Illinoisans express alarm and anger at a government that has failed to align with their interests.
Through a variety of segments on Upstream Ideas, Illinois Opportunity Project spokesmen help connect the dots between voters’ visceral understanding that they’re being scammed  and the mechanics of our fixed system.
In case you missed them, the following segments discuss recent headlines.

Connecting The Dots

The average homeowner in Chicago will see their property taxes increase by another 10%. Do you have to hate your money to buy in Chicago? How will you respond: revolt or bolt? On Chicago’s Morning Answer (560-AM), Dan and Amy, discussed what you can do, other than move, with Cook Co. Board of Review Commissioner Dan Patlak. And Commissioner Patlak explained who we have to thank for this series of property tax hikes. Listen to the interview here.

Against the Current

Springfield lawmakers ended session without passing a balanced budget yet again, and instead considered multibillion-dollar tax hikes on already overburdened Illinois taxpayers. Why are lawmakers so resistant to enacting needed economic reforms and passing a balanced budget? On this edition of Against the Current, Dan Proft sits down with State Senator Dan McConchie who has said ‘no’ to any new tax hikes and has proposed a budget plan that balances without raising taxes. Watch the interview here.  http://upstream-ideas.com/upstream-ideas/ideas/revolt-or-bolt-homeowners-expect-10-tax-hike

Illinois Rising

Illinois’ credit rating was downgraded to one notch above junk status, the lowest in the country. On this edition of Illinois Rising, Dan Proft and Pat Hughes talk about how the state got there with economist Jeffrey Dorfman. They also discuss a new education funding bill that passed the General Assembly that would effectively take money from other school districts to pay for Chicago Public Schools. Dan Proft and Pat Hughes analyze what it all means for Illinois’ families and businesses.  http://upstream-ideas.com/upstream-ideas/ideas/ils-new-low-a-historically-bad-credit-rating

Two Minute Warning

If you live in the suburbs of Chicago, you are already paying the highest property taxes in the nation. And yet, State Representatives like Deb Conroy, Carol Sente, Mike Halpin, Marty Moylan, Natalie Manley and Stephanie Kifowit voted to send your schools’ state funding to bailout schools in Chicago. State Senators like Melinda Bush, Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, Laura Murphy, Tom Cullerton, Linda Holmes and Julie Morrison opted to defend Chicago’s Political Machine instead of your community.  In their view, it is a greater threat to their power to cross their party leaders than to cross you. Pat Hughes explains in this edition of Two Minute Warning.   http://upstream-ideas.com/upstream-ideas/ideas/suburban-democrats-sell-out-to-chicago-machine

Dollars & Sense

Wanna-Be Governors Dan Biss, Ameya Pawar and J.B. Pritzker all endorse a graduated income tax. Pat Hughes shows why this isn’t a solution in this edition of Dollars and Sense.Watch here.  http://upstream-ideas.com/upstream-ideas/ideas/graduated-income-tax

Heart Of The Matter

In ‘Heart of the Matter,’ Jodi Carroll, a wife and mother of three, discusses the direct impact local government policies and actions have on our families and everyday lives. In this episode, how do school referendums and other property tax increases hurt families and cause home values to decline? Watch the discussion here.  http://upstream-ideas.com/upstream-ideas/ideas/heart-of-the-matter-school-referendums

:60 Seconds of Sanity

In this edition of the nationally syndicated :60 Seconds of Sanity, Dan Proft spells out why the likes of Jim Comey have led Americans to lose faith in the federal government’s police power and legitimately conclude that the rule of law has been supplanted by the rule of men. Listen to the audio here. http://upstream-ideas.com/upstream-ideas/ideas/the-beltway-character-with-none