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A World Without Billionaires

Posted in John Kass, OP/Ed, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Taxes, Unions on April 26, 2026| Leave a Comment »

By Steve Huntley | John Kass News

You’ll be reading this on a tablet, smart phone, laptop or desktop computer. Pause for a moment to consider the wonder and magic of these devices.

They and the software already embedded in them, or added to meet your needs, do so much: Written, voice and video communications, and those available on a global scale. Encyclopedia-like sources of information. Entertainment, music and movies. Instantaneous complex calculations. Electronic credit card payments. Help to do your taxes. GPS-based travel instructions. Photographic and video memories of your life. And many more functions that you could add.

And the devices are wealth creators, generating jobs to make, market and distribute these remarkable products and inspiring new jobs and commerce in new businesses made possible by the digital revolution.

Yes, there are downsides such as obsessive screen time, the poison of social media, especially for children, and fears about AI. But no one would give up these devices that have so transformed and enriched our lives.

And they have more directly enriched their inventors, making some people fabulously wealthy, the most successful of them billionaires.

Some of the names behind the digital revolution are familiar. Like the late Steve Jobs, the genius of Apple. Michael Dell of the eponymous Dell Technologies. Bill Gates of Microsoft. Elon Musk, a trailblazer in internet, electric car and space ventures. Jeff Bezos who made tens of millions of us turn from the shopping mall to e-commerce. Mark Zuckerberg, a pioneer in social media. There are many other names you can add to this list of those who have enriched our lives and thereby made themselves fabulously wealthy.

Not among the names of those responsible for our wondrous modern lifestyle: Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Or any of the other advocates of special taxes on the “rich.”

They are not inventors like those who gave us the smart phone. They are not creators like those who saw these amazing devices and thought up Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter or other social media platforms. They are not far-sighted investors who saw new ways to make money in the digital world, such as through Amazon, PayPal, Ebay and the like.

No, Sanders, AOC, Mamdani, Warren and their like can only come up with ways to pick the pocket of those who have prospered from their creative imaginations. These politicians and activists have more in common with thieves, parasites and leeches than they do with the inventive, visionary and original minds behind the technologically advanced world we live in today.

The feeble imaginations of these rabble-rousing politicians can only feed on envy, can only come up with new tax schemes. And those machinations, for all the high-minded words pushing them, have but one aim: to expand the reach of government and make as many people as possible dependent on government. That of course increases the power of the politicians pushing the schemes. Sanders and Democrat Rep. Ro Khanna of California are proposing a new wealth tax on billionaires.

Unleash Prosperity, a free-market advocacy organization, counts eight states that “already have or are considering raising income or wealth taxes.”

Illinois Democrats are pushing a constitutional amendment for 3 percent tax on anyone making more than $1 million a year. That would hit far more than billionaires, ever increasing the tax burden of doing business in Illinois for enterprises large and small. The good news is that Democrat leaders in the Legislature don’t have the votes to get it on the ballot this year. The bad news is that they aren’t giving up and will try to get it on the ballot for the 2028 election.

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Illinois’ megaprojects bill should go no further. The effects would ripple beyond the Bears.

Posted in Better Government Association, Chicago Tribune, Clown Car, Elections, Land Use, Letters to the Editor, Look For The Union Label, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, Real Estate, Springfield, Taxes, Unions on April 24, 2026| Leave a Comment »

State Rep. Kam Buckner listens as fellow state Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado answers questions while meeting with a House committee on a transit funding plan during the legislative session at the Illinois Capitol on Oct. 29, 2025, in Springfield. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

By David Greising | For the Chicago Tribune

Late last year, just days before a historic transit bill finally passed and went to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk, it was loaded with controversial ideas.

But before the final up-or-down vote, proposals for statewide taxes on package deliveries, streaming services and even event tickets were tossed aside. Instead, the lawmakers raised the Regional Transportation Authority sales tax, hiked tolls on the Illinois Tollway and pulled in $200 million from the state’s road fund — which notably is intended for capital projects, not operations.

Today, we’re on to a different topic with yet another set of substantive last-minute changes. What started as a push to keep the Chicago Bears in Illinois has morphed into the so-called megaprojects bill, which could institutionalize negotiated tax breaks statewide for everything from the proposed One Central mixed-use development spanning DuSable Lake Shore Drive to new development around the quantum computing park along the lakefront.

Don’t count out data centers, either. They’re excluded from eligibility for now, but the industry is powerful, the potential for huge investment is appealing and legislative negotiations are far from complete.

Under the version of the megaprojects bill that the House passed this week, developers of projects costing at least $100 million could lock in privately negotiated tax cuts — so-called payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) — for as long as 25 years. Projects worth $500 million could be eligible for 30-year agreements, and developments worth $1 billion would allow for 40 years of tax cuts guaranteed by cities, school districts and other taxing authorities.

