Berg: Pritzker’s tax push has a dangerous precedent
Gov. J.B. Pritzker recently took his first steps toward axing Illinois’ flat income tax protection. His administration began building a roll call on what will be one of the toughest...
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Berg: Pritzker budget doubles down on failure
Gov. J.B. Pritzker delivered his inaugural budget address Wednesday. His response to Illinois’ budget problems? Tax hikes, borrowing and a can-kick — the same recipe for failure that has led...
Berg: Illinois government has a lot of problems, revenue isn’t one of them
J.B. Pritzker will deliver his inaugural budget address Feb. 20. He’s staring down a deficit of about $3 billion. It makes sense politically to pin this situation on the faults...
Berg: Feds drilling to the core of Illinois power, politics
Chicago’s most powerful alderman is out on bond. A yearslong federal investigation brought forth one count of attempted extortion for Ald. Ed Burke in January. But reports this week detailed...
Berg: Can Pritzker keep promise to stop Illinois gerrymandering?
Illinois House Republicans are out with an independent mapmaking plan. And Gov. J.B. Pritzker is on the record saying he’ll reject a legislative map drawn under political influence. The 2020...
Berg: Another Illinois lawmaker hits the pension lottery
State Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie, announced his retirement days before he was slated to start his 17th term in Springfield last week. But he won’t be leaving the Statehouse. His...
Berg: Madigan’s power runs deeper than the speaker vote
When Mike Madigan first became speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives in 1983, Illinois was among a handful of states that enjoyed a AAA credit rating. In 2013, Illinois...
Mayor’s race gives us a shot at a new Chicago Way. Here are 4 ways to start.
There’s an old saying that if you’re lucky, life is one damn thing after another. If you’re not, it’s the same damn thing over and over. In Chicago, everyone thinks...
Berg: Each day, a plane full of Illinoisans moving to another state
It’s the same grim story to which Illinoisans have grown accustomed: We’re shrinking. And it’s getting worse. New numbers released Wednesday from the U.S. Census Bureau paint a stark picture....
Berg: Holiday shopping and the sales tax scrooge
The average American will spend around $800 on gifts this Christmas. But making those holiday buys in Illinois will leave many families wishing they could get more bang for their...