You owe, you owe

Washington lawmakers have driven the federal share of Americans' total public debt to more than $14 trillion. In Illinois, legislators and...

Leaving Afghanistan

President Barack Obama took perhaps the greatest political risk of his presidency in late 2009: He announced that 30,000 more U.S. troops...

What others are saying

Jon Huntsman likes to call himself the "margin-of-error candidate." It is not an accidental phrase. In the seven weeks since the former Utah...

For Chicago: Olympic flameout

Build a casino, trim the municipal payroll, privatize services, lure employers. It seems like Chicago has explored every option under the...

A Libya stalemate

The war that tugged the U.S. and its allies into Libya is in its fourth month. NATO warplanes have flown more than 11,500 sorties against...

A grudge match minus the grudge

It seems like only yesterday — and the day before, and the day before — that American John Isner and Nicolas Mahut of France...

City, meet county: Working together

The newbie leaders of local government, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, decided early on that...

Extreme drinking means extreme danger

The recipe for Jungle Juice calls for two kinds of schnapps, four bottles of wine, 9 liters of gin/vodka/rum and a liter of Everclear,...

Make them start over, Governor

Legislators frantic for new state revenue have passed a gambling expansion bill that, at more than 400 pages, deserves to fall over of its...

A tale of two congressional maps

In political circles, the congressional map drawn by Democrats in the Illinois General Assembly is widely viewed as a masterstroke.

temporary">Remember, Senate Dems: You said temporary

Democrats in the Illinois Senate tried to take a hostage at the end of the just-completed legislative session in Springfield. They wanted...

This is no time for the 'S' word

"We could easily strike because of this."

This Weiner isn't done

One odd thing about U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner — OK, there are many odd things about Weiner, but one odd thing about him is the apparent...

The feds de-friend business

Last year a salesman at Karl Knauz BMW in Lake Bluff was miffed that his dealership served bargain-brand hot dogs and bottled water for...

Stop this train

The Obama administration has showered Illinois with about $1.6 billion for high-speed rail and other upgraded service, part of its vision...

Sobriety day at CPS

On Monday, Gov. Pat Quinn signed a tremendously important school reform law and everyone was happy in educationland.

TMI?

The great thing about "crowdsourcing" Sarah Palin's emails is that we didn't have to spend our weekend reading them to find out there's...

What others are saying

If Israel continues to settle the West Bank, and the U.S. refuses to take any concrete action to stop it, or is revealed as having no...

Uncle Sam's burden

Defense Secretary Robert Gates is unhappy with our European allies, and he went to Brussels last week to let them know it. NATO, he...

Checkbook justice for Ryan LeVin

Ryan LeVin's checkbook got him out of a prison sentence in Florida. There's no other way to look at it.

Gotta eat

When President Barack Obama made corn-based ethanol a centerpiece of his energy policy, he took a chance on the weather.

What others are saying

Giving policymakers more information doesn't mean that they'll believe it or act on it. In the years leading up to the financial crisis...

Obesity and surgery

Banish soft drinks from school vending machines. Cut down on Happy Meals. Load school lunches with fruits and vegetables. Pull the plug on...

It's a boy!

Congratulations on the birth of your son! Are you planning to have his foreskin removed? If you think that's none of our business, then be...

What others are saying

Democrats have much greater faith in centralized expertise. Republicans (at least the most honest among them) believe that the world is...

Feel the power

Illinois needs a smart grid, the digital system for transmitting electricity in efficient, 21st century style. It also needs more sensible...

Exit ahead

First Navistar International threatened to go. Then Motorola Mobility. Then Sears Holdings. Now CME Group is the latest signature company...

Rahm on the spot over youth mobs

Rahm Emanuel won over Chicago voters with his well-articulated plans to address many of the city's long-standing challenges. Nobody...

Nice work you can't get

Gov. Pat Quinn has handed another plum job to another former legislator who voted for the governor's 67 percent income tax increase.

What others are saying

Members of the Deficits Forever club are intellectually lazy when they assert that the U.K. economy is growing slowly because austerity...

Peru looks left

Ollanta Humala, once (and perhaps still) a protege of Venezuela's firebrand President Hugo Chavez, was declared the winner of Peru's...

The right way to lift the federal ceiling

Many things that go on in Washington are too obscure or arcane to capture the attention of the American people, and the debt ceiling...

Mag Mile mobs

The flash mob phenomenon has taken an alarmingly dark turn on Chicago's Near North Side.