At the center of the legislative trading that consumed Springfield this week was Chicago state Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Chicago, who also was at the center of last fall’s transit talks. Buckner has an eye for a deal. His last-minute, mixmaster approach to closing out the transit negotiations irritated several participants, but the end result was a fiscally responsible and transformative restructuring of mass transit in northern Illinois.

The stakes are high again this time. And as happens in Illinois too often, the legislature could well pass a momentous bill — one that could shift hundreds of millions of dollars in tax burden from megaproject investors to their neighbors and even the state — without serious study of the knock-on impacts on property owners, local governments and the state budget.

The broader fiscal consequences for the state, and for homeowners, businesses and others, in a bill now in front of the Senate, are as mysterious as the ideas in it are bold.

At the heart of the matter is a simple fact: It takes a certain amount of money to run a government, and someone needs to pay the bills. If a megaproject developer negotiates a 40-year tax break with the local school district, let’s say, then all the other taxpayers in that district have to make up the difference.

Buckner and others pushing for the megaprojects bill would seek to creatively mitigate the direct impact on ordinary taxpayers. Only half of the PILOT revenues would go toward property tax relief — of that, property tax rebates for neighbors of the project would account for 60%, and 40% would be deposited into the state’s existing property tax relief fund.

It’s a formulation Buckner unveiled just one day before the bill went to a House vote, with little study and just light debate.

But guess what? The PILOT funds that would cover those property tax rebates are dollars that otherwise would go toward the schools, roads, buildings and services that the taxing bodies still must pay for. One way or another, homeowners, business owners and other taxpayers will need to cover the gap.

Not to worry, the megaprojects bill backers say. Property values in the areas surrounding megaprojects will increase and property tax revenues along with them. But that’s hardly guaranteed.

Stadiums are notorious for their lack of multiplier impact, which is one reason these days why sports team owners, such as the McCaskey family that controls the Bears, have such a hard time hoodwinking governments into giving them direct subsidies to build their stadiums. And some megaprojects could even lead to decreased property values nearby. If data centers eventually are included, for example, neighbors could take a hit due to impacts on electricity costs, water access, industrial noise and other nuisances that can come into play when a megaproject moves in next door.

Despite the lack of information about the net cost or benefit of proposals considered in the megaprojects bill debate, the rush is on in Springfield. Buckner showed his talent for dealmaking this week and got a 78-32 House vote — momentum that will carry into the Senate.

And that legislative momentum could make it all the harder for Buckner and his colleagues in the Senate, who now must consider their own version, to do the right thing and consider a pause — for the long-term good of the state.

That’s right: Perhaps the megaprojects bill should stop right here, at least for now. There are too many open and unanswered questions to responsibly pass such a consequential law in such a rush.

The Bears are insisting on action now, or they just might move to Indiana. The General Assembly could deal with that risk, before the traditional May 31 close of the spring session, and table the broader megaprojects effort until the fall veto.

Preposterous? A deal is within reach, after all. But something quite similar happened with the transit restructuring last year, and the state, the northern Illinois transit system, and public transit users and taxpayers are better for it.

The alternate approach of passing a bill based on incomplete information and hoping for the best has had disastrous consequences in the past. The state’s pension systems are a fiscal disaster and national disgrace in part because “reforms” were passed with woefully incomplete analysis of their consequences.

No doubt Buckner and others have deal fever, and a successful Senate vote could be within sight. After all, the megaprojects idea has been under discussion, with Pritzker’s encouragement, for three years now, so the temptation is understandable. But the right course would be to address the Bears matter now — and use the time between today and year’s end to get the rest of the megaprojects bill right.

David Greising is president of the Better Government Association.

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Millionaire tax amendment fails to gain enough support from House Democrats

Posted in Capitol News Illinois, Springfield, Taxes on April 24, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago | Capitol News Illinois photo by Jerry Nowicki

By Ben Szalinski | Capitol News Illinois

A “millionaire tax” proposal floated in the Illinois House failed to gain enough traction in Springfield this week, making it increasingly unlikely that voters will be asked to approve the measure in November.

House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, confirmed to reporters on Wednesday night that the constitutional amendment proposed by Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, was not going to be called for a vote this week. The House is not scheduled to be in after Thursday before the May 3 deadline to put constitutional amendments on the November ballot.

“Everyone knows it needs a lot more work,” Welch said. “There were a lot of questions that people had and they deserve to have those answers to those questions.”

Increasing taxes on millionaires was a priority for Welch and many progressives in Springfield, but the speaker said it didn’t have the votes to pass the House. Constitutional amendments require a 71-vote super majority in the chamber and the proposal was deeply unpopular with Republicans, meaning at least 71 of the House’s 78 Democrats would need to push it out to the Senate.

