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New poll: 50.2% of Illinois voters view Pritzker unfavorably

Posted in Clown Car, Commodius Maximus, Deception, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Economy, Ethics, Fat Bastard, Fat Man Walking, Girlie man, Illinois Policy Institute, Immigration, Look For The Union Label, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, Springfield, Taxes, The Center Square, Unions on August 8, 2025| 2 Comments »

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker | BlueRoomStream

By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square

A new poll shows that Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s approval rating has flipped negative for the first time.

The Illinois Policy Institute’s newest Lincoln Poll conducted by M3 Strategies July 15-18 found that 50.2% of likely voters in 2026 view the governor unfavorably and 47.2% view Pritzker favorably.

M3 surveyed 752 individuals and reported a +/- 3.57 percentage point margin of error.

The previous Lincoln Poll in late January showed a slim majority of Illinois voters approving of Pritzker’s job performance.

Illinois Policy Institute Senior Fellow and former Illinois state Rep. Mark Batinick, R-Plainfield, said he would have advised Pritzker not to run for a third term.

“Third terms are often called the third-term curse, number one. Number two, running a general election for governor doesn’t match with running in a far-left Democratic primary for president,” Batinick told The Center Square.

Batinick said he predicted months ago that the governor’s poll numbers would drop.

“The stuff that he’s trying to do to go to the far left to be relevant in the Democratic primary for president is costing him with rank-and-file voters here in Illinois. They’re like, ‘You know what? I’ve got a high property tax bill. I don’t care about Texas legislators. I want you back in Illinois doing the things that matter to us.’ When you look at that poll, taxes was the number one issue,” Batinick said.

Read more here.

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Educator urges Illinois teachers to reject union pressure, politics and coercion

Posted in 220, Barrington Education Association, Board of Education, Education, Elections, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Illinois Policy Institute, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, School Districts, Taxes, The Center Square, Unions on August 7, 2025| 1 Comment »

“Say hey to our newest class of educators in Barrington 220!” | Barrington 220 School District Facebook post August 7, 2025

By Catrina Barker | The Center Square contributor

With the Illinois Education Association’s mid-September opt-out deadline approaching, critics call for a permanent opt-out option instead of yearly reaffirmation, arguing union influence restricts school choice and teacher autonomy in Illinois.

Sarah Fletcher, a former charter school educator and now the Head of School at White Horse Academy, a private school, said her own teaching career trajectory was shaped by a desire to avoid union involvement altogether.

“When we moved here to Illinois from Arizona, I had very little interest in teaching at the public school,” Fletcher said. “Part of that was because I didn’t want to be pressured into or have to be mandated to pay dues. The IEA and IFT, which are part of larger organizations like the NEA, use the majority of their funds not to represent teachers, but for political advocacy.”

Fletcher said she founded White Horse Academy in part to provide a space where teachers wouldn’t be required to hold state certification or pressured into union membership. She says the high cost of dues isn’t justified by what little teachers get in return.

“Oftentimes unions don’t advertise opting out is an option. I experienced something similar in a different sector where there was a union. I was heavily pressured into signing paperwork to pay union dues and was basically told I had no choice,” said Fletcher. “Much of the money from the dues collected fund political agendas, even opposing public and private school options. For example, [state Rep.] Terra Costa Howard, who wrote the homeschool bill HB 2827, received nearly $500,000 from teachers’ unions.”

According to Illinois Policy, Chicago Teachers Union members pay over $1,400 in dues annually, but less than $149 is spent on representing Chicago teachers.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Janus v. AFSCME on June 27, 2018 means teachers nationwide are no longer required to be part of a teachers union in order to keep their jobs.

Read more here.

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Economist explains flight of people, dollars from Illinois

Posted in Economy, Real Estate, School Districts, The Center Square, Topics Of Interest on July 29, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Vladimir Solomianyi | Unsplash

By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square

Outmigration has taken a major toll on the Illinois economy, according to a new report by Unleash Prosperity.

Using data from the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Census Bureau, analysts found that Illinois lost 881,012 residents from 2012 to 2022.

Economist Stephen Moore said only New York and California suffered more domestic outmigration than the Land of Lincoln.

“This is the sad story, same thing. New York and California and Illinois are just being bled to death,” Moore said.

VoteWithYourFeet.net breaks down the Census Bureau and IRS numbers from 2012 to 2022.

The data shows that Illinois was also one of the biggest losers for personal income, with a net adjusted gross income loss of $63,478,115,000 from 2012 to 2022. Only New York and California suffered heavier losses.

“Some of our friends on the left and some of our Democratic friends like to say, ‘Well, taxes don’t matter that much. They don’t really have an impact.’ You’re looking at the impact of taxes right here,” Moore said.

Read more here.

