Anyone else find it problematic that the IL Dept. of Revenue added an extra level of security for online filing, that requires 1-2 weeks to get a “letter” code? I have to believe there will be lots of people this week going nuts when they realize they will miss the deadline for filing due to I.T. paranoia. (I filed mine and some of my kids’ returns earlier, but this new fear-factor is an unnecessary burden for most citizens).
How many thousands of appropriated positions in the executive branch government remain unfilled?
At what point does that become indicative of an administration that is not able to meet service level adequacy because they simply lack the headcount to do so?
===With the nation’s heaviest state and local tax burden on the middle class, the state is, unsurprisingly, in a downward spiral===
Seems like George Will thinks we should have passed the fair tax, but regardless it is always nice to hear from someone that thinks the IPI is the first and only voice suggesting local government consolidation or the elimination of township governments in Illinois.
==How many thousands of appropriated positions in the executive branch government remain unfilled?
At what point does that become indicative of an administration that is not able to meet service level adequacy because they simply lack the headcount to do so?==
I get your point but to be fair this isn’t new to this Administration. Unfilled vacancies have been a problem for many, many years. A lot of agencies are constantly playing catch up - you hire one and lose two. And the process you have to go through to hire isn’t the smoothest. It can take many months from start of the process to finish to get someone in the door. It’s been this way forever. Agree with you that it isn’t right. I just don’t know how to fix it.
I had the joy to car trip to Austin, Tx to see the grandson. For those that say that Illinois roads are the worst, I can’t see it. I went via Memphis going down and coming home through OK and MO. Last summer, help the kids move from Tampa to Austin and drove then too.(Illinois to Tampa to Austin to Lake County. Every state I drove through had bad roads and good roads, just like Illinois. However, can someone explain to me why the section of road on I-55 between the I-80 and Weber rd is really bad? This was a top 5 bad section. When the kid went to ISU, it was always bad back than too except for the 1 year after they resurface the road. I think they need to rebuild totally instead of repaving which I hope is soon as I will be going to St. Louis in Aug. Also, Buc-ee’s in Texas is WAY better than Wally’s but for Illinois, Wally’s was a nice stop.
I also thought alot about if the trip could have happen in 2 days, 7am-5pm driving each way if I had an Elec car. The range and time to recharge at the charging stations that will be installed on the interstate system. Will there be waits to charge? What to do for the 30min-hour during recharging time? Are long car drives/trips going to be a thing of the past?
@Snowman61 ===However, can someone explain to me why the section of road on I-55 between the I-80 and Weber rd is really bad? This was a top 5 bad section.===
Massive amounts of heavy semi traffic. If they build the Illiana expressway (or tollway), it will allow a lot of the traffic to bypass that section.
That makes since with all the warehousing in the area. I still think that they need to rebuild it with a new and more of a base. I thought the Illiana was shelved or is there still hope? The Illiana is like our Rte 53 extension project in lake county that was talked about for 30 years before being shelved.
- Uptown Funk - Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 8:58 am:
Looks like Anna Valencia and her husband are about to find themselves in quite the ethical quagmire
- Sangamo Girl - Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 9:02 am:
It is finally feeling like spring. So get ready to batten down the hatches in central part of the state tomorrow. Exciting weather headed our way.
- Jose Abreu's Next Homer - Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 9:15 am:
I just noticed that Glen Ellyn in the new map will be in 3 congressional districts. That seems fun.
- Amalia - Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 9:24 am:
Sunny. Opening day. Can’t wait.
- Keyrock - Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 9:35 am:
That George Will column quoting and praising “the reformers at the invaluable Illinois Policy Institute” was quite something.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/04/08/how-illinois-could-escape-its-fiscal-abyss/
- Friendly Bob Adams - Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 9:52 am:
White Sox opening day expected to reach 72 degrees. I will take that as a good omen.
- H-W - Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 9:58 am:
Anyone else find it problematic that the IL Dept. of Revenue added an extra level of security for online filing, that requires 1-2 weeks to get a “letter” code? I have to believe there will be lots of people this week going nuts when they realize they will miss the deadline for filing due to I.T. paranoia. (I filed mine and some of my kids’ returns earlier, but this new fear-factor is an unnecessary burden for most citizens).
- Candy Dogood - Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 10:07 am:
How many thousands of appropriated positions in the executive branch government remain unfilled?
At what point does that become indicative of an administration that is not able to meet service level adequacy because they simply lack the headcount to do so?
- Candy Dogood - Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 10:13 am:
- Keyrock - Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 9:35 am:
===With the nation’s heaviest state and local tax burden on the middle class, the state is, unsurprisingly, in a downward spiral===
Seems like George Will thinks we should have passed the fair tax, but regardless it is always nice to hear from someone that thinks the IPI is the first and only voice suggesting local government consolidation or the elimination of township governments in Illinois.
- Demoralized - Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 10:31 am:
==How many thousands of appropriated positions in the executive branch government remain unfilled?
At what point does that become indicative of an administration that is not able to meet service level adequacy because they simply lack the headcount to do so?==
I get your point but to be fair this isn’t new to this Administration. Unfilled vacancies have been a problem for many, many years. A lot of agencies are constantly playing catch up - you hire one and lose two. And the process you have to go through to hire isn’t the smoothest. It can take many months from start of the process to finish to get someone in the door. It’s been this way forever. Agree with you that it isn’t right. I just don’t know how to fix it.
- Snowman61 - Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 10:33 am:
I had the joy to car trip to Austin, Tx to see the grandson. For those that say that Illinois roads are the worst, I can’t see it. I went via Memphis going down and coming home through OK and MO. Last summer, help the kids move from Tampa to Austin and drove then too.(Illinois to Tampa to Austin to Lake County. Every state I drove through had bad roads and good roads, just like Illinois. However, can someone explain to me why the section of road on I-55 between the I-80 and Weber rd is really bad? This was a top 5 bad section. When the kid went to ISU, it was always bad back than too except for the 1 year after they resurface the road. I think they need to rebuild totally instead of repaving which I hope is soon as I will be going to St. Louis in Aug. Also, Buc-ee’s in Texas is WAY better than Wally’s but for Illinois, Wally’s was a nice stop.
I also thought alot about if the trip could have happen in 2 days, 7am-5pm driving each way if I had an Elec car. The range and time to recharge at the charging stations that will be installed on the interstate system. Will there be waits to charge? What to do for the 30min-hour during recharging time? Are long car drives/trips going to be a thing of the past?
- DuPage - Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 12:15 pm:
@Snowman61 ===However, can someone explain to me why the section of road on I-55 between the I-80 and Weber rd is really bad? This was a top 5 bad section.===
Massive amounts of heavy semi traffic. If they build the Illiana expressway (or tollway), it will allow a lot of the traffic to bypass that section.
- Snowman61 - Tuesday, Apr 12, 22 @ 2:16 pm:
That makes since with all the warehousing in the area. I still think that they need to rebuild it with a new and more of a base. I thought the Illiana was shelved or is there still hope? The Illiana is like our Rte 53 extension project in lake county that was talked about for 30 years before being shelved.