Move to an elected school board, Chicago — but get it right
Chicago at long last appears to be moving toward an elected school board. However, like all things in life, the devil is in the details. Get the details wrong and...
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Berg: Illinois’ wealthiest bureaucrats want this bill dead
Illinois state senators on May 15 heard testimony on a real bright spot in the General Assembly this year. But local government employees with some extraordinary paychecks are trying to...
Berg: Measure would create new hedge maze for anyone with green thumb
Illinois gardeners, growers and landscapers are ready for spring. With the "last frost" date approaching for most of the state, planning, building, tilling and planting will soon be in full...
Berg: Toilet scam throws water on Pritzker’s ‘fair tax’
Another Illinois governor has drawn the attention of the feds. Four of the last 10 Illinois governors have gone to prison. But this latest probe is different, because it drives...
Berg: Illinois shrinkage makes history
Illinoisans have been hearing their state is shrinking for five years now. But new figures released Thursday say something they've never heard. From Walla Walla to Waco, there are 383...
Berg: Lawmakers crack open Pandora’s box with graduated income tax amendment
The cornerstone of J.B. Pritzker's political career has arrived. A graduated income tax is moving. Pritzker heralded new language for a constitutional amendment April 10. Barring any unlikely changes, this...
Berg: Gas tax hike could fuel Pritzker’s sputtering income tax plan
Illinoisans already pay some of the highest taxes in the country at the pump. But a political problem for Gov. J.B. Pritzker could mean they’ll pay even more. How? Pritzker’s...
Berg: Pritzker’s plastic bag tax is all about green paper
Tuan Pham’s family founded its grocery store in Illinois 23 years ago. The Hoang-Anh Oriental Food Store in East Moline proudly serves Quad Cities shoppers, especially the Asian-American immigrant community....
Berg: The horrid history of political promises in Illinois
The Illinois Senate recently heard testimony on a bill to bail out College Illinois, a Ponzi scheme doubling as an ominous symbol of the state. More than 20 years ago,...
Berg: Why Illinoisans can’t trust Pritzker’s tax promises
A five-letter word should sink Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s new tax plan: trust. Illinoisans have a lower level of trust in their state government than residents of any other state, according...