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Illinois ranks last in the country in financial transparency

Posted in Ethics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Springfield, The Center Square, Transparency on July 16, 2025| 1 Comment »

Emilee Calametti | The Center Square

By Glenn Minnis | The Center Square

A new Truth in Accounting report pegs Illinois as being dead last among all 50 states when it comes to financial transparency.

The Transparency Score Report assesses each state based on such criteria as audit quality, clarity of retirement liabilities and how clearly finances are presented free of distortion. Researchers found Illinois’ standing is further hampered by its delay in publishing its fiscal year 2023 Annual Comprehensive Financial Reports, which offers the most accurate view of a state’s financial outlook.

“Illinois is chronically late on issuing its financial report,” Truth in Accounting founder and CEO Sheila Weinberg told The Center Square. “It’s past June 30, 2024, and their June 2023 financial report still has not been issued. They made budget decisions without taking into consideration the important information in this and their audited financial reports. Either, you know, they can’t get the audit done on time or the comptroller’s office can’t accumulate all the data on time. Something dysfunctional there is going on.”

Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza’s office has released an interim 2023 report.

“The Comptroller cannot issue the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report until the Auditor General has completed their audit,” the Comptroller’s website said. “The audit for Fiscal Year 2023 has not been completed yet by the Auditor General. For the sake of transparency, the Comptroller has issued an Interim Report while awaiting the completed audit.”

Read more here.

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IL construction workers highest paid in U.S. as new home building lags

Posted in Economy, Look For The Union Label, Politics, The Center Square on July 14, 2025| Leave a Comment »

By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square

According to two new reports by Construction Coverage, Illinois ranked 48th out of 50 U.S. states for new home construction last year while leading the nation in construction worker pay.

Analysts at Construction Coverage looked at wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and cost-of-living data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis to determine where in the country construction workers earn the most when local price differences are taken into account.

Michael Stromberg, head of Engineering & Data Analytics at Construction Coverage, said construction workers in Illinois have the highest median wages in the country after adjusting for cost-of-living metrics.

“That’s coming in at over $79,000 per year. For reference, that’s nearly 12% more than the next-highest neighboring Midwest state, Minnesota, at just over $70,000 annually. That’s also 50% more than the median wage for all workers in Illinois at roughly $50,000 per year,” Stromberg told The Center Square.

Without the cost-of-living adjustment factored in, Stromberg said Hawaii’s construction workers earn higher median wages than Illinois workers, but Hawaii’s high cost of living resulted in Illinois’ elevation to the top spot.

Stromberg said the trends hold true at the local level.

“The Chicago metropolitan area ranks first among large metros for construction worker pay. The Peoria metropolitan area ranks first among mid-size metros, and Decatur and Champaign rank second and third respectively among small metropolitan areas. So, from a personal income perspective, Illinois is an attractive state to work in for construction workers,” Stromberg said.

Read more here.

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IL officials have opposing views on ruling affirming parents’ rights in schools

Posted in 220, 300, Barrington Education Association, Board of Education, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, School Districts, Springfield, The Center Square, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on June 28, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Alexander Grey | Unsplash

By Greg Bishop | The Center Square

Following a 6-3 U.S. Supreme Court decision Friday, siding with parents in opting out their children from school curriculum with LGBTQ storybooks, Illinois political leaders are sounding off.

In the case Mahmoud v. Taylor, the court recognized parents have a constitutional right to opt their children out of, for religious reasons, content such as storybooks that push LGBTQ ideology.

“We have long recognized the rights of parents to direct ‘the religious upbringing’ of their children,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote in the court’s majority opinion. “And we have held that those rights are violated by government policies that substantially interfere with the religious development of children.”

While the case involved a school district in Maryland, the ruling is expected to have impacts across the country.

Illinois U.S. Rep. Mary Miller, R-Oakland, said parents had their voices heard by the justices.

“For years, parents have sounded the alarm about obscene and inappropriate content invading our schools, and today, they were heard,” Miller posted on X. “The Supreme Court has delivered a historic win for families, affirming parental rights, safeguarding religious freedom, and pushing back against the Left’s radical gender ideology targeting our children.”

More here.

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WATCH: Census data: IL losing 18 and under at faster rate than NY, CA

Posted in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Fat Bastard, Immigration, Look For The Union Label, Overhead, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, Springfield, Taxes, The Center Square, Unions on June 26, 2025| 1 Comment »

By Greg Bishop | The Center Square

The latest data on Illinois’ population trends shows the state losing more people 18 and under at a faster rate than any other state. That spells trouble ahead according to one analyst.

Illinois’ population is growing older with fewer working age people than before, according to the latest U.S. Census data released Thursday.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker told members of Congress earlier this month the state is growing.

“Our population is increasing,” Pritzker said June 12, during a U.S. House hearing on states with migrant sanctuary policies. “We have a higher population as a result of the Census that was done in 2020.”

