Did the tax man take a big bite out of your wallet this month? With tax season almost behind us, let's take a look at an issue before the state legislature — should Illinois switch from a flat income tax rate to a graduated rate? The last year Illinoisans escaped paying income tax to the state was 1969. Just seven states still collect no income tax. Thirty-four states use the graduated income tax system, while eight others join Illinois in imposing one rate on all. Our friends at Reboot Illinois put together a graphic look at various aspects of the flat tax vs. graduated tax debate, excerpted…

 The Illinois Senate Executive Committee unanimously approved a request by ComEd and Ameren to "clarify" a 2011 law that allowed the utilities to raise electricity rates, Illinois Public Radio reports. The clarification would allow the power companies to retroactively charge higher rates for the electricity you've already used, potentially raising up to $70 million for ComEd, according to Sun-Times Media. The 2011 law changed the formula used to determine charges. But the utilities say it didn't work as intended. They say regulators aren't letting them charge what they need. Now the companies…

Gun control hearings will convene before an Illinois House committee later this month, says Speaker Mike Madigan, and there will be much talk about a new concealed carry law. One hearing will take place in Chicago on Feb. 22, at the Michael A. Bilandic Building in Chicago. The other will be in Springfield on Feb. 19 at the Capitol. “In light of events in recent months in Illinois and in other parts of the country, it’s appropriate and necessary that we give a full vetting to proposed state legislation on this matter," reads a statement from Madigan. "These hearings will provide an opportunity…

Illinois now has the lowest credit rating of all 50 states. Standard & Poor’s rating services downgraded Illinois’ credit rating last week to A-, with a negative outlook.  State Treasurer Dan Rutherford, who blamed the negative rating on inaction on the public pension system by Gov. Pat Quinn and the General Assembly, said Illinois is headed for "fiscal disaster." He said the lower rating will force the state to fork over more money on interest payments. This will affect state universities, road construction and other public institutions because more will go to interest than principal as …

When Gov. Pat Quinn took office in 2009, he promised to take aim at state boards and commissions stocked with politically connected folks drawing large salaries with little oversight into their activities. He would pare down those panels and save you money. Better Government Association investigative reporter Barbara Rose this month looked into whether Quinn delivered: "... more than three years into Quinn’s watch little has changed, except the number of such units is growing. As troubling, many don’t comply with the Illinois Open Meetings Act, according to a report last year by state Auditor…

Feeling all warm and full of good cheer? Bah! Here's a little something to satisfy the Scrooge in you before the spirit of Christmas takes hold. We Need More Jobs: At 8.7 percent, the Illinois unemployment rate is 1 percent above the national rate. And job creation is improving at a faster clip all around us, in Wisconsin, Indiana, Kentucky, Iowa and Missouri, on average, according to Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner at the Illinois Policy Institute.  "The reality is Illinois’ poor policies aren't allowing the state to participate fully in the national recovery. If only Illinois’ unemployment …

Are you worried about your own retirement? With the downturn in the economy, did your 401k and savings take a big hit? If so, you're like millions of other Americans forced to confront a dramatically different outlook for their post-work years. But one group of pensioners is largely insulated from such concerns — outgoing Illinois lawmakers. The retirement benefits Illinois legislators receive are far more generous than those most of their constituents could collect working full-time jobs, reports Scott Reeder of the Reeder Report, using data from an Illinois Policy Institute analysis in a …

The Illinois House will soon take up a bill passed in the Illinois Senate Tuesday that allows illegal immigrants to obtain temporary drivers' licenses and insurance. Half of the GOP lawmakers in the Illinois Senate voted against the bill. The measure passed, though, with a final vote of 41-14. Senate Bill 957 would enable about 250,000 illegal immigrants who already drive in Illinois to have a chance to go through drivers testing, receive a special license good for three years and purchase insurance. That means safer roads for Illinoisans, backers of the bill say. Officials say uninsured …

Pat Quinn is so unpopular, according to a recent Public Policy Polling survey, that Lisa Madigan and Bill Daley would easily beat him in a Democratic primary while Kirk Dillard and Dan Rutherford would topple him in the general election. Quinn says he's going to run for re-election in 2014, but as 2012 comes to an end only 25 percent of Illinois voters approve of the job he's doing as governor. Public Policy Polling says 64 percent of voters disapprove of Quinn's performance — "making him the most unpopular governor PPP has polled on anywhere in the country this year." And there seems to be …

"In government," says Joe Berrios, Cook County Democratic Party chairman, "people help people." So why shouldn't he help the people named Berrios with government jobs? Berrios believes he's just like President John F. Kennedy — minus the Irish, of course — and entirely justified in putting relatives on the government payroll. The various Berriosi pull in more than $1 million in salary and pension benefits, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. His family members are eminently qualified to hold the various positions he's hired or promoted them into. And, really, you shouldn't question this. As …