Senate Democrats try a maneuver that's too cute by half

This message is brought to you by the Illinois Department of Too Cute By Half:

Oh, just go away

Remember Rep. Christopher Lee? You might not recall the name, because three months ago the married Republican congressman from New York...

Lincoln Park do-over?

The Chicago City Council by tradition gives great deference to individual aldermen on development issues in their wards — even when...

Cleaning out the coal-fired clunkers

The Fisk and Crawford coal-fired power plants on the Southwest Side are relics from the 1950s. For years, residents in the Pilsen and Little...

Goodbye, Third of July

Nothing says God bless America like the Third of July fireworks and a pickle on a stick. That's summer in Chicago, where the city's...

CHA drug tests?

The Chicago Housing Authority is in the midst of a transformation that has rescued its residents from high-rise hells and allowed them to...

Spike the maps

Illinois Democrats charged with drawing new legislative boundaries were presented the equivalent of a blank check this year, and they took...

Welcome, newbies!

From the Better-Late-Than-Never Department: Gov. Pat Quinn on Thursday appointed three members to the Illinois board that has blocked health...

The roadkill bill

Desperate times call for desperate measures. The Illinois General Assembly has passed a bill that would allow citizens to collect the...

What others are saying

Certainly, prominent Republicans will scream that (Sarah Palin is) unelectable. But it's worth remembering that candidates rightly called...

Rock'em sock'em Senate

Illinois Sen. Mike Jacobs, D-East Moline, isn't the first lawmaker to throw a punch on the Senate floor. He's probably the first to defend...

Clean the Chicago River

A cleaner Chicago River: What a gift that would be to Chicagoans.

Burning your millions

Good thing taxpayers don't mind wasting — wasting — $2 million a month, starting right now, on a Cook County public...

Quinn and gambling

"We must consult with the people who elected us before taking an action that will allow wide-open gambling throughout Illinois and...

What others are saying

Here is Barack Obama, evidence of a new and progressive America. Here are the Republicans, a cast of largely white males, looking...

Fire sale at Thomson

The federal government is not known for driving a hard bargain. We've all heard about the Pentagon's famous $640 toilet seats, the $400 claw...

Judge? You there?

One year ago, state legislators approved sweeping reforms that made labor rules more customer-friendly at McCormick Place. That gave a...

Daley 101

Richard M. Daley is going back to school.

Hoist a glass for Red

The primary purpose of Memorial Day is to honor those who have sacrificed their lives to defend this country.

Medicare mythology

After their party won a House election in New York by running against a Republican Medicare plan, Democrats gleefully claimed vindication on...

Rod's final exam

Several times Friday, the federal felon on the witness stand seized control of the courtroom: He told jurors of his battles to give citizens...

A terrorist tells all

Lots of eyes were focused this week on the retrial of Rod Blagojevich. But six floors below the Blago circus, there was a far more momentous...

On your watch …

Every member of the Illinois General Assembly should have been in the room to see House Speaker Michael Madigan and his counterpart,...

Not so bad

Earlier this week we told you about efforts to dilute the education reform bill that's awaiting Gov. Pat Quinn's signature. The Chicago...

Give her some help

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle rallied a group of South Side ministers on Thursday to show there's community support for the...

Remap fallout

The public blowback over the proposed legislative maps has no doubt reminded Illinois Democrats why they like to do these things in secret.

Your share: $42,000

You used to be able to lead a long life without ever knowing the name of an Illinois state treasurer. Now, though, you owe considerable...

Work comp ka-boom!

When we heard that House Speaker Michael Madigan is threatening to blow up the Illinois workers' compensation system we thought, hmmmm, he's...

Bank it

It's springtime in Flint, Mich., and work crews are busy cutting grass and clearing garbage from vacant lots. Open fields sprout on the...

Editorial: Noah's mistake

Joakim Noah has endeared himself to Chicago Bulls fans by being a free...

Protect the preserves

Indefensible attempts to encroach on Chicago-area forest preserves are hardy perennials:

Rx for Republicans

When Mitch Daniels took himself out of the 2012 GOP presidential contest, he left a big hole in the field. Not just a hole representing...

Power outage: Libya war shows limits of War Powers Act

Under the War Powers Act, President Barack Obama had until Friday to get congressional authorization to continue U.S. military operations in...

Unkindest cuts

Even with a tax increase, Illinois is broke, owes billions of dollars and needs to make deep budget cuts. Practically everyone who depends...