“We were very close, very close,” Welch said. “But close is not enough and we’re committed to getting it right. We’re going to continue to work towards it.”

It could be a few years before lawmakers revisit the concept. The next deadline for approving constitutional amendments is early May 2028, six months ahead of the presidential election.

Article continues here.

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IRS: Illinois led nation in rate of income loss in 2023

Posted in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Dumb and Dumber, Economy, FUBAR, Illinois Policy Institute, Mad Cows, New Normal?, Pension Funding, Politics, Taxes on April 23, 2026| 1 Comment »

By Bryce Hill | Illinois Policy Institute

Illinois lost a larger share of income from outmigration than any other state in 2023, according to IRS data.

Federal tax returns show that Illinois lost a net of nearly 56,000 residents and more than $6 billion in income in 2023, the latest data available. When adjusting for total income per state, Illinois’ losses to net outmigration are the worst in the country — more than $11 for every $1,000 previously earned in the state.

While California ($13 billion) and New York ($10.6 billion) lost more income from outmigration, Illinois lost the largest share of a state total.

Meanwhile, South Carolina and Florida, two of the top three states adding the most total income from people moving in, also added the most as a share of their total income.

Part of why Illinois sees so much wealth flight is that high-income Illinoisans are leaving at twice the rate of other groups. People in all income brackets are moving out of the state, but those earning more than $200,000 a year have been leaving the fastest.

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IRS: Illinois lost $6 billion to outmigration in 2023

Posted in Commodius Maximus, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Fat Bastard, Illinois Policy Institute, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, Taxes on April 21, 2026| Leave a Comment »

A net of nearly 56,000 people and $6 billion in income left the state in 2023, according to IRS data.

By Bryce Hill | Illinois Policy Institute

Illinoisans who leave take a lot of money with them.

Federal tax returns show the state lost 55,609 people and $6 billion in adjusted gross income on net in 2023, the most recent IRS data available.

Most of those people were high-income. While people of all income levels left Illinois in 2023, the heaviest loss was among those making more than $100,000 a year. They made up 60% of the state’s net migration losses.

The economic impact of those departures is even greater: Filers making more than $100,000 took more than $5.5 billion with them — 90% of the state’s income loss.

Illinois lost residents to 38 states and the District of Columbia in 2023. By far the largest share of individuals and income was lost to Florida, which gained 10,583 residents and $2.4 billion in income from Illinois.

Texas was No. 2, adding 7,795 residents and $488 million in income from Illinois.

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District 220 Board of Education meets tonight

Posted in 220, Agendas, Barrington Education Association, Board of Education, District 220 referendum, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Elections, His Master's Voice, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Illinois State Board of Elections, Open Meetings Act, Overhead, Politics, Property Taxes, School Districts, Taxes, Unions, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on April 21, 2026| Leave a Comment »

The District 220 Board of Education meets this evening at 6:00 PM at the District Administration Center, 515 W. Main Street. Items on their agenda include:

  • FOIA Request Report
  • Revised Personnel Report
  • Consideration to Approve 2026-2027 Meal Prices
  • Consideration to Approve 2026-2027 NSLP Food Service Renewal
  • Consideration to Approve Transform 220 Bids
  • Project Work Order #12 to the Pepper Construction Company Master Agreement
  • Consideration to Approve a BHS Athletic Program Donation Agreements
  • Grade Level Program Transition Update
  • Transform 220 Pre-Construction Update
  • Teaching and Learning / Equity Update

A copy of the agenda can be viewed here. The meeting will be live streamed on the district YouTube channel.

Related: “Over $100,000 in Special Interest Funding gifted to 220 Board member’s campaign in failed bid for State Rep job,” “New Evidence of Chan Ding’s Policy Violations and Conflicts of Interest,” “The D220 Board of Ed gets another ‘F’ in accountability & transparency,” “The Real Issue in Barrington 220 Isn’t Parking or Levies — It’s Leadership Culture,” “BOARD OF ED VOTES, MEMBER CHAN DING MADE FLAGRANT POLICY VIOLATIONS – Part 2,” “BOARD OF ED VOTES, MEMBER CHAN DING MADE FLAGRANT POLICY VIOLATIONS,” “District 220’s Lack of Transparency (Updated),” “District 220’s Lack of Transparency”

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Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District Board meets tonight

Posted in Agendas, BCFPD, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Jewel-Osco, Open Meetings Act, Overhead, Pension Funding, Politics, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Real Estate, Taxes, Transparency, Unions, VBHPD on April 20, 2026| Leave a Comment »

The lease on the BCFPD fire station adjacent to Village Hall is being reviewed according to their agenda. | Courtesy Google maps

The Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District (BCFPD) Board of Trustees meets this evening at 6:30 PM at 22222 N. Pepper Road in Lake Barrington. Topics on their agenda include:

  • Station 37 (Barrington Hills) Lease Review
  • Local Incident Management Assistance Team (IMAT) (Type IV) Memorandum of Understanding

A copy of their agenda can be viewed here.

