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DUPAGE COUNTY BUSINESS BLOG
Upcoming Events - June 2, 2010
Our Second Quarter meeting will be June 18th from 8:00 am to 9:00 am at Center Point Properties, 1808 Swift Drive, Oak Brook, IL 60523.
Illinois ranks low on CEO survey of business-friendly states - June 8, 2010
May 13, 2010
Illinois ranks low on CEO survey of business-friendly states
By: Lorene Yue
(Crain's) - Illinois is mired near the bottom on a list of the best states for business, according to a nationwide survey of CEOs.
In Chief Executive Magazine's annual "Best and Worst States for Business" list, Illinois ranks No. 46 out of 51 - the same spot as last year.
The list, which ranks the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, is based on responses from 651 CEOs nationwide. They were asked to rate each state in three main areas: taxation and regulation, quality of workforce and living environment.
Texas came in at No. 1 for the fifth year in a row, ahead of No. 2 North Carolina.
California landed at the bottom, just below New York.
A spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity called the ranking a "one-dimensional view" that has limited measurements.
"Illinois has always had a very competitive business climate that is support by key assets including our centralized location, highly-skilled workforce and effective business incentive programs," she said in a statement.
Illinois has seen its ranking slip over the past five years. It was No. 17 in 2005.
The top five states for 2010 are:
1. Texas
2. North Carolina
3. Tennessee
4. Virginia
5. Nevada
The full list can be found here: "Best & Worst States for Business 2010."
Why Politics Is Stuck in the Middle - June 8, 2010
New York Times
February 7, 2010
Economic View
Why Politics Is Stuck in the Middle
By Tyler Cowen
Market competition, under the proper circumstances, has the power to make a business better serve its customers. Cellphone companies, for example, compete via cheaper prices, clearer connections and better apps. Political competition, though no less vigorous, is conducted on very different terms - and often ends up stifling innovation instead of encouraging it.
When viewed through an economist's lens, the quest for voter approval helps explain some recent developments in domestic politics, including the stalling of health care reform and the proposed freeze on the federal government's discretionary spending.
Economists approach political competition with a simple but potent hypothesis called the "median voter theorem." Anthony Downs, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, proposed the idea in his 1957 book, "An Economic Theory of Democracy." Essentially, the idea is this: Any politician who strays too far from voters at the philosophical center will soon be out of office.
In fact, there is a dynamic that pushes politicians to embrace the preferences of the typical or "median" voter, who sits squarely in the middle of public opinion. A significant move to either the left or the right would open the door for a rival to take a more moderate stance, win the next election and change the agenda. Politicians will respond to this dynamic, whether they are power-seeking demagogues or more benevolent types who use elected office to help the world.
When it comes to the big issues, voters at the midpoint usually get the policies, if not always the exact outcomes, they want. In the federal budget, the largest line items include Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and military spending - all very popular programs. The interest on the national debt is mounting because we don't like paying higher taxes now for all those benefits, so our government borrows to postpone the pain.
Upon his election, President Obama stepped into a world already...
Obama's Home-state Headache - June 9, 2010
Politico
May 7, 2010
Obama's Home-state Headache
By: Ben Smith and Manu Raju
President Barack Obama's enemies like to call him a creature of the "Chicago machine," but when it comes to the politics of his home state of Illinois, the White House doesn't seem to know where the gears are.
Indeed, Chicago has delivered an unending stream of embarrassment, frustration and discomfort to the administration of its favorite son, from an indicted governor to a failed Olympics bid to a series of smaller political blows.
In the latest encounter with political quicksand, the White House - already burned by a series of failures to fill Obama's Senate seat with a chosen candidate - has been forced to proceed with extreme caution toward the damaged Democratic Senate nominee, Alexi Giannoulias, waiting to see if he drops out even as some of its allies want the White House to take a heavier hand.
Giannoulias is only the candidate, after all, because Obama, a proud Chicagoan, first failed to persuade Illinois's Democratic governor to appoint Valerie Jarrett, the perceived favorite - at least without cash on delivery. Then, after the governor's indictment, the White House tried, and failed, to keep Roland Burris from warming Obama's seat. After that, Obama couldn't persuade Illinois's popular attorney general to run...
Looking for Someone to Blame? Congress is Good Place to Start - June 9, 2010
This editorial was written in 1985 and revised again in 1995. It is an excellent and succinct perspective on accountability of our public servants. Someone has modified it and is circulating it through cyberspace to make it more inflammatory. In reading it, note the US population is now well above 300 million, not the 260 cited in the article.
It is still pertinent and applicable today. While voter outrage is supposedly high (heck, in the Illinois primary we had all of 25% of the voters show up!), the fact is the lack of voters holding leaders accountable is certainly at least one part of the problem.
Enjoy....
Orlando Sentinel
March 7, 1995
Looking for Someone to Blame? Congress is Good Place to Start
By: Charley Reese
Politicians, as I have often said, are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.
Everything on the Republican contract is a problem created by Congress. Too much bureaucracy? Blame Congress. Too many rules?
