My Blog

Category: Finance

  • Illinois Never Met a Tax it Didn’t Like: Sneakers? Really?

    The cost of a new pair of basketball shoes could jump by 25 cents under a proposal floated this week by an Illinois lawmaker. State Rep. Will Davis, D-Hazel Crest, wants to create a new tax that would generate an estimated $3 million annually for a youth job preparation program. He said the added cost…

  • Wanna See Our Future?

    Hundreds of people jostled for free vegetables handed out by farmers in a symbolic protest earlier on Wednesday, trampling one man and prompting an outcry over the growing desperation created by economic crisis. Images of people struggling to seize bags of tomatoes and leeks thrown from a truck dominated television, triggering a bout of soul-searching…

  • Quinn’s Motto: Move Your Business Out

    Today’s Local Bad News: Illinois companies warned in January that they may lay off as many as 1,200 workers in the next two months, according to filings with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. viaChicago Tribune. The economy sucks and the media doesn’t want to talk about it.  Manufacturing in Illinois is on…

  • Lincoln Quote

    You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred. You cannot build character and…

  • Crain’s Propaganda on Illinois vs. Indiana

    My comment on a brainless story: Since when is Crain’s the new PR mouthpiece for Quinn and Rahm? Except for the graphic this piece is nearly 100% opinion. So Indiana spent $300k on a campaign and got 20 or so companies to move. Those companies may provide several millions worth of tax base; yielding a…

  • Illinois’ Obnoxious Cell Phones Taxes

    Illinois was fifth in a ranking of extra wireless costs, the Tax Foundation said, with the user paying an average of about 21.8 percent in additional federal, state and local taxes and fees. Only callers in Nebraska, Washington, New York and Florida pay more. via Chicago Tribune. I was just talking to someone about this…

  • Quinn Balks at Illinois’ Fresh Interest Rate

    Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration delayed Wednesday’s planned sale of $500 million in construction bonds, saying a recent credit downgrade because of inaction on government worker pension reform left the market “unsettled.” The decision was made after officials with the governor’s budget office spoke with potential bidders who indicated they would seek interest rates higher than…

  • Obama Achievements

    Not good.

  • Credit Ratings for States

    So I just posted the Illinois is now worse that California (those of us here could have told you that two years ago.)  But I’ll bet all of you have been wondering, “Well what states have good credit ratings?”  Yes, yes.  I was wondering too.  See this nice chart I found somewhere and blatantly stole…

  • Illinois Credit — Worst in the Nation

    Illinois fell to the bottom of all 50 states in the rankings of a major credit ratings agency Friday following the failure of Gov. Pat Quinn and lawmakers to fix the state’s hemorrhaging pension system during this month’s lame-duck session. Standard & Poor’s Ratings Service downgraded Illinois in what is the latest fallout over the…