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(Ignoring public opinion) Pritzker says of BUILD Plan for homes would not cost taxpayers

Posted in Clown Car, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Fat Bastard, FUBAR, Mad Cows, New Normal?, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, Real Estate, Springfield, Taxes, The Center Square, Topics Of Interest, Zoning Board on April 18, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Image courtesy PridesCrossing

By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square

Gov. J.B. Pritzker has ramped up his campaign for new housing in Illinois, and he expects taxpayers to pitch in.

After announcing the Building Up Illinois Developments Plan during his budget address in February, the governor urged support for it Friday at the City Club of Chicago.

Pritzker said the BUILD Plan is ambitious and comprehensive.

“It’s designed to eliminate unnecessary barriers and lower costs for housing construction and renovation, produce a wider range of family-friendly housing types and streamline permitting,” the governor said.

Pritzker said Illinois faces a gap of more than 142,000 housing units and needs to build about 225,000 units over the next five years.

The governor said most of the BUILD Plan would not cost taxpayers anything, but he said there would be an investment.

“The BUILD Plan also includes about $250 million to help spur development of housing and help people to afford housing,” Pritzker said.

Article continues here.

Related: “Gov. JB Pritzker’s ambitious housing plan for Illinois: More four-flats, looser rules,” “Pritzker to propose statewide zoning laws to spur homebuilding, limit local control,” “McLaughlin’s press conference video recording regarding Pritzker’s proposed municipal zoning powers grab posted,” “‘It’s just a bad idea’: Suburban officials oppose Pritzker’s plan to reduce local control over residential It’s just zoning”

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Illinois lawmakers grill diversity commission over lack of progress

Posted in Deception, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Girlie man, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, School Districts, Springfield, Taxes, The Center Square on April 16, 2026| Leave a Comment »

From Wednesday, April 8, 2026, Illinois state Rep. Brad Halbrook, R-Shelbyville, references an investigation by The Center Square

By Jared Strong | The Center Square

State lawmakers expressed public, bipartisan concern again Wednesday over an Illinois commission’s efforts to increase access to state contract money for businesses that are owned by racial minorities, women and people with disabilities.

The lawmakers’ concerns are largely based on the reporting of The Center Square in recent months, which has found that the commissioners have fewer responsibilities than their counterparts elsewhere in government and that their decisions have led to a dramatic decline in businesses that are certified for contract preference.

“It seems to be in shambles,” said state Rep. Brad Halbrook, a Shelbyville Republican.

Halbrook made the remark and fired numerous questions at staff of the Commission on Equity and Inclusion during a committee budget hearing Wednesday night. He questioned the pay of the seven commissioners who lead the agency — who each make about $150,000 a year — and their switch to a new computer system nearly two years ago that has effectively blocked more than 2,000 businesses from enhanced access to the contracts.

Other lawmakers had their own concerns, which led them to request that the commission’s staff return to the Capitol for further questioning before they decide whether to approve their $5.6 million budget request for the next fiscal year.

None of the six other agencies that were also subjects of the Wednesday budget hearing were asked to return. The commission’s next appearance before the committee has not yet been scheduled.

Rep. Angelica Guerrero-Cuellar, a Chicago Democrat, was “taken aback” that the commission had failed for a year to coordinate with the Secretary of State’s Office to contact businesses that might be eligible for certification, as she has previously requested.

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Pritzker could unlock $1 billion for Illinois students

Posted in Education, Illinois Policy Institute, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, School Districts, Taxes, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on April 16, 2026| 1 Comment »

The governor should say yes to a program that would provide donated education money for Illinois families.

By Lilly Rossi | Illinois Policy Institute

A billion dollars for Illinois students is on the line.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker can opt into a new program and allow Illinois families and students access to almost that much in donated education money.

Or he can watch the money flow to other states.

A new program allows donors to take a tax credit of up to $1,700 for qualified donations. If just 30% of filers in Illinois took the full credit, the state could gain nearly $1 billion a year in new education resources to be used for millions of students.

The money would help students afford a tutor, attend ACT or SAT prep sessions, pay tuition or fees, get special education services or assist with other academic needs.

Starting next year, any taxpayer can get the credit for a qualified contribution up to $1,700 to a scholarship-granting organization.

The only cost of the program is minimal foregone income tax revenue to the federal government. There is no cost to participating states, only the benefit of more help flowing directly to students.

A number of taxpayer-participation scenarios show that “even modest taxpayer engagement could translate into significant resources,” according to an analysis from Education Reform Now. Based on an estimated participation rate of taxpayers eligible to receive the full $1,700 tax credit in Illinois, students in the state could see as much as $1 billion.

Article continues here.

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