With Democrats now holding a supermajority in the Illinois House and Senate as well as the governor's office, one might suppose a Democratic agenda would be a slam dunk in Springfield. As recent years have shown, however, single-party control doesn't guarantee the wheels of government grind smoothly. And former Gov. Jim Edgar, who served from 1991 to 1999, suggests that probably won't change anytime soon. In a wide-ranging interview with the new website Reboot Illinois, Edgar says Springfield is less dysfunctional when the two parties share power. "More times than not I think split government…

U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.— who came into Congress bearing the heavy weight of his family name and lofty ambitions — counted Chicago's third airport as a signature issue for the better part of his time in office. And there's been no stauncher advocate for that project than Southtown columnist Phil Kadner. Construction of such an airport would bring much-needed jobs to an area plagued by chronic unemployment, and the airport itself, once realized, would serve as an economic engine for decades to come. So went the mantra. Targeted for a rural area outside the 2nd District until the latest …

Republican political strategist Mary Matalin predicts a 1980 redux on Election Day, with Mitt Romney emerging victorious by 7 percentage points in the popular vote. Matalin, 59, spoke Thursday evening at St. Xavier University in the Mount Greenwood community of Chicago alongside Democratic strategist Donna Brazile, who believes the race will be much, much closer. "Just 2 to 3 points, favoring the president," Brazile said. Matalin and Brazile — who are close friends — went back and forth in a discussion of presidential politics and campaign war stories in SXU's Shannon Center before a crowd of…

By Jayette Bolinski, Illinois Watchdog SPRINGFIELD — Opposition to a proposed pension-related constitutional amendment that will go before Illinois voters Nov. 6 is creating strange bedfellows — from public employee unions to good-government groups that agree the question is not worthy of a change to the state’s constitution and does nothing to address the pension crisis.  Groups opposed to the amendment are numerous and come from all walks of life. It’s no surprise that public-employee unions are opposed to the amendment, which requires a three-fifths majority vote before any public body can…

The editorial board of the Chicago Tribune prefers Democrats in the House districts serving the Chicago Southland and Republicans in the districts serving Will County. And in the 22nd District — a democracy-free zone and the stomping ground of House Speaker Michael Madigan — they see nothing to like. Why? For one, Mike Madigan's Republican opponent is a longtime Democrat. Never mind what his name is. It doesn't matter. In the 35th, the Trib endorses Fran Hurley, a 19th Ward cutout who worked for Ginger Rugai and Matt O'Shea, over Republican Ricardo Fernandez, of Orland Park, a physical …

The NRA and a suburban gun dealer say Cook County's proposed taxes on bullets and guns will probably land in court. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, saying there is too much violence in Chicago, wants a 5-cent tax on every bullet sold in the county and a $25 tax on every gun sold. Dave Workman, of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Bear Arms, told the Associated Press that gun-rights advocates will not stand for this. "It's not the law-abiding citizens stacking bodies like cordwood in Chicago; it's the bad guys," he said. The tax also could drive business out of Cook County …

Targeting smokers, gun owners and gamblers, a slew of new and unusual taxes and fees designed to raise $43 million are proposed for Cook County's $2.95 billion 2013 budget. Board President Tony Preckwinkle released her spending plan Thursday, saying $50 million in spending cuts are planned, too, and 462 open county jobs would be eliminated. But public attention will focus on the taxes: $1-a-pack more on cigarettes; the county tax is already $2 a pack $800 on every video gambling machine $25 on every gun sold 5 cents on every bullet sold $5 fee for every "confirmation of death" letter issued …

The editorial board of the Chicago Tribune just wrapped up its endorsements for State Senate candidates, giving the nod to two Democrats and one Republican in Chicago’s south suburban districts — the 18th, 19th and 40th. In the 18th, Barbara Ruth Bellar seems built for Tribune favor — or a talk show — but the endorsement went to Democrat Bill Cunningham. Republican Edgar Montalvo, of Tinley Park, a pro-business underdog, won the paper’s backing over Democrat Michael Hastings of Orland Hills. Both are military men — Montalvo served two Army tours in Iraq; Hastings graduated from West Point and…

One aspect of Obamacare is drawing bipartisan support — at least in Illinois. Democrat Dick Durbin and Republican Mark Kirk both back an outfit called SimpleHx, which wants a $150 million federal loan to establish the state's first health insurance co-op under the president's federal healthcare law. The people behind SimpleHx met at Northwestern University last year while pursuing their MBAs, according to Modern Healthcare reporter Kristen Schorsch. SimpleHx is competing against four proposals, including one backed by the Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council, a trade group founded in 1935 …