. By Rich Miller . The Governor’s Office of Management and Budget released a revised state revenue and spending forecast last month for the current fiscal year and it’s pretty good. Its projections for next fiscal year, however, were not nearly as strong. Projected Fiscal Year 2024 revenues have been revised upward by $1.4 billion,…

. By Ray Hanania . When I was growing up, a phrase I am sure younger generations hate to hear is that I really enjoyed Thanksgiving and Christmas. The focus was on family, food and fun. Kids got time off from school, and our parents had time off from work. But instead of going on…

. By Ray Hanania . Congress and American politics is like a shell game in which the truth is slid in circle-eights and from side-to-side, replaced by lies, actions that completely contradict what is being claimed. Social Security is a good example of how this federal shell game operates and why Democrats in Congress have…

. By Rich Miller . I don’t know whether or not the legislative Democratic leadership would have allowed a vote, but it is puzzling to me that the people behind the extension of the state’s Invest in Kids Act program didn’t at least try to run a bill that would have wound the program down…

. By Rich Miller . Chicago Teachers Union lobbyist Kurt Hilgendorf told the Illinois Senate Executive Committee on Nov. 7 that the union had only “one problem” with Senate President Don Harmon’s elected Chicago school board bill. Hilgendorf praised much of the bill during his testimony. But the Chicago Teachers Union has claimed for years that…

. By Ray Hanania . In 2022, the Social Security Trust Fund had a $22 billion deficit, which shows you how little Congress cares about seniors compared to how they care about some foreign countries. When the deficit was announced, no Republican or Democrat members of Congress rushed to resolve their across-the-aisle political differences. Instead,…

. By Rich Miller . Back in May 2017, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson traveled to Springfield and promised a House committee that passing a criminal penalty enhancement bill he favored would drastically reduce gun crimes in his city. The bill, SB1722, was sponsored by then-Sen. Kwame Raoul, who would run successfully for attorney general…

. By Ray Hanania . President Joe Biden made it clear where he stands on the future of America during his rare address to the nation this past week. Biden addressed international and domestic challenges, vowing to provide more funding and armaments to Israel in the war with Hamas, to Ukraine in the war with…

. By Ray Hanania . Some issues I can’t just seem to get past: Migrants, Illegal aliens and the homeless Government is very unresponsive to the needs of the homeless who sleep on the streets, have little funds and have to panhandle to get money to buy unhealthy fast foods. Not enough money is available…