Blame Congress. Unjust tax laws? Congress wrote them.
Out-of-control bureaucracy? Congress authorizes everything bureaucracies do. Americans dying in Third World rat holes on stupid U.N. missions? Congress allows it. The annual deficits?
Congress votes for them. The $4 trillion plus debt? Congress created it.
To put it into perspective just remember that 100 percent of the power of the federal government comes from the U.S. Constitution. If it's not in the Constitution, it's not authorized.
Then read your Constitution. All 100 percent of the power of the federal government is invested solely in 545 individual human beings. That's all. Of 260 million Americans, only 545 of them...
Generation Web 2.0 Workers May Prefer Facebook Perks Over More Pay - June 9, 2010
FastCompany.com
May 20, 2010
Generation Web 2.0 Workers May Prefer Facebook Perks Over More Pay
By: Kit Eaton
If you want to motivate your staff to succeed, then trusting them to manage their own time--and use the Net when they like, including for accessing social networks--could get you better results than offering more pay, says new data.
Over 1,600 managers and staff were surveyed by Clearswift (a firm specializing in "unifying information security") for this research, covering the U.K., Australia, Germany, and the USA during the first two months of 2010. The headline figure from Clearswift's resulting report, "Web 2.0 in the Workplace," is that over 79% of respondents said that the most important feature of a workplace for them, above job title and even pay, is to be trusted to organize their own work schedule and have free access to the Net.
In addition, some 62% of workers thought it should be allowable to use social networking services from their desk for their own private purposes. Just 51% of management-level respondees had the same viewpoint, which indicates that in their mind social networking is a distraction, or something not to be performed while on the company's dime.
Clearswift even labeled these folk "Generation Standby," and noted that some 57% of 25- to 34-year-olds surveyed already are social networking, shopping, and reading personal email at work. 21% of those surveyed even said they'd turn down the offer of a job that was otherwise good, but forbade access to the Net and Facebook, Twitter and so on. The implication of Clearswift's jokey name is that we're all so increasingly connected to the world digitally that we're constantly awaiting the next digital hit, and even expect it to be a norm while working.
The figures seem dramatic, but they don't address the concerns that social networking and free Net access may actually degrade employee performance, if they're privileges that get abused, and they contrast with notions that good employees censor their Facebook pages. Still, the data sets up a bold challenge for forward-thinking companies looking for new ways to move their staff into better productivity: Let them do what they like on the Web, with the understanding that they're still required to deliver their daily tasks on time and up to scratch. If it works, you may even be able to avoid bumping up your pay bill this year.
The Coming Reset in State Government - June 15, 2010
Wall Street Journal
September 4, 2009
The Coming Reset in State Government
By Mitch Daniels
State government finances are a wreck. The drop in tax receipts is the worst in a half century. Fewer than 10 states ended the last fiscal year with significant reserves, and three-fourths have deficits exceeding 10% of their budgets. Only an emergency infusion of printed federal funny money is keeping most state boats afloat right now.
Most governors I've talked to are so busy bailing that they haven't checked the long-range forecast. What the radar tells me is that we ain't seen nothin' yet. What we are being hit by isn't a tropical storm that will come and go, with sunshine soon to follow. It's much more likely that we're facing a near permanent reduction in state tax revenues that will require us to reduce the size and scope of our state governments. And the time to prepare for this new reality is already at hand.
The coming state government reset will be particularly wrenching after the happy binge that preceded this recession. During the last decade, states increased their spending by an average of 6% per year, gusting to 8% during 2007-08. Much of the government institutions built up in those years will now have to be dismantled.
For now, my state's situation is far better than most, but it won't stay that way if we fail to act in Indiana. At present, we are meeting our obligations, without raising taxes, and still have over $1 billion in reserve. But the dominant reality is that...
Second Quarter Meeting Reminder - June 15, 2010
Please join us for our Second Quarter Meeting.
Date: Friday, June 18, 2010
Time: 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Location: Center Point Properties
1808 Swift Drive
Oak Brook, IL 60523
We are excited to announce House Republican Leader Tom Cross will be our guest speaker. Leader Cross' leadership in the state is critical and this is an extraordinary opportunity to find out what is really going on in Springfield.
This legislative session, Leader Cross is pushing an aggressive legislative agenda to create jobs. With the state billions of dollars behind in its bills and in debt, one of Leader Cross' highest priorities is to improve Illinois' economy and get people back to work. This effort is in line with our principles.
Please RSVP your attendance to Lisa Wagner or Laura Masterson at 630.752.9661 or email laura@wagnerco.org.
Click here for directions to Center Point Properties
http://www.centerpoint-prop.com/pdf/directions_to_cnt_oak_brook_office.pdf
RECENT POSTS
- Why Wall St. Is Deserting Obama
- Must See Charts on the Current and Projected in Gov't Spending and Budget
- Second Quarter Meeting Reminder
- The Coming Reset in State Government
- Obama's Home-state Headache
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