 58th district 2 years ago; it's too bad he won the primary. Doubtful he will have much influence as Treasurer, however he will enjoy 2 pensions when he retires. Jed PebblesAug 06, 2014 at 3:24 pmAs a retired teacher, I paid into the pension system the first paycheck I received way back in the late 70's. TRS then agreed to pay me a retirement stipend if I taught an appropriate time. The key is to get teachers to teach less than 5 years. They would not be eligible for a pension check. I really think a contract exists between those who pay into the system. JanShawAug 06, 2014 at 3:20 pmAlso see http://dupagewatchdog.org/2014/07/pensions-explained/ DaveChgoAug 06, 2014 at 3:00 pmMore fodder for this discussion:http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20140806/news/140809163/ DaveChgoAug 06, 2014 at 2:46 pmSandraSandy DaveChgo The web site is fine, but the metrics are listed as government _____ as a percentage of private sector _____. I can assure you that if government workers made double private sector workers, nobody would work for the private sector. DaveChgoAug 06, 2014 at 2:44 pmDrew Page DaveChgo PeerProgressive One other point. When I talked about the number of state workers I did that because that is who we're discussing. You introduced the "too many units of government question" and on that we completely agree. In fact, when I was Chair of BGA, that was a hot issue for me and one that the organization took on and is still fighting. But it's not remotely the same thing as number of state workers. DaveChgoAug 06, 2014 at 2:41 pmDrew Page DaveChgo PeerProgressive Thanks for your comments. I appreciate disagreeing without being disagreeable which is why Robling and I can argue so much despite being friends.Please don't misunderstand my position. I am searching for solutions and have focused my comments in that direction. That said, this is a bipartisan mess and to suggest otherwise is to ignore history. Everyone thinks of Illinois as a Democratic monolith, but for 28 years until 2003, Illinois had a Republican governor (Thompson, Edgar and Ryan). For most of those 28 years, the Senate was controlled by Republicans and for two of those years, so was the House. Probably the single biggest reason for our current pension mess is the atrociously bad policies of Jim Edgar on pensions. He skipped payments for a number of years and then led the effort to pass a bill to delay significant pension payments until way down the road. This pension delay plan proposed by Edgar and passed by the Republican Senate is probably the single biggest reason for our massive unfunded liability. This is not to let the excessive spending of the Thompson, Ryan and Blagojevich years off the table. Clearly leaders in both parties ignored the biblical tale of Joseph and spent what they took in during the fat days so there was no rainy day fund when we hit hard times. BTW, the one elected official who most forcefully advocated for the creation of a rainy day fund was a Democrat – Dan Hynes. My point here is that contrary to popular GOP thought in this state, nobody is blameless. The question is what do we do now. DaveChgoAug 06, 2014 at 2:32 pmBrunoBehrend DaveChgo Drew Page Bruno, I'm sorry but that's just more empty rhetoric. Having influence with a legislator because of campaign contributions does not make one "owned" in the eyes of the law. If you truly believe that, I'd encourage you to file suit with standing as an aggrieved taxpayer (you need a specific injury) and then see how it works out for you. Even though I'm a recovered lawyer, I know enough to know that you'll get thrown out faster than you can say "indicted politician." DaveChgoAug 06, 2014 at 2:32 pmDrew Page DaveChgo They were elected by the people. BrunoBehrendAug 06, 2014 at 2:01 pmDaveChgo Drew Page BrunoBehrend This is why I have argued (here and elsewhere) that you circumvent the language and simply void the contracts. The're was NO CONTRACTUAL relationship to uphold. Both sides of the table were owned by the same people. Void the contracts, and send the plaintiffs packing. To this date, NO ONE has filed the obvious case, pointing out that the "contracts" are voidable, and thus, should be voided. bobr1947Aug 06, 2014 at 1:57 pmThe next contract should shift the pension responsibility (for new or not yet vested employees) ?to the unions. That will cut down cheating and the unions will make sure that the state makes every payment.Then taxpayers will actually know the cost of these promises. As it is, the feckless politicians just pass the cost on to our children and grandchildren while taxpayers twiddle their thumbs. Financially enslaving our children so that politicians can buy the votes of powerful special interest groups is despicable. SandraSandyAug 06, 2014 at 1:02 pmDrew Page DaveChgo PeerProgressive I second that DaveChgo! I too appreciate the access to someone with such great understanding of this crisis. SandraSandyAug 06, 2014 at 12:46 pmDaveChgo SandraSandy Thank you… but at the risk of sounding like a total moron, I looked at it again and it seems to state that Illinois public sector employees earn 99.1 percent MORE than those in the private sector (which is lower than the average…). I'm confident the Illinois public sector enjoy better benefits than the private sector. I'll find a responsible website to link. Drew PageAug 06, 2014 at 12:35 pmDaveChgo Drew Page PeerProgressive Dave, first of all thanks for responding to these posts in a polite fashion. There are a lot of folks out here, including me, who are not too fond of Democrats and the sorry mess they have created.You are identified in the article as a Democrat. Your comments, perhaps unintended, give me the impression that although the state has been corrupted by endless Democrat control that somehow this is all water under the bridge, so there is no use in talking about how we got here. You say that based on the stated position of the Illinois Supreme Court, it's hard to imagine them accepting a transition of new employees to a 401k type system and, short of a change of heart, a new court or a constitutional convention we are stuck with what we have. You personally may not have been involved in the mismanagement of of the state or its current fiscal mess, but you apparently affiliate yourself with the party that has been responsible for this. The message I am getting from your comments is "It is futile to resist.".You defend Illinois as having the smallest ratio of state employees to private sector employees, yet Illinois seems to have more units of government than any other state. Each of these are staffed with people being paid by the taxpayers of Illinois. It seems to me we have an overabundance of governmental units and correspondingly an overabundance of public sector workers, most of whom are unionized. Some might believe that such a large number of government workers can be used as a patronage army when it comes time to get out the vote.Although we may disagree on policy, or what is or isn't possible as a remedy, I appreciate your civil responses to those who see things differently. GeorgeSmith2Aug 06, 2014 at 12:03 pmI agree with the heart of this post. It's like your older sibling picking on you, It sucks but you deal with it. Now on the other hand if someone from outside your family started picking on you you would expect your sibling to stand by your side and fight them off.That said I think term limits are a good thing but not the way most would use term limits. Instead of saying you've hit your limit now get out and stay out I think it should be you've been here a while why don't you go see what it's like on the other side and come back. Put a cap of two consecutive terms and don't allow them to come back for the same amount of terms they were in office. So if someone comes into office for one term they could come back after one term and if they were in for two they must be out for two. This would allow them to get an understanding of how the system works but also make them l