An amendment to the Illinois Constitution sponsored by organized labor is quietly, as if on cat’s paws, marching toward enactment at the November election. The amendment would prohibit “right-to-work” legislation, and also give unprecedented power to unions where the authority of the National Labor Relations Act is uncertain, such as with charter schools. Enactment by […]
Jim Nowlan
Posted inOpinion
America has lost its way
America has lost its way, or so I worry. Can we get back on track? What do we mean by The American Way? Each of us might define it differently, though I think there are some common threads. In 1937, social commentator William Herberg gave it a shot in a lengthy paragraph, from which I […]
Posted inOpinion
Why Illinois social services are in disarray
This past month, a Cook County judge held the director of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services in contempt of court, an unprecedented action. In this latest instance, two DCFS youngsters languished in mental health facilities months after they were ready to be discharged. What’s new? DCFS has been under a federal court […]
Posted inOpinion
Why Michael Madigan hasn’t yet been indicted
Friends ask: “Why hasn’t Mike Madigan been indicted yet? After all, he has been under investigation for what must be a couple of years now.” My answer: It’s because the federal prosecutor is not confident he can prove that the former Illinois House speaker personally did anything illegal. I define public corruption as receiving unearned […]
Posted inOpinion
Why start a business when you can start a movement?
This column proposes a powerful, practical, if highly unconventional, way to start a national conversation, even a movement, that could possibly help restore a healthy American democracy and solid economic future, and maybe even replace one of our two bankrupt political parties. Politics and policy are today focused on supporting old coots like me – […]
Posted inOpinion
Pritzker gambles on new direction
Democratic Gov. J. B. Pritzker and the legislature have gambled on a new direction for Illinois. The dramatic new course seeks to turn our state from a government mired in conflict, impasse and perennial deficits to that of big-picture thinking, and big spending. The state of Illinois has seen its net assets decline, from a […]
