Illinois tax system buys CEO silence, says hedge fund billionaire; State cuts $10k to spend $30k: CTU vs. Rahm: Your Reboot Illinois Daily Tip-Off

POLITICAL-CORPORATE CRONYISM In 2011, Illinois gave up $161 million in tax revenue by granting tax breaks to big corporations. Ken Griffin, founder of Chicago's biggest hedge fund, says this costs the state more than money. It discourages the CEOs of those companies from being critical of state government or getting involved to make things better. Are our politicians buying their silence?

CUT $10K TO SPEND $30K? An Illinois Department on Aging program helps senior citizens stay independent and in their own homes. It costs $10,000 a year. But it could be cut from the state budget, which will lead to Medicaid costs of $30,000 a year when those seniors must move to nursing homes. Former lawmaker and agency director Jim Nowlan doesn't like that math or its consequences for thousands of seniors. He explains here.

ENDING THE ILLINOIS INCUMBENT PROTECTION PROGRAM Ever wonder why Statehouse incumbents win 97 percent of the time? It's easy when your district has been carefully drawn to keep you in and the opposing party out. That's a formula for complacency and corruption. We don't like this system and we've joined the CHANGE Illinois! coalition to get party bosses out of the process. Join us next week at Bradley University to learn more about this initiative. Please sign up here and join us. If you can't be there, go here to learn more about this important effort.

SCHOOL CLOSINGS  The Chicago School Board made history Wednesday in approving the largest single school closing effort in U.S. history. To give an idea of the anger Chicago closings have generated, we offer this blog post from teacher/blogger The White Rhino. Preview: "With 40-60% of minority children dropping out of school in the City of Chicago, I stand by Major Rahm Emanuel and the closing of 50 public schools... No kids in schools equals no kids dropping out." 

DAILY TIP-OFF The biggest news in Illinois today, and one of the biggest national news stories, is the Chicago School Board's vote Wednesday to close 50 schools at the end of this school year. It's the biggest such effort in U.S. history, though the Chicago Tribune reports that Philadelphia is closing 23 schools in similar circumstances.

The closings and their year-long prelude, which include a strike by Chicago teachers in September, have ignited mass protests and shone a spotlight on the economic and racial lines that divide the city.

After the board's vote, Chicago Teachers Union president Karen Lewis reiterated her pledge to unite voters and run Mayor Rahm Emanuel out of office in 2015. “Clearly, we have to change the political landscape in the city. We have to go back to old-style democracy,” Lewis said.

We have links to several news stories on the vote and its fallout in the Daily Tip-Off section of our website. 

A bill to raise the speed limit on some Illinois Interstates is now on Gov. Pat Quinn's desk. He's not saying whether he'll sign it or veto it. Proponents say it's good for business because it speeds up shipping. Opponents say it'll lead to more highway deaths.

And the state got some great news in April, reports Crain's Chicago Business. An influx of tax money let the state pay its bill backlog down from $8.5 billion to $5.8 billion. But it's only a blip, says Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka, and the state will be $7.5 billion in arrears by August.

Find links to these and other Illinois news articles on the Daily Tip-Off section of our website.

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