Read this great article in National Review Online by AFP's VP of Policy Phil Kerpen. It's isR Grifffin NLRB the politics of IL taken to the national stage:

On January 4, President Obama took the unprecedented step of declaring the Senate to be in recess — although the Senate considered itself to be in session — so that he could install several appointees in key positions at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

The highly respected Chicago-based fiscal watchdog group, the Civic Federation, released a report yesterday detailing the dire state of Illinois' financial situation. The challenges facing Illinois are nothing short of frightening and monumental. Read the report here.

It is clearer than ever, Illinois needs real leadership from the Governor and General Assembly to tackle the state's massive spending problem and its unsustainable obligations in public pensions and Medicaid. Here at AFP-IL, we will keep the pressure on our leaders and demand pension, Medicaid and spending reform.

Check out Illinois Policy Institute's report, "Wrong Way, Illinois" to see how Gov. Quinn's policies have caused the Land of Lincoln to fall behind on job growth.

From the report: "Almost a year after Illinois’ record income tax increase, the state’s unemployment woes contrast starkly with the slow but positive national economic recovery. Unemployment rates in 46 states dropped since January 2011, and some dramatically. Illinois’ unemployment rate, on the other hand, was 9.8 percent in December, up from 9 percent in January 2011. Simply put, Illinois placed more people on the unemployment rolls than any other state in the country."

Join us for a some State of the Union bingo or a Solyndra Sour at our AFP-IL State of the Union Watch Party:
Tuesday, January 24
6:30 pm
Sullivan's Steakhouse
415 N. Dearborn, Chicago

If you cannot join the festivities, watch a simulcast of AFP's national events here and follow us on Twitter at @afphq and use the hashtag #obamaforgets

On Monday night, over 625 people joined Fox TV commentator Juan Williams and syndicated radio host Michael Medved at an event cosponsored by AFP to discuss the need for school choice to restore competition and accountability in education.

The panelists agreed on the need to curb the power of the teachers unions in order to reward good teachers and dismiss bad ones so that all children can receive a quality education. See the article from Illinois Review for more details.

Overflow audience at School Choice Event in Deerfield