While the state did see a gain of nearly 68,000 people from 2023 to 2024, Illinois has lost nearly 89,000 people since 2020. Data released Thursday also show there are fewer people under 18 with the 65 and older population growing.

Wirepoints President Ted Dabrowski said that spell trouble for Illinois.

“Fewer young people coming up in the pipeline that take jobs and pay taxes. Our workforce is shrinking,” Dabrowski told The Center Square. “Wow. We better dramatically change our policies and flip the dynamics of our state, or we’re going to be in massive trouble.”

More, including a video report, here.

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IL legislator continues quest to eliminate property taxes for 30-year homeowners

Posted in Politics, Property Taxes, Springfield, The Center Square on June 24, 2025| 1 Comment »

Illinois state Sen. Neil Anderson, R-Andalusia

By Glenn Minnis | The Center Square

State Sen. Neil Anderson is vowing to do all he can to finally provide relief for long stressed-out Illinois homeowners.

Proposed by Anderson earlier this year, Senate Bill 1862 seeks to end property taxes for state residents who have lived in and paid on residential properties for at least three decades.

“I think it’s just a fundamental idea that at some point you have to own your own stuff,” Anderson told The Center Square. “Right now, in America, and I don’t care what state it is, you can pay your house off, pay property taxes for 40, 50 years and then you fall on hard times, can’t pay your property taxes and now the government can take it. At some point, you have to own your stuff. It has to be yours and you don’t owe anybody anything.”

Anderson, R-Andalusia, said he is now focused on winning over more support for his proposal, including from Democratic legislators, arguing in the end, the measure stands to be in the best interest of essentially every resident.

Illinois residents on average pay in the neighborhood of 2% or almost $5,200 annually on real estate taxes based on a median home value of $250,500. With taxpayers facing some of the highest property tax rates in the country and the state being home to long rising outmigration numbers, Anderson said residents across the state are paying the price.

“Living in a state with some of the highest property taxes, if we can have some hope for some people to say after 30 years you don’t have to pay anything more, not only is it right I think it incentivizes people to stay here,” he said. “The people that have the means, they’re just not going to put up with it anymore. When you have more people leaving because of high taxes and the only people you’re replacing them with is illegal immigrants that pay nothing and get free healthcare we’re in trouble.”

More here.

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VA slams Democrat governor for falsely claiming vets could be denied care

Posted in Fat Bastard, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, The Center Square, The Greatest Generation on June 20, 2025| 1 Comment »

“Gov. Pritzker is clearly consuming too much disinformation and needs to go on a news diet.” | VA Secretary Doug Collins

By Brett Rowland | The Center Square

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs slammed a Democrat governor who sent out a mass email falsely claiming that veterans could be denied care based on how they voted even after the initial report had been changed and both the VA and the White House said it was false.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who has an eye on national politics, said he told state agencies to “take every available action to protect veterans’ access to care” after “reports that the Trump administration is proposing rules that would allow VA providers to deny military veterans healthcare based on their marital status and political affiliation.”

VA officials said those reports were incorrect. Three days before Pritzker ordered state officials to take action, VA Secretary Doug Collins had publicly said the report was wrong.

“This is completely and totally false,” a VA spokesperson said. “Gov. Pritzker is clearly consuming too much disinformation and needs to go on a news diet.”

More here.

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WATCH: Chicago mayor labels state budget ‘austere,’ wants tax on ‘ultra-rich’

Posted in Cook, County, Deception, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Ethics, Immigration, Politics, Preckwinkle's Rules of Order, Springfield, Taxes, The Center Square, The Chicago Way, Unions, Who Cuts Your Hair? on June 4, 2025| 1 Comment »

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson during a news conference in Chicago June 3, 2025 | Chicago Mayor’s Office / Facebook

By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square

The mayor of Chicago has followed the lead of some Illinois state lawmakers by connecting state and local budget challenges with potential moves by the Trump administration.

Mayor Brandon Johnson spoke with members of the media Tuesday about Illinois’ record-high $55 billion-dollar spending plan passed by the General Assembly over the weekend.

“This budget was austere. There are budgetary challenges all over the country, and we’re faced with that because we do have a great deal of uncertainty, quite frankly, animosity that’s coming from the federal government,” the mayor said.

Johnson called President Donald Trump’s administration “tyrannical.”

State Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, called out Illinois Democrats for blaming the state’s fiscal woes on the president.

“Hang on, I bet Donald Trump called the mayor of Chicago and asked him to tax everybody in Illinois,” Rose said during final budget debates over the weekend.

“This sinister man, orange man bad, made you put the $20 million in for the South Side Organizing Project,” Rose said in another speech on the Illinois Senate floor.

More including video here.

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