Daley's decades

"… And as we enter this new season, it's time to leave behind old setbacks, disappointments and battles. Because in the campaign...

Obama gets in the game

At a press conference Feb. 15, President Barack Obama defended his reluctance to offer a long-range plan for curbing the federal debt. To do...

Obama's case for war

One of the main problems with the Obama administration's policy on Libya has been its confusing incoherence. Americans have been given...

Obama and Libya

For the Obama administration, the crisis in Libya represents more of a risk than an opportunity. Moammar Gadhafi has always been a tyrant,...

Ticketgate

By now you're probably familiar with the plight of Mark Geinosky, who got 24 bogus parking tickets in 14 months. The Tribune's What's Your...

• Jon Yates: Two years later, ticket case keeps ticking

Marital spat

Attorney General Eric Holder surprised many people, and provoked a few, when he said the administration will no longer fight in court to...

Tacking right

President Barack Obama had been readying himself for Tuesday night's State of the Union address since the Nov. 2 election, the electorate'...

Judicial arrogance

With startling arrogance and audaciously twisted reasoning, two appellate judges ignored more than 100 years of legal precedent, invented a...

Low blow

After watching a race between horses, dogs or Pinewood Derby cars, spectators don't ascribe the outcome to the superior character of the...

… for e-tailers, too

It's nostalgic to recall the early days of e-commerce, when forcing online retailers to collect sales tax would have threatened their...

Curb free rides …

Rod Blagojevich didn't do the math before decreeing that senior citizens should ride the buses and trains for free. His only calculation was...

Call the health vote

Republicans swept to control of the U.S. House in November with a bold promise that resonated with voters: "We are here because we heard the...

Just a Quinncidence

On Wednesday this lame-duck legislature quacks its last. Don't be astonished if, in coming months, you read exposes about exiting...

Thanks, Lois

Chicago Cultural Affairs Commissioner Lois Weisberg, the only remaining member of Mayor Richard M. Daley's original cabinet, announced...

Sounds of silence

Back when we were in fourth grade, Miss Luhman had a very effective method for controlling a class that grew too rowdy.

Speak up

In 2005, a judge deemed Seung-Hui Cho "an imminent danger to himself as a result of mental illness," and ordered him to undergo mental...

The Davis file

With all the talk of financial crises in Illinois governments, it would be easy to overlook the $1 million that Chicago Public Schools and...

Drop this lawsuit

Hard to imagine United Airlines and American Airlines filing a joint lawsuit against Chicago if their booster-in-chief weren't retiring in...

Mayor Chainsaw

Different times call for different mayors. Mediator, manager, uniter, developer, good cop, bad cop, salesman, visionary … in 21 years,...

Meet the landlord

All the bluster on Capitol Hill about punishing China for suppressing the value of its currency misses the bigger picture: We and the...

Lockdown, pay up

Here's something to digest with your big new Illinois income tax increase:

The power of a teacher

A few weeks ago, we asked readers to tell us about the one adult other than a parent who most profoundly affected their childhood. Not...

Tequila uprise?

Many Latinos have grown frustrated by the failure of Democrats and Republicans to craft a comprehensive reform of national immigration...

Chicago's next mayor

Beyond the challenges that face every U.S. metropolis — uneven schools, violent crime, job shortages and more — you already know...

What others are saying

We have a news media that is psychologically ill-informed but politically inflamed, so it naturally leans toward political explanations....

Freedom falters

This week, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton got a chilly reception when she told a conference of Arab leaders in Qatar of the urgent...

Snarl of the Tiger Mom

Abusive? Hypercompetitive? Dictatorial?

Shake, shake, shake

If Gov. Pat Quinn really wants to vacuum up all the money he possibly can for the state, he needs to take more careful aim.

Obama's challenge

Barack Obama showed a talent for political strategy in 2008, upending the favorite, Hillary Clinton, in the Democratic primaries and...

Bedbug U.

Good night, sleep tight. Try not to think about those bloodsucking little Cimex lectularius pests, coming soon to a mattress near...

In Illinois, bilingual learning for non-English speakers now starts in preschool

With his navy slacks and dress shirt still creased from his mother's iron, 4-year-old Edenzoe Diaz reported for his first day of preschool...

CPS report card shows many schools struggling

By Chicago Public Schools' own reckoning, about a quarter of its elementary schools and more than 40 percent of its high schools are...

Move it, Washington

Looking closely at your 401(k) has been painful lately, and it's going to get even worse.