Mission Impossible?
Dan Proft discussed President Obama’s upcoming visit to Springfield on CBS Chicago
Read Full ArticleIOP Response to 2016 State of the State
Today, Illinois is in a better place than it was a year ago. Better, but not remotely good enough. The governor’s work – and ours – to improve the way Illinois operates at every level is just beginning. Some necessary reforms will take time and require a continued political shift of power, but others are immediately at hand.
Read Full ArticleAFSCME impasse: Will Rauner show the Political Ruling Class who’s boss?
This is a story of the funding arm of the Illinois Political Ruling Class that preaches fairness but enjoys being downright spoiled by those it has bought, paid for and sent to Springfield. AFSCME has always gotten what it has wanted — no matter the price. It likes it that way. And it’s not particularly keen on changing the cozy arrangement it’s had with both parties for generations. This is Rauner’s moment of truth.
Read Full ArticleIllinois’ Cartel Economy
It is fun to watch the popular HBO show “Game of Thrones.” It is considerably less fun to live in a dressed up iteration of the feudalism of the Middle Ages. If we are being honest with ourselves, the realm of Illinois is such a version with ruling families of shared interests replacing strict bloodlines. It is a government-directed cartel economy where the rule of men has replaced the rule of law.
Read Full ArticleProft: Republicans Should Take the Lead to Recall Rahm
We have a recall mechanism for Illinois’ governor. Why shouldn’t we have one for Chicago’s mayor? More former governors are convicted felons, yes. But that doesn’t mean as many former mayors weren’t just as deserving.
Read Full ArticleTeachers Union Votes to Protect Power
A teachers strike is never about children. It is about the special interests of adults. In Chicago and elsewhere, the teachers unions are in the business of winning better salaries and benefits, protecting job security, pressuring for restrictive work rules and otherwise advancing the occupational interests of their members. The children are at best an afterthought, at worst cannon fodder, in political and contractual battles among those who divvy up power.
Read Full ArticleWhen Teachers Threaten a Strike, Call Their Bluff
Someone has to put a marker down… Our K-12 school systems cannot go on forever in current form. The math is inexorable even if the will is weak.
Read Full ArticleAnother Day, Another Indictment
Families are suffering. Businesses face fixed uncertainty. Taxpayers are leaving in droves. At no time have independent thought, political courage and social risk been more necessary. To have any hope of seeing the kind of structural change that is needed, we have to change our leadership.
Read Full ArticleWhat’s Trending in Illinois?
A closer look at recent trends in Springfield and among voters confirms that the power shift is real. The demand for independent legislators, and the equity, efficiency and excellence that is established through free-market policy solutions has never been louder. The opportunity to advance the cause of liberty and enterprise in Illinois has never been greater.
Read Full ArticleNever Let a Crisis Go to Waste
As it happens, Mayor Emanuel has famously offered advice on how to act in a crisis. His words of wisdom? “Never let a crisis go to waste. What I mean by that is it’s an opportunity to do things you didn’t think you could do before.” Chicago is indeed in crisis. And Chicagoans now have a real opportunity to challenge the political status quo and demand the reforms they were promised
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