Gov. Pat Quinn outlined a plan last week to reform the state’s troubled pension systems. In doing so, Quinn appeared to outright reject some pension ideas offered up by House Republican Leader Tom Cross and Senate President John Cullerton. The governor s

Gov. Pat Quinn outlined a plan recently to reform the state's troubled pension systems. In doing so, Quinn appeared to outright reject some pension ideas offered up by House Republican Leader Tom Cross and Senate President John Cullerton. The governor sa

Every House and Senate seat is up for election this year, meaning little legislative business may get done. Republican Rep. Tom Cross, the House minority leader from Oswego, said of the 2012 session: “I think using elections as an excuse is no longer acc

(MCT) — Delivering an overly optimistic State of the State address last week, Gov. urged lawmakers to muster the "political courage" to tackle the tough issues this year. Bravery is likely to be in short supply at the Capitol for much of 2012, however. F

THE ISSUE: Quinn's State of the State address OUR VIEW: Governor is woefully out of touch with fiscal reality Illinois is behind on its bills to the tune of $8.5 billion, a figure expected to grow to $35 billion by 2017. Spending is outpacing income by m

Illinois Republicans wasted no time criticizing Gov. Pat Quinn’s State of the State address. They said Quinn painted a distorted picture of Illinois and didn't talk enough about solutions to the state's fiscal problems. The state cannot afford new progra