Property taxes, unfunded pensions, corruption, and poverty, the question for residents of Harvey, Ill., isn’t about which one to address, rather which one to address first. The Illinois Policy Institute is putting a human face to this problem through the project: Forgotten Illinois Property Taxes.
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Today the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in Janus v. American Federation of State, Country, and Municipal Employees, Council 31 (AFSCME) that non-union workers cannot be forced to pay fees to public sector unions. Almost 5.5 million workers across 22 states are now free to choose whether to pay union fees. This landmark case some spect...
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Across the United States, millions of government workers are forced to pay money to a government union as a condition of employment. These workers have no choice in the matter. In 22 states, government unions have the power to force every public sector employee to fund their lobbying and political advocacy, even if these workers...
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One of the improvised strongholds during Hungary's anti-Soviet revolution in October 1956 was the Corvin cinema in central Budapest. Here, ordinary citizens joined hometown soldiers in a spontaneous attempt to take back their government. More recently, the site served as a memorable stop and cause for reflection for a gathering...
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Indonesians are widely dispersed on more than 6,000 islands, so spreading the ideas of liberty throughout the culture is most cost-effective online. For its proposal to fund a massive open online course (MOOC) devoted to teaching how free trade makes food affordable for the poor, Center for Indonesian Policy Studies (CIPS) won t...
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The worldwide freedom movement’s most exciting new project ideas are showcased each year as part of Atlas Network’s Think Tank Shark Tank competition, sponsored by the Smith Family Foundation. This year’s edition will feature three contestants who will pitch their projects before a panel of judges and an audience of hundreds of...
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The total cost for the Illinois legislature is staggering — an estimated $32 million per year, according to a recent study from Atlas Network partner the Illinois Policy Institute. “The Cost of Illinois’ Lawmakers” examines salaries, health care, dental plans, pensions, per diem disbursements, and mileage reimbursements for Illi...
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Each year, 30,000 people leave Illinois prisons after completing their sentences. They’ve made mistakes and served their time. But now, the biggest challenge they face will be getting back on their feet and staying out of crime.
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Ever since editorial cartoonist Thomas Nast used the power of images to help dismantle the corrupt Boss Tweed’s Tammany Hall political machine in the 19th century, generations of cartoonists to follow have built the medium into an effective tool of satirical communication that makes people laugh by distilling complex ideas to th...
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You never know where your next big idea will originate — a dynamic speaker, a moving video, an interactive workshop, a chance conversation. Inspiration can arise from almost anywhere, and a primary reason that Atlas Network organizes Liberty Forum & Freedom Dinner (LFFD) every year is to facilitate an environment in which there...
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Day two of Liberty Forum & Freedom Dinner 2015 featured panels of experts from around the world, book signings from faces of freedom, and culminated with the gala Freedom Dinner.
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On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Lithuanian Free Market Institute (LFMI), and nearly one year since the organization won the 2014 Templeton Freedom Award, the Vilnius-based think tank welcomed CEOs from Atlas Network partner organizations across Europe and the United States for the inaugural Transatlantic CEO Summi...
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Street vending is one of the most vivid examples of the entrepreneurial spirit in action. A truck, a cart, or even just a table can serve as a low-cost foundation for mutually beneficial trade, allowing people with little capital to invest in their future by finding customers among the people passing by, fulfilling their needs,...
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Chicago recently experienced a huge reality check. Moody’s Investors Service, Standard & Poor’s, and Fitch Ratings — the three major credit rating firms — downgraded some of the city’s debt to “junk” status. This means that the cost of borrowing is going to rise for the city, which will result in an unpopular diversion of scarce...
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The Illinois Policy Institute won this year’s Lights, Camera, Liberty! Film Festival for its video “Coffee run: Chicago forces out entrepreneurs”, directed by Charles Fritschner. “Coffee run” demonstrates the relationship between regulations and entrepreneurial activity putting a human face to interstate business relocation.
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Policy victories are won when campaigns claim the moral high ground and put the enemies of freedom on the defensive. During a Liberty Forum session called “Seizing the Moral High Ground,” hear how a progressive tax was defeated in deep blue Illinois; how the poverty alleviation debate has been reframed; how free market defenders...
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The Lights, Camera, Liberty! program is a grant and training opportunity that Atlas Network offers to U.S. and international partners, helping organizations transform the way they market messages through online video. This year’s winner will be announced at Liberty Forum and Freedom Dinner, November 12-13, 2014. The three finali...
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Chicago and Springfield-based Illinois Policy Institute was named one of eight finalists for this year’s prestigious Templeton Freedom Award for its work to defeat a movement to amend the Illinois Constitution and replace the state’s flat income tax with a progressive rate structure. This victory means that over the next five ye...
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The top change agents strengthening the worldwide freedom movement are named finalists for Atlas Network’s 2014 Templeton Freedom Award. Awarded since 2004, the Templeton Freedom Award is named for the late investor and philanthropist Sir John Templeton. The award annually honors his legacy by identifying and recognizing the mos...
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The U.S. Supreme Court ruled by a 5-4 vote in favor of worker-freedom on June 30 in the case of Harris v. Quinn. Because of this, thousands of home healthcare workers in Illinois cannot be forced to pay union fees.
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Illinois taxpayers breathed a sigh of relief when the state legislature conceded defeat over an attempt to introduce a tax hike for millions of families within the state. The proposed progressive tax would have raised taxes on anyone with more than $22,000 in taxable income.
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