Persistent problems have left Illinois the butt of jokes and threatened it with fiscal catastrophe. The authors use their four decades of experience as public servants, Springfield veterans, and government observers to present a program of almost one hundred specific policy ideas aimed at rescuing the state from its long list of problems.
James Nowlan served two terms in the Illinois House of Representatives and worked under three governors. He is the coauthor of Illinois Politics: A Citizen's Guide. J. Thomas Johnson was director of the Illinois Department of Revenue and is President Emeritus of the Taxpayers' Federation of Illinois.